An Oregon Custom cutler !!
An Oregon Custom cutler !!
As some of you may recall,the wife and I took the 5th wheel and went to Oregon and Washington state in August and September.
We stopped and visited a couple Schradeaholics along the way,namely CrowButte and Orvet.Max and Dale were very gracious hosts and I enjoyed seeing parts of their collections and talking knives.
The search for new/old stock Schrades was not very fruitful until we got to Dale's area.There,he tipped me to a couple of his honeyholes and I was able to pick up some NIB Schrades.
Before we left Salem,Dale presented me with a gift.I was sort of overwelmed by his generosity and was at a temporary loss for words.
These pictures don't do it justice.
I really like the Schrade PH series and this Dale Vincent Custom reminds me of them.
The knife was not marked but Dale had an etcher ordered and when we returned to Pennsylvania,he sent an e-mail saying he was ready to etch my knife.
Thanks again,Dale !!!
Ron
We stopped and visited a couple Schradeaholics along the way,namely CrowButte and Orvet.Max and Dale were very gracious hosts and I enjoyed seeing parts of their collections and talking knives.
The search for new/old stock Schrades was not very fruitful until we got to Dale's area.There,he tipped me to a couple of his honeyholes and I was able to pick up some NIB Schrades.
Before we left Salem,Dale presented me with a gift.I was sort of overwelmed by his generosity and was at a temporary loss for words.
These pictures don't do it justice.
I really like the Schrade PH series and this Dale Vincent Custom reminds me of them.
The knife was not marked but Dale had an etcher ordered and when we returned to Pennsylvania,he sent an e-mail saying he was ready to etch my knife.
Thanks again,Dale !!!
Ron
- Attachments
-
- vinetch.jpg (14.95 KiB) Viewed 4058 times
-
- vin3.jpg (4.98 KiB) Viewed 4058 times
-
- vin4.jpg (5.36 KiB) Viewed 4058 times
-
- vin2.jpg (7.82 KiB) Viewed 4058 times
-
- vin1.jpg (8.03 KiB) Viewed 4058 times
Ron.. Good to have you stop in here. You wrote me a personal email wondering if this thread was off-topic. I don't think so. Dale is a friend to many of us, a supoorter of AAPK, a collector of old Schrades and new, and what the heck, we're not so uptight around here that we can't stick a square peg in a round hole once in a while. Besides, sure looks like old-style craftsmanship to me.
Nice work, Dale!
Ron, why don't you make another post in the 'Custom Knives' forum here at AAPK so everyone gets a change to see Dale's work. Been my experience that people get better at knife making the more they have their work admired.
Thanks, and welcome home. Glad you had a good, safe trip.
Phil
Nice work, Dale!
Ron, why don't you make another post in the 'Custom Knives' forum here at AAPK so everyone gets a change to see Dale's work. Been my experience that people get better at knife making the more they have their work admired.
Thanks, and welcome home. Glad you had a good, safe trip.
Phil
Aw heck I didn't even go see him all I did was send him a few parts I had laying around of which I picked out 3 Schrade oddball pattern Sheath knife blades and mentioned I would like to see these finished. This crazy man sends me a thousand dollars ( or more of custom knives ). He won't take any money so i sent more parts. Dale probably will be ticked off with me for saying this but he is amost constantly in pain he has trouble using his hands and suffers when he does, can you imagine if he wasent afflicted. I did send more parts. Amazing especially to a mechanically challanged person such as myself. I often say that I can look at a screwdriver across the room and have it fly off and assault me. Thats me Mr Handy. Dale like we used to say on the job you are just to MUCKING FUTCH. LT
- Attachments
-
- MVC-025S.JPG (37.85 KiB) Viewed 4046 times
-
- MVC-024S.JPG (37.42 KiB) Viewed 4046 times
-
- MVC-023S.JPG (37.78 KiB) Viewed 4046 times
-
- MVC-022S.JPG (37.81 KiB) Viewed 4046 times
-
- MVC-021S.JPG (10.78 KiB) Viewed 4046 times
-
- MVC-020S.JPG (38.56 KiB) Viewed 4046 times
-
- MVC-019S.JPG (11.13 KiB) Viewed 4046 times
-
- MVC-018S.JPG (19.46 KiB) Viewed 4046 times
-
- MVC-017S.JPG (16.69 KiB) Viewed 4046 times
-
- MVC-016S.JPG (32.81 KiB) Viewed 4046 times
I am humbled that you all appreciated my efforts. I am glad you liked the knives.
