Guest Farnsbarns Posted January 2, 2016 Posted January 2, 2016 Remember the knives thread. It rekindled a thought from a couple of years ago. Started looking a knife makers channels on YouTube and the like and now I've purchased a nice ladder Damascus steel billet... And our good friend Rabs has some flamed maple off cut he's sending me for the scales. I'm going to hand work some steel bolsters and make a full tang knife out of the whole lot. I'll post some pics when it's done. First I need to make a bench to attach my bench grinder to. It's been sitting in a box since we moved over a year and a half ago.
Rabs Posted January 2, 2016 Posted January 2, 2016 Yes.. Farns asked me if I had any offcuts And that's not even half of it.. It kills me to throw away any nice wood.. Even though most of it is useless to me for what I do so im more than happy that some of it will be used for something cool Maybe I should find a new sideline where I can use this stuff? Otherwise I may have to end up throwing some of this precious material away. My dad really wants his garage space back :unsure:
Guest Farnsbarns Posted January 2, 2016 Posted January 2, 2016 Yes.. Farns asked me if I had any offcuts And that's not even half of it.. It kills me to throw away any nice wood.. Even though most of it is useless to me for what I do so im more than happy that some of it will be used for something cool Maybe I should find a new sideline where I can use this stuff? Otherwise I may have to end up throwing some of this precious material away. My dad really wants his garage space back :unsure: Well, here's an idea for you. Little pieces of nice, appropriate wood, in the kind of dimensions I sent you, are anywhere from £7 to £20 with really nice, rare species being as much as £60 on the knife builder supply websites. Wood with no figure at all can be £3-4. Economies of scale, your off cuts are their starting piece. No knife maker wants a 20 year supply of handles all jn one species so they just won't buy in anything but tiny quantities and pay a huge premium as a result.
Rabs Posted January 2, 2016 Posted January 2, 2016 Well, here's an idea for you. Little pieces of nice, appropriate wood, in the kind of dimensions I sent you, are anywhere from £7 to £20 with really nice, rare species being as much as £60 on the knife builder supply websites. Wood with no figure at all can be £3-4. Economies of scale, your off cuts are their starting piece. No knife maker wants a 20 year supply of handles all jn one species so they just won't buy in anything but tiny quantities and pay a huge premium as a result. Hmm, ok cool.... I will look in to that for sure... I did think of just selling a small box of offcuts on ebay.. But as you say if you can reach the people who specialise in something like knives it may be worth me concentrating in that area... Im trying to think of other small items that have wood on them or all wooden... Pens? Cheers.. I will have a good look around
Markini Posted January 2, 2016 Posted January 2, 2016 Hmm, ok cool.... I will look in to that for sure... I did think of just selling a small box of offcuts on ebay.. But as you say if you can reach the people who specialise in something like knives it may be worth me concentrating in that area... Im trying to think of other small items that have wood on them or all wooden... Pens? Cheers.. I will have a good look around Pistol grips, wood trim in autos, jewelry boxes, small decorative picture frames, just a few that come to mind.
Rabs Posted January 2, 2016 Posted January 2, 2016 Pistol grips, wood trim in autos, jewelry boxes, small decorative picture frames, just a few that come to mind. Cheers.. I have thought of trying to maybe make some other stuff.. Maybe even guitar stands? Nice wood ones with leather padding on the sensitive bits... proper nitro friendly :) Its kind of a case at the moment that I have to make what ever I do fairly cost effective... So selling offcuts, easy, not much work in that... Anything else I do has to be something worth my while.
merciful-evans Posted January 2, 2016 Posted January 2, 2016 Spoons, Spoons have much more aesthetically pleasing shape. complex curves, compound radii etc. The best looking chairs are spoonbacks. Its also much more difficult to harm people with spoons.
Mr. Gibson Posted January 2, 2016 Posted January 2, 2016 Spoons, Spoons have much more aesthetically pleasing shape. complex curves, compound radii etc. The best looking chairs are spoonbacks. Its also much more difficult to harm people with spoons. Now forks are a different story. Got a friend whose ex-wife got mad at him and stabbed him on top of the head with a fork,deep enough that he had some difficulty removing it.🍴
pippy Posted January 2, 2016 Posted January 2, 2016 Lots of nice projects to think about, Farns. Have lots of fun! If you fancy a go at turning your billet into a sword (Collector's Choice, perhaps?) give me a bell and I'll send some snaps of several 'period' examples over! Pip.
Guest Farnsbarns Posted January 3, 2016 Posted January 3, 2016 What happened to the pic you posted Pip? That would be in the 000s of layers. Very nice indeed. Mine is just 312, relatively speaking my steel is rubbish but I'm just playing. I have genuinely considered building a forge which is easy but without a power hammer making damascus is seriously hard work.
pippy Posted January 3, 2016 Posted January 3, 2016 What happened to the pic you posted Pip? That would be in the 000s of layers. Very nice indeed... I took it down lest it seem I was being slightly derogatory about your own billet. If you like I can send some images in a PM? Or else you can pop by and see the Mohammed's Ladder 'Shamshir' in the catalogue. Here's the e-version to give you a taster; http://runjeetsingh.com/arms-armour-from-the-east/ Interestingly, according to my 'Arms Dealer' (whose catalogue is in the link), it's impossible for would-be forgers (pun) to fabricate a blade nowadays which would fool an expert. There is some aspect of making true Damascus Steel which has been completely forgotten over the last two centuries. Pip.
Guest Farnsbarns Posted January 3, 2016 Posted January 3, 2016 There are 2 completely different things known as Damascus steel. One forged and one made in a crucible. Despite there being no record of the crucible stuff ever having been made in Damascus a lot if people feel that is true damascus. Then there's an argument that the word Damascus when used to describe steel didn't come from the place name, there may have been an Indian maker called Damask. The stuff from a crucible is called wootz steel (as well as being called damascus). This is often described as Damascene (having a direct or indirect link with the city) because it is known that steel from Damascus was of the folded layer type. I believe the true method of making wootz has been lost. It is worth noting that with modern stainless steels and hardening and tempering techniques there are far better things than Damascus to make a knife from but Damascus is nice, like braz rose wood.
Aster1 Posted January 3, 2016 Posted January 3, 2016 Hmm, ok cool.... I will look in to that for sure... I did think of just selling a small box of offcuts on ebay.. But as you say if you can reach the people who specialise in something like knives it may be worth me concentrating in that area... Im trying to think of other small items that have wood on them or all wooden... Pens? Cheers.. I will have a good look around I love woodworking and long to have the days to do so again. A lost art came to mind for smaller bits of wood. Teeth !! Good enough for George Washington so should be good for others!!! [biggrin] Sounds like a good project with the knife. Hope you keep us posted w/ photo's Aster
pippy Posted January 3, 2016 Posted January 3, 2016 There are 2 completely different things known as Damascus steel....I believe the true method of making wootz has been lost.... I'd like to send on some info from the catalogue, Farns, but your in-box is full... Pip. EDIT : If you click on the link in my earlier post (#12) of the catalogue and go to Item 20 / Page 50 and right-click and hit 'full screen' you can enlarge the text (like you need to be told; sorry!).... Lots of info.
Guest Farnsbarns Posted January 3, 2016 Posted January 3, 2016 I'd like to send on some info from the catalogue, Farns, but your in-box is full... Pip. EDIT : If you click on the link in my earlier post (#12) of the catalogue and go to Item 20 / Page 50 and right-click and hit 'full screen' you can enlarge the text (like you need to be told; sorry!).... Lots of info. Aha. Very interesting indeed. Thank you.
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