All About Pocket Knives

I started a rebuild on this old Wards cattle knife last week. It had no handles at all, and a broken master blade when I got it. So I made a new blade from 1095 high carbon and chose some oak burl for the rehandle. I had previously done two other rehandles with this burl oak with no problems, so it came as a surprise when I had the knife back together and ready to put finish on the handles, 2 cracks had showed up in the wood in the day or so it had sat in the house waiting for finish.I was able to wick some thin cyanoacrylate (superglue) down into the cracks to stabilize them and prevent further problems, but it is kind of a bummer to do all that work and end up with cracks. After some thought on the subject, I realized that the two previous rehandles with this oak burl were done at a different time of year, late spring for one and early fall for the other. It has been very cold here since Christmas and this wood was in an unheated garage. I sawed the 2 slabs last week and sanded them and glued them to the liners. I brought this into the house and the change of humidity must have been the problem as it is very dry in the house with the furnace running so much. I had previously also made a couple of pens from this oak burl and I had stabilized the blanks with Minwax Wood Hardener before turning and had no problems. I made a pressure chamber from a large pipe nipple threaded on both ends and drilled and tapped one of the end caps for an air fitting. (The people at Ace must have thought I was making a pipe bomb when looking at my parts purchase that day). I would put the slabs in the chamber with enough of the Wood Hardener to submerge them and put 25-30 lbs. pressure on for a couple of days. Also shown is a second Wards cattle knife I have. That one has celluloid handles and steel bolsters as well as the Camillus like spiral punch. The one I just rebuilt has nickel silver bolsters and the punch is more like the one on Utica knives I have. There were evidently multiple makers of the Wards cattle knives, and in fact I was talking to a fellow at a recent gunshow that collected Wards knives and he claimed that Winchester made some of the Wards knives too. Anyway the rebuilt one is in my pocket now as a EDC, cracks and all

They both turned out great!
And I believe you’re right about the humidity change cracking you knife scales. Certain hardwoods are very sensitive to temperature and humidity changes. Your “pressure” chamber for stabilizing your wood sounds interesting and potentially simple to make.
Thanks for sharing!

Forget the handle cracks - that just gives it some character. I'm impressed with the main blade - it looks great.

The new blade and scales look great.
If more cracks show up, just keep flooding with CA glue.
Great job.

Burl wood ...as hard as it is it can be very unstable. Nature of the beast. Look good! How did you spin your pins please?

Oopps, I was looking at a before picture, you ground your pins I see....

outstanding new handles and blade! Turned that old broke down mule into a show-pony! I agree the cracks in the wood add to the character.

O.C., you really like challenges ! There are lots of old collectible knives that need some fixing up that does not include making a new blade.
I am very impressed with your work.
Have you made any knives from start to finish, your own custom knives ?
kj

kootenay joe wrote:O.C., you really like challenges ! There are lots of old collectible knives that need some fixing up that does not include making a new blade.
I am very impressed with your work.
Have you made any knives from start to finish, your own custom knives ?
kj

I have not done any start to finish or custom knives. I just like to take some of these old folders with one foot in the grave and drag them back to the EDC world. I have another one in the works that will be done soon, an Imperial Barlow that I used just the blades and springs and made the rest. Hey, call me lazy. I always wanted to try making a blade for a folder, and this is the second one I have done. Once I have the blade blank cut out from 1095, it is all done by file with a file jig. Kind of like an oversize Lansky with a 12 inch file in place of the stone. Works good and angles are very precise. Will have pics of the Barlow soon.

Great stuff, OC! I like those cracks, personally. Wood, like burls and such, have natural inclusions and grain in them anyway, so those cracks are just more character!

Purdy Neat OC The Burl < The Blade < I Was Givin a 20 ga Ithaca Model 37 Pump Shotgun , I Picked out for Christmas When I turned 14 Yrs ,Purchased from Wards , I Thought They Were The Cat's Meow In Sporting Goods Very Nice EDC , Above And Beyond Repair ,

Your homemade stabilizer sounds intriguing.

Did you HT the blade yourself, or send it out?

zzyzzogeton wrote:Your homemade stabilizer sounds intriguing.

Did you HT the blade yourself, or send it out?

I have made 2 blades so far and did the HT myself. I just heat the blade as uniformly red as I can with a MAPP torch and dunk in oil, then repolish and heat over the kitchen stove burner to get navy blue. I don't really know what hardness level I am getting, but this last one to adjust the kick I put a file across it and it would not cut with an ordinary file, but did with a tungsten point file.

I think we've all been there at some point, temps and humidity does strange things to wood!

OLDE CUTLER wrote:

zzyzzogeton wrote:Your homemade stabilizer sounds intriguing.

Did you HT the blade yourself, or send it out?

I have made 2 blades so far and did the HT myself. I just heat the blade as uniformly red as I can with a MAPP torch and dunk in oil, then repolish and heat over the kitchen stove burner to get navy blue. I don't really know what hardness level I am getting, but this last one to adjust the kick I put a file across it and it would not cut with an ordinary file, but did with a tungsten point file.

With high carbon you can check with a magnet to see if you are hot enough.
I have had trouble soaking 1095 long enough to get a good hardness. 1084 is much more forgiving.

Unfortunately here is another one. I redid this Imperial camper knife with ironwood and everything looked good. Left it laying on the bench overnight and the next morning it has cracks. Pretty disgusting. This one also had a broken spring which required making a new one from 1075 spring stock.

OLDE CUTLER wrote: ↑Fri Apr 11, 2025 12:32 pm Unfortunately here is another one. I redid this Imperial camper knife with ironwood and everything looked good. Left it laying on the bench overnight and the next morning it has cracks. Pretty disgusting. This one also had a broken spring which required making a new one from 1075 spring stock.

IMG_6042.JPG

OC, I find a few new cracks and wrinkles when left on the bench over night. Sorry for your frustration.

doglegg wrote: ↑Fri Apr 11, 2025 1:39 pm

OLDE CUTLER wrote: ↑Fri Apr 11, 2025 12:32 pm Unfortunately here is another one. I redid this Imperial camper knife with ironwood and everything looked good. Left it laying on the bench overnight and the next morning it has cracks. Pretty disgusting. This one also had a broken spring which required making a new one from 1075 spring stock.

IMG_6042.JPG

OC, I find a few new cracks and wrinkles when left on the bench over night. Sorry for your frustration.

I think I know what you mean. lol

Wow, that is frustrating, OC. I have walked away from a few knives for a couple of years when things went wrong like that.
But it is still a beautiful knife, and useable.

Beautiful work...sorry for your frustrations...but as others have said, they are beautiful and so classy!