Bearclaw Trapper knife kit

[tc3500]

I ordered my first 'knife-kit' and some handle material last night. The knife kit is called a Bearclaw Trapper.
I ordered sheep horn handle material and am trying to get a knife stiddy from an aapk member. I have
basic tools in the shop but probably need compound and a buffing machine/sander of some kind? It
should be fun and I know I will learn alot. I am going to post pics here starting with the materials ordered
so far. Post whatever thoughts, advice, or criticism you may have as I go along please.

Thanks,
Trevor

[zed6309]

Good luck, i really look forward to pics possibly as you go along with it as i might get one of the RR kits to try out plus a list of tools needed would be great cheers

[FRJ]

I admire your effort, Trevor. Go for it !! I wish you the best with it.

[tc3500]

I was looking at different handle materials and came across some 'stag jigged bone' at
TexasKnifeSupply. The picture shows one slab buffed and one before buffing. I ordered
these and the sheep horn.

Which one do you guys think is nicer for this knife project?

[tc3500]

My knife kit arrived today and seems decent enough. I still need to grab a couple tools
before I start messing it with it though. The sheep horn that I ordered is pretty impressive,
but is larger than advertised. I knew I would have to cut it to the shape of the knife
somehow, but it is also alot thicker than I expected. This is getting fun already. I also
took a quick photo of my work bench. I am still clearing out a few things and will post
some pics of the set-up after I add the new tools. I am kinda thinking it would be cool to
have ordered 2 of the same kit and some pin stock so I could make a single blade and a
triple blade...........maybe next time.

My dog is an 'English Cream Golden Retriever', which is a fancy way of saying that he
stays completely white. He is my second Golden Retriever (we always have a Springer
Spaniel too) and quite an amazing critter. He is standing in his doorway that goes outside.
On the outside of the house there is a covered ramp that I built years ago for our first dog
when he had mobility issues. They like it because they have a dog bed in the heated garage
and can run in and out when we are gone.

Trevor

[zed6309]

Im really looking forward to seeing this done trevor,nice workshop trev, this could be my downfall is lack of a good workshop, but i will give it a go soon as the RR kits are around £8 so pretty cheap to just give it ago and then might try a mod on the TL-29

[Redrummd]

I strongly suggest you use the jigged bone for a first knife attempt as the horn is much more difficult to get right.

[tc3500]

Thanks for the advice Red. Haven't decided 100% on what to use, MM was kind
enough to respond to a couple questions about working with horn, he also said
it is one of the toughest to work with. It will be fun either way.

BIG THANK YOU TO CADDYMAN1973 !!

I recieved the knife stiddy from him yesterday and it is amazing.
He also told me he was making me something I might need and included it with the
stiddy. I opened the box and found that he had made me another knife tool !!
It is pictured here with the stiddy. It is a back spring compressor or 'Camillus knife vise'.
What an awesome thing to do for a stranger, I am continually suprised by the helpfulness
and generosity of the memebers here, WOW!! Cant wait to learn how to use these.
Been busy outdoors with projects as our season here is short, but it rains alot so I hope
to get started on the kit soon.

Zed, I will keep this updated as I go.

Thanks again Bill for the tools,
Trevor

[caddyman1973]

Hey Trevor,
I'm glad to see everything arrived safe and sound. I knew the girl at the post office didn't know what she was talking about when she told me that the box would arrive on Monday. I said "Four days to Alaska"? She had a weird look on her face and said "Yep, four days". Glad your satisfied with everything Trevor. If you need anything, just let me know. Thanks again. Bill