Master at Work

Here is Tai forging a tang. Notice the details; there is much to learn.

Tai Goo's Latest Integral

Here is Tai's latest. Another phenomenal work of art. I got to see this one in its early stages when he was still filing it. Then I was able to handle the finished knife recently. If I was a collector I would be snatching that one up in a hurry.

Highest Complement

I've only made a couple of knives for my wife to use in the kitchen. The first one didn't hold an edge according to her and she didn't use it much. That was made way back in my early days. This one was made not too long ago and last night she told me it was her favorite knife. She does use it a lot and I guess it's holding a decent edge because I haven't sharpened it in awhile. I saw it lying on the counter last night and just snapped a couple of shots right where it lay.

Broken Tip

I've been using my scandi pretty hard. I was digging pinyon sap out of trees when the tip broke off. It was a very small part that broke off and hasn't hurt my use of this knife at all. I think the tip was too thin. It was 1mm thick before going into the bevel. It could also have gotten too hot since the thin tip sometimes overheats. It's also possible that I just didn't temper it high enough. Got to use them to learn. There's a lifetime in it.

From miscellaneous 3

From miscellaneous 3

And just for kicks, here are the latest two I've been working on.

Makeshift Sheath

Here's something I've been doing until I get my lame butt off the bench and make some real sheaths. I take some cardboard and cut it to size, then wrap it with duct tape. I stick a little piece of leather down in the bottom so the point doesn't come through, but plastic would work too. It works great for just sticking in your pocket or waistband. I never wear belts anyway, so if I did have a leather sheath, it would still get stuck in my pocket or waistband.

From miscellaneous 3

Some Pitfalls

I was making this little scandi blade recently and barely noticed a hairline fracture. As I sanded more and looked more it got longer and longer. I finally accepted the fact that the blade didn't have a chance and bent it in the vise to expose the crack. This came from a piece of large sawmill blade. One edge of it had been bent and cracked and this little blade came from that part of it. It's one of the risks of using recycled steel, but I've heard a lot of horror stories about new steel as well. I say use what you want, but always keep your eyes wide open.

From miscellaneous 3

Here is a pile of other blade disasters I've had over a period of a couple of years. Most are cracked from water quenching.

From miscellaneous 3

Mesquite Burl

On my walks I've picked up some mesquite burls I found just lying there along an old fence line. I cut one open and was astonished by the beauty inside. Besides all the swirls and birdseyes, there was a remarkable chatoyancy to it. As you turned it in the light, it was sort of holographic. I hope I can get some handle material from these.

From miscellaneous 3

From miscellaneous 3

From miscellaneous 3

First Youtube Attempt: Filing Bevels on a Scandi

This is my first attempt at a youtube video. It's nothing special, just a little footage of how I file in the bevels on a small scandi style knife.

A Tung Twister

From miscellaneous 3

A fellow knifemaker showed me a knife handle with a smooth, polished, attractive finish. I asked him about it and found out it was tung oil. Then I heard about some other knifemakers using it so I went out and bought some at Ace. Before I used it I decided to research tung oil. I found out a lot about it, including some interesting research and history. I also found a forum with some disturbing information. Experienced woodworkers claimed that the particular product I had bought, and others on the market, either contained no tung oil or a very small percentage of polymerized tung oil, which apparently isn’t considered oil at that point but varnish. So I decided to go to the source.

I called Minwax and spoke to Julie. She was obviously trained to deal with people like me because she was ready with answers or non-answers. I asked her first if the product, shown in the picture above, contained tung oil. She assured me it did but that she couldn’t tell me how much because that was proprietary. Then I asked if it was raw oil or oil that had been processed. She said she’d have to go ask someone and put me on hold. When she got back she told me that it was polymerized oil. Finally I asked her if the product contained other oils besides tung oil. Again she told me it did but she couldn’t tell me any more than that.