What's On Yer Bench?

[rockhound]

I recently finished a Nessmuck and am now about to start contouring the scales on these drop point hunters I've been working on. It's a run of four I'm making for a family of hunters up here. Three will go to them and one to my cousin. Stock removal CPM-S35-VN... Micarta bolsters and G10 scales. The one pictured without the blue tape on the blade is made of aluminum (and G10). It's a dummy-clone of the others which I'll use for wet-forming the sheaths. Hope you are all keeping busy with something. What ya working on iffn ya don't mind me askin?

Works in progress by GhostCreekMine, on Flickr

[jimmontg]

Was in a car accident and have been down for awhile. I had an order for a women's belt and had it cut to size and all the holes punched. So I'm carving the flower pattern and beveling it and will paint and dye it when I get home next week. If I get home next week. I have a finished knife and sheath all tooled and the sheath is 80% finished, just needs to sew up the welt side and belt loop, then install the snap. I use solid brass line 20 and 24 snaps I buy from Zach White Leather in NC. I buy most of my hardware for leather from them. Good prices for solid brass or stainless, my leather doesn't rust from plated snaps, rivets or buckles.

In the 90s when I was a rookie I bought the rivets and snaps for a sheath for a fillet knife. Unbeknownst to me, as I found out later. Any leather hardware that doesn't say solid brass or stainless is plated steel. I had an unhappy customer who had just come back from a fishing trip in the ocean and the sheath was rusting, especially the snaps, but rivets were spotting too. I went down to Tandy and had to buy 100 brass rivets as they didn't come in a smaller size and they had no snaps that my magnet didn't stick too, not a single one. Made the sheath with the ball post fastener and solid brass rivets. Obviously I had to remake the whole sheath. Just a heads up to newbies with leather, but lesson learned. Take a magnet if going to a leather supply store.

[M&J]

I've had stuff in my trays for so long now that the steel has gone out of flavor. LOL. The damascus blades will be possible projects. I'll grind some O1 and D2 hunters this year. Want to get some S35 for some folder projects in mind.

There is a forged Japanese slicer partway that I want to handle now that the weather is cooled off. That thread here:
http://www.knifenetwork.com/forum/sh...ad.php?t=68357

[cnccutter]

I’ve had a busy year and it finished up strong. 43 for the year. I’m already looking forward to April in Eugene at OKCA show. I’m only a hobbiest so would rather slow things back down and enjoy the ride a bit more.

Erik

[rockhound]

Holy smokes, 43 is a lot in my mind. KUDOS! And that is a fine knife you pictured. I can only make knives during the winter months so 6-8 is about my max, although I'm on pace to beat that this season.

[rockhound]

Originally Posted by jimmontg

... I buy from Zach White Leather in NC. I buy most of my hardware for leather from them. Good prices for solid brass or stainless, my leather doesn't rust from plated snaps, rivets or buckles.

jimmontg... very sorry to hear about your car accident and I wish you a speedy recovery! I rolled my truck last April and my dog and I were lucky to walk away without a scratch, counting my blessings. I'll be making my future purchases from Zach White. My last double shoulder from Springfield Leather (a subsidiary of Tandy) was terrible and I can't bring myself to order leather from them again.

[jimmontg]

[QUOTE][jimmontg... very sorry to hear about your car accident and I wish you a speedy recovery! I rolled my truck last April and my dog and I were lucky to walk away without a scratch, counting my blessings. I'll be making my future purchases from Zach White. My last double shoulder from Springfield Leather (a subsidiary of Tandy) was terrible and I can't bring myself to order leather from them again./QUOTE]

I have never bought much leather from Zach White except a horse hide for straps for lined belts and 2 belt straps to see how good they are, because they had the best price for belt straps I've seen, they were very good straps and were good quality. Also I buy my leather from Tandy, but I hand pick it out. I've ordered from Springfield, but only on sale Hermann Oak single shoulders split to 3-4 oz and they were fine except a little small for a single. For wallets, but I don't make many, too labor intensive without a sewing machine.