Also I am frustrated! I just spent an hour and a half typing in a post about these knives with pictures of the process. I hit (what I thought was my spell checker) & my browser took me to ebay and I lost all I had typed in and the 9 or 10 pictures I had put on here.
I will try again tomorrow.
Dale
Also I am frustrated! I just spent an hour and a half typing in a post about these knives with pictures of the process. I hit (what I thought was my spell checker) & my browser took me to ebay and I lost all I had typed in and the 9 or 10 pictures I had put on here.
I will try again tomorrow.
Dale
I don't type or keyboard much anymore. I started using Dragon Speaking Natually Preferred, the $200.00 version. Not the $99.00 or the $1000.00, ouch. It takes a while to learn and you can teach it new words. I was really impressed when it learned my last name (Hukkanen) after 4 tries. It takes time and patience and it taught me to dictate and speak clearly. Recently I did a 17 page paper with my feet up on the desk, speaking into a microphone. I finished before lunchtime. It's not for everyone, fast typers will get bored. Those of us who hate to type and take the time to teach it new words will generally like it. It takes time to teach new words and find the few mistakes (two, to, too, 2 for instance) but in the long run it has become indespensible to me. I should start to use it here also, it is supposed to work on the web. I have even done a little HTML with it too.orvet wrote:I am humbled that you all appreciated my efforts. I am glad you liked the knives.
Also I am frustrated! I just spent an hour and a half typing in a post about these knives with pictures of the process. I hit (what I thought was my spell checker) & my browser took me to ebay and I lost all I had typed in and the 9 or 10 pictures I had put on here.
I will try again tomorrow.
Dale
Hukk
- muskrat man
- Gold Tier
- Posts: 5667
- Joined: Fri Jun 30, 2006 4:04 am
- Location: Ohio
- Contact:
stick someone? I'd be afraid of gettin those bloody, I'd have to find a different knife to use. Dale does great work and is a super nice fella.lt632ret wrote:Just one more pic Dale so you do not think i have these in the attic and only bring them out for special occasions or to stick someone. LT
Custom knives, repair, restoration & embellishment
Certified Hubertus, Taylor, & Schrade repairman past and present
http://www.muskratmanknives.com
https://www.facebook.com/Muskratmanknives
Certified Hubertus, Taylor, & Schrade repairman past and present
http://www.muskratmanknives.com
https://www.facebook.com/Muskratmanknives
- muskrat man
- Gold Tier
- Posts: 5667
- Joined: Fri Jun 30, 2006 4:04 am
- Location: Ohio
- Contact:
Very True.lt632ret wrote:The only way to make a knife better is to get it bloodied. Got your card thanks i appreciate it I do not get many. LT
Glad you liked the card.
Custom knives, repair, restoration & embellishment
Certified Hubertus, Taylor, & Schrade repairman past and present
http://www.muskratmanknives.com
https://www.facebook.com/Muskratmanknives
Certified Hubertus, Taylor, & Schrade repairman past and present
http://www.muskratmanknives.com
https://www.facebook.com/Muskratmanknives
Hukk,
I usually use NaturallySpeaking Professional if I am doing any great amount of typing. It's a great program. I started using DragonDictate in 1995 and then upgraded to NaturallySpeaking a couple years later. Great software.
I will attempt to add some pictures and will try to explain the pictures in the text box above each picture. Bear with me, please.
