"Gift" from mom

D

DrGrip

Guest
Sunday evening my mother presented me with a leather bag full of old tools.

She went on to say that the tools within the bag had belonged to her Great Uncle John and she wanted me to have them.

Well, Uncle John passed away in 1982, and Lord only knows how old the tools within the bag are.

Inside of the bag I found 7 files, a draw knife, 3 screwdrivers, a brace and bit, some old nails, and a nail apron with a phone number that starts with letters instead of numbers. It's been a while since the tools have been used.

ALL of the files are chipped and dull at best, and 1 is broken. My guess is that over the years the files have been banged around in the bag and sustained even more damage than the original owner put on them. The only one that is good is the 4 in hand that was in a pocket on the inside of the bag. I plan to use that one.

All of the files are Nicholson and since they are not really good to use for their intended purpose I'm thinking about making a couple of knives from them for the family members that are left.

I'm currently annealing one of the files now to see how it goes and plan to start the blade tomorrow.

I'm not a big fan of file knives, but these critters seem to beg for it...

Charlie
 
Pics will be coming for sure.

I have the main file annealed and the small file annealed for the guard.

Should have some pics starting tomorrow, since things are a bit hot tonight.

Charlie
 
Whoa! WIP?!?! :unsure:

That could be an issue for me, I tend to get wrapped up in stuff and not take pics... Just ask my wife, I NEVER take pics when I should! :D

I'll see what I can do once my camera comes home... #1 son took it with him on Tuesday and it SHOULD be back tonight. I'll take pics then if he comes back with it. In the interim not much is going to happen since it is raining here and I HT outside.

So far I have the blade cut out, the tang area cut to size, the guard cut out from the smaller file and fitted to the blade, the profile has been ground on the blade, and I've sanded to 400.

The blade on this knife is VERY long, and it is so for a purpose... A visit with my fav uncle night before last led up to what his favorite knife is ( I did prod a bit). He showed me the knife he has used for processing deer for the last many years and it has a LONG blade with a slight curve on the end. It looks like a boning knife on steroids IMO. EVERY deer he has taken since I can remember is processed in his kitchen by him and his wife, and according to him he uses the knife he showed me.

I'm not sure what the original knife was made from, but it looks to be close to 3/16 on the spine and is definitely carbon steel since I can see the patina from age.

As a change to the norm for him, I added a slight clip to the front edge to make this one a bit different. I also added a "grip" for the thumb area.

The handle will be a combination of whitetail antler (off of one I got with him 3 years ago), a stainless spacer, and a copper bolster of sufficient size to balance the knife in the hand since the blade is so long. I'm trying to make this as close to what he has now as I can. It WILL NOT be fancy or pretty from a blade standpoint. The handle will be WAY more than the wood he has now though.

As I said, once #1 son returns I'll take pics of where I am, but I do have a question for the group...

How should I go about "shining up" the remainder of the file that I have not ground? I'm leaving as much of the original file as I can so that he can see what was once his great uncle John's. My first thought is the stainless brush I have on my bench grinder, but I would like some other opinions...

Charlie
 
Ok, boy showed up, no hickeys and no dents in the truck... He also had the camera...

Here are the shots of where we are now...

Blade grind
P7010861.jpg


Handle layout...
P7010857.jpg


More pics should be coming as the week/weekend progesses. #1 son will be doing the rest of the assembly.

Charlie
 
I can't awit to see this one finished! How about some deminsions on the knife?2thumbs
 
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