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Thanks mate. It 6A stainless with carbon in them. And treated to hold an edge. The blades are from the States. I was hooked while putting them together. It was a real challenge for me. Not just the blades but the sheaf's as well.. Mainly because i didnt really know what i was doing. Something i wanted to try to do. Done a dusted now. Having seen them work in the field, im happy with what they can do and how they hold an edge. They do feel great in the hand. If i did it again. It would be easier and a better end result. Im in no rush to put any more together at this stage. I might even be over it. For now. Gafloss is the man to talk to if you want one. But expect to pay the price for a quality knife if you do want one.

I have read the same thing some where Paul. My concern is the poors, or small holes in the wood. They need to be filled so that the wood stays stable.

Dont forget that i have all that Jarrah floor boards put aside. Came close to going in the fire until i started thinking about how good it would look on a knife. After i put a bit through the Thicknesser it looked great. Ill be trying it out on a blade when i have sorted the the things im not happy with out. I think stabilized woodis the way to go. The weather can affect even seasoned timber. I have also been doing a bit of research on Vac pumps for wood. Im happy to swap any time. If it wasnt for you and Geoff, id be stuffed. But you will have to wait till i get some good wood. Im waiting on Ipch to get back from the desert, he was going to keep an eye out for wood for me. Im also in the process of rebuilding the bandsaw. Kind of stuffed without one when it comes to breaking down wood. I have been thinking about what HJ said about a knife made to go along the belt. I found some blanks with a blade length of around 50 to 60mm. I think that would be plenty long enough for a knife mounted along the belt fitted with Jarrah Scales. Lots to learn. Grant. I have little doubt that the time you put in on that stock would easily be equal to one knife. Thats how long they took me. The stock looks great.

Good point AH. I have to admit that it never even crossed my mind to do that. They were a problem when it came to the sheaf. Not red gum mate its birdseye coolabah. I have a red gum burl here with an order in for more red gum and box burls. Your welcome to some of the red gum if you want it. It does have a fine grain in it not fluffy at all. The scales were a let down, not what i expected. They were sold as dry. But they were still holding moisture. And they shrunk even after i left them to dry out in the house. Gaff helped me out a lot with advice. But im far short of getting the result im after. As i have already said, just so much to learn when it comes to doing a knife right. Then there is the bloody sheaf. Ill do a write up so others might learn from my mistakes with some pics later on. The knife and the sheaf have a process that you have to learn and follow or you stuff it up. Thanks Whistler, it is a fair dinkum field knife. And it feels like one in your hand. Tim i will bring them along to the goats so you can have a feel of them, tell me what you think of them. Here is the first sheaf and the second invented set of sheaf s. I was going to put 3 rivets in the top. But i ended up stitching them. The knife locks in by using the bolster seated in a pocket.

Got a lot to report on this little adventure. I have always taken on anything. Im not one to say stuff it, i doubt my ability. Ill do a full report on these things after the Pheasant shoot. Right now im saying, never again. But i am a tad proud of the outcome. PS. My Darling got the pic thing sorted out. It took an hour but she showed her true colors. Bloody Pom. PPS Now ill pay up my VIP membership, seeing how i can post pics again.

Your on the ball Geoff. The seat and sitting was what got me thinking. The bloody knife is always being moved out of the way.

Just wondering what is the preference for the position of a knife on your belt. Example. If your right handed, do you prefer your knife to hang vertical. Handle leaning forward or handle leaning back. The same question applies to the lefties in here. Next question is. Do you like having your knife loose on you belt or a tight fit, so that it does not flop around.

Im glad you brought that up Henno. Here i was thinking it was natural. You sure do shrink in the cold mate. But then again dont we all.

Thanks for that. I have just built a new King size bed, For now ill store in under it.When the new shed extension happens. ill store it in the gun room flat. Just on the bed. My wife is a short arse. She cant touch the floor when she sits on the bed and has to climb up onto it. Now she wants me to saw the legs off. There are 2 chances of that happening. FA and None. Thanks Grant, ill look into it.

Ok you knife makers, How do you store your leather. Flat or rolled up. What is the best environment to store it in. IE The shed or in the house. The reason i ask is that if you leave it rolled up, then lay it out. Trying to get a square edge while cutting is not easy as the memory is still in the Leather. Even if you hold it down while cutting. This also ads to the problem of not getting the edger right, as the cut edge has a curl in the cut edge.. And makes the bevel look uneven. I have now got it laying on the table with weights all over the hide. For long term or short term. Is it better to have it flat, or rolled up. Also keeping in mind, maintaining the quality of the hide. PS. I tried the hot water shrinkage thing yesterday. Lesson learn t. Dont boil the jug to do it. Its far to hot and actually burns the leather. A type of blistered affect. Hot water does shrink leather. But what is the ideal temp to do it? Then drying time and how to dry it comes into play. Any ideas?

