Hunting knives and related projects

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  • 1075 tech
    Warrior
    • Apr 2015
    • 681

    #31
    That's pretty cool.

    Comment

    • montana
      Chieftain
      • Jun 2011
      • 3209

      #32
      Did you use any kind of buff wheel and compound or just sanding?

      I am impressed how well your butt and bolster turned out. These can make or break the looks of a knife.

      Discussing methods in tempering a knife is a great way to get knife makers into an argument LOL. I have seen water, oil and propriety blends used with different temperature methods.

      Did you make your own sheath? Knife sheaths can be a work of art in it's own right.

      The picture was a little blurry but what happened to the saw blade knife?

      I enjoy these type of projects and would like to see more of them without distracting from anything Grendel. I think Grendel owners tend to think outside the box more than others with a flare of ingenuity even when living on the opposite side of the Earth. Thank's again for taking the time of posting pictures and story line.

      Comment

      • Von Gruff
        Chieftain
        • Apr 2012
        • 1078

        #33
        I dont use a buffing wheel on these as I believe that a working knife is better suited to a 600grt handsanding as it is less likely to show the effects of general usage that can show on the highly polished customs.
        I heat treat to non magnetic and then quench in 130degree canola oil before tempering at 375 for 2 hrs. To date I have been using old files, slasher and saw blades but as I am starting to make a few more that are going to other than friends I have to have a bit more controll over the steel so in the future I will be using 15N20 from a reputable knife steel supplier.
        I do make all my own sheaths and have that in a post I will add later on how I go about it.

        The saw blade knife you mentioned was made before I had a protective tube with a way to hold the blade upright and was just laid into the fire so it ended up with a slight warp. I knew I was wrong to try and straighten it when cold but "had to try" with the result shown. Since then I have not had a warp during heat treat with the tube/holder but if there was a stress warp, I have an old carpenters vice that I can mount vertically that will get a set of heavy alloy quench plates that the knife can go in out of the tempering oven rather than quenching in warm water.
        http://www.vongruffknives.com/

        sigpic Von Gruff



        Grendel-Max

        Exodus 20:1-17
        Acts 4:10-12

        Comment

        • Von Gruff
          Chieftain
          • Apr 2012
          • 1078

          #34
          This is one I did from my great grandfathers scrub slasher so the steel is from the late 1870's as far as I can work out.

          There was a great deal of work to get the very thick blade down to a usable thickness but eventually it was ready to take the pattern I had decided on


          With knickle silver bolster and butt cap on african blackwood handle slabs it will make a very effective heavy game knife

          And matched with the little 3 finger knife with ivory handles and knickle silver accents it makes for a usfull "pair". The 3 in ceramic stick is a handy field aid.
          http://www.vongruffknives.com/

          sigpic Von Gruff



          Grendel-Max

          Exodus 20:1-17
          Acts 4:10-12

          Comment

          • Von Gruff
            Chieftain
            • Apr 2012
            • 1078

            #35
            An ULU is a great kitchen tool and this one I made froman old sharpenable skill saw blade. Have been using it for a few years now and wouldn't be without it for herbs and especially for rhubarb.


            http://www.vongruffknives.com/

            sigpic Von Gruff



            Grendel-Max

            Exodus 20:1-17
            Acts 4:10-12

            Comment

            • Von Gruff
              Chieftain
              • Apr 2012
              • 1078

              #36
              This is how I make my sheathes and again they are plain and unnadorned with stamping etc although I do have all the gear to do that. I have done a bit of stamping work on some of the other leather I have made into belts, rifle slings and pistol holsters etc but working knife sheaths I prefer plain.

              The pattern is laid out on the leather and while many of you will use a weight of leather to denote thickness here we use the actual thickness as the guide when buying. This is 1/8 in thick shoulder hide. I have a couple of left handed sheath patterns cut out from when I didn't watch what I was doing and laid the pattern out with the wrong face up.


              Cut it out along with the welt

              Glue the welt on and with light wetting it can be formed to the sheath shape to get the top hole marked on for both front and back. The belt loop is folded and marked in for sewing.
              http://www.vongruffknives.com/

              sigpic Von Gruff



              Grendel-Max

              Exodus 20:1-17
              Acts 4:10-12

              Comment

              • Von Gruff
                Chieftain
                • Apr 2012
                • 1078

                #37
                With the stitch groover run round the edge the stitch spacer follows then the holes are drilled so the piece can be sewn together.

                The edges are dressed and the the sheath wetted to form it to the knife and it is all left to dry. This makes for a sheath that will hold the knife firmly so I have never lost a knife in the near 40 years since I started to carry them in this style of sheath. It is then given a dressing of a mixture of 1/3, 1/3, 1/3 of bees wax, linseed oil and turps. I use this as the final waxing for my wood work as well. It does not colour the leather.


                http://www.vongruffknives.com/

                sigpic Von Gruff



                Grendel-Max

                Exodus 20:1-17
                Acts 4:10-12

                Comment

                • jim_bob
                  Warrior
                  • Jul 2014
                  • 316

                  #38
                  Awesome, keep up the great work and information. Your skinner knives look very much like my prefered shape for whitetail work.

