3 knives, 1 new design

[HillBill]

Hi Folks.

I've been busy this week making these 3. The top one is a new design, well to be more precise its the same design as the second one, but with a bit more length to both the blade and the handle. I've only made one prior to this one, It was designed at the request of a customer who wanted the styling of the other knife but larger.

These 3 will be available for sale on my website when i launch it next week. I have had to come up with names for each model, couldn't think of much so i kept it simple at to the point.

I've tried single bolsters on 2 of these, its the first time i've made a knife with a single bolster, and i like how they have turned out.

Anyway, enough of my wittering on, heres some specs and pics :)

All are in 3mm 01 tool steel.

Specs are in order of the pictures.

SPB-1+ ( Spear Point Bushcraft model 1+, simple innit :D)
Blade length - 4"
Handle length - 5"
Total length - 9"
Handle - African Blackwood over white liners, 316 stainless bolsters pins and lanyard tube

SPB-1 ( Spear Point Bushcraft -1)
Blade length - 3.25"
Handle length - 4.75"
Total length - 8"
Handle - Briar Burl over black liners, brass bolsters pins and tube.

PNK-1 (Pocket/Neck Knife)
Blade length - 2"
Handle length - 3.5"
Total length - 5.5"
Handle - Claro walnut over white liners, brass pins and tube.

The bolsters are polished, So they are hard to photograph, couple of smears on them from the cloth i think too.

http://i446.photobucket.com/albums/qq186/markhill1608/P1010643.jpg
http://i446.photobucket.com/albums/qq186/markhill1608/P1010644.jpg
http://i446.photobucket.com/albums/qq186/markhill1608/P1010646.jpg
http://i446.photobucket.com/albums/qq186/markhill1608/P1010647.jpg
http://i446.photobucket.com/albums/qq186/markhill1608/P1010649.jpg


http://i446.photobucket.com/albums/qq186/markhill1608/P1010653.jpg
http://i446.photobucket.com/albums/qq186/markhill1608/P1010654.jpg
http://i446.photobucket.com/albums/qq186/markhill1608/P1010655.jpg
http://i446.photobucket.com/albums/qq186/markhill1608/P1010656.jpg
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http://i446.photobucket.com/albums/qq186/markhill1608/P1010658.jpg
http://i446.photobucket.com/albums/qq186/markhill1608/P1010664.jpg
http://i446.photobucket.com/albums/qq186/markhill1608/P1010665.jpg
http://i446.photobucket.com/albums/qq186/markhill1608/P1010663.jpg


http://i446.photobucket.com/albums/qq186/markhill1608/P1010670.jpg
http://i446.photobucket.com/albums/qq186/markhill1608/P1010671.jpg
http://i446.photobucket.com/albums/qq186/markhill1608/P1010669.jpg
http://i446.photobucket.com/albums/qq186/markhill1608/P1010674.jpg
http://i446.photobucket.com/albums/qq186/markhill1608/P1010673.jpg
http://i446.photobucket.com/albums/qq186/markhill1608/P1010668.jpg
http://i446.photobucket.com/albums/qq186/markhill1608/P1010667.jpg

[Kernowek Scouser]

Great Work Mark T^

Out of curiosity, what sort of tasks would the little blade be better for?

[HillBill]

Cheers Colin. :)

Anything mate, its a decent carver and skinner. Really its just an all purpose knife, that can be slipped in a pocket or round the neck when your out and about. Normal bushys can be a bit big or chunky for finer stuff so this just fits in nicely between folder and bushy. Stronger than a folder, more finesse than a bushy. :)

[paulthefish2009]

stunning mate. Paul

[HillBill]

Thanks :)

[CanadianMike]

Beautiful work! I gotta try adding a bolster like that sometime, have a chunk of brass and brass rod........

I like how you keep the blade finish simple, I tend to put way too much effort sanding out the finish (and scratches), to either make it suitable for bluing (400x or 600x), or go all the way up to 2000x for a mirror finish. Too much effort especialy for the low prices I sell them for. Just yesterday I realized I spent a good 8 hours designing and making a custom kydex sheath for a new knife I made, big problem is the customer wants it to hold my 5" metal saw with 1" sharp blade, sharpening stone, ferro rod, and a magnet. Is a tough one and I think I may be almost done, but still, I put a huge amount of time into the knife as well, and sold for under $200. Other hand, a guy in the US has sent me his knife to make a custom sheath for, I charged him $60 including shipping back. Been told I should be charging a lot more for my knives than I do, but I see that as a way to reduce the affordability of them and not exactly a good decision. Unsure what to do....

Sorry if wrong place, you just got me thinking.

[Silverback]

Lovely work Mark. My favourite is the SPB -1

[AL...]

Real nice work and realy like the wee skinner

Cheers
AL

[HillBill]

Cheers fellas. :)

Mike - Yeah i keep the finish simple, by my way of thinking the flats are the most useless part of a knife. Keeps costs down to keep that part simple. All the parts that matter are as they need to be, handle, HT, grind etc.

