It looks quite stabby.

Nice work, well done.

Please update with pictures as you go.

 

Exactly!!! Quite stabby, quite pointy and quite sharp!!! Already donated a tiny bit of my blood!!! Since I couldn't resist, I sharpened it and since it will cut from both sides and puncture from another I have decided that an excess of caution and or tape need to be used to protect my hands!!!
And of course, pictures as progress occurs!!!
God Bless, Frank.

 

So what do you think is the better handle material, the antler or the G10 rod???

I am kind of leaning to the G10 and patterning like the handle of a Gladius. Opinions!!!
God Bless, Frank.

 

Antler of course

 

Nice work !

Your blade looks a lot like my Blackjack Tartan Dirk - did you make the same blade back concavity like mine ?

 

I'd like to see what you make of the G10.
You've done so well with natural materials, playing with someone different may be a refreshing change in your shop.

 

Nice work !

Your blade looks a lot like my Blackjack Tartan Dirk - did you make the same blade back concavity like mine ?

Not sure what you mean by "blade back concavity", but I can say it is a hollow grind, or more accurately 2 hollow grinds blended together, which took away some of the curvature natural to a hollow grind.

I'd like to see what you make of the G10.
You've done so well with natural materials, playing with someone different may be a refreshing change in your shop.

That is my plan, I got tired of waiting for the G10 rod which was on back-order so I played with that piece of antler!!! I'm looking to do a handle something close to this and I have some nice walnut that ought to work beautifully!!!

God Bless, Frank.

 

Yeah, Frank - my senioritis musta kicked in, as I mis-remembered the term "hollow ground".....

 

So, a little progress on this knife!!! Tapered and grooved the G-10 rod for the knife handle and cut the piece that I am expecting to be the guard. Not sure if I am going to use the aluminum pieces but at least I have them, just in case. Still trying to figure out what I want the final knife to look like!!!

Just a different view of the knife and parts that I am experimenting with!!!

God Bless, Frank.

 

Very nice Frank. You seem to be able to do anything with knife or gun! As usual you have my respect.

 

.

Frank, why not consider a thin leather strap ( like a leather shoelace) to place in the handle grooves ?

Here's a sample, so you can visualize the app

 

Pete this is the inspiration for this dagger so no leather. The grooves are to enhance grip ability!!!

Been working on it a little bit at a time. Got the guard fitted. Put 3 pieces of .065 thick copper front and back of the G-10 handle. Need to fabricate a pommel for it and weld the extension to the tang of the file and it will be close to finished!!! Sorry no pics of the progress. The picture up in post #10 is close to what it is now, just substitute the aluminum pieces for 3 pieces of copper .065" thick and that is what it looks like currently!!!
God Bless, Frank.

 

Welded a 5/16x18tpi bolt onto the tang of the file and smoothed down the weld joint for a smooth transition. Had to cut about 3/8" off of the back of the bolt during the trial fitting. Finished turning the pommel on the lathe from a chunk of brass that I have had for 40+ years. It was in my toolbox, and it was used as a rather large brass drift for many years!!! It is now an inch and a half shorter!!! Smoothed down the hacksaw cut that separated the pommel from the parent stock and I am now in the process of trial fitting all the parts together. No epoxy yet!!!

Still have a lot of work on the guard and the copper pieces next to it but that will be done after everything has been epoxied together!!!
God Bless Frank.

 

Well the dagger is assembled with epoxy, and I have started the final finishing!!! Used "Miles Gilbert" bedding compound as it has a 30 minute working life before it starts to set up. I figured that I would never get the assembly done in the 5 minutes most epoxies are rated for so, Miles Gilbert to the rescue!!! "Buttered" the top side of all the pieces as I assembled them, filed the hole through the G-10 handle with a bunch of the epoxy then the 3 copper pieces below the pommel, and finally the pommel itself!!! Used an automotive worm screw clamp to align the pommel, the 3 copper spacers and the G-10 handle. The pommel was about .005" larger than the copper spacers, and the copper spacers were about .005" larger than the G-10 handle. Screwed the hose clamp down tight and since it was only tight on the pommel, I was able to tighten and align all those pieces easily. A lot of thinking went into that. Worked great the only downside was a bit more filing than I wanted to deal with, but the end result was what I had hoped for!!!

Finishing the guard is next and that will involve quite a bit of dremel and file work. Will use that same worm screw clamp to protect the G-10 handle in case of a slip as the stainless-steel band of the clamp will shield the handle and I can rotate it easily as I blend all the parts to the desired contours!!!

