Re-conditioning an old blade…with pics

[Daniel]

#7360

I received a very nice knife blade in the mail the other day, it came from one of the members on this site and it was given as a trade to some carbon arrows I had sent in exchange. ( TBM own trading blanket !!! Thanks Bert)

What I want to do is to give the rough finish a new mirror finish, add a few grind lines that will make the blade appealing to the eye and a new Moose antlered handle.

So if your interested in following this tread, please join in as I will be doing the same thing I did with Patrick’s knife and post a build along with pictures.

Here is the blade as received.

]

SB

[Patrick]

#61128

StandingBear wrote: …please join in as I will be doing the same thing I did with Patrick’s knife and post a build along with pictures.

SB

Hopefully that includes the shipping-it-me-when-your-done aspect as well! 😆

[Daniel]

#61140

Oh Patrick, I’m hoping you’ll say the same thing when you see the end results. LOL

SB

[Patrick]

#61240

Always humble. 😉

Looks like a Cold Steel Trailmaster(?).

[Daniel]

#61265

Yeap, that’s right 🙂 An excellent blade, thick and very well designed.

SB

[Bert]

#61322

Okay Patrick and StandingBear- time to step in here and tell the real story about the Cold Steel Trailmaster. After falling for all the hype decades ago- it’s Carbon5 steel!- It will cut a redwood down with a single stroke!- It has distal taper and a convex appleseed edge guaranteed to never wear, tear, shrink or fade!- and various other snakeoil inducements for the gullible- hey, I was younger and even more stupid than I am now, so cut me some slack! Come on, I grew up in the 50’s with Jim Bowie and the Alamo.
Anyway, its an honest 1095 carbon blade with a decent temper made in Japan, home of the truly awesome samurai swords and other edged tools and weapons- they know steel. I hated the rubber “Kraton” handle so cut it off and it went into the black hole of the unfinished projects drawer where it languished for years until SB made the mistake of offering very expensive carbon shafts in trade so I took advantage of his Canadian innocence and got rid of the albatross. Wait a minute- it cost me twice as much to ship to him as he to me!!
It is in good hands now- we are anticipating the resurrection, pictures and commentary on the rebuild,SB. Patrick can have it- if he wears it as a neck knife!
Truthfully, whoever ends up with this knife, may it serve them faithfully and true and may they take care of it responsibly to pass it on to future generations.
What an interesting journey a piece of steel in the shape of a blade has taken already- who knows where that journey will lead?
God Bless-Bert

[Patrick]

#61454

HalfaHun wrote: Patrick can have it- if he wears it as a neck knife!

I’m 6’2″, and I think it might still drag on the ground.:lol:

[Daniel]

#61837

Today, I’m going to be designing a new bolster. The original bolster was an eggshape style and made out of brass. I will be building one made out of 416 Stainless Steel. I’m presently working on the design on paper and once its done, I’ll start taking pictures.

Since I will be using a moose antler ( which is large, I’ll have to take that in consideration when drawing the width of my new bolster).

Well, after looking through my 416 Stainless inventory, I don’t have anything wide enough to work as a bolster but I do have a wide bar of nickle silver, great !!!!

Here are the materials I will use to make my unique bolster, a tape measure ( used to measure the width of my moose antler handle and required length ), a piece of nickle silver, moose antler, cardboard ( to make template of actual bolster), pencil and marker and most importantly, my Teslar French Curve ruler.

The Teslar rulers are the heart and soul of all my knife and bolster designs. They provide me with a combination of actual curves and options pertaining to caping, camp, gutting, skinning and other applicable knife curves.

SB

[Daniel]

#61947

I’ve started working on the bolster design and I want to keep the lines simple but strong. I like to see what I’m doing which is why i take the time to draw out the dimentions and mark out measurements.

The widest part of my moose antler is 1 1/4 inches, that will make a pretty wide bolster which is why I’ve decided to make the nickle silver flush with the antler size.

[Daniel]

#62008

Once I have my bolster pattern done, I took a pair of scissors and cut out the main shape not worrying about cutting out the center hole where the main tang would be inserted in.

Out to the work bench where I used a hacksaw and cut out as much material around as possible. It saves time on the grinder. With a 36 grit 2X72″ belt, I removed the excess material.

And this is the nickle silver bolster in its primary stage and shape. As I go along, I will use my lap wheel to add a 40 degree angle the front and rear of the bolster edges.

Now the fun part, drilling out the center and fitting the tang 🙂

[Bert]

#62054

Sorry StandingBear I have to out you ’cause I know you’re not going tell the truth.
He really is Daniel Quevillon from Fort Simpson, Canada and a Master Knifemaker amongst many other accomplishments. He is truly too humble by far, you can check out some of his outstanding knives at the Lady Falcon website. His wife,Sylvie, makes some gorgeous, functional sheaths also.
Boys and girls, keep track of this forum for you are witnessing an artistic craftsman at his finest through hard work and talent, turn a sow’s ear into a silk purse!
SB- that looks like my work bench- except cleaner and you’re actually doing something on it!!!
P.S. The blade is sharp, so watch your fingers- I think I got most all my blood off before sending it to you!
Best-Bert

[Daniel]

#62056

Now, now, now Bert, there you go again !!!!

Folks, I’m a simple man living life a day at a time, trying to help my fellow man as best I can.

I have made mistakes in my past and am working in forgiving myself for things that I have done wrong. Today, I try and do the best I can with the gifts that were given to me by my Creator, and working with my hands is one of them.

That is whom I am, and thanking all of you for allowing me to work towards becoming a better person, again, a day at a time.

Plus, I am so happy to do these little projects with you.

Now, lets get back to working with this gorgeous blade…..right Bert. And I have ground the knife edge 1/32″ as to avoid losing my fingers 🙂

Daniel

[Daniel]

#14593

I’ve installed a ricasso clamp and its ready to go through the re-sanding phase. This will get rid of the scratches and slight rust that were on the blade. I start with 100 grit, then go through 120, 220, 400, 600, 1200, 1500 and 2500 grits sand papers. Once I finish them I’ll give the blade a light polish and I’ll have a nice finish.

Once I’ll finish, I’ll add the picture.

[Author]

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