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My First "Project"

Posted: Sun Mar 19, 2017 6:37 am
by Melthrist
Today I made my first Ranger-related "project" (I say "project" because of how little effort it took to make :)). It's just a simple eating knife that was finished in about 10 minutes. All I did was take an old knife that was hanging around the back of a kitchen drawer and tighten up the pins on the handle using a vice. Done! I'm thinking about staining the handle darker, but at the moment it's usable. I did try sanding out the "Stainless Steel Japan" on the blade but decided it wasn't worth the effort considering how deeply engraved it is. Of course it's not 100% period-accurate but for something that was basically free I'll take it!

Edit: After posting this I realised that it's been exactly one month since I joined up to MERF, down to the hour. Coincidence? I think not...

Re: My First "Project"

Posted: Sun Mar 19, 2017 11:46 am
by Greg
Have you throught about polishing out the serrated edge on a sharpening stone? It'll take some time and elbow grease, but the result could be pretty cool. Keep at it!

Re: My First "Project"

Posted: Sun Mar 19, 2017 4:37 pm
by Elleth
Oh fun! Very resourceful, dragging out the vise like that. :)

Funny how little the shape of a basic knife has changed over the centuries.

You might also be able to find a cheap paring knife at a rumage sale or goodwill - or silverware drawer - if you don't want serrations. I don't know if you have "Old Hickory" down there, but they're ridiculously cheap for a mostly-period small carbon steel utility knife.

Caedmon has an article on making a sheath in the last MERS issue which might serve you well. I don't know if you'll find proper leather for that at a goodwill, but if you have the equivalent of a "Tandy Leather" down there, you'll probably find a scrap big enough for a small sheath in a discount bin.

Re: My First "Project"

Posted: Sun Mar 19, 2017 5:54 pm
by Taurinor
Very resourceful! Free is always a great place to start when building your kit :mrgreen:
Melthrist wrote:I did try sanding out the "Stainless Steel Japan" on the blade but decided it wasn't worth the effort considering how deeply engraved it is.
Good call - I think you might compromise the integrity of the blade before you got that out.

The handle looks like it might be a fun place to try out some decorative carving, woodburning, or kolrosing. Ringulf took a knife very similar to yours and transformed it with some carving, paint, and a leather sheath, if you want some inspiration!

Re: My First "Project"

Posted: Sun Mar 19, 2017 7:14 pm
by Melthrist
Thanks for all the feedback. Now I've got heaps more than just staining the handle that I can try out.

Re: My First "Project"

Posted: Sun Mar 19, 2017 8:44 pm
by Elleth
Oh... that "kolrosing" looks fantastic!

Pardon my ignorance - what's the difference between that and scrimshaw? The choice of filler? The cutting method?
Either way, it looks fantastic!

Taurinor, have you tried it yet?

Re: My First "Project"

Posted: Sun Mar 19, 2017 9:25 pm
by Taurinor
Elleth wrote:Oh... that "kolrosing" looks fantastic!

Pardon my ignorance - what's the difference between that and scrimshaw? The choice of filler? The cutting method?
Either way, it looks fantastic!

Taurinor, have you tried it yet?
I think scrimshaw is specifically on ivory, with an ink filler, but I could be wrong. There definitely seems to be some similarities, though!

I haven't played with it much (woodworking is not one of my gifts), but some of the folks in my local group have played with it some. We got together and made spoons a while back, and Mark made the prettiest spoon of the lot:
Mark M. wrote:Image
The design at the bottom of the handle was done with the kolrosing technique (with cinnamon), so you can see how fine you can get the lines. I haven't seen the spoon lately, so I don't know how the design has held up, but it took him all of a couple minutes to do.

Re: My First "Project"

Posted: Sun Mar 19, 2017 9:26 pm
by Udwin
Elleth wrote: Pardon my ignorance - what's the difference between that and scrimshaw? The choice of filler? The cutting method?
I believe all that differs is the material--scrimshaw as any kind of decorative carving or scribing work down on bone or ivory. My powderhorn books show the same toolset as for doing kolrosing on wood (sharp xacto knife tip).
Don't let the special name or fancy examples scare you off, here's a pretty basic design I worked up for my spoon--only took about 5 minutes to cut this in.

Re: My First "Project"

Posted: Sun Mar 19, 2017 9:29 pm
by Taurinor
Udwin wrote:Don't let the special name or fancy examples scare you off, here's a pretty basic design I worked up for my spoon--only took about 5 minutes to cut this in.
Ooo, that's lovely!

Re: My First "Project"

Posted: Fri Mar 31, 2017 2:29 am
by Worldwalker
Elleth wrote:Oh... that "kolrosing" looks fantastic!

Pardon my ignorance - what's the difference between that and scrimshaw? The choice of filler? The cutting method?
Either way, it looks fantastic!

Taurinor, have you tried it yet?
Ray Mears did some kolrosing on a knife he made is Sweden, see below:
https://youtu.be/nR7N5zuC8WI?t=3013