You just remember that those ears are always available Doug.

Looks great Geoff.

Sorry Grant, it arrived at my place by mistake.

If green is giving you that sort of finish. Ill be using green. Thanks Geoff.

I can vouch for what it looks like. It is a nice bit of gear. Did you use the white stick or the green Geoff? The reason im asking is that i have to get a mop and the goo. I was intending to get one of each. The weather turned lousy today So i had to put myself into the sin bin = (SHED) Wife and kids were out on the shovels moving dirt. I seen the funniest thing in my life today. 3 POMS and the dog trying to light a fire. End result was my kindling is gone, the stove gas lighters x 2 are out of gas, 4 fast burn briquets are still in the fire, un burnt. All i seen was smoke from green wood and half dead grass. The dog just sat there in the smoke looking at me as if to say WTF is going on Dad. I had to walk away for safety reasons. What safety reason you may ask. A shovel over the back of the head. You were right Geoff about handles. Ill send some pics on to you tonight.

Thanks DJ. Ill see what i can find on postage requirements.

I use the same Paul. Not sure what the experts use. Ill see whats involved with importing timber and scales. Cutting it up isnt a problem. What i have found is that the drill set i have makes life easy when it comes to fitting pins. They are in and out all the time with me doing it. The fit is that good it is better than a reamed hole. As for the epoxy to much of it makes things slip so i have to keep an eye on it. Im on the home run sheafs are done just need finishing off, Color etc. Might get all the scales on today. I went to grab a linishing belt last night, only to see that the Chinese had put the join on the out side of the belt instead on the inside. So there is 10mm of belt with no grit on it. Born idiots, they can not get anything right.

I quite like the look of English Oak. I have a visitor arriving here next month. Any idea on how i would go getting some into the country? And if thats not a problem, where would be a good source of English timber scales. I have started sticking scales on, they look great for now. But that bloody glue and clamping can cause problems. The new press studs turned up today so i might get a sheaf finished tomorrow. And all the scales on. Which reminds me i have some Lacing to do tonight. Then it will be a day on Domestic stuff if it dont rail. If it does, ill have to spend the day in the bloody shed again

Dont go sending Geoff any bloody scales. He has a wardrobe full of them. That many he dont know what to do with them. Then on the other hand. I know of a good home for some. Good call Geoff, there is heaps of info needed when it come to knife making and leather work. Best to keep it all in one place. Its a bloody nightmare when you first start. Just knowing the contacts in Australia makes life a lot easier.

Sorry to take over your story Paul, But i think this will interest many of us. If your interested in swapping Burls, or bits of burl AH just let me know. I have access to red gum and the word is out for other types. I was going to give a bit of fury leather a light burn with the gas torch just to see what happens. After all it is close to hair like. You are right when you say you cant get rid of it, there is always some left. I hope the wood stabilizer works out for you. That would be a hell of a handy tool. Ill have a good look at the vid. PS i did get a hard drive to send off, but the wife needed one for school exam results. So mine got used. Ill get another one when i can. Thanks for the info. I will keep trying different things to remove the hair.

It could have been under stress to start with Paul. I have seen that happen with exotic steels in Industry. Thats real Bitch mate. On the bright side, at least you will know what your doing with the next one. Instead of dumping it i would move the point back. At least it wont be wasted. As for bloody sheaf's. They are a testing thing. And must be made to a process. Without a doubt the most testing thing i have done. Altona Hunter. Tell us more about you wood stabilizing process. I know a man needs to do certain things in life. Like build a house, boat and rebuild a car. Along with a few others. But this knife making can be taken 2 ways. And that is to have plenty of Leather on hand for the stuff ups and the learning curve. The knife is the easy bit IMO. But the bloody sheaf and what you do to the sheaf can be a real nightmare. Right now im trying to try and invent and easy way to remove the fur from the leather. So far no easy way found. The same thing apply s to the edges. Even after removing the edge or rounding them, there is still a fur line left. Paul. Now you have a knife MATE for the template. You should start on the sheaf. Ill be waiting and watching. And you might as well throw in a pic of your work shop.

Try a square file on the notches Geoff. Makes things a bit easier. Just get the spacing right. Texta and vernier mate. Thats a nice bit of gear. From what i see and hear Whistler. This knife making thing is a bit addictive.

Nice bit of work Paul. Whats the sheaf look like?

Dare i ask what your trapping Len? One of those would be ideal, if your doing rabbits. Might get one myself as my rabbit gear is all over the place. And one of those would be something i could just throw in the van when we are off for a hunt.

You may also find that any knife that can be opened by one hand is classed as a flick knife. This includes the Havlon knifes. One guy in another pub imported some due the the cheaper price from off shore, only to have Customs confiscate them. When he complained he was told by Customs that because they could be opened with one hand they fell under their flick knife policy. Nothing consistent with this knife thing from what i can see.