Dale
I think I will break this up into several posts. This first post will be about the blades themselves. As most of you are probably aware, Schrade did not make many fighting knife patterns except for those they made for the US government. What I found so unusual about these knives is that two of them are basically fighting knife patterns. The Bowie, being the notable exception. However, if you remember your history the Bowie was sort of an all-purpose fighting knife pattern itself.
Well I have reached the maximum number of pictures I can put in one post so I will end this post and start another one on the handles.
Dale
I usually use NaturallySpeaking Professional if I am doing any great amount of typing. It's a great program. I started using DragonDictate in 1995 and then upgraded to NaturallySpeaking a couple years later. Great software.
I will attempt to add some pictures and will try to explain the pictures in the text box above each picture. Bear with me, please.
Dale
I think I will break this up into several posts. This first post will be about the blades themselves. As most of you are probably aware, Schrade did not make many fighting knife patterns except for those they made for the US government. What I found so unusual about these knives is that two of them are basically fighting knife patterns. The Bowie, being the notable exception. However, if you remember your history the Bowie was sort of an all-purpose fighting knife pattern itself.
Well I have reached the maximum number of pictures I can put in one post so I will end this post and start another one on the handles.
Dale
- Attachments
-
- Every knife maker has to have some helpers. These two seem to have taken up residence underneath the table in my shop. Actually it is their preferred sleeping place.
- Helpers - Gus the Lhasa Apso & Buster Kitten.jpg (769.49 KiB) Viewed 3881 times
-
- Here is another picture of hand sanding. I used whether dry sandpaper and cutting oil. As I recall I sanded them all the way down to about 600 grit.
- Another pic of sanding.jpg (715.6 KiB) Viewed 3881 times
-
- Here is the guard for the coffin handled fighting knife after it was shaped. It is now ready to be polished. In the background you can see the bar stock I used to make the guard.
- Guard for coffin handle.jpg (667.27 KiB) Viewed 3881 times
-
- I made the guards for the two fighting knives out of brass bar stock. It is amazing what you can do with the file. The guard for the Bowie was one I ordered from the supplier. It was a sand cast brass guard that fit with the period design of the knife.
- Shaping guard with file.jpg (388.85 KiB) Viewed 3881 times
-
- This is the left side after sanding. I don't know why I didn't get a picture of the right side after sanding. I get busy doing the work and forget to take pictures.
- L side.jpg (266.4 KiB) Viewed 3882 times
-
- Here is the right side of one of the blanks before I begin sanding it. You can see how much I had to remove to get this blank smooth.
- R side.jpg (250.13 KiB) Viewed 3882 times
-
- I chose to hand sand the blanks for the most part as I did not want to change the shape of the blade by using a belt sander. In that time since I have completed these knives I have added a number of tools to my shop which would make this process much eas
- Hand sanding blank.jpg (301.98 KiB) Viewed 3882 times
-
- Here is the tip after I read profiled it.
- Reprofiled Tip.jpg (914.71 KiB) Viewed 3882 times
-
- There were some interesting characteristics to these blanks. I remember sending LT and e-mail and asking him if they were made with MIM (metal injection molding) technology. He said he did not know if Schrade used that method. The reason I wondered abo
- Tip Void.jpg (834.69 KiB) Viewed 3882 times
-
- Here are the three blanks that came from the Schrade factory. I believe I had already buffed the Bowie blank in this picture. Note the rough surface & the surface rust on the two bottom blanks.
- 3 blanks.jpg (341.18 KiB) Viewed 3882 times
OK, it looks like the first post when in without any problems. In this series I will talk about making the handles.
- Attachments
-
- Here is the final buff of the handle with carnauba wax.
- Buffing with carnuba.jpg (160.7 KiB) Viewed 3878 times
-
- Here is the handle after sanding. I did treat it with a mixture of carnauba wax, beeswax & orange or oil. Then I buffed it with carnauba wax on a loose cotton wheel.
