Finished knives - after a 6 month hiatus

[JTW Jr.]

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.



Both:

154Cm

S30v:

Gotta thank the wife for allowing me the time to goof off in the shop on a 4 day weekend.

 

[sm]

Very nice indeed!!!

 

[Valkman]

Yes, very nice! Clean looking knives!

 

[alaskanativeson]

Really nice! I think I may need one!

 

[DAVIDSDIVAD]

Wow, man; very nice, professional, and clean looking knives.

 

[bikerdoc]

4 days well spent my friend, great looking work

 

[JTW Jr.]

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.

 

[sm]

JTW Jr.,

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.]

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]

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]

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.]

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]

.

I like these. My only preferences would be more pins and 440c.

 

[JTW Jr.]

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]

LOOKING GOOD BUDDY!

Nice work! Now get back out there and make some more!

Tom

 

[JTW Jr.]

Yes sir !

right after I finish the leather sheaths...

 

[alaskanativeson]

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.]

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]

Walter Brend loves CPM-D2 (in spite of the fact he says it eats belts).

That's some very nice work.

 

[whited]

.

Dumb question, but prices ?

 

[JTW Jr.]

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]

Seriously!?!

Wow, those are great prices

 

[JShirley]

I *really* like the one in the second picture.

John

 

[whited]

.

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.]

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.