If you're a hobbiest and doing it for fun, then it doesnt matter what you sell it for. I started out selling for £70 in 2009. My knives weren't very good. :)

My thoughts initially were its a tool, it shouldn't cost much. Then over time the standard of my knives went up, and the people wanting them increased too. So i needed more stuff to make then etc and the price had to go up. I was doing it to other peoples wishes and it became more of a part time job than a hobby. Then i started using better materials etc and price must rise again. Now i'm about to launch a website and go full time pro, this means paying taxes, national insurance, business insurance, increased rates and energy bills and thus prices must rise again. Never by choice, as i still believe they are tools. But necessity forces the price hikes. A lot of folk think a knife maker earns loads, but we dont. Its an expensive job to have, we go through materials like men possessed and those materials aint cheap. We give a customer what they want, in return its only fair that we get what we want for it . If you are happy selling for what you sell for then its all good. If you feel the work you put into it is worth more than you sell for then , then 2 options present themselves. Either take less time to do the work so it is worth your time, or charge more to cover the work you do.

You just have to be realistic, do you have a high opinion of your knives, or do others? If others do, charge what you think its worth. If you do and others dont, time to take a minute and re think.

Don't be scared to raise prices, you cant foot the bill of things others want. Just dont go silly. Set an hourly rate for yourself, what ever you think is fair, add in the material costs, wear and tear etc and theres the price of your knife. This is how i did it for a couple of years. :)

[rosseveritt]

Well done. A lovely set of knives. :o)

[HillBill]

Thanks :)

[CanadianMike]

Cheers fellas. :)

Mike - Yeah i keep the finish simple, by my way of thinking the flats are the most useless part of a knife. Keeps costs down to keep that part simple. All the parts that matter are as they need to be, handle, HT, grind etc.

If you're a hobbiest and doing it for fun, then it doesnt matter what you sell it for. I started out selling for £70 in 2009. My knives weren't very good. :)

My thoughts initially were its a tool, it shouldn't cost much. Then over time the standard of my knives went up, and the people wanting them increased too. So i needed more stuff to make then etc and the price had to go up. I was doing it to other peoples wishes and it became more of a part time job than a hobby. Then i started using better materials etc and price must rise again. Now i'm about to launch a website and go full time pro, this means paying taxes, national insurance, business insurance, increased rates and energy bills and thus prices must rise again. Never by choice, as i still believe they are tools. But necessity forces the price hikes. A lot of folk think a knife maker earns loads, but we dont. Its an expensive job to have, we go through materials like men possessed and those materials aint cheap. We give a customer what they want, in return its only fair that we get what we want for it . If you are happy selling for what you sell for then its all good. If you feel the work you put into it is worth more than you sell for then , then 2 options present themselves. Either take less time to do the work so it is worth your time, or charge more to cover the work you do.

You just have to be realistic, do you have a high opinion of your knives, or do others? If others do, charge what you think its worth. If you do and others dont, time to take a minute and re think.

Don't be scared to raise prices, you cant foot the bill of things others want. Just dont go silly. Set an hourly rate for yourself, what ever you think is fair, add in the material costs, wear and tear etc and theres the price of your knife. This is how i did it for a couple of years. :)

Thanks, is exactly the way things have been going for me as well. First knife I sold in Nov. 2010, for $100. Most recent one I made about the same style (Tom Brown Tracker influenced knife), I charged $190 for, still a bargin due to it includes a small diamond stone, fire steel and striker, 3/4" rear earth magnet and half a hacksaw blade with a 1" knife point. Kinda realized making a kydex sheath and designing it to hold all those items, I'll have to charge for design. Add in a lot more knives have been with micarta handles, more expensive (and harder to find, as well as shipping) means I'll have to raise the price a bit more, as well as thicker O-1 steel in some cases, etc.

I DO get exceptional ratings from my customers, and because of the relationship I generate with them (even if they aren't already friends) by lots of contact, updated pics, etc. they often let me know how well it's working for them, and even send me their own pics. So yes, my knives are turning out better each one, and my rep is growing. I also have high standards, which is one of the reasons I polish the blades (including the flats) because it reduces the cutting resistance of the blade, but more importantly (knowing how people don't know how to take care of carbon steel knives), it increases the corrosion resistance of the O-1.

[alvino78]

gorgeous looking knives and craftmanship!!!;)

[HillBill]

Double edge sword though mike, a polished flat increased corrosion resistance, but a textured flat increased the speed with which a patina builds which then increases corrosion resistance. If a shiney knife is important to the buyer, then fair enough. If they see them as tools, then cleaning and polishing wont be top priority. Good to have a way to encourage the patina in this case.

