All About Pocket Knives

Letters should be afraid. Very afraid. The blade is store-bought SS to which I added wood handles. A first for me. Also, my first knife sheath.

Nice!

Nice work on both.

I like it!

Great job!

Nice, is the wood dyed curly maple? Good job, Terry

terryl308 wrote:Nice, is the wood dyed curly maple? Good job, Terry

Thanks, Terry (& Steve, Phil, David & Ken),

I'd call it curly maple or tiger-stripe maple & finishing it was my motive for the job. Basically, after all the sanding I wet it with a solution that is mostly nitric acid, but it probably has iron, too, then held it over a flame to get the blush. Then an oil finish. There's a lot more to it than that & there are a lot of ways to screw it up. I know several. I want to finish a longrifle of curly maple, hence the practice on smaller things like this. It's less traumatic, but still fun.

You are off to a great start.

the old time muzzle loader makers used aquafortis, don't ask me what it is? and I might not have spelled it correctly. But I believe it is some kind of acid. Terry

Nice work! The finish on the handles is fantastic!

Great work geocash.

terryl308 wrote:the old time muzzle loader makers used aquafortis, don't ask me what it is? and I might not have spelled it correctly. But I believe it is some kind of acid. Terry

Terry,


You did spell it correctly. That's the stuff I used. The label says "Ye Colonial Aquafortis Reagent for coloration of Sugartree curled". Quaint marketing.

And thanks, QS, goldpan & doglegg. If I'd started doing this 40 or 50 years ago I'd have it down by now. But I'm smart enough now maybe I can get it in only another 10 or 15 years. In other words, they don't regularly turn out like that, yet.

Nice one gc!! Kudos!!!
John

Beautiful knife. Good luck with the rifle.