- Bowie Handle.jpg (324.76 KiB) Viewed 3878 times
-
- Cocobolo is interesting wood to work with. It has so much natural oil in it that it is very difficult to get it to take a finish. I sanded the handles was very fine paper, all the way to 2000 grit. This puts a very nice finish on the wood even without
- sanding with 1500 grit.jpg (279.91 KiB) Viewed 3878 times
-
- Here I am sitting the space or material between the two halves of the handle. This step is probably not necessary but I think it adds just a little bit to the completed knife. After this step I glued the two halves of the handle together and begin sandi
- Fitting spacer material to tang.jpg (355.48 KiB) Viewed 3878 times
-
- Here I am measuring to make sure I have the proper depth of the mortise.
- Measuring for depth of tang.jpg (294.3 KiB) Viewed 3878 times
-
- Although I had the blade covered with tape, it was not the only sharp instrument I was working with. As you can see, clumsy me, I managed to bury the Dremel bit at the base of my left thumb. Ouch!
- Hand with bandage.jpg (658.91 KiB) Viewed 3878 times
-
- Here's one half of the handle in the vice, ready for me to cut the mortise for the tang. Since this time I have a router attachment for my Dremel which would make this job much easier.
- Layout of handle for tang.jpg (864.66 KiB) Viewed 3878 times
-
- You can see this wood is much lighter when it is freshly cut. It does get darker with exposure to the air.
- Panamanian Cocobolo on saw.jpg (1009.7 KiB) Viewed 3878 times
-
- This is the block of Panamanian Cocobolo that I cut the handles from
- Panamanian Cocobolo.jpg (725.37 KiB) Viewed 3878 times
-
- First time needed to design the handle I wanted to put on the knife. I have already taped the blank so that I do not scratch it or cut myself while working with it.
- Drawing out the handle.jpg (556.41 KiB) Viewed 3878 times
Well there you have it. That was the process of making one of LT's knives. It was a great deal of fun and for me a real privilege to work with these three old Schrade Blanks. It is kind of like completing a piece of history.
I want to thank LT for giving me the opportunity to complete these three knives. I learned a great deal in doing so. He was very generous in his remuneration of lots and lots of blanks that I will get to someday. I had some health issues in the process of making these knives and it took me about three months to complete them. LT said, "take your time, no hurry."
Thanks again LT for allowing me to complete this one little piece of Schrade history.
Here are a few more pictures.
Dale
I want to thank LT for giving me the opportunity to complete these three knives. I learned a great deal in doing so. He was very generous in his remuneration of lots and lots of blanks that I will get to someday. I had some health issues in the process of making these knives and it took me about three months to complete them. LT said, "take your time, no hurry."
Thanks again LT for allowing me to complete this one little piece of Schrade history.
Here are a few more pictures.
Dale
- Attachments
-
- This is a final side view of the three knives with a tape to help establish the scale.
- 3- final side view.jpg (353.06 KiB) Viewed 3876 times
-
- Here is a picture of two of the handles after applying a coat of Howard's Feed and Wax. This is a mixture beeswax, carnuba wax & orange oil. This is the only finish I used on these handles other than a final buff of carnuba wax. In this picture is the
- 2 handles drying.jpg (288.14 KiB) Viewed 3876 times
-
- This was a real disappointment. I had this handle made and was sanding it. I had gotten down to 800 grit and then, I see a hairline crack in the wood. I had to start all over again.
- 800 grit Sanding & now a crack.jpg (643.02 KiB) Viewed 3876 times
-
- I must give credit where credit is due. This is my third helper, Maggie
- Maggie the Lhasa Apso.jpg (634.2 KiB) Viewed 3876 times
- smiling-knife
- Posts: 3365
- Joined: Mon Feb 13, 2006 8:39 pm
- Location: Bedford, UK
Handling Schrades!
Great work, Dale!
Nice to see the process! Thanks for the tour!!
Charlie
Nice to see the process! Thanks for the tour!!
Charlie
-
- Gold Tier
- Posts: 2484
- Joined: Sun Oct 09, 2005 11:50 pm
- Location: S.W. Wa.
customs
Hi Dale;
WOW, what a display. The how you done it was of particular interest. I never realized the steps or work involved to reach this degree of perfection. IMO the number 020s closeup in LT's post is really fantastic.