Polished flats need up keeping more than a rougher working finish and the rougher grind provides a better cutting edge that stays sharper longer than a polished bevel does. Cutting resistance is miniscule if anything at all. :)


Thanks, is exactly the way things have been going for me as well. First knife I sold in Nov. 2010, for $100. Most recent one I made about the same style (Tom Brown Tracker influenced knife), I charged $190 for, still a bargin due to it includes a small diamond stone, fire steel and striker, 3/4" rear earth magnet and half a hacksaw blade with a 1" knife point. Kinda realized making a kydex sheath and designing it to hold all those items, I'll have to charge for design. Add in a lot more knives have been with micarta handles, more expensive (and harder to find, as well as shipping) means I'll have to raise the price a bit more, as well as thicker O-1 steel in some cases, etc.

I DO get exceptional ratings from my customers, and because of the relationship I generate with them (even if they aren't already friends) by lots of contact, updated pics, etc. they often let me know how well it's working for them, and even send me their own pics. So yes, my knives are turning out better each one, and my rep is growing. I also have high standards, which is one of the reasons I polish the blades (including the flats) because it reduces the cutting resistance of the blade, but more importantly (knowing how people don't know how to take care of carbon steel knives), it increases the corrosion resistance of the O-1.

[CanadianMike]

Double edge sword though mike, a polished flat increased corrosion resistance, but a textured flat increased the speed with which a patina builds which then increases corrosion resistance. If a shiney knife is important to the buyer, then fair enough. If they see them as tools, then cleaning and polishing wont be top priority. Good to have a way to encourage the patina in this case.

Polished flats need up keeping more than a rougher working finish and the rougher grind provides a better cutting edge that stays sharper longer than a polished bevel does. Cutting resistance is miniscule if anything at all. :)

Exactly, and rougher means better oil/wax retention in the 'pits' (black blades I sand to 400x, sandblast, then use gun bluing, much darker more resistant finish, better oil/wax retention), cutting back on worn off oil/wax of a polished blade, but also a place for moisture to hide when wiping and increased chance of corrosion. Truly double-edged!

Thing being, I like the simplicity of a black blade, except scratches/wear from Kydex show up quickly, but with a shiney blade or even satin, I have to explain patina to the new owner, how it's a normal good thing, etc. I love the mirror finish, but is damned hard to get rid of grind marks, occasional deeper ones that is. And often I do the polishing simply because I'm trying to get rid of scratches that occured in the annealled state while cutting the knife shape out, or just handling before heat treating, grinding the initial bevel and whatnot.

[HillBill]

Mike are you on UKblades forum aswell? Bernies site? under a different username? Things you are saying remind me of a chap on there who made a couple of tom brown tracker style knives. :)

Aye it can be pain getting scratches out. Some grinding methods scratch the blade more than others. I use a plate that leads down onto the belt and grind freehand on that. But this causes tiny bits of metal to get under the blade and scratches the flats when your grinding, so getting a good finish prior to HT is impossible as itll just scratch again when you go to put the final edge on. If i wanted to make the finishing easier what i'd have to do is to make a clamp which would sit on the plate and raise the blade above the plate itself so the grinding dust wont be in contact with it. That way i could finish the flats prior to HT and leave the forge finish on it as i wouldn't have to to touch the flats. Something for you to consider maybe? :)




Exactly, and rougher means better oil/wax retention in the 'pits' (black blades I sand to 400x, sandblast, then use gun bluing, much darker more resistant finish, better oil/wax retention), cutting back on worn off oil/wax of a polished blade, but also a place for moisture to hide when wiping and increased chance of corrosion. Truly double-edged!

Thing being, I like the simplicity of a black blade, except scratches/wear from Kydex show up quickly, but with a shiney blade or even satin, I have to explain patina to the new owner, how it's a normal good thing, etc. I love the mirror finish, but is damned hard to get rid of grind marks, occasional deeper ones that is. And often I do the polishing simply because I'm trying to get rid of scratches that occured in the annealled state while cutting the knife shape out, or just handling before heat treating, grinding the initial bevel and whatnot.

[CanadianMike]

I have an account there, but only posted a couple times, mostly used it as research early on, but rarely go there now.

The scratches I get on the flats are from my jigsaw base (even taped up, rips off after a while), so I sand after shaping to even the finish out best I can, initial bevel while held in place on my jig with magnets, HT in my little brick forge, quench, temper, then work on the bevel more til about .5mm of bit less at the edge, then focus on the sanding there. I love the scale left over, but by the time I get the bevel finished the scale is all marked up (sometimes the scale comes out quite splotchy, even if I brush off the oxidation scales while HTing.

Recently I have stopped trying to polish the bevel edge, that's where the bulk of the annoying scratches come from, I link it to new belts, even if I give a few passes of steel to even out the grit, some grit is larger or sticks out more than others. Easier and nicer finish to just pass the bevel over finer belts, go from 120x-220x-320x-400x-800x, at least there aren't any deeper scratches sticking out because they are hidden in the vertical lines. :)