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Fun little retro project

Sld1959

Sld1959

Ronin
I have made knives for probably 45 years now as a hobby. Like most it all started out with kit blades, most of dubious quality. There were the terrible grinds, the clunky unusable handles the magnificent failures. But slowly one learns and refines. The biggest thing no matter kit blade or made from scratch is in the end, if you really try, you end up with something usable, that you can take sone pride in. Just for fun, I am going to do one from kit form and document it.

I started out with a traditional Scandinavian blade type manufactured by Lauri an old knife maker, of good old carbon steel, which I understand the Scandinavians believe perform better in cold Temps. The leuko is the Sami traditional large chopping knife with blades usually 7 - 10 inches and relatively wide for the length. I wanted heavier bushcraft type blade than a pukko, the Sami small knife, to give some added chopping strength, and defensive length.

First step in building a kit is determine what you want and what for. I picked a small leuko with a 5.5 inch blade thinking it might make a good GHB knife. With that in mind I also bought a longer than normal guard to help keep fingers off the blade. I also picked up a pommel cap but not sure yet if it will be used. I am unsure of the handle design. At this point I have about $30 in it.

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Sld1959 said:
I have made knives for probably 45 years now as a hobby. Like most it all started out with kit blades, most of dubious quality. There were the terrible grinds, the clunky unusable handles the magnificent failures. But slowly one learns and refines. The biggest thing no matter kit blade or made from scratch is in the end, if you really try, you end up with something usable, that you can take sone pride in. Just for fun, I am going to do one from kit form and document it.

I started out with a traditional Scandinavian blade type manufactured by Lauri an old knife maker, of good old carbon steel, which I understand the Scandinavians believe perform better in cold Temps. The leuko is the Sami traditional large chopping knife with blades usually 7 - 10 inches and relatively wide for the length. I wanted heavier bushcraft type blade than a pukko, the Sami small knife, to give some added chopping strength, and defensive length.

First step in building a kit is determine what you want and what for. I picked a small leuko with a 5.5 inch blade thinking it might make a good GHB knife. With that in mind I also bought a longer than normal guard to help keep fingers off the blade. I also picked up a pommel cap but not sure yet if it will be used. I am unsure of the handle design. At this point I have about $30 in it.

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Looks like a fun project. I'm looking forward to seeing your progress reports. I assume there will be progress reports ? :)
 
Now for the hard part what type of handle. Here are a few I am pondering.
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Left, honey Buffalo horn, center maple, i believe, burl, then Texas Mesquite. Am also considering stacked birch bark. This will take some thoughts and might be a while. While doing thst will use a file to remove excess solder.
 
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Belt Fed said:
It would be neat to make a knife. I surely couldnt do it.
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That's why this project. Practically anyone can do it. The tools are basic, found in every tool kit. Wood wasps for handle the most important, metal files if you add guards, torch if you choose to solder on a guard. Drill if you add pins to the handle. Saw to cut handle and pins. Sand paper to finish, very basic easy to get stuff.

And then just time, time to work slowly to remove your vision from the wood. I love leaning back sitting and hand filing while watching TV at night with a paper plate on my chest to catch filings and the vacuum to vacuum off my shirt.
 
Purposefully did a sloppy job soldering to show even if you "screw up" and get messy, it can usually be fixed with a little work.

Even bad ugly handles can simply be heated up to release the glue, or peened pins drilled and removed, the scales removed and started over. Done that many times.

Tonight will start the job of filing off this mess lol... maybe watch something like Last of the Mohicans while I do. Might take a day, or three, who knows, there is no hurry, no money to make involved, it's for fun and relaxation, there is all the time in the world.

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Thank you so much for sharing your project. Knives were my first love before firearms. They always intrigue me. As for handles, so much natural material available, however wood has so many stories. I find some wood grains to be absolutely mesmerizing. Blacksmithing (if that’s what it is called now) has always fascinated me also. I may follow your lead after I retire, and take up knife making. 😊
 
Ok the guard is basically done, a bit is left to do in final finishing. I never finish guards or bolsters until handles are done.


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Now come a few decisions. The handle details. The tang helps make designs. This is a hidden tang so you can use a block of material and drill or burn the handle hole or inlet the tang into handle scales.

Since I chose these scales this is what I will do. It can be easily done with a file or a dremel tool. I was taught by the man who mentored me to inlet the tang into one side of the material so any stress of using is not on a seam.

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My intention at this point is to cut down the scales so the tang sticks out then peen it over a butt cap in the old manner of Scandinavian knives. I am thinking of running a pin thru the tang and scales so there is a mechanical connection in addition to the glue. After that is done I will file the handle to shape. This part is done slowly, it is easy to remove wood, hard to replace it.
 
belladonna said:
Thank you so much for sharing your project. Knives were my first love before firearms. They always intrigue me. As for handles, so much natural material available, however wood has so many stories. I find some wood grains to be absolutely mesmerizing. Blacksmithing (if that’s what it is called now) has always fascinated me also. I may follow your lead after I retire, and take up knife making. 😊
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A project like this is easy and relaxing. Plus you start learning about the hardest to get thing to get right, the handle, design, size, looks dimensions etc.
 
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