Gotta love Holiday weekends , that means no work and no school stuff of running around with the kids , which = shop time ( which since it was raining meant no range time , which also = more shop time ).
I Managed to get these two almost done. Just need to do the sheaths , get em logo'd and sharpened. Got another done this afternoon , aint snapped picts of it yet , but it's a modified loveless patten made from Boehler N690 ( 5/32 thick )
First one:
Steel : 3/16 154cm ( Paul Bos HT )
flat ground , hand satin (400 grit that is as fine a grit as I use).
Scales : green micarta with red liners with SS corby bolts & a SS lan tube
tang tapers to approx .065 - .070
OAL: 10 1/8 with 4 5/8 cutting edge.
This one will get a leather sheath , can stand to put a nice finish in Kydex.
Second One :
Steel : .200 S30v (Paul Bos HT)
flat ground ( .016 at the edge )
Scales : Green Micarta , SS/brass loveless bolts , SS lan tube
tang tapers to approx .060
Finish : al ox blast followed by glass bead blast
OAL: 10 1/2" with a 5 1/2 cutting edge
This one is supposed to get a kydex sheath if I recall ( have to dbl check with the buyer)
After being out of the shop since the first of June , it felt dam good to finish something without screwing it up Maybe now I can finally get this next batch of 22 blades off to Paul Bos for HT.
Gotta thank the wife for allowing me the time to goof off in the shop on a 4 day weekend. :cool:
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sm
November 29, 2008, 08:37 PM
Very nice indeed!!!
Valkman
November 29, 2008, 08:58 PM
Yes, very nice! Clean looking knives!
alaskanativeson
November 29, 2008, 09:09 PM
Really nice! I think I may need one!
DAVIDSDIVAD
November 29, 2008, 10:22 PM
Wow, man; very nice, professional, and clean looking knives.
bikerdoc
November 30, 2008, 08:26 AM
4 days well spent my friend, great looking work
JTW Jr.
December 1, 2008, 12:51 AM
Thanks guys. I managed to get this one done as well.
It's supposed to be a Loveless patten , but I made a few subtle changes ( ok screw-ups , but I like em ).
Steel: Boehler n690 with Paul Bos HT ( 5/32 thick )
Handles: green micarta with red linder , SS corby bolts and SS lan tube
OAL: 10"
Blade : 4 1/2" cutting edge.
hand satin to 400 grit ( Did I mention I have nothing finer ? ).
Edge is about .018.
I did a slight contour on the scales , basically kept shaping till it felt right. Think I will have to make a few more of these as I really like the way it feels , next ones will have to get tapered tangs though.
I do not see any screw ups. I see a really nice and functional design instead.
So...are you doing leather for any of these? I wanna pics of your fine leather work sir...please.
Steve
JTW Jr.
December 1, 2008, 01:38 AM
Trust me , the screwup's were there , I just made design changes , but it appears things happened for a reason , I actually like it better this way.
Yes Steve , all but the bead blasted one is getting leather. I will be working on the sheaths this week , I will post picts when they are all finished.
Have 2 more in the works , and one is even a hollow ground , which I have done in a long time. :)
sm
December 1, 2008, 04:57 AM
JTW Jr.,
One more time... being as I am referred to as "master craftsman"* in some stuff...
Thems ain't screw ups. Thems engineering improvements. There is a difference...
Then again I like to refer to this as "tricked", or "tweaked" , which also means sometimes one "de-tricks" and "de tweaks".
Less is more.
I always look forward to your work, and admit, the leatherwork you do for your pcs.
I ever get to where I can, I have some stuff I would like done, and some is just the leather work.
Steve
* stroke it. I never cared for titles or pcs of papers no way, I just did the apprentice bit and did stuff for me, as I wanted to learn it. These titles and certs , and whatever else I ...*shrug* who cares, I don't, and with two bits these will not buy a cup of coffee.
Yeah, titles don't impress me. I have bailed more than one fella out that looked down on me with his title and all.
bikerdoc
December 1, 2008, 06:59 AM
For me, that design looks to be about the most perfectly utilitarian knive I have ever seen. Down home we call redesigning "redneck ingenuity"
looking forward to more pics.
JTW Jr.
December 2, 2008, 08:35 PM
Thanks Steve..
I like to keep my knives simple , just the basics , I do the tapered tangs only cause most don't , and I like to make the knife balance.
Sometimes I like a handle heavy knife , sometime I prefer it more evenly balanced , so I make em both ways.
