He-Man Hunter No Pocket Clip, Titanium screws

This one just up. I had this one sold before I started it. The request was for a hunter outdoorsman blade for field use but a folder built with titanium screws. As requested thats what I did. I kind of took the liberty to make it without a pocket clip. This gent that ordered it is a repeat customer and a friend of mine and has never used a clip on any of the knives I've worked on to repair for him so I'm assuming he won't be using one on this folder either.

This He-Man weighs 2.9 ounces as shown. The titanium slabs are .095 thick on each side and the blade is 3 and 1/8" long and the closed length is 4 and 3/8". The lock is sprung solid with absolutely no lock cut in it at all in the rear to make bending it easier. This is as requested by the customer who specifically asked to get one of my He-Man folders done this way. As most that follow my work know I started the He-Man model and it got its name just from doing this. Its a real advantage having a lock sprung solid like this when you have no clip as a back up stop to prevent hyper extension of the lock. It takes a tool and lots of muscle to even make the bend in this lock at .095 thickness so there is no way a thumb is going to cause it to lose spring tension. Trust me it would take a lot more than a thumb to do that.

This one is also 12C27 blade steel, and also heat treated by Peters heat treat to 60 Rockwell hardness just like the one posted yesterday in the He-Man Wharncliffe. The blade is also hollow ground just like the one yesterday but this one has a higher grind. Its built much like the others but still unique enough to call it one of a kind. I used two washers per side on this one also, and it also sports a 2mm detent ball for the lock. Fancy stand off threaded spacers are used in back held in place by phillips head titanium screws that were quite surprisingly costly!

Someone asked me last night why I run the edges clear back on some of these. My answer is that it is a use and function thing as opposed to looks. I realize that it can look a bit better if I stop the edge and leave the distinct grind line out there in front where it can be seen like I have done on other models but the truth of the matter is when I'm cutting open bags or poking my knives clear through something I wish to cut open that back unsharpened part of the blade pops through and then the blade snags getting hung up instead of cutting. I've had this issue with some production knives also and honestly it just pisses me off. So my solution, again thinking function and use, was to simply run the edge all the way back making it full length or pretty close to full length edges so the blade simply can't get hung like that from a kick that hangs down with a little hook like some do. It works so I repeated it on several of my knives and feel its worth having at least one model with some blades done this way. My deal is that a knife has to work first and foremost. It can look good doing that and thats fine but truth be told even if it cost someone a thousand bucks, if the lock can't be trusted or the blade doesn't make short work of jobs its no better to me than a wrench that won't turn a nut!

Anyway this one is special ordered by Mike for life in the Louisiana Bayou where it will see salt water marshes and lots of game. I figure like all the knives my friend Mike uses that it will be flat out worked to death to skin and field dress anything from white tail deer to alligators and all in between in no time flat. You'll have to excuse the marks staining the sides on this one. I was playing with it some before snapping these pics. I actually wiped it off and thought I cleaned it pretty well before going out to take these pictures but apparently my eyes ain't what they used to be. :-) Thanks for looking

STR

He-Man Wharncliffe Frame Lock in 12C27 Blade Steel

As is typical of me I tend to work in spurts. I may go months without making a single folding knife and then suddenly back to back knock out record amounts of work when the mood strikes. I've always told people I'm a very moody maker. Thats so true and in the past when I've tried to force the mood was when accidents happened or I screwed things up. I'm not sure why this is the case but its been the story of my life regarding how I work to make my knives. As is typical of artists in general I also prefer to "paint my own pictures" (read make knives for myself) building them as they come out almost letting the knife decide how it will be rather than taking custom orders making things a particular way from a stead fast plan. In other words I'm more comfortable and things seem to flow better when I'm making what I make without a preconceived plan than making an order specifically done to certain specs for someone wanting it. I've done the custom order thing don't get me wrong, I just prefer not to and try to avoid doing it. Fortunately I have little trouble selling a knife if I want to so until I have to do it otherwise I figure I'll just keep doing things this way at my own pace in my own time.

