Gary Mulkey Posted December 26, 2017 Share Posted December 26, 2017 One of my goals for the next year is to try to draw new customers into the custom knife world, people who have never considered buying a custom knife in the past. To do this I decided that it would be best to build multiple copies of a knife that most of the general public would recognize and want to own & display. Since most people aren't knowledgeable about actual historic knives, I went to Hollywood for my inspiration. I believe that there are few Americans who have not seen either Alan Ladd, Richard Widmark or John Wayne handle "The Iron Mistress" in the movies so that's what I will be making. To keep the price as affordable as possible I'll be selling these copies without engraving or sheath. I'm going to offer this first batch for $750 each and see how I come out on it. At that price I'll just be breaking even but hopefully will bring some new customers into the world of the hand forged knife. Each will include nickel silver escutcheons & fittings, a 416 guard, and a brass spine in order to match the original. We'll see if I can continue to do this at this price. I got a start on this project today. I'm going to initially make three; one with walnut, one with blackwood and one with rosewood handles. Each will have a blade of W1. I'll try to keep you updated as I progress with this project. 2 1 Gary ABS,CKCA,ABKA,KGA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Morgan Posted December 26, 2017 Share Posted December 26, 2017 Look forward to seeing how these turn out Gary. I'm sure they're gonna be works of art like everything else you make 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Mulkey Posted December 27, 2017 Author Share Posted December 27, 2017 I got blade no.1 forged this morning. I'll try to continue with blades 2 & 3 later today and tomorrow. It's always a pleasure to have forging to do when the temperature is 16 degrees and the only heat in the shop is the forge. 1 Gary ABS,CKCA,ABKA,KGA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Mulkey Posted December 27, 2017 Author Share Posted December 27, 2017 Forged & normalized: 2 Gary ABS,CKCA,ABKA,KGA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Morgan Posted December 28, 2017 Share Posted December 28, 2017 Those are gonna make some folks awful happy Gary. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Mulkey Posted December 29, 2017 Author Share Posted December 29, 2017 (edited) Three ladies ready for the tempering oven: Hopefully I get started on the fittings tomorrow. Edited December 29, 2017 by Gary Mulkey 1 Gary ABS,CKCA,ABKA,KGA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eric Morgan Posted December 30, 2017 Share Posted December 30, 2017 I wait with bated breath sir 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rob Toneguzzo Posted December 30, 2017 Share Posted December 30, 2017 Great forging as always Gary. They look great. 1 "Old dogs care about you even when you make mistakes" - Tom HALL - Old Dogs, Children and Watermelon wine. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Mulkey Posted December 31, 2017 Author Share Posted December 31, 2017 (edited) I got the brass spine applied to the blades. Hopefully I'll get them finish ground and ready for hand sanding tomorrow. (If the Bowl games don't get in the way.) Edited December 31, 2017 by Gary Mulkey Gary ABS,CKCA,ABKA,KGA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
t cudworth Posted December 31, 2017 Share Posted December 31, 2017 I feel your pain Gary, its 3 here. But the forge is cozy! Tom Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Mulkey Posted December 31, 2017 Author Share Posted December 31, 2017 (edited) I guess that I shouldn't complain about the weather as this is the first year in the last 3 or 4 that we've actually had winter temps. I don't mind so much when I have forging to get done but handle work in a cold shop is a different story. I actually fired up my propane heater today. Edited December 31, 2017 by Gary Mulkey Gary ABS,CKCA,ABKA,KGA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeremy Blohm Posted January 1, 2018 Share Posted January 1, 2018 Wow!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Mulkey Posted January 1, 2018 Author Share Posted January 1, 2018 Thanks, John. That's a gracious offer but no thanks. I don't ever use any maple. Gary ABS,CKCA,ABKA,KGA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zeb Camper Posted January 1, 2018 Share Posted January 1, 2018 41 minutes ago, John Ricks said: Yep, just plain awful. I have around 100 blanks, including the walnut. The Maple was cut in 1993 and has been silently air curing ever since. When I trim a blank for the duplicator I keep the cut offs for knife handles. With the correct oil finish they really look nice on a big blade. How much Would you charge for some handle sized cutoffs? I love the stuff, and own a couple 2" tall boards, but it sure is pricey. