I'm putting that elk antler to good use!

dewman · Post by **dewman** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 5:55 pm

Here's a Case 3254 that I rehandled last night. It's yet to be buffed and polished, because I've got to get a new buffing wheel when I go down the mountain to Boise later this week. I don't want it to pick up the black color on the only one I have left. I'm learning more and more as I do more and more of them. One thing I learned that's VERY IMPORTANT. DON'T....I repeat DON'T put the front bolster in a vise and tighten it! It makes for some very interesting changes in the "walk and talk" that aren't always easy to correct! Sometimes, you can't EVER get them back to where they were BEFORE squashing them in a vise. But, live and learn.

I took my time on this one, trying very hard to remember all the mistakes I made on the others that came before. This one, when finished, will probably be my best effort to date. But, I've always had a real affinity for stag....or in this case elk antler.

useem · Post by **useem** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 6:08 pm

SWEET

CCBill · Post by **CCBill** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 6:16 pm

Very nicely done.

I agree with Kaleb. You seem to have a natural ability to do knife work.

Do you have gray hair, yet? An old knifemaker told me about 30 years ago, that every time you make a mistake, working on a knife, you would have 1 hair turn gray. He was totally bald headed. He said, "Well, after they all turn gray, they start falling out, 1 at a time, every time you make a mistake".

So I suppose he had made his fair share of them, huh?
The learning process is never-ending. Keep up the great work.
...Mild(not wild)CCBill...

muskrat man · Post by **muskrat man** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 7:14 pm

lookin good Dew

Hukk · Post by **Hukk** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 8:21 pm

Looks good, get better every time. I found it easiest to buy 10 or 15 wheels at a time. Then store used ones in a plastic bag and write the type of buff or wax and ferrous or non-ferrous on the bag.

I'd hate to be near done and have a scratch appear in a Brass bolster because that wheel had been used on ferrous (steel) and had somehow picked up a grain of steel. It doesn't take much.

Good work.

dewman · Post by **dewman** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 8:30 pm

Hukk wrote:Looks good, get better every time. I found it easiest to buy 10 or 15 wheels at a time. Then store used ones in a plastic bag and write the type of buff or wax and ferrous or non-ferrous on the bag.

I'd hate to be near done and have a scratch appear in a Brass bolster because that wheel had been used on ferrous (steel) and had somehow picked up a grain of steel. It doesn't take much.

Good work.

Excellent idea about storing them in a plastic bag....and yes, I definitely need more than ONE buffing wheel!

Hukk · Post by **Hukk** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 8:38 pm

Yeah, I have a big 10 inch JET buffer, so I usually buy them by the dozen for a price break. I use 6, 8, and 10 inch wheels on it. Although the buffer speed is always 1725 RPM, (my buffer speed) the outer edge of the wheel moves faster when measured as surface area per second or minute. I know in the K&G catalog they have a wheel speed chart, great reference!

orvet · Post by **orvet** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 8:49 pm

Nice work.

Dale

dewman · Post by **dewman** » Mon Jul 30, 2007 9:01 pm

CCBill wrote:Very nicely done. Do you have gray hair, yet? An old knifemaker told me about 30 years ago, that every time you make a mistake, working on a knife, you would have 1 hair turn gray. He was totally bald headed. He said, "Well, after they all turn gray, they start falling out, 1 at a time, every time you make a mistake". So I suppose he had made his fair share of them, huh?
The learning process is never-ending. Keep up the great work.
...Mild(not wild)CCBill...

Yep....my hair is totally gray. I think it's from being married TWICE and having two of the most ornery kids God ever put on earth! I still have a full head of hair, but you know what I've noticed lately....since I've gotten into this knife rehandling stuff? My hairbrush is filling up with hair!

Ringmaster · Post by **Ringmaster** » Tue Jul 31, 2007 12:45 am

Hey Dew !

Just keeping workin' with knives, buddy. Here's what you've got to look forward to :

(And this was when I was still feelin' good !)
JR

justold52 · Post by **justold52** » Tue Jul 31, 2007 2:08 am

Ringmaster I can NOT see you very well.

That big dog is in my way.....

And your VCR clock is not set right.

It's flashing on and off...

wildcat · Post by **wildcat** » Tue Jul 31, 2007 2:20 pm

DEWMAN that looks good.

ringmaster is that Bob Hope on the old console TV there?

dewman · Post by **dewman** » Tue Aug 07, 2007 1:07 am

Well....here's the finished product. It's the Case 3254 I showed earlier in this post. I finally got two new buffer pads, polished the stag scales, then toasted them and did the final polish on the whole works. Both sides match pretty well. One of the harder things I've encountered in my limited experience of rehandling, especially with bone or antler....or, I suppose I could call it "Idaho sandbar stag".

Hukk · Post by **Hukk** » Tue Aug 07, 2007 1:58 am

Looking REALLY good, that's a really nice trapper. When folks ask where you got it, you get to say I made it.

Ever run into antler that is gray and has been on the ground a couple years or so. It can still be used. Do your own coloring and have it stabilized at WSSI. I have some at the shop, looks nice.

Here's a stabilized piece at Alpha Knife. If I remember right you have a good supply. If you have any old gray in their it cost about $11 or $12 per pound to stabilize your own, about $4 for what's in the picture.

http://www.alphaknifesupply.com/picture ... 4730-s.jpg

Yeah, they want a lot, ($29.00) I'd wait until it moves onto the clearance page. This is uncolored natural gray.

Anyhow, LOOKING GOOD!

redferd · Post by **redferd** » Tue Aug 07, 2007 4:23 pm

Nice work. I heard that the buffing wheels could be washed in the washing machine but I've never tried it.

Hukk · Post by **Hukk** » Tue Aug 07, 2007 4:52 pm

redferd wrote:Nice work. I heard that the buffing wheels could be washed in the washing machine but I've never tried it.

I never tried that and I don't think I would. Some buffs are grease based, so my washer will suffer.

My biggest concern is not the black color they will get, but that a piece of steel would get stuck in the muslin or sisal and I would not see it. A little piece of steel can do a lot of damage. When the wheel gets caked with buff, I just use a wheel rake to clean it up. Buy them at Jantz, Texas knife and many other places. I regard a wheel rake as a must have.