Honest Hunter’s

Its time to start a new project!

This year I will be working on stock removal hunting style knives. The first batch of twelve will be what I call “Honest Hunter’s, because honestly that’s what they are 🙂

These first prototype’s will be cut from Aldo Bruno’s 1084 1/4″ bar stock, profiled, shaped and heat treated in house. The handles will be carved from good old g-10 and they will have 3/16” Corby Bolts.

I will be posting progress pictures along the way.

Enjoy,

 

Bobby

 

 

Check out the sleek profile in the two pictures above

 

All of the blades have been sprayed with layout fluid to ensure precise alignment of holes

At this point I use my vertical height marking gauge to layout the center point of each blade. This will help ensure consistency on all of my bevel grinds.

 

Note: I mark two lines approximately .030 apart, because that’s how thick I want the blade to be prior to heat treating.  

 

The weight reduction holes are all laid out

Now all of those holes are drilled out

Consistency is key, once a template is created … transfer punches are used to replicate exact hole locations.

Note: I lay the template over each blank and clamp her tight. 

 

Ready for the grinder

 

Plunging right into it 🙂

 

 

Moving right along with the bevels

Hollowing out the tangs for additional weight reduction

 

Ready to be normalized … all that drilling and grinding has disrupted the carbon and other molecules … normalizing the blades will help ensure a successful heat treat.

Basically, I heat the blades to 1550 degrees and let them cool at room temperature until all of the color disappears and they are basically grayish black in color. I’ll do this twice. Then I’ll do it again with a slightly lower temperature, 1425 degrees to be exact.

 

Sable & Cooper (aka the shop dogs) guarding the blades prior to normalization.

 

Gotta love the Pargon Kiln

 

Cooling down at room temp between cycles

 

After the final normalizing cycle … the blades are heated past critical and quenched using my limiter plate for consistency.

 

Now it relaxation time. Light up the finger lamps, get a little snack while the Pargon Kiln tempers the blades to around 59-61 RC.

 

Time to finish grind these bad boys.

 

Almost ready for some G-10 and Corby Bolts

 

Sweet little Hunter’s coming to life.

 

Wrap up the blades to protect them during handle work

 

G-10 Scales all ready to go

 

Making Dust … always wear your respirator!

 

Add some Corby Bolts

 

Breakfast in the Shop

 

Man that bacon smells good!

 

Shop Dogs … Cooper (14 years old) & Sable (15 years old)

 

All Epoxied Up!

 

 

 

 

 

Off the grinder and ready for a little hand work before headed to my father-in-law Paul Wittle for sheaths.

 

 

 

 

 

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2010 Archery Contest Knife

Hi Everyone,

Below you will find pictures of the 2010 Archery Contest Knife…A.K.A. “The Camp Beast”. I call her the camp beast cause she’s a big old Bowie, Fighter styled camp blade that can handle most any choir around. Specs are as follows:

10″ blade of 5160 triple tempered

walnut handle with cold blue fittings and checkered spacer

O.A.L. is 15 1/2″

Thanks for looking,

Bob

Long Clip Hunter

Hi Folks,

Just finished this knife for a customer….with an extra long clip on cold blued blade of 1095 edge quenched steel. The blade itself measures 4 5/8″ with an O.A.L. of 10″. The customer supplied the wood…African Rosewood aka Bubinga…it’s beautifully grained with streaks of brown, black, and orange. Nickel silver fittings include a guard, butt cap, pommel nut, an a single 1/16″ lightly domed pin. There is a cold blued mild steel spacer behind the guard to balance out the blade.

Thanks for Looking,

Bob

This piece is sold!