That is not to say that any of your work isn't. Thats my favorite.
Thank You,
W.B.
PS Edit; The fighting knife profile in 022s is something else, I betcha Bo is somewhere smiling over that one.
WOW, what a display. The how you done it was of particular interest. I never realized the steps or work involved to reach this degree of perfection. IMO the number 020s closeup in LT's post is really fantastic.
That is not to say that any of your work isn't. Thats my favorite.
Thank You,
W.B.
PS Edit; The fighting knife profile in 022s is something else, I betcha Bo is somewhere smiling over that one.
WB,
I quite agree, LT's pics are better than mine, w/o a doubt, as are the pics Ron took. I didn't take any pics of the knife I made for Ron. I was just experimenting and wasn't sure that it would come out right.
There are a number of steps I left out as I got so into the making of the knives that I forgot to take pics. Also it is a bit unsafe to operate power tools and take pics of the process at the same time. The only reason I have a pic of me buffing the handle is because my grandson was staying here for a week and took the pic.
While I was making these knives for LT this summer, 4 of my Grandsons came to spend a week at our house (a week each, not all at once ). They ranged in age from about 9 to 16. Of course I took each of them fishing at least once and they each made their first knife. They all enjoyed it. I am saving up a bunch of old folders and think I will help them rebuild an old slipjoint to add to their collection this next summer.
All four of them are starting collections of their own. I believe in starting them young!
Incidentally, the youngest is probably the most ardent collector. A year or so ago I found an old Cub Scout knife and fixed it up & gave it to him is he is in Cub Scouts. I explained to him that it is carbon steel and that he needed to oil the joints & wipe the blades with oil periodically. When he had his birthday I gave him a 34 Old Timer. His first question was, "Is it carbon steel?" I said "Yes." He asked, "Then I need to oil it like my Scout knife, right?" I was surprised that at 8 years old he had retained so much of what I told him.
Dale
I quite agree, LT's pics are better than mine, w/o a doubt, as are the pics Ron took. I didn't take any pics of the knife I made for Ron. I was just experimenting and wasn't sure that it would come out right.
There are a number of steps I left out as I got so into the making of the knives that I forgot to take pics. Also it is a bit unsafe to operate power tools and take pics of the process at the same time. The only reason I have a pic of me buffing the handle is because my grandson was staying here for a week and took the pic.
While I was making these knives for LT this summer, 4 of my Grandsons came to spend a week at our house (a week each, not all at once ). They ranged in age from about 9 to 16. Of course I took each of them fishing at least once and they each made their first knife. They all enjoyed it. I am saving up a bunch of old folders and think I will help them rebuild an old slipjoint to add to their collection this next summer.
All four of them are starting collections of their own. I believe in starting them young!
Incidentally, the youngest is probably the most ardent collector. A year or so ago I found an old Cub Scout knife and fixed it up & gave it to him is he is in Cub Scouts. I explained to him that it is carbon steel and that he needed to oil the joints & wipe the blades with oil periodically. When he had his birthday I gave him a 34 Old Timer. His first question was, "Is it carbon steel?" I said "Yes." He asked, "Then I need to oil it like my Scout knife, right?" I was surprised that at 8 years old he had retained so much of what I told him.
Dale
- muskrat man
- Gold Tier
- Posts: 5667
- Joined: Fri Jun 30, 2006 4:04 am
- Location: Ohio
- Contact:
That is great Dale, both the process, the finished products, and the interest your grandsons have in knives. That is just great stuff!
Custom knives, repair, restoration & embellishment
Certified Hubertus, Taylor, & Schrade repairman past and present
http://www.muskratmanknives.com
https://www.facebook.com/Muskratmanknives
Certified Hubertus, Taylor, & Schrade repairman past and present
http://www.muskratmanknives.com
https://www.facebook.com/Muskratmanknives