Rifletuner

Thanks guys 👍

Thanks guys. I appreciate the comments 👍

Just finished up a knife with my first go at using sambar antlers for the handle. A guy that I used to hunt with does a bit of forging and wanted to learn about knife making after seeing some of my knives. He spent a few days with me last year, and I took him through the whole process. He offered to give me some antler for handle material, and I was happy to take him up on the offer. As expected, I learned a few things in the process of working with the antler, but pretty happy with how this first one turned out. Steel is 2.5mm VG10 stainless random pattern Damascus in a full flat grind. The handle is a tapered tang with antler scales, black G10 liners and brass pins & lanyard tube.

Thanks mate 👍 Hey, Im always happy to share pics of my boner 🤣🤣🤣 Thanks mate 👍 AEBL is a stainless steel that I would class "razorblade steel". There are a number of steels including AEBL, 12C27, SF100 and others that are commonly used for making knives, that started life as a steel produced for the big razor companies. AEBL is a great steel for knife making because it has a good combination of corrosion resistance, strength and edge retention. You can get better performing steels, but you need to pay double or more for the steel. So AEBL hits a sweet spot for me. Thanks mate 👍 Thanks mate 👍

Just finished another of my boner design over the weekend and pretty happy with how it came out. Steel is 2.5mm AEBL stainless. Bevel is a hollow grind with a very thin, slicey edge. Handles are mallee burl with orange resin from Artisan Supplies, orange G10 liners and G10 pins and a hand rubbed Aussie oil finish.

Thanks 👍 I actually like seeing them go to other people. I have gotten a lot of photos back from people using my knives and thats really what I enjoy the most. I make them to be used, so seeing people happy after they used one of my knives is great. Thanks mate 👍

Thanks mate 👍

Thanks mate 👍 I dont actually do the leather work myself, but the guy who makes them does excellent work.

A few months ago after going to the Melbourne knife show, I decided I was going to get a table at Australia's biggest knife show in Sydney. In the lead up to the show, I was madly trying to finish knives that I wanted to bring with me. I fully intended to photograph all the knives I made before I left for the show. But of course I worked late into Thursday night, then left home at 0715 Friday morning to drive 10 hours up to Sydney. So I really only just got a chance to start photographing what I made now that I am back home. This is a hunter pattern I have made for a few years. The steel is 3mm NitroV, with cryo treatment after the heat treat. The hardness on this is 61-62 Rockwell. The blade is a full flat grind down to .2mm at the edge. The tang tapers to about 1mm. The handle material is gidgee, with 1mm red G10 liners and copper Loveless bolts. The handle has a hand rubbed oil finish. I also made a near identical model with stainless Loveless bolts, but that one sold at the show. It had better figure in the handle material, so pretty sure that is why the guy went for that particular knife. The last photo is off my table at the show just after I set up Saturday morning.

Hi mate. Its a totally manual process. I use either https://nordicedge.com.au/uncle-bjorns-handle-finish-australia-only/ or https://ausmakersupplies.com.au/products/u-beaut-aussie-oil-250ml Its just me and an old bit of soft T-shirt material. Put a couple of drops on the rag and rub it in for about 2 minutes. Leave it for 10-20 minutes, then do it again. Repeat 10 to 15 times and you are done. Its similar to a "London Best" gun stock oil finish, just a bit quicker.

Thanks mate 👍

Yeah, it will be brittle. Try putting it in an oven for 2 hours at around 150C, let it cool to room temperature, then give it another 2 hours in the oven. Ideally you want to do that right after its cooled from the quench, but you could still give it a go. This is the down side of using mystery steels though, as the quench and temper is all guess work. If you use a known steel like 1075, there is a pretty specific heat treatment to follow for the best results.

Hey, nice. Did you temper after the quench?

No worries. If you have any questions, just ask. There is any number of Youtube videos that cover this. Thats how I spent a lot of my early time learning, and still pick up little details now.

Thanks mate 👍