Snakewood Pit Bull - The Knife Network Forums : Knife Making Discussions

Nifmakr · #1 10-21-2003, 08:58 PM

One more time with the Pit Bull and then I gotta start on a run of two-bladers.

I hope you like this one as well as the abalone one.

70-75 Aircraft Aluminum Frame
Snakewood Inlays
1/8" Flatground, Mirror Polished CPM S30V Blade
5 1/2" Closed
9 5/8" Open
Weight: 4.7 oz. (132.3 grams)

Thanks for looking.

Steve

McAhron · #2 10-21-2003, 09:03 PM

Looks like perfection.love it

Nifmakr · #3 10-22-2003, 06:16 PM

No Sir, not perfect. If I got that good, I'd have to quit. After perfect, there's no where else to go but back and I want to keep going forward.

I am glad you like it ! Thank you for looking.

Steve

fitzo · #4 10-22-2003, 07:09 PM

That IS a beauty. I really like the design. Very appealing.

I also have to tip my hat to you:
"You are a better man than me mirror polishing that S30V."

Seems like good steel so far, but this finishing is a nightmare. What abrasive are you using post-heat treat, if I may ask?

Bob Sigmon · #5 10-22-2003, 07:29 PM

Steve,

Very Nice! The snakewood looks real good. As usual your blade is a shining star!

Bob Sigmon

Nifmakr · #6 10-22-2003, 08:45 PM

Thank you Bob, I'm glad you like it.

Mike, I have found that you can grind to finished size (about .025" at the edge) without getting any edge distortion in heat-treat. So I polish to 1500grit SC before heat-treat and pray that I don't ding it during the process. After H-T, I start with the 1500 and wet-sand off the hard skin that comes with H-T and drawing. Then go to 2000 grit to get out all the 1500 scratches. (This is like removing 80 grit scratches with 600 on 440C, seriously.) Then to a loose muslin buff with 339-E compound and lightly buff. Sometimes this gives you "cloudy" streaks but a change of wheels and a light buff with Lea 312 compound usually gets this out. If not then I use yellow diamond paste on a cotton ball and that does it pretty good.

It's sort of like that song, "It's Like Barbed and Roses, Not Worth the Pain It Takes to Hold It". Ha-ha!!

Thanks for looking.

Steve

fitzo · #7 10-23-2003, 04:51 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Nifmakr
Thank you Bob, I'm glad you like it.

(This is like removing 80 grit scratches with 600 on 440C, seriously.)

It's sort of like that song, "It's Like Barbed and Roses, Not Worth the Pain It Takes to Hold It". Ha-ha!!
Steve

I did mine to 400 before HT. Agree, it's very stable in HT.

Then the nightmare started. I have pretty bad arthritis in my hands and the handsanding from 400 to 800 on this little test blade was a nightmare. Took me 4 days all told, before I got pissed, hit it with a scotchbrite belt, and left it on the table to test the edge as a letter opener. It was Rc 61, hard as a rock. Holds an edge forever and takes 2 forevers to resharpen on crock sticks.

Very interesting steel. I have another bar to play with this winter.
Glutton for punishment.....

Thanks for the info. I'll have to try it out.

Nifmakr · #8 10-23-2003, 05:14 PM

It also has the bad charactoristic (sp) of hiding the scratches only to show themselves two grits further down and you have to go back and get the ones you missed. I ground to 220 and hand finished to the 1500. That took me 3 days and after HT, it took me another 2 days. I'm talking steady work without many breaks.

Ain't worth the pain, but I had to try after everyone saying,"It can't be mirror polished." I used to work in pressed powdered metal plant and my job was to polish the punches and dies. I'm just glad they didn't have the CPM's back then.

Steve

sjaqua · #9 10-24-2003, 12:00 PM

Beautiful work, all around. I love the snakewood inlays. Was your snakewood stabilized? It should not be a problem in an inlay, if it's not. But I had to stabilize it, when I used some for a solid handle block on a hidden tang knife.

Nifmakr · #10 10-24-2003, 03:45 PM

No it's not stabilized, but I did put a sealer coat between grit changes. Then three coats of Ren wax.

Steve

Nic Ramirez · #11 10-25-2003, 01:00 AM

I love that Steve. It came out so very nice!

Nifmakr · #12 10-25-2003, 05:57 PM

Thank you Nic, glad you like it!

Steve

Nic Ramirez · #13 10-25-2003, 06:17 PM

How have you been Steve?

I still think that you must be as patient as death to mirror polish CPM S30V like that. Just out of curiosity does it scratch easy once it's polished?

Nifmakr · #14 10-25-2003, 06:46 PM

You wouldn't think so but it does. About like anything else with a mirror polish.

Steve

Currently Active Users Viewing This Thread: 1 (0 members and 1 guests)