WIP for the CKCA 2011 cancer research bowie

[Bruce Bump]

I feel it a great privledge to be drawn to make a knife for such a worthy cause as cancer research. Along with me are Steven J Rapp and Brian Hochstrat. Steven is to make a sheath and Brian will engrave both the knife and sheath.

I am working on a 9" damascus blade with a "W" pattern in a "take down" construction. The blade is nearly finished now and I have a set of stencils ordered from Ernie for it. I want to add pictures of the process as it goes along on this thread. I hope Steven will email me at least a couple shots as well as Brian when they are in process too so I can post them also.

Kevin has a copy of my proposed sketch and should be able to scan it here soon. It is only a drawing, not a blue print so as usual things are subject to change. I'm not sure what handle material to use yet. Its pretty wide so it could be difficult to find stag big enough. I like ivory too and walrus is most likely the way to go. A nice evenly color-matched set of fossilized walrus slabs would look good and finish beautifully. So far time is on our side so I can look for just the right set of scales.

Most excellent - can't wait to see this one come together.

Roger

[Kevin Jones]

Bruce I will get your "full size" drawings copied/reduced tomorrow so I can scan and post them. I really like how you do full size as it gives a much better indication of the actual knife. Unfortunately, the the CKCA World Headquarters doesn't have the capacity to reduce drawings.

This is going to be a beautiful bowie and sheath set. If I feel like I can do it justice I may make a cherry wood and antler/ivory display stand for it. I'm really excited about this project.

Thanks Bruce.

[Kevin Jones]

Here's Bruce's design drawing. Very different from last year's cancer research knife. We wanted a fine Bowie with a classic old world look that would fit nicely with a Steven Rapp throat & tip sheath while both providing a canvas for Brian Hochstrat's beautiful engraving. Also notice the maker/mark design. The Bowie will also be marked with a subtle "CKCA" on the corresponding back side.

Any Question? Comments?







Thank you Bruce.

[Peter Elovich]

Should be an exquisite knife! I'm thinking ivory would look nice on that shaped handle.

Peter

[Barry Connell]

This should be a great knife.

[Bruce Bump]

Thanks guys. Peter I'm thinking ivory too. Just need to search out the right piece.

Thanks Kevin for posting the sketches.

I have an update on the stencils from Ernie Grospitch of "Blue Lightning Stencils" today. I have worked with Ernie on many occasions and found his stencils to be top quality and at a real bargain pricewise. He has donated to the cause a pair of stencils. Thanks so much Ernie!

[Bruce Bump]

Here is the "W" patterned bar I made for this one. I decided not to show the entire process to get this far because it the exact same as the feathered pattern with the exception of slicing the stack in half and rewelding the two halves to make feather damascus.

This bar is cut at 30 degree angles and each piece is numbered to go back in order. This will keep the pattern more uniform than simply mix and matching them.

[Bruce Bump]

Each piece needs to be cleaned and flat to close gaps for a good forge weld. I set the same angle on my shop smith disc grinder to straighten and clean them mating surfaces.

When they are all cut I flipped each one so the end view of the bar is now visible on the side of the bar that will become the side of the blade. This is known as the "Ferry Flip" in some circles and I learned it from Tom Ferry at one of Josh Smiths Hammer-ins. Its a neat trick and works for other patterns as well. I've actually had good and bad results with this technique so I tested this blade by cutting two 2"x4"s in half to see if the welds were strong.















After I fluxed, forged welded and drew out the bar to about 3/8" thick I cleaned it up on the surface grinder to check for flaws and etch it to reveal the pattern.

[Bruce Bump]

Here is a quick shot of the pattern with just a light etch in ferric cloride. I like it.
Next comes drawing out the tang. Theres plenty of steel in this bar for this big blade. In order to maintain this pattern on the blade I need to cut it out like stock removal. Its tempting to draw out the blades and bevels on the press but that would stretch the pattern out especially at the tip. I'm liking this even pattern all the way from the guard to the tip. I did however re-forge the bar to the slight "S" shape so the center line of the pattern follows the shape of the blade. Am I making sense? I made a sheet metal template to shape the bar and also to cut it to real size later.