Anybody into knives?

I have some Gabon Ebony on the way for this cleaver, think it will look badass on there. I've also been researching final finishing of the woods. I've been making little skinning knives that will be used for skinning, so I haven't "polished" the wood, just sanded to 2000 and oiled, but never polished or rubbed out the oils. Gonna do a couple for looks and see how much of a "show piece" I can make.

I also got some more info on the cleaver, from bladeforums.com identification section:

The company was founded by Samuel Bernstein in 1914 and located at no. 106 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. In 1941 the firm was taken over by National Silver Company of New York. They continued to use the Royal Brand trademark until 1954.

So the knife is pre-1955. No other info available.
 
I started working on my first knife tonight. It's a fairly large hammer forge blade probably 7" blade. I've got the ironwood epoxied to the handle and started rough cutting the shape of the handle into the scales and the ironwood is tougher than I thought. Once shaped and sanded though I was planning on finishing it with TruOil which is what use for refinishing gun stocks. Tung Oil or boiled linseed oil would probably be good too.
 
Gamecock24 said:
I started working on my first knife tonight. It's a fairly large hammer forge blade probably 7" blade. I've got the ironwood epoxied to the handle and started rough cutting the shape of the handle into the scales and the ironwood is tougher than I thought. Once shaped and sanded though I was planning on finishing it with TruOil which is what use for refinishing gun stocks. Tung Oil or boiled linseed oil would probably be good too.
Click to expand...

I have used the TruOil, and liked the results, but I haven't followed the directions. I just put it on and wipe it off. I don't actually want a "shiny" or slippery finish on anything I've made yet, they all will be USED for what they're designed to do, and slippery means dangerous when skinning an animal or something.

So just oiled, to add color and depth, and protect the wood, is enough for me at this point.

But I have started the process of doing the super glue finish on one of mine......
 
Here's the final product for the cleaver. Gabon Ebony, sanded up to 2000 grit and oiled.

Well, it's done. Far from the rusty heap it was.....

Still debating on whether or not to finish/polish the wood or leave it alone, but this Gabon Ebony is GORGEOUS in person......






 
Papabear that really is awesome. I can't see how you are to sell that clever it's so cool. Now I can't wait to work with my ebony. I'm going have see a super glue finish to know what that looks like. If you like the ebony you look at some African Blackwood.
 
Gamecock24 said:
Papabear that really is awesome. I can't see how you are to sell that clever it's so cool. Now I can't wait to work with my ebony. I'm going have see a super glue finish to know what that looks like. If you like the ebony you look at some African Blackwood.
Click to expand...

Well, I'm going to keep ONE of them......I might have bought another of them today on eBay, lol.

I think this weekend I'm going to take a trip to the flea market and hunt for some old blades and stuff.
 
Well Papabear it's not as nice as some of yours but I finished my first knife. It's a 7" blade with burl ironwood scales finished with TruOil.
 
That looks really nice!

I've been trying to stay away from the knives with bolsters, as it's easier to finish without them, but that looks really nice!

Is the lanyard tube just epoxied in? What kind of pins are those?
 
The bolster wasn't really difficult to work around, I just put some blue tape on it to protect it. The pins are stainless because nickle silver rods in 3/16" were more expensive. The lanyard tube is 1/4" SS also and it's epoxied in as well as the pins. Do you peen your pins or just epoxy them in?
 
Some more work to share....

First is a filet knife that was bought by a friend of mine, to be a gift to his brother in law. It is a panfish/trout filet knife, sharp on the swage of the knife as well (top of spine at tip)..... Scales are Desert Ironwood, with a mosaic pin thrown in for looks. This wood is gorgeous.....


















Next is an oyster knife done in Figured Maple, with mosaic pins. This was sold to another friend, as a gift for his best man in his wedding coming up very soon. I am also doing more basic knives for all of his groomsmen....











And my new favorite. This is an oyster knife done in Stabilized Spalted Maple Burl, with black G10 liners (piece between scales and blade), with 6 stainless pins. This wood is exquisite (read: expensive) and was done for a friend of mine as a gift for his wife for their anniversary. He wanted a "camo" look but done in wood.....this fit the bill quite well.

















Hope you enjoy!!
 
Neither pics nor knives as good as those preceding.

First is a table knife I made about 20 years ago for SCA events (your knife is really your only implement). Please excuse the cabochons, it was the early 90s.



Second one I didn't make, but is interesting nonetheless: Cretan shepherd's knife. Handle is sheep thigh bone and cloven like a hoof at the pommel.

 
Papabear,

Where did you find the filet knife and oyster knives. Those look fantastic great job 8-)

Did the figured maple have that much blue in it or is that the camera?
 
Oh it's blue. Looks awesome in person, but they're not all the same once you shape them and oil em. They are always even different than the pictures on eBay lol.

The blades I have been getting from premium knife supply mostly. Great shipping and have been some real solid blades.

The filet knife went to a chef/outdoorsman who is absolutely in love with the sharpened area on top of the tip, and the edge he has been able to maintain.

Also, I took the figured maple and the spalted maple in the boat to the beach with me over the weekend. They stayed wet with salt water for and hour before I realized the bag they were in was soaked.

Dried em off and they appeared fine, but over the course of the day being wet and then dry and wet and dry all day with salt water, I could tell they were drying out a little. Not letting them go until they get some more oiling cycles. I don't want to use the tru oil like a coating. I just want it to absorb and protect.

Might be time to go back to my original linseed oiling.

To be continued.
 
Papa bear your latest blades look great. I really like the idea of doing an oyster shucker. That fillet knife is sweet too. I ruined a couple of white Tshirts when working with the ironwood, that dust left a nice red brown stain that won't wash out but it is some beautiful wood when finished.

Here is my lasted one I finished. It's the lone survivor blade with stabilized Buckeye burl scales finished in TruOil. The finger grooves were tricky and time consuming.
 
Curious as to how you did them for that blade....did you shape them after pinning to the blade? Or shape them and then pin them?

I got the same blade, and shaped some G10 to fit and then pinned them on, but the finger grooves don't line up how I like.....

Yours looks awesome by the way.
 
I rough cut the shape to the scales then drilled the holes for the pins and dry fit with out epoxy for most of the shaping which mostly done by hand because I did want to take off the black wash finish of the blade. Once the the scale shape matched the metal I pinned and epoxied the scales which were still flat that point. Then I used my dremel to do the finger contours and finished sanded by hand. It was time consuming but worth it. Now I'm looking into doing a Kydex sheath for it. Good luck on yours are you using the screw type fasteners that came with or you going to pinn it like I did?
 
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