This knife is one of those that just kind of went together on it's own and with no preconceived notion for which way I was going to go, what blade shape I was going to use or what hardware I'd select for how I would final assemble it. It may look like some of these others but believe me all of them are unique and different. This folder here is sporting a blade in a Wharncliffe shape in 12C27 blade steel hardened by Peters Heat Treat service to 60 Rockwell. I've used threaded fancy stand offs in the rear that I purchased from Knifekits.com, a 3/16" pivot barrel and screws from Tracy at USA knifemaker supply and spline type flat head screws from Sheffield Supply to secure those rear stand off spacers. Also I opted to use two washers per side on the blade mixing teflon with PB type washers both of which were bought at Jantz supply. It took two each side to match the thickness of the blade with the stand offs and with the shoulder stop pin also from Knifekits, in place for the blade to butt against when opened and closed. The result of these washers is a surprisingly smooth opening folder. Honestly I'm quite amazed at how slick the blade just rolls out there and I must say it appears two washers per side have reduced friction tremendously! I also used a 2mm size ball bearing in the lock on this one and a grooved thumb stud. The final touch was a custom made titanium standard style pocket clip mounted for tip up right hand carry. Lastly, this model weighs in at 3.1 ounces and sports a 3.125" blade and is 4.25" closed. Thanks for looking.


This folder is available currently. $275 Pay Pal preferred Money order also. This folder is SOLD thanks
STR

V Grind Japanese Kiridashi He-Man Frame Lock

Seen here is the first true V grind model of the Kiridashi blade that I've bought from Japanese Woodworker. Again these are sold as folding craft knives and I won't get into why I like converting them to something a little more user friendly again. Thats covered in the other threads. Anyway, this is done and working but its needing a good break in and its been a bit of a learning curve to work out how to get a decent action since the detent ball in the lock is rolling over hammer marks on this blade compared to the ones I've done in the past that I had not run into this on. Its a bit of a trick to make differentially heat treated blades work in a folder anyway you cut it but I've done it several times now. The hammer marks go back further on these double bevel blades too so that didn't help. Its a bit of a bumpy ride as the ball bearing works a trail on the blade but its smoothing out little by little with use. In an effort to make it less noticed I used a 2mm size ball bearing in the lock after a friend gave me the idea that it worked to use bigger tires when rolling over rough terrain. So on this one as opposed to a 1/16" ball like I normally use I bumped up the size. It has helped some too. I've used double washers on each side to reduce some friction in the action and I am running that dry for the time being to break it in faster.

I figure I'll leave this one for a couple of weeks to see how it goes and if its still not as smooth as I like I may have to cut some deeper more profound lock cuts into the lock to ease up on the pressure the lock exerts on the blade as its rolling open and closed. This is something I hope is not necessary as I really prefer to make the locks as stout as possible with as minimal a lock cut as I can get away with. With this one however, the detent ball will call the shots as to what I do down the road. Otherwise what a blade! I really like the V grind model and I think overall performance will be more in line with what I've grown used to all my life in the normal style edges I carry. I sliced some with the blade last night using it on some hard wood and wow what a great blade! It slices like a dream reminding me of some of the better Scandi grind blades I've used! Of course they all do work well from Japan Wood Worker but this one is particularly satisfying since it is a true V grind as opposed to the one side grind models and I so love the look of the hammer forging marks on both sides of the blade. On this model I did include a low rider clip for right hand tip up carry. Some of these pics came out a bit blurred. Sorry it was getting darker by the second and by the time I got em loaded on the computer well, it was too late to take more and they show the knife well enough to make out the general details. This folder is sold. Thanks for looking.


STR

Japanese White Steel Kiridashi Frame Lock

I guess posting those old jobs I did using the Kiridashi white steel blades from Japan Wood Worker got to me the other day because after pulling those old photos up and going over them I could never stop thinking about them. I knew when I pulled those old jobs out that I had done some neat stuff in the past but this one involving the Japan Wood Worker Kiridashi White Steel blade was one of the ones I really thought stood out to me as one of the neater things I got myself into. I guess its just blending the old world craftsmanship and hammer forged blades with modern style folder building that appeals to me but it may also be related to just how well these blades perform. They cut like a dream and can get incredibly sharp. At 64 Rockwell hardness they tend to keep the edge a while too so thats always good. I tried initially to just buy or trade to get the first one I did back from the customer that bought it from me after he confirmed he still had it but he respectfully declined after thinking it over for a couple days and told me he did not wish to let it go. I guess I should be thrilled that a customer loves my work enough to hang on to it rather than sell it, even if its back to me but fortunately for my situation I had other options! :-) Like I'd actually get to keep and use anything of my own for any length of time! :-)

