Northwoods Scagel #6 

Thought I would let the knife world know that a great knife maker, member of the guild, Frank Gamble passed last week. He was really something. P1010608.jpg

Frank was a true artist. I wish I could have met him.

Frank Gamble blades

A custom order

Wow, Tamera. Those are great.

Here's something new (for me) off my work bench.
Blade is 1085, bolster 304 and handle is zebra wood.
Blade is 150mm. Total length is 270mm.

This one is a popular design that I enjoy making.
This particular knife was made as part of our North Coast Knife Makers Club project.
Blade is 12C27, Bolster 304 and handle is Camel Thorn wood.

Yes, I agree. Stefan is talented. I like the sweep on that bolster. Not only is it aesthetic, it lends support to the blade. Thanks for posting it Stefan.

So I'm looking at saving up for a custom lefthanded, one hand opening, pocket clip knife in the 3,5" -4" blade region.

Just wondering what you guys like? Just window shopping at the moment mind you.

EAST MEETS WEST !! I Just received this awesome Al Mar Eagle which was customized by Ikc member Mr. David Yellowhorse. I bought the knife with Cocobolo wood handles, and per my request, Mr. Yellowhorse created the beautiful web turquoise handle scales and added the Eagle head inlays on both sides. Now THAT'S AN AL MAR EAGLE !! Many Thanks to Mr. David Yellowhorse, MASTER CRAFTSMAN.

Jon,

YH did one fantastic job on that knife and he blade etched it also!  I love it

Stefan,

That thorn wood is spectacular!  Clean beautiful lines!

These are some knives a collector had shot by a pro....

Slip Joint Knives.....

Todd Davison

I have a design question.  i don't know if this is the right group.  My niece is a Houston police officer.  She asked that I make her a knife.  The has mentioned dagger, four inch blade, partially serrated.  I was thinking about a dagger ground on one side and flat/chisel on the backside with the top part serrated, I am a beginner knife maker.  I know daggers are very difficult.  Any advice on the design for a police officer or advice on me making a knife like this.  Thanks.

Wade, I like this here, you may get some feed back.  Also ask the same question in the knife makers beginners group

http://www.iknifecollector.com/group/knife-beginners?commentId=3181...

Join us Wade! It's loads of fun tinkering with knives:

DHolder folder How many of these have you seen?????

Hello. I've been cruising this group and I like what I see. I collect fixed blade knives.

for Vance  re; niece's knife. For inspiration, checkout this site:

http://www.japaneseknifedirect.com/KikuoMatsudaKnife.html.

He makes the best cop knives in town. I own a couple.

Happy new year to you all.
For those of you in the US, hope you're coping with the cold weather.
Here's my first Hunter for 2014
Blade is 12C27 Stainless
Bolster is 304 Stainless, with stippling and sand blast decoration
Handle is Tambotie, a South African hardwood
Blade length: 104mm
Total Length: 230mm

Very nice Stefan! That tambotie looks great, how is it to work and finish out?

Very nice

Thanks for the comments.

Carl,

Tamboti is a bit of a nightmare. Firstly the dust and fumes will mess with your digestive system, so you need to wear a good respirator or have a good extraction system. It's a vary oily wood, and tends to block up everything, from your bandsaw blade to a 36 grit belt.

So why use it...? Well it gives a really nice finish.

You make a nice knife Stefan. I've gotta try my hand at tapered tangs sometime. I've wanted to try that for ages.

Lots of good "handle" woods are like that. No dust is good for the lungs, but some of these woods can really mess with you and even be adsorbed through the pores in the skin. Some are worse than poison ivy. I have to be really careful with the rosewoods and cocabola.

Other oily woods I like to use are lignum vitae, osage, olive, etc. Olive is a great grind just for the smell.

Carl, I must agree on the Olive (or Wild Olive. not sure if it's the same). I love the smell. will grind some just for that reason.

Alexarder, thanks for the comment. Taper tangs do require a bit more effort and can be tricky. If you work with 3mm steel it is often not necessary, but it dose look good, and you will be amazed at what a difference it makes to the overall weight of your knife. Try it, and give me a shout if you need some guidance.

Tapering a tang is pretty simple for us that forge our blades. Actually saves a lot of steel in the long run. Another thing the taper reduction does is move the balance of the knife forward, allowing you to use heavier/denser handle material and still get a reasonably light knife with good balance. More important if you are a heavy user or if you like a lighter knife.

Stef, my neighbor's dog will come over if I'm working olive. He's got an Italian heart and would probably bring a bottle of cheap red wine if he could trade out his biscuits.

