Help me design 2 Nordic knives...

Brothers of Briar

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I'm bad, once I start in on something like this I want to go all out.
 
Blackhorse":2mpjas14 said:
Well...Northern Finnish Sami style knives (the ones that usually have the sharply curving antler sheath) also often have a sort of knob on the end. I guess this is so the thing won't go flying when wet or snowy or whatever. Plus they are usually more of a Leuku style, for bushwhacking and camp use, etc. But some still have large handles, but with a smaller style blade.
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My wife's a Finn (well..Finn/Swede mix, really, but if you ask her she'll tell you she's Finn). I actually tried making a Sami knife for her for an anniversary a few years back. I also have the skill of a three year old when it comes to such things...so I said the hell with it and bought her some Finnish serviceware instead. *Sigh*
 
OK - Fine with me! I've got some new shots to post up here. They are not the best quality, but they at least show what's going on in terms of process.

First off I have to admit that that way I do this is not the proscribed methodology. Normally, one stacks all the parts of the handle onto the tang and glues them all at the same time...set in a small "vise" made just for this. When I do the glueing I'll show that. Me? Well, what I've had to do was do the spacers and handle parts in stages...glueing a few pieces together and then assembling those 'sets' into the full handle. The photos below show the spacer pieces set onto a bolt in the same orientation they will occupy on the handle...for shaping. I use a belt sander, a small 2"X42" and although real pros will go on and on about this machine of that machine...the little one I got for about $150 does what I need it to do just fine. The 2" belts are not all that common, but I've found them online pretty easily.

I'll post some photos of the same thing, after sanding.

Also, check in the jaws of the green vice. The three pieces that form the guard are set in there for edge shaping. I take them down to rough form with files and then 220 grit paper in a block. Note that the guard is made up of three pieces of metal, 3mm nickel silver, 3mm brass and 1mm nickel silver. They are set up this way so that I can do some filework on the middle piece of the sandwich...the brass...which should look cool when assembled (saw it on the internet! lol). Aside from the metals the materials used are Reindeeer antler, green dymondwood, and Ebony.

Last thing. The Gabon Ebony handle. I ended up carving it to sort of resemble (how much depends on the number of drinks you're had) a seal...or a Polar Bear...or whatever. The eyes and nostrils are drilled and I set some sterling silver wire into the eyes and some sterling tubing (cause...like...he's gotta breathe, right?) into the nostril holes.

OK - the pics:

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I just did the final epoxy-ing of the handle (at last). Being as how there are the file worked discs in the handle I had to shape each piece to size prior to gluing the pieces together, so the file worked surfaces would be at the proper depth, so I put the whole thing together in 'sets' with the 3 metal discs being one, the ebony/brass another, the antler and dymondwood another, etc. Then started gluing those together...step by step...til today the ebony handle went on. Now for the final sanding and then some 'finishing' or should that be "Finn-ishing"?

Photos as I remember...etc.


I also started a commissioned knife a bit ago...with a very fine EnZo blade from D2 and a full convex grind. The handle will be Snakewood...which is totally amazing stuff. Should be a pretty good item when it's done.
 
Updates:

The first knife is essentially done. And looking pretty OK. Man, I really like that blade...it is totally as sharp as a razor.

Photos of the thing...followed by a pic of a 'commission' piece I'm also working on. It's good to have two or three going at once so that when one has something (like the handle and spacer assembly setting while the epoxy cures, etc.). I'm showing photos of this one as it has an insanely cool blade...and EnZo Nordic made with D2 steel (another major favorite of mine as it's VERY tough, takes an incredible edge...and on this one the grind is a full convex. Very, very nice item. And equal to it in terms of excellence is the handle, which is Snakewood....which is also very, very tough...carves well and is amazing when finished...takes a mirror polish and has THE most amazing pattern. Good stuff. The future owned is a lucky guy.


So, first...the Nordic with the Puronvarsi blade which is hammered out of old Krupp carbonsteel, and is unique with its rombic transversal section, i. e. it is thickest in the middle where the grindline begins...and the Ebony handle carved with a stylized bear head...and the spacer set from nickel silver, fileworked brass, green Dymondwood and Reindeer antler.


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And the commission knife with the EnZo D2 blade and Snakewood handle...spacer set (which was not yet epoxied/ground flush) using Nickel Silver, fiber spacers of rust and forest green and a heavy center spacer of black paper Micarta. The butt of this one is carved smooth and slightly curves, forming a 'hook' for the bottom of the hand. The finger grooves were carved using a lifesized tracing of the future owner's hand...they will fit his hand exactly. Nice.


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Both are great, some times want to be older so I can have the time to take on some of these cool hobbies.
 
The metal bands on that first one are awesome. I really really like the red colored wood in the second one, the grain is great what kind of wood is that?
 
i.k. - they metal bands are not bands..they are discs that go all the way through...the while front section is like a stack of flapjacks! lol


re: the red colored wood...it's not so 'red' as the photo makes it look. But just READ the thing above the photo. Reading is very helpfull.
 
what is the little metal bow tie shaped pattern in between the metal disks? I take it that is the brass right? Ah read right over there snakewood part, or more likely stunned by those great blades.
 
Yes that's the brass. It's a little bow tie shaped pattern. :lol:


I'm not trying to be 'difficult' IK, it's just that I have no idea what it's actually called...and I refer to it as 'bowtie' as well! Whatever works.

The front metal set is Nickel Silver 3mm / Brass 3 mm / Nickel Silver 2mm...then piece of Ebony like the handle...then a 2mm Nickel Silver disc...then there's another set of three discs...green Dymondwood/Reindeer antler/green Dymondwood...then a final set of three disc, a reverse of the first set....eleven discs in all.


FYI: the setup in the knife with the Snakewood handle (That little piece of kiln dried Snakewood cost $30! It's expensive!) is, from the front, 3mm Nickel Silver, green fiber, rust fiber, black paper micarta, rust fiber, green fiber and finally 1mm Nickel Silver. The rust fiber is EXACTLY the same color as the red in the wood. Looks pretty good matched like that...and the green sets it off nicely.

BTW: I started the other knife of mine today, as I was waiting for the epoxy to set on the Snakewood one. This is the Leuku with the big blade. I started by totally smoothing a piece of antler...then decided to use some Blackwood (just like Ebony) instead and got a big chunk smoothed and rounded. I'm going to see if that big Blacktail crown will work on the end of the Blackwood. That might be cool. The Leuku often traditionally have a big knob of some kind on the end.
 
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