Anyway, this here knife is the last of the three Japan Wood Worker knives I bought and as you may notice looking it over this one is a left hand grind whereas the other two are right hand grind models. All of these traditional craft knives are one side grind blades but don't let that fool you. Just like the Emerson folders which are also chisel grinds in a lot of cases and always on the edge, they sure do cut and come lethal sharp! Japan Wood Worker makes right or left handed ones so I tried some of each when I bought them. This one being the left over that no one was interested in when I was making them, just sat in an ammo can for the last four years or more until today when I got it out and went out to the shop with the factory version of this folder to revamp it into a frame lock folder too! Unlike the other two posted the other day that were built back in 2006 this one is done in titanium slabs on both sides. And instead of a spacer of micarta or G10 in the rear I used fancy stand offs in the rear on this one, and equipped the blade with phosphorus bronze washers, a fancy thumb stud and an early lock up.

This folder weighs in at 3 ounces for weight making it a great choice for everyday carry. The slabs are .095 thickness each side compared to .125 for those first ones and the pivot is 3/16 on this one compared to 1/8" on the last ones. The blade is 3.125" when opened for this Kiridashi folder and it has a closed length of 4 and 3/8". As you can see I equppped this one with a standard style custom made titanium pocket clip for tip up carry rather than a low rider. Its kind of funny I guess that I make a ton of low rider clips for users knives but when it comes to what I use for myself I seem to like the standard style better and since this folder is mine I set it up as I liked. :-) As always you can click any picture here to fully enlarge it for a better zoom in of the details. The sun was going down some when I took these so I hope they show up okay for folks. Check back later because I just learned that Japan Woodworker is now offering these in a true double bevel grind so one side is not flat. I've purchased three of them and plan on another folder conversion in the near future. This one is sold.   Thanks for stopping by.

STR

Lockback from a fixed blade

After building that folder for Dirk (Oupa) I got the itch to do another for myself. So speaking with Bob on the phone I bought me a blank from him as well and decided to do my folder in a lockback instead of a frame or liner lock like I did for Dirk. It was a lot of grinding to do this with a blade already hardened let me tell you and I don't recommend it for just anyone particularly if you have to grind out a small part like this rocker arm/lockbar shown in the drawing before I got started. I'm a glutton for punishment at times but it was doable, just not something I'd make a habit of doing a lot you know? Hardened steel work is so time consuming.

Knowing what I know now, if I could pick between working hardened steel and unhardened I'd go unhardened every time! Looking back on this since it took place years ago, I'd have to say that it was really not the smartest way to build a folder. I stick this and these other older jobs here as a memento of past jobs to have a place to store them only. Anyway, its much easier to grind your own blade from bar stock that is not heat treated yet and its far easier to drill holes to install thumb studs or add traction grooves before hardening and thats the way I'd suggest doing it instead of attempting to do this type project with a blank already hardened. Still, many manufacturers grind their blades hard and some do prefer that so its not impossible to work already hardened stock. If I had any sense at all I'd stick with doing things easier but as I always said I never did do things by the book so this here project was no exception. In the end it still put a 'Dozier' folder in my pocket for a lot less money than if I had bought one from Bob that he made so in that respect it was a good thing.

Again, you can follow progress on this old project from start to finish albeit a summarized visual of the actual events that led to this folder in the final picture. The green G10 started out on a sheet and of course I had to design my handle, trace those and cut them out, then mark my holes in the proper spots to drill them out, cut the hardware to size and fit it all together so the lockbar and blade mated together properly and after making a custom titanium spring holder and titanium spring for the locbar/rocker arm assembly, which had to be properly bent to spring it, I had to then make all that come together to work. Obviously I've left all that out or we'd be here all day.

Once I got those parts fitted though, the lock up was rock solid, and it is still like that to this day. The lockbar sinks nice and deep also and in the end the folder was a nice mid type locking folder with good snap to the blade. I stuck some very very thin PB washers in the pivot but not before using my flat platten and a super fine belt to take some of the thickness of the blade down about .005 in thickness. This allowed my washers (snagged from a rebuilt Spyderco I did years ago) to fit better by making the blade slightly thinner than my lock bar. Then I made a custom titanium low rider clip to fit it for tip up carry to complete the package. After carrying this one for a few I finally gave it to my brother in law who has always had a fondness for Bob's D2 blades. He still carries it to this day and truly loves it based on the feedback I've received from him. My guess is that this folder has seen its fair share of white tail deer now that its been out there hunting in West Virginia with my Brother in law. Thanks for looking.

