Pa Jerry's knife

My blog has been quiet for the past few months.  The reason ... I have been working on two more knives, which were both made as gifts for people who have access to this blog and I did not want them to see the results before I had the chance to hand over the knives to them in person.

This is the story of the knife I made for Pa Jerry in Mulberry, USA, from whom I got much of the wood that I am using for the handles.

The knife is made completely from new raw materials (no recycled files etc.)  The blade is 304 Stainless steel, polished to a mirror finish.  The handle is, from blade to pummel:

• brass
• black Perspex*
• thin brass plate
• red Perspex*
• thin brass plate
• maple
• walnut
• brass

[* Perspex is a trade name for poly(methyl methacrylate), also known as acrylic]

The blade is 140mm long (5.5") x 40mm wide (1,57") and 4.5mm thick (0.18").  The handle is 125mm long (4.9").

Pic 01 - Cutting the rough blade shape from flat bar

Pic 02 - Smoothing the blade surface to remove roughness, ready for the bevel

Pic 03 - Grinding the bevel using the jig, which allows adjustment to set the required angle

Pic 04 - Blade set in the adjustable jig, showing the bevel partly ground

Pic 05 - Polishing the blade to a mirror finish using the spinning mop cloth

Pic 06 - Parts of the handle cut and ready for assembly

Pic 07 - Handle assembled and glued with epoxy.  Initial sanding done to prepare a smooth surface for shaping.

Pic 08 - Shaping the handle using a portable belt sander mounted upside down in the vice

Pic 09 - Final shaping of the handle done by hand

Pic 10 - Shaping and polishing complete

Pic 11 - Wood polished with beeswax to bring out the natural lustre

Pic 12 - Final step - new owner's name etched into the steel using acid