This is it. I am wrapping this blade up. Today I am sanding and shaping the handle. After this there is only a little bit to do, but that part is more artsy and we will all do it differently.
Out in the shop today I am tearing into this recently epoxied handle to make it make some kind of sense. When you just have the scales on, it looks like a knife with two big blocks of wood hanging off.
When it comes to shaping the handle it is personal. It all shapes out the way that you want it, and it is 100% up to you. I like the blades to fit in my hand a certain way. I like it to have a certain hand feel, even though each knife is different.
I am using a dremel tool for this part of the work. It seems to be the perfect tool because I can easily see what I am doing. So I am able to hold the knife in one hand and then work the dremel with the other. This was the first time that I have ever really used a dremel, and it was surely the first time doing this part of the knife with a dremel.
It has been quite a journey working on this knife because it just feels...different. When I used to create custom knives in Southern Missouri it was all outside. So I would be making these knives by myself, just listening to books on tape, and dodging the weather.
Now I have better equipment, I am inside a shop, and I have new tools to use. It is one of those things where you just do what you can with what you have. I love putting the tools that I have to good use. It makes each project unique, and officially hand made.
One of my favorite parts of making custom knives is the imperfections. I am the type of person that likes everything to be a certain way. That is not always the case with knife making. I make sure that the blade is good, and the heat treat is good. Other than that, I let the handle and the over all look just flow.
Sometimes I end up with funky shapes, or funky marks on the blades. Actually, there is one look that I really like and it happens when the blade is really really hot. I used to call it coal burning, but now I am using gas I will have to come up with something else.
I hope you all enjoyed the video and the picture of the finished knife at the end. It is 9 inches long and 1 inch wide. It is a repurposed high carbon steel blade. The handle is stainless steel bolsters and a distressed maple wood.
I would love to hear you thoughts in the comments section!
Be well
~The Yeti
Join me on Discord https://discord.gg/zyqFjJ3
https://steemit.com/@freedompoint https://twitter.com/the_alpha_yeti
https://www.instagram.com/thealphayeti/
