Saturday, May 31, 2014
Sword Cane Almost Complete
Scott should finish his latest sword cane project in the next few days.
Here are a few shots that show final installation of the throat and sheath.
First Scott glues the throat to the sheath.
Then he coats the top and interior sides of the throat with Vaseline
to protect these areas from glue during installation.
Next, the parts he wants to glue into the shaft are cleaned with acetone.
West Systems epoxy with filler is the medium that holds all the internal parts firmly together.
Scott applies epoxy to the sides of the sheath and
the act of pushing it slowly into the shaft fills the cavity.
After a final cleaning with acetone, the sheath and throat installation is complete.
Almost done! More pictures soon.
Blade Show Table 13P
Monday, May 26, 2014
More Sword Cane Construction Photos
Scott's Sword Cane for Blade Show 2014 is almost complete.
Here are a few more construction photos.
A Damascus throat gets epoxied into the top of the carbon fiber shaft. This throat helps the sword properly seat into the shaft and is an integral part of the cane's locking mechanism.
Above is what the raw forged throat looks like and below is a profile shot of the part.
It is a tiny but very important piece of the puzzle.
Scott turned this year's knob out of African Blackwood.
Here's a shot of the knob and ferrule with the turning pedestal still attached.
The next picture explains why you don't want to cut the pedestal off immediately.
It's easier to properly install the sword if the pedestal is still attached.
And this shot shows a little trick for straightening the sword in the knob.
Hope to see you at the show.
Blade Show Table 13P
Friday, May 23, 2014
Sword Cane Update 2014
So, we're guessing you've figured out what the shop squirrel is up to by now . . . yep, it's another sword cane for Blade Show. Just like last year, this cane will have a carbon fiber shaft which Scott creates out of four layers of carbon fiber sock.
The socks are placed over a mandrel coated in wax, and each sock is coated in epoxy.
Heat shrink tubing is used to compress the carbon fiber around the mandrel
making it tight and smooth.
Later, after four applications of automotive clear coat and several sandings,
the carbon fiber shaft glows.
Moving on, Scott received this stainless steel pipe from the Amazon Fairy yesterday.
And turned it into a really nice ferrule using a metal lathe at
Chris Williams' (aka Wilmont Grinders) shop.
Chris has a lots of fun toys, one of which Scott used to transform the color of the blade.
What was once silver . . .
. . . and clearly not frightening to the cat . . .
. . . is now a wicked shade of blue.
Now, where is that cat?
Blade Show Table 13P
Saturday, May 17, 2014
Shop Squirrel Blade Project
Well, the shop squirrel always gets a little antsy before Blade Show, and the following is a special project Scott hopes to complete before the show. More photos we be added as Scott progresses.
Blade - 6 oz and counting.
Still got some grinding to go.
Shaft - only 4 oz,
but should gain a bit of weight with the clear-coat.
Knob - 8 oz
By far the heaviest part but should shed a fair bit of weight before completion.
Yeah, there's a piece or two missing, but we've still got a little time to go.
Hope to see you at Blade - Table 13P.
Random Damascus Zulus
Scott completed several random Damascus Zulus this week. Here are a few pictures.
This Damascus Zulu with Damascus guard and Hawaiian Mango handle was a special order. The Damascus Guard adds a lot of work because the parts must be completed together, and then the knife must be broken down so the guard can be etched prior to final assembly.
The customer provided the mango. Beautiful choice of wood Mark!
Our favorite dealer commissioned 3 Random Damascus Zulus with leather drop sheaths.
Scott made one this one because the black curly maple complements the Damascus blade.
And he added a scallop to the guard/handle for a little something extra.
See you at Blade Show in a few weeks - Table 13P.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)