I WILL completely finish this one!

[Kevin Zito]

I will take my time. This, no matter how microscopic or stupid looking it may become, WILL be my first COMPLETE knife. I will also not start another till this one is finished. Bam! I said it in ink.


Ok ... so now that I've sworn my life away to completing a knife....

I found a template for an interpretation of an "original" Loveless DPH. I spent the day cutting out the pattern and drilling the holes. I also started on the blade a bit. The lines on the top are indicating where the guard is supposed to go. I have no idea what a choil is but I was told that Loveless usually didn't use one. So I took my best guess as to what they were talking about and modded the design to be choil free. I know I should've asked first lol as I very well may have created a super choil. Tomorrow I plan to thin and taper tang and finish blade area with sand paper.

A Note on the Design: I figured, hopefully correctly, that I should stick to a template as much as possible in an attempt to minimize room for error.

Please remember that I have no feelings when it comes to critique and criticism. Lay it on me. I want to make a beautiful, complete knife. Thanks in advance,

Kevin

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[Boston_Strong]

Hey man, you've got the right idea in buckling up your chinstrap to complete a knife start to finish! Can't wait to see how it turns out. Btw, here's a great summary of choils for you... from Murray Carters 101 Knife Designs. There are two types of choils; Type 1 is a small semi-circle void where the cutting portion of the blade starts, and Type 2 choils are the gap between the handle and the blade heel on a wide bladed knife.

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[Kevin Zito]

Hey man, you've got the right idea in buckling up your chinstrap to complete a knife start to finish! Can't wait to see how it turns out. Btw, here's a great summary of choils for you... from Murray Carters 101 Knife Designs. There are two types of choils; Type 1 is a small semi-circle void where the cutting portion of the blade starts, and Type 2 choils are the gap between the handle and the blade heel on a wide bladed knife.

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Ah lol!!! Now I see. So I did make it choil free... but it was by accident haha. I thought the choil had something to do with where the hollow grind started from top down. Thanks for clearing that up. I'm gonna check out that carter book too. Looks like it has some nice explanations.

Here are some updated pics. The knife is pretty much the same, but I did clean it up a bit with sand paper and files.

To me The handle looks huge, but I guess I have to trust Loveless on this one.

Y'all please point out anything that I need to fix or adjust or whatever.

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[Kevin Zito]

Hardened and tempered, descaled lol, and I guess ready for next step??? Please advise. I'm hoping that John Wilson didn't quit making knives because I'm so aggravating lol. Anyway, the knife "became" very thin because I hit the blade with a file and had to hand sand a huge amount of material to remove the scratch. Amazing how that one slip cost a TON of time and the knife will not be what I wanted it to be..... but.... who cares... I think it will be way cooler to have an ultra light skinner. So I thought awesome... I'll just Swiss cheese the tang for balance .... BAM... there it is! Then I remembered that the only thing I'm actually "good at" when it comes to knife making.... is.... drumroll.... hardening the @&$? outta D2 steel baby!!! It's as hard the lips of the wood pecker. Lesson 1: if I would have taken my time, and thought about what I wanted the knife to be, I'd be happy not sad lol. So now I'm thinking about what I want to do next. Hung up ... high centered.

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[Kevin Zito]

LAWD HAVE MERCY ... why nobody talked to me about sand papering post hardening?!? I put all my knife making stuff at the road. lol I'm done.

Seriously though, every day I spend doing this stuff I end the day realizing how INCREDIBLY careful and meticulous you all are... not to mention skilled, creative, inventive, patient, ... It's really impressive! It's so weird that I stumbled into this world. Even though I grew up around knives and blade smiths I was really too young to know what was going on. Hmm... funny how that works.


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[Boston_Strong]

Come on don't quit now man, at the very least finish this knife so you can experience the most incredibly satisfying, mind blowing sense of pride and accomplishment that comes from completing your first real knife


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[Kevin Zito]

Come on don't quit now man, at the very least finish this knife so you can experience the most incredibly satisfying, mind blowing sense of pride and accomplishment that comes from completing your first real knife


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Oh no don't worry.... I'm not going anywhere. I've truly found another love of my life. I'm here to stay, but we cajuns joke a lot. I'm actually sanding on this bad boy now. do y'all think that the wood in the pic is nice looking.... although I'm nowhere near ready to do the handle part.

I also have this piece which I think is nice too.

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[John Wilson]

This one is looking great! Yeah, man... sanding after heat treat is some serious work, isn't it? The only thing you want to have to hand sand are previous grit lines. Hand sanding out a gouge or dips and waves feels like it takes two years.

 

[Kevin Zito]

This one is looking great! Yeah, man... sanding after heat treat is some serious work, isn't it? The only thing you want to have to hand sand are previous grit lines. Hand sanding out a gouge or dips and waves feels like it takes two years.

There he is! Thanks, John!

Ok so I cleaned up the blade some more, and reshaped it a bit. I'm fairly happy with the look now. I also chopped halfway through a 2 by 4 with no deformation on the edge and the blade flexes quite well imho, but that may be due to its thinness.

The guard should arrive in the mail today, but I've got lots of research to do before even touching it. Any recommendations for videos, books, or other online resources?

Here is the knife now. The thickness is .035 when measured 3/16 up from cutting edge. Thanks to all for looking, being patient, and supportive. Nice group of folks here!

Edit: the dark line at top of blade is just a weird shadow.

 

[John Wilson]

I know you are happy. This one is way better than the first attempt, which is what everyone has been telling you would happen. The name of the game in knifemaking is "stick to it, because every one gets better than the last one."