Or sometimes I forget to taper the tang , then I have to hear it from my quality inspector ( aka 6 ft Irish red-headed attack wife ) cause I didn't taper it. :)
Staying simple allows me to keep the prices down as well , and get them into the hands of folks who will use them. I will get one in your hands some day.
whited
December 9, 2008, 01:43 PM
I like these. My only preferences would be more pins and 440c.
JTW Jr.
December 9, 2008, 02:37 PM
I like these. My only preferences would be more pins and 440c.
Those are corby bolts , I don't trust pins , with corby bolts that handle isnt coming off unless you grind it off. The epoxy is used to seal only.
N690 is a modified 440-c.
Most prefer at least ats-34 , D2 , 154cm , cpm154 or S30v now adays.
I mix it up alot , this next batch going out to Paul Bos for HT is a mix of D2 , A2 and some ats-34 blades.
I think I am done with S30v for awhile :)
Tom Krein
December 10, 2008, 10:46 PM
LOOKING GOOD BUDDY!
Nice work! Now get back out there and make some more!
Tom
JTW Jr.
December 10, 2008, 11:26 PM
Yes sir !
right after I finish the leather sheaths...
;)
alaskanativeson
December 10, 2008, 11:51 PM
If I may ask, why are you done with S30V? Is is hard to work, expensive, or is it something else? I've really been impressed with it, but then that's just as a customer, not a maker.
On another note, have you worked with CPM-D2? I think it was Valkman who said it's actually even more of a nightmarishly tough steel than regular D2.
JTW Jr.
December 11, 2008, 01:51 AM
I don't find D2 bad to work with at all. S30v I am done with mainly due to price , and I dislike hand finishing ( satin ) it after HT and tapering the tangs after HT.
I like to mix it up , try some of this , some of that.
The CPM154 I really like , finishes nice , grinds nice even after HT ( tapering tangs ) . Next batch I will try some CPM-D2 and some more ATS-34.
Doing a couple in A2 now , just to see how I like it.
hso
December 11, 2008, 10:47 AM
Walter Brend loves CPM-D2 (in spite of the fact he says it eats belts).
That's some very nice work.
whited
December 11, 2008, 03:54 PM
Dumb question, but prices ? :)
JTW Jr.
December 12, 2008, 03:26 AM
My prices vary , from $125 - $200 , depending on steel , handle material , leather or kydex sheath , etc.
Occasionally I will do some 1095 or 01 tool steel blades , usually most are S30v , D2 , 154cm , cpm154 , ats-34 or A2.
DAVIDSDIVAD
December 12, 2008, 04:05 AM
Seriously!?!
Wow, those are great prices
JShirley
December 12, 2008, 07:05 PM
I *really* like the one in the second picture.
John
whited
December 12, 2008, 07:52 PM
So do I.
Very much so. In fact, I may have to have one. I've been seeking out a
quality handmade knife for a long time now, but I've had trouble finding
all of my criteria at a reasonable cost. The knife in post #7 of this thread
should make a lot of knifemakers hang their heads with embarrassment.
1. Good steel.
2. Shaped micarta scales
3. Handmade by a *person*
4. Simple and robust construction
5. Utilitarian design - nice belly drop point, no frills, around 4" blade
6. Around $ 150
JTW, have you sold to (m)any folks through this place ?
JTW Jr.
December 13, 2008, 12:07 AM
I don't believe I have , I think AUSCHIP has one of my early knives but most of my sales have taken place on a different forum. ( see my signature ).
I price my knives at what I would be willing to pay for a similar knife , and believe me , I am a hard sell. I try to keep the prices low as for me it is just a hobby. One like the one pictured in post #7 will probably be closer to $200 shipped ( in US ) with an un-tooled handmade leather sheath .
Eventually I may get to where I will charge more , but I am of the feeling I need to get more refined before charging more. My goal is to always focus on using knives.
Please understand that a full time maker , who is supporting him and his family needs to sell their knives for more. I charge just enough to cover costs and have some left over to buy more supplies to keep the cycle going. So as you can see , not a sound business plan , which is ok for me , as I am not treating it as a business. I just make what I want , when I can and post it for sale , if it sells cool , if not , next time a friend visits , it will go home with him/her more than likely. :)
For an exceptional knife and at a insanely reasonable price , check out Tom Krein's knives . Tom, Lucas Burnley , Eric Fritz and David Wesner are providing some fantastic knives at prices that won't kill yer budget.
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