Fighting Rooster gassed out

[Landersknives]

Well fellas ... no offense to any ladies on the forum. I have had some knives that gassed out....sooo I decided to try my hand at re handling a fighting rooster. This is my first try and I did not take step by step photos and I thought I took some before pictures but I can't find them. I do have pictures of the handles I took off and some of the other knives I will be doing. Please be brutally honest. I have a great deal of respect for the knife mechanics on this forum. Thanks for all input. This knife was rusty. Here goes:

[glennbad]

From what I can see from the pics, looks pretty darn nice. A shield would look nice, but perhaps you didn't want one.

Really not anything to critique, though I like to see more jigging toward the bolsters, but that's just my personal preference.

Excellent save!

[Landersknives]

Thank you glennbad coming from you that is a compliment. The shield hmmm well I was intimidated and once I got started today I wanted to get finished. Are installing shields pretty difficult sir? Maybe on the next one I do I might try installing a shield. What do you use to pin the shield on? Is there a certain epoxy to use for shields?

[orvet]

It looks really good to me!
My personal preference is that I love to see the smooth bone between the jigging and the bolster, especially if is pretty. But like Glenn said that strictly personal preference. My favorite part about doing a build or a restoration is watching the bone with the stag develop as I sanded and buffed it down on the ends. Sometimes they look really average, sometimes they look good and other times they are blow your eyeballs out gorgeous!
I love the blow your eyeballs out gorgeous bone and stag handles. Watching them develop beneath your fingers is the magical part of knife restoration.

I’ll admit shields can be intimidating but they are even more intimidating when it’s an old knife that belongs to your customer and you don’t have other old replacement handles. You have one shot to put a shield in and if you mess up it is in a reparable mistake. Once you get past that hurdle most shields are a piece of cake!

I greatly prefer the slow and powerful Foredom rotary tool to the Dremel when it comes to inlaying a shield, but to each his own.
I think it all depends on what you get accustomed to.

[Landersknives]

Thank you Dale. I agree with you about the bone. It is amazing the transformation as I was sanding and then polishing. You sir are a artisan and a craftsman for sure and I greatly value you opinion. I will have to check on picking up a Foredom. I have never used one and right now I have the variable speed Dremel. I will be honest the bone turned out beautiful. I am not a photographer so the pictures don't do it justice but as I was working with it I was like a giddy kid on Christmas morning opening presents. The comments from Glenn and you sir give me a sense of accomplishment and pride. I am hooked and anticipating my next project.

[XX Case XX]

Wow Ed, if this is your first time, I'd say you did very well. I don't work on knives myself, but it must bring you loads of satisfaction to bring new life to an old, messed up knife. That, my friend, looks really good. I'd say congratulations are definitely in order here.

_____________
Mike

[btrwtr]

Very nice job!

[rea1eye]

Looks good to me. Congratulations on taking that first step in doing some knife scale repair.

I think the edge near the bolster looks just about right.

Bob

[Landersknives]

Thanks Mike, Wayne and Bob. Yes I was excited at how it turned out. I will be posting more knives as I get them done. I appreciate the comments. I am hooked for sure. I was paralyzed in 2002 from the waist down. I graduated from a wheel chair to a walker and now a cane. Restoring this knife really gave me a sense of accomplishment and a satisfaction knowing I am still capable of well ...... something. Just looking at it makes me smile. I collected knives but that pails in comparison to taking something that was pretty much worthless and restoring it to a edc. Which that is what this is. It has taken its place in my rotation of edc. Carrying it right now. Thanks again everyone.

[muskrat man]

looks like a dandy job especially if thats your fisrt

[sam eib]

I think you did a fine job all the way around on the knife.

[Landersknives]

Thanks Sam and Muskrat Man. I have enjoyed looking at your work Muskrat Man. It has inspired me just like Dales and Glennbads. You gentlemen are the cats meow!