Photos of recently made knives...
 

These will be the last knives I do until I get my new area set up and ready in Ohio. Both are purchased blanks that I massage a bit, then add stabilized wood that I made...both are maple burl, one dyed and the other left natural. The skinner with the shorter handle looks like it would be difficult to handle, until you actually have it in your hand and use it as the skinner that it is. Once that happens, it feels absolutely wonderful in use...very comfortable.

I had the green one sold before I even bought the material. The natural one will remain with me due to a few minor birth marks I still need to work on.

https://s25.postimg.org/r13r8f3bz/FB...8073041939.jpg

I've got a friend in Ohio that forges blades that will be cutting me a hell of a deal for future blades. Purchasing completed blades is good, if you find a solid supplier that doesn't BS about where the blade came from. Luckily, my supplier is solid and well known in the knife industry. My guy in Ohio is going to forge some for me while I perfect my material removal technique for knifemaking. Once the new area is set up and the new blade grinder is installed, I hope to be able to add this to my skill list and make a few bucks out of it.

The last one started off as a hand hammered blank that I made for my step-son. He was quite surprised when I had it delivered to the hotel he was staying at in Utah. I had it sent there because it was going to be a month or so before he was able to make it back home, and we wanted to make sure he got is as soon as possible.

https://s25.postimg.org/vmzvgr1pr/FB...8073392841.jpg

They are beautiful! Jon you are an artisan!

nice,I used to hunt

Thanks. I consider it both art and useful tool. I would hate for any of them that I sell to sit and collect dust. The blanks I use are 440C stainless steel that have been hardened and cryogenically treated to make them strong and durable, without chipping out the cut edge. I want these to be used, and used often. The handles are stabilized wood, which means that they wont absorb fluids like oils, sweat, or blood.

Future knives will be made with different handle material, as I come across it. I've got a chunk of cottonwood that I stabilized, as well as more maple, walnut, and some fruit woods that I found. I'll likely add bone to the list in the future, as soon as I find a decent supplier of jigged bone that doesn't break the bank.

I'm searching for a source for some customizable sheaths, that I can wet form to fit each knife. The one shown in the last picture is a nice sheath, but has welting sewn in, preventing a nice wet fit. They're good sheaths, just not what I'm looking for. I may buy material and see if my wife has any luck in making them. I've tried leather work in the past, and didn't do very well. I've got a number of punches to customize the sheaths, so I may as well see if the wife and make them.

I'm sitting on orders or 6 blades, 3 of them to be of my choosing. As soon as I can get the new area together with my tools, I'll be back at it. My cousin has offered the use of her garage, which is only 2 blocks from my new place in Dayton. The garage on that house is too small to hold vehicles and a small shop. She's giving me an entire bay, when all I really need is about 100 square foot. The room in the Pittsburgh home is only 65 square, and while cramped, served me well enough to make these.

I hope to have the new shop up and working after the first of the year. I ordered a knifemaker's 2X72 belt grinder, complete with attachments, wheels and stand...I just need to look around a bit more for a motor to power it. It should be delivered to my cousin's house sometime in the next two weeks. The seller is waiting on the stand to be completed before shipping it.

It looks like a hobby is turning into a way to make a few bucks again...

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I'm interested in how wood is stabilized. I'm not a knife artisan, but imagine how much linger our Benz interiors would last if they had that extra protection!

That part is simple. Using wood with less than 10% moisture is key. Basically, you cover wood with resin in chamber that can hold a vacuum for about 24 hours...this sucks the air out of the wood and draws the resin into the fiber. After 24 hours, remove the wood and place in a toaster oven for a few hours to set and harden the resin. You can safely stabilize any wood.

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