HT Best of the Best Prize knife follow along build.

[tooln]

I haven't forgotten about the prize knife I've just been so busy with life events. I've been giving a lot of thought of what to build as I want to make it very special. I think I've finally come up with what I want to make for you guys. Your going to have to excuse the rough sketch as I can't draw to save my ass, but I think you'll get the idea. It will be a set of 4 stainless steak knives, each with a different wood as handle material. I'm going to used a shed antler as a holder/display. I'm hoping to start the build in the next few weeks. So stay tuned and I'll post some updates along the way. Get your entries in.

 

[Daydreamer]

Wow, this could be epic. Great idea and a pretty good drawing to depict!

 

[Catscratch]

Dangit Tooln! For a couple of years I've been wanting a custom set of steak knives. A different handle for each of us in the family (2 kids) that is custom to that person. Once the kids leave home they keep "their" knife to start their own families with. You're getting close to touching base with this give-away!

 

[tooln]

Dangit Tooln! For a couple of years I've been wanting a custom set of steak knives. A different handle for each of us in the family (2 kids) that is custom to that person. Once the kids leave home they keep "their" knife to start their own families with. You're getting close to touching base with this give-away!

Bill's running the contest. Enter your pics. I was just lucky enough to be asked to make the prize.

 

[Telemark]

The concept sounds amazing

 

[T-Max]

Dangit Tooln! For a couple of years I've been wanting a custom set of steak knives. A different handle for each of us in the family (2 kids) that is custom to that person. Once the kids leave home they keep "their" knife to start their own families with. You're getting close to touching base with this give-away!

Better start convincing some of those hotties in your memes to start walking in front of your cameras! Sure way to win!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[tooln]

Last year I spread out the prize knife build. I wouldn't be able to do that this year so the updates will come as I get them done. So hang on tight & let get things rolling.
I started by making up a sketch actually several but here the one I picked. Once I was happy with it I cut it out and made myself a polycarbonate pattern. This way I can transfer it to several pieces of steel. Layout fluid is applied to the blank and I then scribe the outline of the blade. Get your entries in if you want a chance at this.

 

[tooln]

This morning was productive. I got the blades cutout, surface finished, drilled for pins & the bevels ground it. They are now ready for heat treat. This afternoon I'll get them cleaned up and make the pouches for heat treat, Since my HT oven has some pretty neat features I'll load them in before I got to bed and set a delayed start. This way they will be done after breakfast. The pouches I mentioned for heat treat are made from Stainless foil that is about .002 thick. The reason for putting the blade into this SS pouch it to get as close to an oxygen free environment as possible, this will help prevent decarburization & scale. The HT recipe for the Stainless I'm using is to ramp up to 1560 degrees and let it equalize, I'll hold it there for 5-10 minutes. Then heat to 1940 degrees and hold for 15 minutes. I plate quench Stainless, I have 2 aluminum plate that are 1" thick. The blade comes out of the HT oven and then as fast as I can put it between the 2 plates and clamp tight. Then I'll blow compressed air between the plates to cool the blade. Once cool to the touch they are removed from the plates and cryo treated (put into the freezer set to below 0) for 24 hours. After they come out of the freezer they are brought to room temp and then tempered. The tempering is 2, 2 hours cycles at 225 degrees allowing to get to ambient temp between cycles.
I do have to mention a disclaimer. I'm making a set of 4, not a matching set. So you will see differences in pin location, bevel angles and blade size. Everything I do is by hand so they will be close but not matching.

 

[tooln]

Knives are wrapped and ready for HT. Even though my oven would hold all 4 I only have 2 sets of quenching plates. I worked on the shed today. Getting 4 slots into that damn thing was really a PITA. Knives pictured are just some that came from my tool box.

 

[tooln]

Well today was busy starting at 6 AM. Heat treat oven was up and running as I programmed it to start up at 5am. While waiting for the HT to finish I worked on handle scales. I do not use premade scales. I source wood from several different places and the thickness of what I get ranges from about a half in thick up to 2" thick. Some is even just a big ole chunk of wood, as long as its a hardwood I'm game if it looks good. I picked lilac, black walnut, Honduras mahogany & crab apple, all needed to be cut to size. Table saw or band saw gets me close, I then surface sand them to the desired thickness, Here's a pic of ready to install scales and a video of surfacing them.

Heat treating went well. I tried making a video and did the best I could so you could see what was going on. The blades are pulled from the oven at 1975 degrees, put between1" thick aluminum plates and hit with compressed air for about 1.5 - 2 minutes. I can remove from the plates and handle by hand at that time. The aluminum and air really sucks the heat out. Then they go into the freeze till tomorrow. Tomorrow I'll temper and test the blades to make sure the Heat treat and tempering did their jobs. The dark spots on the blade are from some oxygen still in the foil pouch. Had they not been in the pouch the entire blade would have had decarburization & scale, this will polish out and not affect them at all.

If you want a chance of winning you have to enter. Just like last year I will not be voting, my only connection is making the prize.

 

[tooln]

Here's today build update. Blades have been tempered & sanded to the final sanded finish. I've also etched my logo into the blade and one I came up with for the prize knife. If you haven't figured out what the H & T are on each side of the buck head its for Habitat Talk and the year for the contest prize. I would have liked to put BEST of the BEST but with my current stencil and etching process it just wasn't possible. Maybe Santa will get me that Laser I've been wanting. Lots going on in life so updates may or may not come every day.
Don't forget to enter if you like a chance to win.

 

[tooln]

Fitting handle scales today. One broke when drilling the pin hole. Since they are specific for each blade that one is not pictured. Will be epoxied on soon. Then it's 24 hour cure before I start to finish them.

 

[tooln]

Well today just isn't my day. While epoxying the scales on the hickory split on one side. Since the pins are so tight alignment is critical. I must have been off a little when tapping the pin in. The first one that broke while drilling was black walnut, I have another set for that knife. I may have to substitute the hickory for another wood. I got to looking at the black walnut that broke when drilling and found a piece of steel inbeded in the wood. What are the odds of that. Well 2 out of 4 today are in epoxy.

 

[Tree Spud]

Looking good!

 

[tooln]

Here's todays update.

Health issues

Well we all have them sooner or later. I didn't know where to post this so I figured I'd start this thread. Not long ago my PSA test was high, another was done 6 months later and it went higher so a biopsy was done and the result were that I have prostate cancer. I'm scheduled to have my...

habitat-talk.com

 

[tooln]

Today I was able to add the handle scales to the other 2 knives. The hickory that broke was replaced with red oak. I started to profile the handles on the 2 that were epoxied the other day.

Don't forget to enter if you want a chance to win this set.

 

[tooln]

Today is sanding day. Started early this AM 120 grit on belt sander/grinder, then it was hand sanding 220, 400 & finished at 600 grit. After 600 I hit them lightly on the buffer with a stiff wheel and a little compound. I'll finish later with the blade with a soft wheel. Pictures really don't do them justice & they feel really nice in the hand.
Left to right are Black Walnut, Crab Apple, Red Oak & Honduras Mahogany.

Getting close to being done so stay tuned and entry.

 

[tooln]

They are just about done. Hoping to ship to Bill tomorrow. Here's the edge retention test video. Once I get everything shined up I'll post the last picture.

 

[tooln]

Well here it is. I sure hope whoever wins it likes it. You guys need to thank Bill for doing this. I hope you all enjoyed the build process. Pictures don't do the knives justice, I wish each of you could see them in person.

 

[Catscratch]

Outstanding!!!