Bill's knife build

[Bowsnbucks]

Good to have something to keep busy after retiring. I'm into building unique furniture pieces - and gobs of habitat work at camp. I want a change from what my career profession was.

Where do you source your metal for knife blanks?? I knew a great knife builder some years ago and he used big industrial bandsaw blades and scrap aircraft metal. I know he said the aircraft scrap had been heated treated - to what hardness scale I don't know. His knives were display quality - whatever that metal was. He mirror-polished the blades on a cloth wheel using some kind of chrome rouge polishing compound. Like you, he also made his own heavy leather sheaths.

Was most of your welding done in stainless (dairy industry)?? Beads are smooth in your pic.

 

[Bill]

This is the pretty picture cutting steaks after cleaning the fish.

 

[tooln]

This is the pretty picture cutting steaks after cleaning the fish.


View attachment 44060

I've been waiting to see the knife in use. How did it work for you? Did you also use the gaff you made?

 

[Bill]

I've been waiting to see the knife in use. How did it work for you? Did you also use the gaff you made?

Knife worked perfect. Just as I wanted, a typical flexible fillet knife is to bendy to cut through 1/8 skin. This thing cut it like butter.

Both Gaffs got their QC test and passed also. We didn't get any pics of the action because there were only 3 of us on the boat. My son on the rod and at the end my buddy and I each had a gaff. It took both to pull the fish on board.

 

[Bill]

More knife use.



And my home made gaff got some action also.