chuck123wapati

it would be interesting to know. Keep me posted. I doubt it too however its way to hard to work and more for pocket knives and such. A round knife would cost hundreds and really again the average leather worker just doesn't need it, now maybe if you were cutting all day on a much larger scale.

the Tandy head knife being sold now is stainless steel so more than likely m390 which can be hardened to about rc 62 or some such, blue paper steel is a very old Japanese steel blend, one of the best, and is usually tempered to a much harder scale up to 65 then tempered back to about 61 again the difference is the manufacturing process more so than the steel type either can be tempered to what you need or want. The difference you see is the hardness of the tool, simply the Tandy knives aren't tempered to the same hardness for whatever reason the makers decided on. You cant get a good knife without good knife making skills and why some knives are more expensive than others the craft is just like the leather craft, you can buy an off the shelf manufactured wallet at Walmart or you can buy a better wallet at a high end store, both are the same leather but neither are the same quality, one is cheaper to make because the craftsmanship and quality is lost in the bottom line. Hope that makes sense.

If your blade is newer it may already be one of those and the reason we are talking about modern blades not being as well made. Heres the deal a knife blade steel has three properties. hardness, flexibility and toughness. These three attributes are variables in the matrix of what your knife is going to be used for. A straight razor for example is made very hard but it is so brittle it will break if dropped, a fro on the other hand isn't even made to be sharp but to be flexable and tough enough to hammer on without chipping or breaking. So what does you leather knife need to be? It needs to be built to cut leather. That quality will come from the manufacturing process not the steel type. A blade of 56 Rockwell hardness for example can be made from any of the modern tool steels and they will all be 56 Rockwell hardness none will be better or worse than the other all will sharpen the same and hold the same edge. When you buy a knife because of the steel type its like buying a car because its a Ford or a Chevy when you need to be buying because you need either a car or a truck to do the job. When you need to think of it in the terms of the job it is meant to do. You said earlier you like the ability to easily sharpen your knife, that comes from the hardness the blade is tempered to not the type of steel make sense?

those are really nice!

"I wonder whether the difference is not that once upon a time there were people in quality control who took pride in their work and their company's name. " exactly! and why some folks say my new Cs Osborne is awesome others say it doesn't hold an edge. Knives are what led the steel industry in the beginning and the science behind good knife steel is hundreds if not thousands of years old. Other things though also come in to a good blade for leather The edge angle and grind are equally important to the sharpness of the blade. some of the newer blades i have seen use a sabre or even a convex grind whereas the older blades and better blades use a full flat grind this makes for a thinner blade at the leather and less drag during the cutting process but it also costs more to make which is another problem of modern manufacturing the bottom line now is all about profit.

if you dry the handle it may become loose! if you do dry it then you will have to add oils back in to again swell the grain and tighten the handle back up. I have tried the electrolysis method also, went back to vinegar and a wire brush, easier cheaper and faster imo for rust removal now for etching that's a whole other kettle of fun lol.

Yes probably but usually if the steel is talked about the steel type becomes a selling point and reason to charge more not necessarily because it does a better job than another type at cutting leather. Your knife making friend can explain it better in person I'm sure. The reason people often prefer vintage tools is that the production processes were much stricter which overall produced blades that were more uniform from one to the other not that the steel was some new blend of metals. if that makes sense.

Yes that is the chemistry of steel and why they make steels for certain uses, we are talking high carbon steels for use as knives. Its the way it is produced that makes the quality of the blade more so than the type of High carbon steel that is used all that steel type talk you hear is mostly just hype to sell the product or bragging rights about an overpriced knife. Just a few degrees either way during the hardening or tempering stage can ruin or make the knife no matter the type of high carbon steel. Just my opinion I have made a lot of knives with the same steel and some were good and some had to be re hardened and re tempered because they weren't as good that's all part of a process that has been lost in mass production and why there are poor blades on the market. Of course there are producers out there that use low grade steel too.

mountain men and fur trappers used the green River knife also. their old saying "i run him plumb up to the Green River" meant he stuck the blade in up to the stamped name and killed the person. great knives i have a couple for butchering.

all blades are made from high carbon steels but are tempered differently to produce the wanted hardness and temper. To hard and the steel becomes to brittle and can chip or break to soft and it wont hold an edge. I too prefer blades that are less hard so i can sharpen them with regular stones easily.

these steels can be screwed up just as easily and produce bad blades it is a matter of proper heat treatment that makes the blade. As well most folks don't have the equipment to test the hardness.

Not always lesser quality steel maybe not as good quality control in thier manufacturing processes but the steel is only a fraction of the equation in making a good blade. I choose and buy old blades quite often but buying a used blade that is still good is also a crap shoot, you dont know how well the old steel has been taken care of it could d have for example been ruined by heat already, left rusty for way to long so that you cant get a clean edge or whatever. When choosing or bidding on used blades i always take extra time looking at the pics for any wear or misuse, in the case of knives, such as this one, with no collector value I am even more particular. This is a good first blade to experiment on it certainly has seen some use but should still be servicable.

Ditto what Dikman said also what Frodo says clean it up and have a new edge put on and enjoy it, your way over thinking this whole process. After the new edge is on you can then more easily learn to keep it sharp.

thats over the top! i like the way you did the buckle end.

Awesome indeed i think cutting out all those washers is going to be a pain but i guess not as bad as fleshing out and scraping the hide was lol. i have a hole saw that should work nicely it uses a drill bit in the center so two jobs at once

Thank you i guess i'm getting the hang of it. Thanks

So did you finish this maul? If so how is it holding up? I am thinking about making one.

"if the cost of going that direction is affordable" that's the rub, new ones are only 70 bucks so how much does a guy want to spend?

a prior thread that might help also.

after that final toothpaste polish he will be able to do one handed push ups lol i wouldn't use electrolysis at all i use vinegar fast easy cheap and non toxic lol and works as well as anything. I would leave the pits alone and leave the patina you will never make a new knife out of an old one just one that is cobbled up looking. if the edge is pitted then no filler will fix that you will need to regrind the edge and that will take some power tools and alot of water not to ruin the temper. Any collector value is long gone if its that rough if there ever was any so you can do about anything you want to the blade shape. Good luck and post some pics when you get finished.

you might as well leave it natural after using neats foot or any of the other methods it will be very dark. especially after a few years of reapplying. Beautiful knife by the way!

awesome indeed!

there is a lot of info here, you can find about anything by searching the threads i have seen many on watch straps. welcome to the forum.

Native Americans leather turned out white due to the tanning method, they used the brains of the animal to tan the hide then it was smoked to help with water resistance which turned it a light tan color..

gun shows, and bulletin boards always get some business especially at the local shooting ranges. Take a drive and hit all the ones around your area, the trips may even be deductible.