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CaptainBeaky

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Posts posted by CaptainBeaky

  1. 55 minutes ago, das said:

    If you go the pin and fill way, which I once did with an air rifle, drill a hole at the end if the crack to stop it going further and repeat the job of pinning and finish with some Araldite
    and wood dust as described in an earlier reply.

    Oops! Forgot this bit :oops: 

    Need to remove the stress raiser (sharp angle at the end of the crack) to stop the crack propagating any further. I suspect this wasn't done the first time, and as Daf says, using the wrong glue makes it a bit of a pig to get anything else to stick.

  2. 3 hours ago, stagboy said:

     

    Meanwhile, a friend tells me his London office took the day off. According to him: "Just about the only snowflakes in London were the ones who were supposed to be working in my office..."

    Love it!

    (And so true... :lol: )

  3. 6 hours ago, Old farrier said:

    Straight from Wikipedia ???

    So where did they get the high carbon steel from? 

    Or maybe the process of folding and welding introducing carbon with the flux created it 

     

    all the best 

    of 

    ^^ This...

     

    Sandwiching a layer of hard steel between two softer layers is called san-mai, and is quite a common technique - gives a very hard edge, supported by softer, tougher sides.

    Japanese swords achieve the same effect by differential hardening: the spine of the blade is coated with clay to make it retain the heat longer. The blade is quenched edge-first into water, which makes the edge extremely hard, but the heat retained in the spine allows the quench, resulting in a softer, tougher temper. The difference in the crystal structure of the steel across it's width is what makes the blade curve - they are originally forged straight! This also makes them prone to breakage in the quench...

    I have some photos of a tanto I made which show this quite well - LINK

  4. That's interesting - you do things in the opposite order to me!

    I make a paper/card pattern to go around the knife, leaving my seam allowance, then transfer this into the leather and cut it. Make and glue the welt into the edge, then fold and glue the edges together (after making the loop!).

    Clean the welt edge on a drum sander, then cut the stitch groove, mark and punch the holes.

    Complete the stitching, using waxed thread (helps lock the twists together, and coincidentally makes it much easier to thread the needle!).

    Wrap the greased knife in cling film. Immerse the sheath in lukewarm water until slightly soft, then ease the knife in. Using a bone folder, smooth the leather over the knife, including making any snaps required.

    Allow to dry, removing the knife when amongst dry. Clean the knife, stain/polish the sheath.

    I always punch holes rather than drill - a punch moves the majority of the fibres it of the way, whereas a drill cuts them, weakening the leather.

  5. That's pretty good for a first go :good:

    Some suggestions:

    Get a stitching pony/clamp - this holds the work so you have both hands free, and (I find) makes out ready to keep the tension constant.

    Use an edge groover to set your stitch line - this cuts a groove parallel to the edge that the stitches lie in, hence protecting the thread. It also makes the stitch line tidier.

    Practise! Did you use saddle stitch, knotting at each stitch? It looks as if you may not have done your loop through in the same direction each time.

    How do you punch stitch holes? Make sure your awl is sharp and polished, and put a piece of thick scrap leather under the work piece when punching holes. Try to keep the spacing consistent. With a diamond awl, turn it so two opposite sides of the diamond are parallel with the stitch line - this makes the stitches lie flatter. I have recently started using a pricking iron for setting space and angle, and it makes things much tidier.

    I don't have any pictures to hand to illustrate, but a quick Google should turn up something suitable. The leatherworking.net forums are a good source of information.

    Good luck, and beware - it's just as addictive as knife-making... :yes:

  6. As said above - if it's for work, Stihl or Husqvarna. 

     

    I have a 445 as a hobby/home user, and it's great in terms of cutting speed, weight and vibration. Might lack a bit of poke for really big stuff, but it runs an 18" bar just fine on softwood, and handles oak and beech with a 15".

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