Since you are waiting on your guard, now is the time to really get that blade looking good. I don't know how fine a belt you have, but in my opinion, this one would look great if you took it back to the sander for some 220grit love. It has some minor dimples and angles on the areas that should be flat. It will take a month of Sundays to hand sand this flat and shiny.

BTW, the reshaping looks very well done. On a drop point always remember that the key to getting a sharp point back once you round it off is to grind the spine, not the bevel.

 

[Kevin Zito]

I know you are happy. This one is way better than the first attempt, which is what everyone has been telling you would happen. The name of the game in knifemaking is "stick to it, because every one gets better than the last one."

Since you are waiting on your guard, now is the time to really get that blade looking good. I don't know how fine a belt you have, but in my opinion, this one would look great if you took it back to the sander for some 220grit love. It has some minor dimples and angles on the areas that should be flat. It will take a month of Sundays to hand sand this flat and shiny.

Sounds like a plan. I have some brand spanking new 220 ceramic and zirc belts that I've been wanting to try. So here's my chance. I will repeat the words "light as a feather, light as a feather" as I sand.


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[Kevin Zito]

Ok so I cleaned up the blade on the 220 belts... I also just received the guard in the mail. And I have a question. How many thousandths slack should I leave between the guard and the spine? The spine (at the point where the guard is supposed to go) is .136 and the slot in guard is 1/8. Thanks in advance for your time.

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[Dennis Morland]

And I have a question. How many thousandths slack should I leave between the guard and the spine?

One, maybe two. You want the guard to fit tightly, but, not pinch. The tighter the fit, the better. When you pin it, and beat the tar out of the pin, you do not want to see the gap warp/ripple where it meets the tang in front of the guard. On the back, you will not see it. It will get covered by the handle material. Just a nice, snug/tight fit all the way across the tang on the front of the guard.

DeMo

 

[Kevin Zito]

And I have a question. How many thousandths slack should I leave between the guard and the spine?

One, maybe two. You want the guard to fit tightly, but, not pinch. The tighter the fit, the better. When you pin it, and beat the tar out of the pin, you do not want to see the gap warp/ripple where it meets the tang in front of the guard. On the back, you will not see it. It will get covered by the handle material. Just a nice, snug/tight fit all the way across the tang on the front of the guard.

DeMo

Ok so if you have to "tap" on with hammer, file more?? Right? Thank you very much by the way. I know y'all have better stuff to do than teach a guy to make a knife over the internet.


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[Dennis Morland]

Probably need to remove just a small amount of material from the tang. Do you have a micrometer or a caliper set? If so, check the readings all across the tang. You may just need to sand it as opposed to file it. Sounds like you are close.

You really do not want to force the guard on/open in any way. By tapping it on, you are spreading it open - per chance. When you peen the pin, you will close it up again. Hopefully, in a nice evenly fashion. Fingers are crossed.

DeMo

DeMo

 

[Kevin Zito]

Probably need to remove just a small amount of material from the tang. Do you have a micrometer or a caliper set? If so, check the readings all across the tang. You may just need to sand it as opposed to file it. Sounds like you are close.

You really do not want to force the guard on/open in any way. By tapping it on, you are spreading it open - per chance. When you peen the pin, you will close it up again. Hopefully, in a nice evenly fashion. Fingers are crossed.

DeMo

DeMo

Gotcha! Awesome! Y'all are the best! I do have a micrometer HF lol $9. +/- half inch lol


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[John Wilson]

Ok so I cleaned up the blade on the 220 belts... I also just received the guard in the mail. And I have a question. How many thousandths slack should I leave between the guard and the spine? The spine (at the point where the guard is supposed to go) is .136 and the slot in guard is 1/8. Thanks in advance for your time.

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now THAT'S what I'm talking about!

Follow Demo's advice closely. If that guard doesn't fit just right, all this work goes down the tubes. How well that guard fits up (no gaps, crinkles, etc) will determine whether this knife is great or amateur hour. Take as long as it takes. Get all the scratches off the face of the guard and off the ricasso (the flat area of your blade between the bevel and guard) BEFORE you put that guard on for the final time. You will get scratches on stuff as you fit, remove, sand, re-fit... Always always always (did I say "always"?) get some good light on the your pieces and look for scratches before you do the final assembly. Getting them out later will make you want to take hostages.

 

[Dennis Morland]

John Wilson is spot on. Right before peening make sure everything has that magical sanding completed. Take you time and do it right - one time. Way easier and better than doing it incorrectly a dozen times.

Just as a suggestion. Make sure the bottom of the slot matches up snugly to the bottom of the tang. This is in addition to both sides. A nice snug fit on all three sides before peening...

By the looks of things, you are on top of it.

Now you just have to finish strong.

DeMo

 

[Kevin Zito]

Yeah I'm noticing that I need to be super careful with those three (6) surfaces. It's pretty clear to me that the only way I'm gonna accomplish this is by taking very tiny amounts off and check often. Light as a feather. Light as a feather.


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[Kevin Zito]

Why didn't y'all tell me that guards might be a little tough at this point? Or maybe something like - hey man don't swing for the fences, just worry about fit and finish on a simple design?

I mean all y'all had to do was warn me and I would have listened wholeheartedly.

- lol y'all were right and I was wrong-

Guards come from Satan. But for some weird reason when this stuff gets super hard, I love it even that much more. Amazing hobby!!!

3 months ago I didn't own a single tool of any kind... not even a hammer.


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