All good until....

backtines

backtines

Well-Known Member
I REALIZED THE SCALES WERE CRACKED !!!

I usually use 1/4 stainless for my bolsters . In this case I used some 1/8 material. I had purchased this stainless to use for a folder that I'll get to finishing some day. I thought it would be nice to make a knife a little more sleeker up front..

What at I didn't realize is that I should not have used jigged bone for this job, especially for my first one. I had to grind the flats pretty thin so I wouldn't grind away the cool jigged stuff when it was time for shaping the handle. I also had to bring it down an additional .030 because I was using liners.

Heres the crazy part.. I built the whole knife and didn't even realize I cracked the scales until the knife came off the buffer. I was really happy with the build and as I was hand wiping it down that crack jumped out at me a slapped me right in the face.. The compound from the buffer found that crack and didn't let go. My excitement level went from 10 to a negative 10 in one second.:sad:

Anyway, it looks like this one is gonna have to sit around a while for a person that wants one with a with design modification .

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Is a character mark. looks good. Could have been a whole lot worse. You could integrate a wire wrap to conceal the crack too.
 
Mikey,
You know why it cracked,don't you? It didn't crack because it was too thin.
It cracked when you peened it too much.
To avoid that happening with natural material you should drill the hole oversized to allow for the pin to expand while you mushroom the head.
File this experience under the heading of,'live and learn'.
Replace the scales and it will turn out nice next time.
 
Last edited:
Calvin Robinson said:
Miley,
You know why it cracked,don't you? It didn't crack because it was too thin.
It cracked when you peened it too much.
To avoid that happening with natural material you should drill the hole over sized to allow for the pin to expand while you mushroom the head.
File this experience under the heading of,'live and learn'.
Replace the scales and it will turn out nice next time.
Click to expand...

I think your right Cal. I usually drill undersize and run a 1/8 ream through the holes . What size bit would you recommend for this job?
 
Drill your holes like you have been doing then,using the next size bigger number drill,I believe it will be .1285",drill about half way through,this will give the pin room to expand while you are mushrooming the head without cracking the surrounding material.
 
Mikey
That is a very nice looking knife. It is going to hurt a little bit to remove those scales. I really like the looks of those scales. I truly feel for you. It is a shame that it had to crack.
DeMo
 
You didn't really like those scales anyway right? Admit it! :biggrin:
Not a DM here! Time for another set of scales with Calvin's advise and you will be happy!
 
Dont be to hard on yourself even God make a crack in all of us. ha ha To bad that happened I reall liked those scales!
 
I feel your pain Mikey...when something like that happens it's like, "I didn't do that, and why is this happening" - It makes me appreciate the art maybe a little more, because with knife making the slightest misstep, pressure, lack of focus, minor miscalculation and the knife can be ruined or at least a big DM. Once I get over it, it motivates me to correct the problem, and make it better than it was before. When I grind off messed up scales, I come back with a nicer material if possible to make myself feel better about it.
 
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