Black Smithing And Blade Smithing Stuff!
It was time to try my hand at making a Friction Folder. A friction folder is a folding knife that doesn’t use a lock or springs. It uses the handle’s friction against the tang to stay open. The design has an extended tang. This allows the user’s hand to keep the blade from folding shut.
When making a Friction Folder it’s best to make a prototype out of heavy paper or thin wood pieces. This allows you to get the pin locations close enough so it can be tuned in final fitting.
Continue readingTo me a classic looking knife, a truly exquisite knife, one you just want to carry on your next adventure, will always have a wood handle. Wood is the traditional substance for a beautiful knife handle, and unless you plan to be in the most extreme survival conditions, for lengths of time almost humanly unbearable, a wood handle will always perform wonderfully. And nothing really can compare to wood for adding beauty to your knife, but a basic note about wood scales or handles.
Continue readingUp to this point my knife hardness test has been to chop a hardwood scrap, roughly 2” x 2” by chopping at it as hard as I could. A used knife I had folded on the test and I couldn’t get it heat treated so it would not harden. I was still researching trying to find a better way without buying expensive equipment.
Continue readingStone Washing for Your Knives’ Finish is quite simple. You can actually do it by hand. Just put the knife in a container with media. I used stones I picked up from the side of the road.
Continue readingIf you choose, you can make your own mosaic pins. Mosaic
pins are simply pins with a decorative look. To make a mosaic pin, simply fill a tube with whatever you
think will look cool. Here is a few I did.
At this point I decided I wanted to stabilize the wood I used for handles. Stabilizing Scales (and handles) helps eliminate the possibility of the handle going bad because of moisture causing expansion or contraction if it dries out. It minimizes or eliminates warping, cracking and other issues that can occur with wood when used under extreme circumstances. It also would allow me to use some spalted wood that wouldn’t normally be a good handle.
Continue readingThe brass finger guard was fitted buy cutting the slot, then slowly filing it until it fit. The blade was also filed slightly to create a very shallow shoulder for the brass to slide up to. It was then drilled for 2 brass 1/8” rods which were peened on (after heat treating).
Continue readingThere are endless types and styles of jimping. And there are endless ways to cut it. First you should decide if you want or need jimping, and what you think you need it for.
Continue readingFinding the right belts can be a bit of a learning curve. Here is a little of what I’ve picked up so far. Here is some information that may be helpful for the steel grinding.
Continue readingI force a patina using Apple Cider Vinegar on “Knife 43 – Hidden Tang Puukko – Apple Cider Vinegar Patina”
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