STR

Dozier Semi Skinner Folder!?

My friend Dirk (Oupa) bought this blade directly from Bob Dozier. The blade is fully hard D2 and Dirk's question to me was whether we could do a collaboration of sorts or not if I thought I could turn this fixed blade he bought into a folding knife for him with lots of upsweep. He also wanted it to be a stout liner lock so at his request Bob drop shipped the blade to me and I began mapping out the fixed blade to turn it into a folder. Cutting the blade neatly using a thin kerf cut off disc and my dremmel I managed to get the blade sectioned nice and neat and barely having it get much more than luke warm by taking my dear sweet time. A carbide drill bit in a two flute 1/8" diameter from MSC put a nice neat pivot hole in the blade and after that it was just a matter of finish grinding the contact as I do using my tilt table set at 8 degrees to put a nice 400 grit finish on the blade where the lock will mate to it. You can see more on that technique here at one of my forums if interested. http://knifedogs.com/showthread.php?95-Liner-and-Frame-Lock-Folder-Lock-Contact-My-Way

Dirk asked me to take it to completion minus the handles which he wanted to do himself so I made the frame and left the parts oversized, the screws long for the clip and drilled and threaded it where needed giving him free rein once he got it to either use some of them or cover them up neatly basically giving the completed frame to him. While I've never seen this knife once Dirk completed it I've heard from a few that have that it turned out well. From the looks of it very well. Once again this is an old job but one I've been meaning to document and store in more than one location for old time's sake. Again you can click the pictures to bring them up to a bigger size and you can follow the steps as the project progressed from scrolling up from the first picture to the last. Thanks for looking.

STR

Kiridashi Frame lock

Take a Japan Woodworkers Kiridashi folder, a little scrap titanium, some left over Micarta and a little hardware along with some time and you just never know what you can come up with to update a good hammer forged blade into a better more modern user friendly handle format. The first one turned out so nice I ended up getting requests for more. The 64 Rockwell hardness Japanese White steel blades are quite sharp, lethal really but taping them off helped to keep them from biting me while working them down to fit the new bodies. In the end they turned out so well that one can't help but be drawn to them. There is something about the primitive and the modern coming together I think. These are old jobs but its high time I stuck them up here for old time's sake if nothing else. Of the two different knives shown here, one has a stainless steel insert inlayed on the inside of the lock to make the contact for the blade. I did this as an experiment to see if it would work and I guess it did as that knife was built back in 2006.

To get an idea of just what I've done here just look at the two knives in the very bottom picture. You can follow the progress via the pictures seeing it step by step by scrolling up from the bottom. The one on the left in that last picture is the Kiridashi folder as it ships from Japan Wood Worker. These two blades shown are right hand grind models. You can buy left hand grind blades too from Japan Woodworker. Either way the knife is exceptionally large for the blade length and uncomfortable in the hand also with the lock lever sticking into your palm. To be honest I didn't trust the lock that much either after using it a bit.

These knives as they come from Japan Woodworker give the impression that they lock up very solidly. But you learn right quick that the first time you really lean into one to cut that it develops up and down play in no time and it just gets worse with use. Eventually, even with continued 'normal' uses, nothing extreme, the blade develops side to side play as well as up and down play. Before converting this first one the blade wobbled in the handle with lots of side to side play by the time I got to cutting the blade out and started making it into a modern frame lock. The knife shown in that bottom picture with the factory version as shipped from JWW is the first of my conversions equipped with a modern titanium bank vault frame lock in .125 thickness and one of my custom made low rider clips screwed down to the handmade ti slab lock side and .125 thick teal canvas Micarta for the non lock side.

Eventually I took that other original knife shown as it came from the catalog and turned that one into the one with the stainless insert in the lock. You can see the hammer forge marks on the blades and use the patterns to tell the two blades apart to discern the two models but you can also see the screw that secured the insert into the lock on the inside. There is also a second screw not seen that comes in from the inside on that one. The idea here was to have a pop in lock contact replacement to make adjustments easier in the future. I'm not sure it was really necessary looking back on it though. Also, after carrying one and using it a while the teal micarta darkens from being in the sun and from your finger oils during use. You can see that darkening starting in the very top picture on the teal micarta. Eventually that top one that is lighter in the picture when it was taken, ended up darkening to look just like the first one below it. Thanks for looking.

STR