Forum rules
Welcome to the Leverguns.Com General Discussions Forum. This is a high-class place so act respectable. We discuss most anything here other than politics... politely.
Please post political post in the new Politics forum.
Though not "presentation grade", this simple Russell pattern "Camp Knife" with linen micarta scales and good ole fashioned carbon steel blade seems like it will give good, long service. I made it for my son, who shares my affliction for edged tools.
(If you've never worked with micarta, think ironwood or ebony. Micarta is very durable, but it is death on tools and takes LONG time to shape from rectangle to round with a "shoe shine" using plumber's cloth. It does sand up nicely from there. This is a 1000 grit hand-sanded finish, no wax or buffing.)
adirondakjack - that's what I like, a good, honest working knife of high carbon steel! Hey, and good job shaping that micarta. Looks like a fine knife and one that would do real well for anyone's outfit.
"If a man does away with his traditional way of living and throws away his good customs, he had better first make certain that he has something of value to replace them." - Basuto proverb.
GoatGuy wrote:adirondakjack - that's what I like, a good, honest working knife of high carbon steel! Hey, and good job shaping that micarta. Looks like a fine knife and one that would do real well for anyone's outfit.
It had been some time since I carried and used a high carbon steel knife and I was very pleased with the performance - taking and holding a good edge. I modded an Old Hickory Kitchen knife - reshaped and re-handled - and used it all Summer for camp and kitchen chores. There is something cool about using a homemade knife.
Last edited by Whit Spurzon on Wed Dec 14, 2011 7:22 am, edited 1 time in total.
"There are three kinds of men: The ones that learn by reading. The few who learn by observation. The rest of them have to pee on the electric fence and find out for themselves." -Will Rogers
That is a great pattern knife. I have the Green River version and while that pattern looks kind of plain it is good on everything from squirrels to catfish to deer to bream. Your son will no doubt enjoy it particularly since his Dad made it. Nice work.
Well, unfortunately texas Knifemaker Supply sent a blank that had been wet while wrapped in paper and lacking any oil, so it was badly stained. Since time was of the essence, rather than send it back, I sanded and polished the blank for what seemed forever (a couple hours of dedicated work probably), as I'd pick it up few a few minutes here and there over a week's time.
The scales were fairly straightforward, using JB Weld to affix them and the 1/8" brass pins (FWIW never buy "knife pins" when a 3' chunk of brazing rod can be had for $1.) So you have two curing cycles of the epoxy, which ends up two days.
Then came sanding the Micarta, which I had not previously worked with. A hacksaw and coping saw roughed the outline, then 20 minutes or so going easy with a disc/bellt sander to get the top and bottom square to the faces and matching the shank profile.
Then the blade was chucked in a padded vise and the shaping commenced using 80 grit plumbers cloth (maybe an hour or a little more) followed by another hour or so to hand sand to 220/400/ 1000 grit.
Lemme put it this way, for what it is, you couldn't get the time back retail, but if one were to make em in batches of say 10 at a time, you could probably get em all done in a week if ya went right after it. Doing a "onesie" ends up with lots of dead time or time setting stuff up, chasing yer behind.....
Last edited by adirondakjack on Tue Dec 13, 2011 3:14 pm, edited 1 time in total.
Dave wrote:That is a great pattern knife. I have the Green River version and while that pattern looks kind of plain it is good on everything from squirrels to catfish to deer to bream. Your son will no doubt enjoy it particularly since his Dad made it. Nice work.
I've done five or six different Russell pattern knives prior to this one, ranging from the patch knife to the "Green River" (Dadley's) knife. They all serve well.
Dave wrote:That is a great pattern knife. I have the Green River version and while that pattern looks kind of plain it is good on everything from squirrels to catfish to deer to bream. Your son will no doubt enjoy it particularly since his Dad made it. Nice work.
I've done five or six different Russell pattern knives prior to this one, ranging from the patch knife to the "Green River" (Dadley's) knife. They all serve well.
Well done jack,
I'm fast finding out knives can become just as
addicting & drool expelling as levers, SAA’s and SxS’s