                  Comment

                  • montana
                    Chieftain
                    • Jun 2011
                    • 3209

                    #39
                    Your knife sheath looks almost like Ruana knives sheathes in look and construction except for the brass tacks they put on the edge. They have a distinct Finnish look since that is their place of origin. They are the best knife sheathes I have ever used or seen. Here is my friends father in the process of making one.



                    When my late mother lived in Alaska in 1950 she talked about the natives using a ULU shape blade when butchering whales. They would mix the whale blubber with berries and eat as candy. She always smiled and ate it when offered even though it made her gag LOL.

                    Your knife blade shape and size looks close to the knife blade of my preference. I see many hunters use blades way to large for my taste.

                    You have mastered knife making very well so be careful or you could end up working full time again in your retirement making knives and specialty tools.
                    Last edited by montana; 01-15-2017, 04:01 AM.

                    Comment

                    • Von Gruff
                      Chieftain
                      • Apr 2012
                      • 1078

                      #40



                      I like this one on the left here with the dressy collar on it. The difference with mine is that I dont cut and sew the spine side of the sheath and leave a good 1/4 inch at the end of the stitching so there is an outlet for water and any small debris that gets into the sheath.

                      I do intend to start making a few more and as I get through the posts and get to the end of the knives already made. I got the last four finished today of the unknown steel given to me by another knife maker to trial a few different techniques. I intend to start in with 15N20 steel for any made from here on out, except for the odd farrier rasp blade that some like.
                      Last edited by Von Gruff; 01-15-2017, 05:55 AM.
                      http://www.vongruffknives.com/

                      sigpic Von Gruff



                      Grendel-Max

                      Exodus 20:1-17
                      Acts 4:10-12

                      Comment

                      • montana
                        Chieftain
                        • Jun 2011
                        • 3209

                        #41


                        It goes to their Crockett Bowie knife which I acquired when I was in my early 20's. Not very practical but at the time I could not live with out it LOL. All his casting forms like the horse and alligator on the butt was hand made by him. Rudy Ruana first made knives in 1924 for a couple of indians for skinning horses back when he was a farrier for the cavalry. One thing led to another and he started making knives full time. http://ruanaknives.com/companyhistory.aspx
                        Please keep me updated on any more knives you make. There is something about a hand made knife that I have always appreciated as much as any custom made firearm.

                        Comment

                        • Von Gruff
                          Chieftain
                          • Apr 2012
                          • 1078

                          #42
                          I have seen a doco on the ruana knives. I believe they are still in business and do a style with casrt aluminium handles. They are quite sought after from what I read and his heat treating was legend for the edge holding of his knives if we are both talking about the same ones.

                          There will be a daily posting till I get cought up with the knives to where I am now.
                          http://www.vongruffknives.com/

                          sigpic Von Gruff



                          Grendel-Max

                          Exodus 20:1-17
                          Acts 4:10-12

                          Comment

                          • montana
                            Chieftain
                            • Jun 2011
                            • 3209

                            #43
                            Yes, they are still a family business and going strong, in fact they are just down the road about a mile from me. Their knives are renowned world wide and some of the older knives are quite valuable and sought after by collectors. The biggest Ruana knife collector who wrote two books about Ruana knives was a line machine operator whom I worked under hooking logs and knot bumping when I was 16 years old. He now lives in the state of Washington.
                            Looking forward to more of your postings.

                            Comment

                            • Von Gruff
                              Chieftain
                              • Apr 2012
                              • 1078

                              #44
                              May be time in this thread to look at heat treating, or at least how it can be done without sending out to the professionals.

                              Heat treating is the one aspect of knife making that will make for a great cutting knife that will hold an edge.
                              This can be done in a good contained cast iron domestic fire box as I do or in a backyard fire build just for the job. Plenty of heat generated in this one

                              For those who start with old files and rasps as I often do these need to be annealed first so when they are heated they need to cool as slowly as possible and to do this I put them into a bucket of ash which insulates them so that they are often still just warm after sitting overnight.



                              From here they can be shaped and ground to be ready for heat treating
                              http://www.vongruffknives.com/

                              sigpic Von Gruff



                              Grendel-Max

                              Exodus 20:1-17
                              Acts 4:10-12

                              Comment

                              • Von Gruff
                                Chieftain
                                • Apr 2012
                                • 1078

                                #45
                                To protect the bade from hot spots in the fire when heat treating, I have a length of tube with a piece of angle iron welded on to keep it stable with a slot in the angle iron to hold the knife blade with the spine down


                                I had no access to a set of blacksmiths tongs so a couple of pieces of 1/2 in tube on the handles of a simple pair of pliars keeps my hands from the heat.
                                http://www.vongruffknives.com/

                                sigpic Von Gruff



                                Grendel-Max

                                Exodus 20:1-17
                                Acts 4:10-12

                                Comment

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