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Ricks Posted January 1, 2018 Share Posted January 1, 2018 (edited) 1 hour ago, Gary Mulkey said: Thanks, John. That's a gracious offer but no thanks. I don't ever use any maple. Sure, no problem. I deleted the photos as I felt I was hijacking your postings. Edited January 1, 2018 by John Ricks Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Ricks Posted January 8, 2018 Share Posted January 8, 2018 So is the cold weather giving you problems? Sure sounds nasty on the news. Looking forward to more progress photos! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Ricks Posted January 8, 2018 Share Posted January 8, 2018 On 12/31/2017 at 6:59 PM, Zeb Camper said: How much Would you charge for some handle sized cutoffs? I love the stuff, and own a couple 2" tall boards, but it sure is pricey. Next time I cut into a blank I will save some for you. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Mulkey Posted January 10, 2018 Author Share Posted January 10, 2018 Due to the arctic cold front that hit here last week, I haven't done a lot in the shop recently until today. Finally I got around to working on the three ladies this afternoon. Unfortunately the router bit that I had used previously for the escutcheon inlays on the handles proved to be slightly over sized so I had to make a trip to the local tool store for another and start the handles all over again. Hopefully the photos show that I used walnut, rosewood & blackwood for these three. I got them cut out, slotted for the tangs & the N/S escutcheons inlayed today. Hopefully I'll get them shaped and started on guards for them tomorrow. 1 Gary ABS,CKCA,ABKA,KGA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Ricks Posted January 11, 2018 Share Posted January 11, 2018 Looking very nice. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doug Lester Posted January 11, 2018 Share Posted January 11, 2018 Yes, they are starting to look interesting. I'll be looking forward to the finished products. Doug HELP...I'm a twenty year old trapped in the body of an old man!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Longmire Posted January 11, 2018 Share Posted January 11, 2018 Did you solder the brass strips on? And are they just flat? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Mulkey Posted January 11, 2018 Author Share Posted January 11, 2018 31 minutes ago, Alan Longmire said: Did you solder the brass strips on? And are they just flat? They are both flat & soldered on. I used a 500 degree solder applied while the bottom half of the blade was in water. Gary ABS,CKCA,ABKA,KGA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Longmire Posted January 12, 2018 Share Posted January 12, 2018 I thought so. Just curious, since most of the Musso-type bowies with brass strip spines use a strip bent into a U-shaped channel. I like your way better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Dougherty Posted January 12, 2018 Share Posted January 12, 2018 17 hours ago, Gary Mulkey said: They are both flat & soldered on. I used a 500 degree solder applied while the bottom half of the blade was in water. That must be challenging to do. The brass strip would have to be dead flat in order to just lay it on the spine and solder it. Even then it will tend to curl as it is heated. Do you wire it down as you solder it? -Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gary Mulkey Posted January 12, 2018 Author Share Posted January 12, 2018 3 minutes ago, Brian Dougherty said: That must be challenging to do. The brass strip would have to be dead flat in order to just lay it on the spine and solder it. Even then it will tend to curl as it is heated. Do you wire it down as you solder it? I tinned both surfaces first so that I didn't have to apply any solder while heating. I then laid the piece of brass on top of the blade which was half submerged in water and held secure with a c-clamp. I heated one end of the brass with a plumber's torch in one hand while pressing down on the brass with a small scrap piece of steel in the other hand and repeated this as I worked my way down the blade. 2 Gary ABS,CKCA,ABKA,KGA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Create an account or sign in to comment
You need to be a member in order to leave a comment
Create an account
Sign up for a new account in our community. It's easy!
Register a new accountSign in
Already have an account? Sign in here.
Sign In Now