Making my first knives in 5 years

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Just glued up the handles on the 2nd knife. Getting colder, epoxy did NOT want to come out of the bottles! :)

2nd_knife_glued1_zpsqn8ixwrt.jpg
 
Run hot water in the sink over them while rotating them.

Then get ready to do it after you mix it!!!

Because once warm, it kicks over fast!!!

(I also have been known to nuke them in the microwave for 5-10 seconds!!)

rc
 
I couldn't believe how thick it was, and it was 62 degrees in the shop. I have done the hot water trick before, about time to do it again.
 
I thought my leather and stuff might get here today but nothing showed. Ordered on the 29th, paid out he butt for shipping and it was shipped Monday USPS but who knows what level they paid for. Should have been Priority as much as I paid.

I couldn't afford a big piece of leather and this place had a bag of pieces that seemed to be what I needed, but I probably won't order from them again.

OTOH, I ordered stuff from Tandy yesterday and it's already shipped and the shipping was under $3. Probably get it tomorrow - now that's service.
 
Tandy has always done right by me. Watch their sales, sometimes they have single shoulders for relatively cheap prices. They also do grab bags of scrap and stuff but I don't know how many use-able pieces you get.
With tandy it ships from whatever your closest store is, in my case the owner is top notch and has sent me emails regarding the quality of leather they had in stock and asking if I wanted to change to a different size or grade to get something better. Its only a half hr drive for me to get there but there is so much in the store its almost easier to shop online, get what you need and not 37 things you thought you might need once you saw it on the shelf.
 
I wish there was a Tandy near me but they did right by me on my order, initially charging me $12 shipping and then knocking it down to $2.71 on the final invoice.

But it's true, if I go into a store I buy way more than I came in for.
 
Well, dang that's cool! I've had no time for knife work this year and I know the feeling of trepedation waving steel at that belt for the first time in a long time. Good on ye, for following through and putting together some nice blades!
 
Started with this tonight:

micarta_handles1_zps3hrdqtvo.jpg

Ground it down to this and sandblasted it to see how it looked:

micarta_handles2_zpsm9vqfidb.jpg

Got a ways to go but I left it there for now.
 
Yea I saw that, it's amazing if anyone buys it at that price. But I have the wood handled one sold and am keeping the other one. Then I have 2 more to make and one of those looks like it's spoken for and they don't even know what it'll be! :)
 
I got leather today, bought it hoping it was good enough for a sheath or two but it's not - I even called and asked if it would work for sheaths and the lady said "It should". I guess her idea doesn't match mine when it comes to what I need for sheaths.

It's a bag of pieces that not only aren't big enough, it's shaped all wrong and it's all flimsy stuff.

I thought I could get away with this bag o' leather for $20 but will have to go to Tandy tomorrow. The wallet princess said I could get some but not much! :)
 
Look for single shoulders, in a medium grade. You don't need premium herman oak tooling leather, unless you plan to do some fancy carving. Avoid bellies, they are always wrinkled and mushy, shoulders are the most consistent thickness and firmness.
On cheaper leather, the grain is usually a little rough. The high priced stuff will have a nice buttery finish that almost has its own gloss while the cheaper stuff will look like someone got a little over zealous scraping the hair off, and it will be more of a flat finish. A little dye and some wax will make it look great though, or I really like the antique finishes that tandy carries(they still need a clear coat or paste wax to finish though).
 
I don't know, Timbo. As long as I'm grinding on this grinder I doubt there will be anything bigger than a 4" blade come out of it. I'd love to make some more Fighters, but I think I'll have to wait on a 2" x 72" grinder first.
 
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