CMS3900
Well-Known Member
Hey Knife Dogs,
I thought I should post up some of my years worth of work and get some feedback.
Warning- I am not a photographer.
To give some background, in the fall of 2014 I started working full time in my family’s machine shop and decided to expand it into making some products. We already manufacture parts for Model T Fords, and what started as an idea to make Damascus small parts for firearms devolved into an octopus of various products that folks have asked me for; everything from fire-poker sets and wreath hangers to flintlocks and historical reproduction hardware. While I spent most of this year trying to work out exactly what my goals were and slowly gather tooling and equipment, I did manage to make a few knives.
One of the first requests was by a friend who is an avid outdoorsman and a bit of a pioneer. He requested an “old style” knife made out of an old file. Knowing the pitfalls of unknown steel this was a PITA. File was a Willie-Charlie, soldered brass guard, handle is Cumaru. I added a length of threaded rod to the file handle for the hidden tang, and turned some brass fittings for pommel.
At the same time I was attempting to develop sort of a mid-tech line, starting with a skinning knife. That turned into me deciding to use my prototype in a set with the file knife. Here is how they turned out. The small skinner is O-1, with Cumaru handle and Brass pins.
Another customer happened to see these knives in the shop, and wanted a set of 5 for his employees for Christmas. This was a bit of a learning curve for me, because I am OCD when it comes to what I ask money for, and I wanted all 5 to be as close to identical as possible. I should have taken more pictures of them, but the day I was finally happy with them they shipped. They are A-2, 60-61 HRC, hollow ground, brushed finish, Cumaru handles with brass pins, and Kydex sheaths made by me with brass grommets. I also added some 550 fire cord lanyards.
Let me know what you guys think. I am always looking to improve things, and I know I have plenty of room for improvement. This year I am hoping to come up with a few more mid-tech knives and start doing some hand forged ones. Possibly try my hand on some folders too.
Also, I thought about posting a big write-up on here about my reflections of my first year of doing this, because I know we get a bunch of folks that ask questions about “what they need to be a knifemaker” or “how to become a full time knifemaker”, and although I do not consider myself solely a knifemaker, I think it might be helpful to some folks when they can look at the hard costs, time invested, learning curves, and the connections it takes to make it happen. Do you guys think it would be helpful?
Thanks for a years worth of knowledge, pictures, and good advice KD's
Morgan Carlisle
I thought I should post up some of my years worth of work and get some feedback.
Warning- I am not a photographer.
To give some background, in the fall of 2014 I started working full time in my family’s machine shop and decided to expand it into making some products. We already manufacture parts for Model T Fords, and what started as an idea to make Damascus small parts for firearms devolved into an octopus of various products that folks have asked me for; everything from fire-poker sets and wreath hangers to flintlocks and historical reproduction hardware. While I spent most of this year trying to work out exactly what my goals were and slowly gather tooling and equipment, I did manage to make a few knives.
One of the first requests was by a friend who is an avid outdoorsman and a bit of a pioneer. He requested an “old style” knife made out of an old file. Knowing the pitfalls of unknown steel this was a PITA. File was a Willie-Charlie, soldered brass guard, handle is Cumaru. I added a length of threaded rod to the file handle for the hidden tang, and turned some brass fittings for pommel.
At the same time I was attempting to develop sort of a mid-tech line, starting with a skinning knife. That turned into me deciding to use my prototype in a set with the file knife. Here is how they turned out. The small skinner is O-1, with Cumaru handle and Brass pins.
Another customer happened to see these knives in the shop, and wanted a set of 5 for his employees for Christmas. This was a bit of a learning curve for me, because I am OCD when it comes to what I ask money for, and I wanted all 5 to be as close to identical as possible. I should have taken more pictures of them, but the day I was finally happy with them they shipped. They are A-2, 60-61 HRC, hollow ground, brushed finish, Cumaru handles with brass pins, and Kydex sheaths made by me with brass grommets. I also added some 550 fire cord lanyards.
Let me know what you guys think. I am always looking to improve things, and I know I have plenty of room for improvement. This year I am hoping to come up with a few more mid-tech knives and start doing some hand forged ones. Possibly try my hand on some folders too.
Also, I thought about posting a big write-up on here about my reflections of my first year of doing this, because I know we get a bunch of folks that ask questions about “what they need to be a knifemaker” or “how to become a full time knifemaker”, and although I do not consider myself solely a knifemaker, I think it might be helpful to some folks when they can look at the hard costs, time invested, learning curves, and the connections it takes to make it happen. Do you guys think it would be helpful?
Thanks for a years worth of knowledge, pictures, and good advice KD's
Morgan Carlisle
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