STEFAN -awesome blade all the way around bro! ..i was wondering.. the work ont he bolsters{stippling}.. i have heard it called a few thigns.. but how is it done.. its looks like you could sinmply just use a dril press and then buff it up.. am i wrong?- thanx bro!.. i dont make knives but when i do take em apart i like to learn to add the basic things and i worked a barlow bolster that way-with a smooth cigar band i guess you could call it kinda twistin down the side..it looked fine-a first time job easy.but looked ok.--- .all i used was a DREM and hand rubbed afterward for a bit.

. NOOT! you can do it bro! !!!

CARl thanx for the thing with the stell.i didnt think of how much it would save.. .. hey hope you are all well..

with the cold comes time for me and that when i start ripping mor old knives apart.so i may pop in here more if ya guys dont mind.-thanx!

Peter,

If you look at my bolster, the outer section of the "V" was done with a Dremer with a 3mm tungsten ball point. I use, what can be described as a pecking motion to make the indentations.

A couple of "rules" with this:

1) Once you start, don't turn the knife/bolster. Keep working from the same side. If you turn it, you will end up with "blotches" as the light reflects of your stippling.

2) Depending on the rotational direction of your Dremel, (should be clockwise from the handle side) be careful when you work on the right side edge of the bolster. It will tend to want to bite on the edge and roll over. I use a steel block as a stopper that I hold up against the edge.

3) I like the finish to be random, so I move the tool in small circles, which overlap and then just keep filling up the gaps. You can also make the cut in straight rows for a different finish. Experiment on a scrap piece.

4) Finally plan before you start!! Mark the bolster to make sure you know where you want to work.

The Inner part of the "V" on my bolster was sand blasted with some coarse river sand. Here you can also get different finishes, depending on the blasting medium you use.

HAVE FUN!!

Stef, excellent pointers on the use of a Dremel. Most under rated tool in the shop. Real workhorse in the right hands. Been using them all my life (so far). Even have the original #1 and #2 models, still run. I've probably worn out twenty or more over the years as the plastic ones don't last as long. I use a brass bar instead of steel for a safety stop (just cause it was handy, mostly).

Peter, If you ever meet someone that's spent time in my shop they'll tell you quickly the that only waste that leaves my shop goes out in a shop vac. Forging allows me to utilize the maximum amount from a piece of steel. I do very little grinding and that's mostly profiling and handle finish.

Some of my recent knives:

Hunter model: HUN05
Blade: 12C27
Handle: Palm

Hunter model: HUN06
Blade: 12C27
Handle: Camel Thorn Wood

Hunter model: HUN02
Blade: 12C27
Spacer: Warthog Tusk
Handle: Iron Wood

Hunter model: HUN04
Blade: 12C27
Handle: Iron Wood

Biltong knife model: BIL02
Blade: 12C27
Handle: Red Bush Willow

Biltong knife model: BIL02
Blade: 12C27
Handle: Iron Wood

Is anyone else still alive in this group?

I am. No one else seems to be though. Those are very nice Stefan.

Those Biltong knives are the most Afrikaanse knives I can think of. Had some Biltong for the first time a few weeks back. Liked it a lot.

Thanks Alexander

Where does a "Kaaskop" find Biltong?

They sold some at our most recent local knifeshow. It was quite nice. There was a Beef Jerky booth that also sold Biltong.

Alexander, how big is the custom knife industry in the Netherlands?

Not very big. But then we don't have a very big country.

There are really fewer than 5-6 high end makers and a number of hobbyists. But not very many. We have 1 knife show per year which is filled out by German, Belgian, Czech, English and scandinavian makers. But it's only a 1 day show. They have a website here: http://dkeshow.nl/

I'm still kicking, Love ya'll work.

LOL I am here also

Stefan, how do you attach your bolsters? I don't see any pins or anything. I'm trying to come up with a method of doing that right.

Alexander, I've drawn up a tutorial. Hope this makes sense. Let me know if something is unclear or if you need more info.

Bolster%20Fitting%20Procedure.pdf

That's great Stefan. Now I have to find me a reamer somewhere :-)

Your pins blend in VERY well with your bolsters. I don't know if I'll be able to find the same materials at this time. But I often don't mine different looking colours on the bolster.

The other option is to use the rivets to decorate your bolster. (Sorry not a very good photo) So you can use a stainless bolster with brass pins. Add some more pins just for decoration or do some stippeling.

See my comment on how I do stippeling in Januarie in this group.

That's a good tip too. Thanks Stefan.

Just had a re-read of that. Very excited to do something with bolsters now. Too bad I've got at least 4 more knives to finish up first.