This is its current stage of completion. Figured red electrical tape was the appropriate color to protect ME from the already sharp edges of the blade as that would be the color of the blood leaking/gushing out of me if I wasn't careful!!! Handle was cleaned up and given 2 coats of Johnsons Paste Wax to hopefully prevent dirt from embedding in the handle as I complete contouring the guard. Well, that's it for the night. Who knows when the next" episode" will be posted???
God Bless, Frank.

 

Beautiful work

Rich

 

I can't wait to see the finished piece.

 

Well, I guess the dagger is finished unless I decide to polish the metal parts!!! This is what it looks like now. Since I have a tendency to play with knives I felt it was safer for me to leave the tape on the blade as it is more than dangerously sharp already!!!

And a close-up of the handle!!! Believe it or not that is about 4 hours of filing to contour the guard and the copper spacers behind the guard.

Silly thing is I don't have any idea why I made this thing other than I had this old dull rusty file that I couldn't throw in metal recycling, because I knew it would make a great knife. It's really pretty, it's very well made, and it is VERY SHARP. Now if I had a mastodon to butcher this would be a great knife but not really sure what to do with this thing??? Blade is 9 1/4" and OAL is 14 1/2" and I have no idea how much it weighs but I can say it feels very solid and substantial!!!
God Bless, Frank.

 

Well, I guess the dagger is finished unless I decide to polish the metal parts!!! This is what it looks like now. Since I have a tendency to play with knives I felt it was safer for me to leave the tape on the blade as it is more than dangerously sharp already!!!

And a close-up of the handle!!! Believe it or not that is about 4 hours of filing to contour the guard and the copper spacers behind the guard.

Silly thing is I don't have any idea why I made this thing other than I had this old dull rusty file that I couldn't throw in metal recycling, because I knew it would make a great knife. It's really pretty, it's very well made, and it is VERY SHARP. Now if I had a mastodon to butcher this would be a great knife but not really sure what to do with this thing??? Blade is 9 1/4" and OAL is 14 1/2" and I have no idea how much it weighs but I can say it feels very solid and substantial!!!
God Bless, Frank.

Very cool!
I can't justify why I have most of my knives. I don't need them really, not all of them.
I can guess why you made that sweet weapon. Because you could, and you enjoy making things. That's all the reason you need.

 

.

IMO, you've made yerself a very nice-looking pig-sticker - CONGRATS ! ! !

.

 

Prepped and ready for polishing!!!

And polished!!!

I think I may have decided to keep this knife!!! It is just something about it that I don't want to give it away or even sell it, although I would have no idea how to value it??? Next step is to make a sheath for it, and I already have the leather for it!!!
God Bless, Frank.

 

Frank, I had no idea you are a fellow maker! You do fine work, too!
I always hoped for my knives to be used as user knives and most are. I also avoided using antler for a user fixed blade hunter. Some of my customers have sent pictures of my knives that have been used.

 

Frank, I had no idea you are a fellow maker! You do fine work, too!
I always hoped for my knives to be used as user knives and most are. I also avoided using antler for a user fixed blade hunter. Some of my customers have sent pictures of my knives that have been used. View attachment 558075

Let's hope Frank's dagger is NOT a "user'! Wouldn't want it used on me!

 

 

Old Hickory I haven't made any knives for sale, just ones that I have given away as gifts. Mostly to family and close friends who hunt but to a few non-hunters that just like and appreciate nicely made knives!!! This is one of the first knives that I made. Was probably a 12 to 15 year long project, but it finally got done. Picture as finished!!!

And a picture after it helped me field two deer. Got lucky that morning and got 2 deer!!! Made it through both deer and really didn't need re-sharpening but I had to give it a few swipes on the hard Arkansas just to be sure!!! The picture below was on the kitchen counter before I cleaned it up. It now has a sheath!!!

I am hoping that in the future I will get some pictures of some blooded knives from my nephews that I have gifted knives to!!! Fingers crossed!!!
God Bless, Frank.

 

Frank, my honest opinion is you do very fine work. Another thing I appreciate about your work is the length of your handles. your handles are of length for working knives.

Too many knives now days have handles actually far too short for what is a working tool.

 

Show off!
Daggers are traditionally used on people and I would not want to be in the way of that one.

 

Show off!
Daggers are traditionally used on people and I would not want to be in the way of that one.

I see where a boar/pig hunter could use that dagger with strong results. Or for Zombies? I haven't seen a Zombie in person, but some folks are really worried about them.

I've finished off suffering road kill with a blade. It wasn't ideal with my pocket folder (BM 530 both times for deer), but Franks dagger would have been quicker for certain.

 

Not my dagger anymore, it is now the proud possession of a nephew who is an aficionado of sharp pointy things!!!
God Bless, Frank.