Understand I have a Tandy store only an hour away and I don't just make sheaths. I do more leather than knives these days, mostly belts. I only use Tandy's Oak Leaf import hides. I know what to look for in a hide and watch out for import leather period. It's a crap shoot, some is good some isn't. I ordered a beautiful double shoulder on sale from Weaver supply and it looked good, only one problem, it was dried out and very hard to cut. Had to dampen it to cut it and sanding the edges only made them hairier. It had like 10 reviews all good except one and he said the same thing I said. All the other reviewers were only talking about it's looks and I'd bet they were all newbies.

If all you make is sheaths a Tandy single Oak Leaf shoulder in 8-9 oz should be ok if you can't pick out your leather in person. When you order from Tandy it comes from the store closest to you and ask the manager to pick you out a good one.

Zach White's leather is sold by the square foot and can get expensive. But they are helpful and will try to do their best for you. If you're thinking of making a few belts just order some 1 1/2 straps from them, they're almost cheap enough that if you count your labor it's about the same price as strapping out your own double shoulder. Of course they have a strapping machine that does a whole hide at one time. Tandy's straps are way too expensive, you'd think they did them by hand.

Oh, btw I buy my alligator and crocodile straps from Pan Am Leathers in NYC, NY. I made my son a croc belt worth $500 hand sewn, but that takes a while. Especially since the strap I sewed in onto was 8-9 oz, I have a splitter. I should have split it down to 5-6 oz. Oh well the holes for the buckle won't stretch out any time soon.

[jimmontg]

Originally Posted by M&J

I've had stuff in my trays for so long now that the steel has gone out of flavor. LOL. The damascus blades will be possible projects. I'll grind some O1 and D2 hunters this year. Want to get some S35 for some folder projects in mind.

There is a forged Japanese slicer partway that I want to handle now that the weather is cooled off. That thread here:
http://www.knifenetwork.com/forum/sh...ad.php?t=68357

What kind of out of style steel do you have Mike?

[M&J]

Jim, continued thoughts-prayers for your healing.

Back in the day I hit up our local Tandy and the manager there selected 8-9 .oz skins for the sheaths, I'd be making. I still have a couple quarter sides to get through. (This was why Stan Fujisaka encouraged me to make folders to avoid the leather work. LOL) I've bought some scrap that was terrible and inconsistent. Those were used for the welt or spacers.

Erik did well at 43 pieces. Congrats! We enjoyed the Eugene show in those days.

The out of flavor steel I have is 440-C. Bought 200 feet of the stuff from a retiring maker and I've used about 20' of it. .125"x2"x36" cuts. I have some of Devin Thomas's bars that are in equal need of some love. A few makers I talked with at the Anaheim show say it's "premium" now. Whatever that means.

[jimmontg]

200 feet of 440C? It's not out of flavor, but does need deep cryo to get the best from it Mike.

As I wrote to Rockhound above, if sheaths are all you are going to make, half shoulder veg tan in 8-9 oz is fine. Oh, runaway from hairy leather.

I mentioned before in another post about not using unknown, possible chrome tanned leather on knives. Chromic acid is not a metal's friend.

I was fortunate that the Tandy store I had there locally gave lessons in leather work and half shoulders were fine for sheaths is what I was taught. I couldn't afford a side or double shoulder anyway. I didn't start buying sides or double shoulders until I started making belts.

I will say that buying half shoulders from Tandy I never got a bad one and I've ordered several on the phone and asked "Please give me a good one". Can't say the same for Weaver or Springfield's little shoulders, they were good, but one third was missing.

Thank you guys for your well wishes and prayers. Merry Christmas and may God bless.

[rockhound]

5 more back from HT. Not sure if I'll have time to finish these before spring so they may have to wait until next winter.

Post HT by GhostCreekMine, on Flickr

[M&J]

Some of the in-progress ones.

The fixed ones I have to get some 416 pins heat treated before they get the bolsters fitted then handle scales done.

Junko's sodalite stone handled Persian.

D2 and 1084 blades waiting for heat treat.

[rockhound]

Wow, you've got a lot on the plate! The Persian looks fantastic. The work-in-progress carbon fiber folder in the same image looks interesting.

[M&J]

Have had minimal shop time these days. The VS speed controller in one of the Burr King's went south so I'm not very motivated to swap wheels and attachments around. The fixed blades are on the short list. The carbon fiber handles belong to a straight razor. That one is pretty close to complete with shaping and polishing left.