Indians For Guns

Hi Guys,
An honest confession has far reaching consequences
A few days ago fellow IFGian Kshitij dropped in - after hours of discussions on Guns & Blades he left back a 'Blank' of one the most popular Bushcraft Knives with me....
The urge to give the blank an as close finish as possible bugged me to no end...
So with the aid of a 4" angle grinder fitted with 80 & 120 grade sanding discs I went to work...
The edge turned out to be quite satisfying - shiny & sharp...
The next step - I gave 2 deep coats of Ballistol to the blade's belly....
Now what remained was fixing the handle - Fortunately I had a piece of a Sambhar antler (a relic of my erstwhile hunting days) which I plan to use...
As this requires some artistry I've put off this task till next week-end....Till then!!!
Here's what the semi finished Bushcraft Blade looks like


Briha

That's a very cool-looking and practical blade, Brihaji.

Would appreciate if you could share the blade dimensions. And more pics!!

Eagerly awaiting the final outcome of this exciting project.

P.S: Do you plan to give the blade a patina or powder coat it? or even blue it as you've already had good results with cold-blueing?

-A

Brihaji, your diy efforts are putting us younger guys to shame
That bevel grind has come out perfect. Waiting to see this blade finished with the stag horn handles.

Salut!!

ak27 wrote:That's a very cool-looking and practical blade, Brihaji.
Would appreciate if you could share the blade dimensions. And more pics!!
Eagerly awaiting the final outcome of this exciting project.
P.S: Do you plan to give the blade a patina or powder coat it? or even blue it as you've already had good results with cold-blueing?
A

Thanks for the appreciation...
The blade length is 5"....
Handle - 3 1/2"
Overall length - 9.25"
Belly - 1 1/2"
Drop Point
A very convenient size & very handy too...
Serves as an ideal second blade or companion to carry along with one's EDC folder.....
I preferred bluing because its easy & less time consuming....It gives the blade a subdued character
Powder coating knives in not advisable....
There is one more blade I'll be working on....on which I plan to etch a mustard/vinegar patina....
As regards more pics....you'll see them after the stag horn handle is fitted
Briha

Brihaji

You have got a very nice and even finish for the edge. And the most amazing parts is that you got it using a hand grinder.

Regards

Atul

aadhaulya wrote:Brihaji

You have got a very nice and even finish for the edge. And the most amazing parts is that you got it using a hand grinder. Regards
Atul

Thank you Atul
BTW - I used to market "Wolf" brand portable electric tools many years ago....
Hence had training in demo of these tools to prospective customers!!!!
Although time has taken its toll - some of the skills still remain with me
Briha

Looks like a very sturdy all-rounder in the making! Congratulations!

I remember the Wolf brand - it had a good reputation!

Wow Briha sir! Beveled to perfection..!Now that's how its done.!

MY DIY BUSHCRAFT KNIFE
The Final Finish!

After my initial efforts with grinding the edge & bluing the blank blade, I couldn’t continue with the rest of the tasks as I got preoccupied with professional & domestic commitments….. Last weekend I managed to snatch a couple of hours to initiate work to fix the stag horn handle….

Much to my surprise it turned out to be a shade tougher than working with either wood or MICARTA…. mainly because stag horns do not come with any precise dimensions, due to its taper & curvature in its tines, which is endemic to stag horns….hence becomes a tad difficult to fit the exact shape of the ‘tang’ of the blade…

Nevertheless I cut out the length best suited to the profile of the tang using an angle grinder fitted with a cutting wheel…. Slicing through the center to get the two halves revealed that the center core consisted of a semi -hard pith…which I scooped off & filled with white M-Seal and leveled the surface…See images below!

I then used wooden plugs to anchor the handle to the blade & went about sanding off the excess material around the tang…. I used araldite to fix the handle – later removed the wooden plugs & inserted brass rods after which I gave the handle a ‘towel finish’ with 800 grit sand paper. Finally I rubbed in a little ‘Carnauba Wax’ to enrich the color & gloss.

ANTLER CUT TO SIZE & SHAPE


AFTER SCOOPING OFF THE SOFT CORE


AFTER FILLING M-SEAL & LEVELING


AFTER FINAL FIXING / FINISHING & POLISHING


The next step is to design & make a leather sheath to contain & compliment the knife!
Stay tuned…..
BRIHA

HI Briha sir,
The antler scales compliment the blued metal perfectly..! Its a solid 10 in both aesthetics and functionality!

btw, how did you get the shot on that mossy tree trunk?!!

astronomy.domaine wrote:HI Briha sir,
The antler scales compliment the blued metal perfectly..! Its a solid 10 in both aesthetics and functionality!
btw, how did you get the shot on that mossy tree trunk?!! :-)

The pic of the knife was superimposed on a stock pic of the 'mossy tree trunk'......
(thanks to my colleague, an expert on photo-shop)
Frankly I wanted to dramatize the image (my honest confession!!!!)
Briha

Whoops! That is awesome, Brihaji!! I don't know enough English to properly describe it!

I was going to ask the same question about the tree trunk......

Do you have any more of the stag's mortal remains lying around?

I have the same blank gifted by Kshitij, and am not really satisfied with the wooden handle.

essdee1972 wrote:Whoops! That is awesome, Brihaji!! I don't know enough English to properly describe it!
I was going to ask the same question about the tree trunk......
Do you have any more of the stag's mortal remains lying around?
I have the same blank gifted by Kshitij, and am not really satisfied with the wooden handle.

Yes SD!
I could spare you a piece for your favorite blade
Briha

Homerun brihaji!
Please share normal images of this beauty. Would love to see more of it...