Custom Knife, My Style

[bobob]

A knife I made a few years ago for a UDT member, Korean War.







I did all the work, engraving, hollow grind, heat treatment, lost wax castings in sterling silver. The blade steel is 154 CM, bolster steel is 440C, the scales Desert Ironwood.

Doc Burgess, Maker

[bobob]

I engraved this knife with a moose on a blade I hollow ground using 154 CM stainless.

I had killed a moose in Wyoming with my 35 Whelen and a cast boolit. The boolit was 358318, 250 grain 35 Winchester bullet at 2,100 fps. The range was 140 yards. The boolit went through him taking out the top of his heart.

I had packed in to timberline with my horses out of Togwotee Pass



Doc Burgess, Maker

[bobob]

I used 154 CM stainless for the blade and Mammoth ivory for the scales.
The ivory came out of Alaska.



Doc Burgess, Maker

[Gelandangan]

Nice job bobob.
Very pleasing on the eyes.

[badbob454]

with a steady hand to engrave like that .,, bet you are one hell of a good shot

[bobob]

badbobgerman, like everybody on this site I like to shoot and have fired many thousands of rounds and once in a while I hit what I aim at. I'll post engravings I have done of some of my favorite weapons and yes I shoot cast boolits in my MI Garand and in addition I shoot my equivalent of the National Match load with 47 grains of 4895.










I also like to shoot pistols and in all my pistols I shoot only cast boolits. I hosted the National Shooters League during the 1970s. I had shooters from 32 states and they were the best in the world led by the likes of Frank Green, U.S. Olympic pistol coach; Jim Clark, National Champion, Camp Perry, 1958; Ad Clark, best pistol shot I've ever seen; Reeves Jungkind, Texas Rangers firearms training officer; Royce Weddle, firearms training officer, PPC National Champion; Ida Younger, president National Police Officers Association, 6 times women's National Police Pistol Champion; Sam Yarosh, Secret Service; LAPD pistol team, John Pride, J.P. Nelson, Chris Kaufman, Fred Romero; FBI, and a cast of thousands. To see photos and the layout and story of the match go to: www.docburgessknives.com/sweet4.shtml

[bobob]

I like to hunt antelope and I often use them as a motif for my knife engravings. My favorite boolits are 311291 and 311413, both at 1,900 fps in my 30-06 rifles. At 1,900 fps these loads cycle the bolt on my M1 Garand. For hunting antelope I have mostly used my 03-A3, as issued.





Doc Burgess, Maker

[bobob]

I make my Damascus using 1095 and 15n20 in alternating layers. I use a hydraulic press and propane forge that I built. Sometimes I engrave the blade and I usually engrave the bolsters.







Doc Burgess, Maker

[seaboltm]

nice work. I would love to know more about your propane forge.

[bobob]

seaboltm, I made my propane forge using a piece of steel pipe 24 inches long x 10 inches in dia. x 1/8 inch thick. I made a manifold with 3 burners, all venturi. I do not use a blower. The photos that I will take will not show the burners with the very small diameter hole, the hole made with a number 46 bit of .046 inch diameter.

I used plumbers' pipe to fabricate the manifold. I used refractory batting to line the forge and I used fire brick for the floor as the Borax I use as a flux is very caustic. I dry the Borax some in a pan set near the forge.

My propane hose is fitted with a high pressure regulator. I run the pressure at about 10 psi, sometimes a little higher. I also have a pressure gauge on one of the burners. The standard barbeque tank freezes up so I place it in a deep pan of water which helps. Using a larger tank prevents freeze-up.

As you know it takes high heat to properly weld the stacks. The color, as I see it, is between lemon and light yellow, or an estimated 1,825 degrees and 1,975 degrees F. It is tempting to try to weld at a lower heat, but it doesn't work for me.

At this time I don't have photos to post, but I'll take some of both my propane forge and hydraulic press and try to post them.

Doc Burgess

[bobob]

Please see the step-down coupling that forms the venturi chamber for the 3/8 nominal pipe that has the #46 bit (.046 inch) hole for the propane.




A few random pattern blades I made using this forge:








Doc Burgess, Maker

[rking22]

Thanks for the pics and more info. Blades look great,just love damascus blades. I have carried one as my primary hunting knife for over 20 years.

[bobob]

The scales are of pronghorn antelope.

I shot this antelope at a range of 200 yards using Lyman's gas check cast boolit, 311413 at 1,900 fps in my 03-A3. This load also functions very well in my M1 Garand.






This is my signature forward of the left bolster. I prefer to hollow grind my blades.

Doc Burgess, Maker

[bobob]

How does one go about hollow grinding a blade?

First, the blade should be annealed. To anneal high carbon steel I take the billet to 1,600 degrees in my temperature controlled electric furnace, not my propane forge, and hold it for 20 minutes. I then turn the furnace off and without opening the door I leave the billet/billets in the furnace overnight to slowly cool. Cooling, slowly, anneals the steel making it soft for grinding.

I use a belt grinder with a 10 inch contact wheel and a belt that is 2"x72". I start with a new 36 grit belt. I lay out the dimension of the hollow grind using a felt tip pen. The blade is held sharp edge up and the first grind is at 45 degrees leaving a 1/16 inch profile that will become the cutting edge after sharpening. I then use this 1/16 inch edge, centered, to act as a guide for my grinds.

I progress from 36 grit to 120, 240, 400 grit and then I finish with a 600 grit belt. All belts I use are as new and sharp as I can afford. I grind about seven blades with each belt and then use the belts for other tasks.

I hollow grind free-hand using my right hand with the left hand at the tip of the blade as a guide and then change to my left hand with the right hand as a guide. I begin each grind at the ricasso.

The secret, for me, is using the right hand with power both top and bottom to keep the blade flat against the belt with the 1/16 inch edge as the guide without there being a gap between the belt and the blade between those two points. I use the same power when using the left hand for the opposite grind. By power I mean keeping both the top and bottom edges of where the belt is grinding, flat against the belt. This is very important and the secret to success.

There are videos showing makers hollow grinding their blades, but they don't compare to having a maker show you how. Then it's practice.

Where do you find a maker who will show you? I don't know. I learned by grinding.

Doc Burgess, Maker

[bobob]

Here is a hollow grind using a 10 inch contact wheel on a stainless steel blade where the hollow grind measures 9/16 inch in height.
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In this hollow grind notice how the layered pattern has been cut through the layers of alternating 1095 and 15n20 giving this random pattern an interesting and pleasing look. The height of the hollow grind is 3/4 inch using the same 10 inch contact wheel.

Making Damascus blades is one reason I like to hollow grind - it changes the surface pattern dramatically.

Doc Burgess, Maker

[bobob]

This photo shows early progress of my hydraulic press. The motor and tank still needed installing and further welding was needed. It weighs about 800 pounds including motor and tank. I slowly tack welded it to prevent warping. With its 4 3/4 inch diameter cylinder it is a 22 ton forging press.





Doc Burgess, Maker

[bobob]

I will show several bolsters with different views. I use 440 C stainless steel, almost always. I rivet the bolsters using 3/32 inch diameter 303 stainless steel round rod. Riveting makes a very strong joint. I never solder my bolsters as this is ugly and weak, at least to my fit and finish.

First I drill the 3/32 inch holes in the blade, either two or three depending on the size of the bolsters. Next I clamp and drill one bolster using the holes in the blade as my guide. I then pin the drilled bolster and clamp and drill the second bolster, carefully squaring and aligning the second bolster.

With both bolsters drilled I then taper drill the holes to 1/3rd depth using a 15 degree taper drill.

I rivet the bolsters after I have hand finished, engraved and heat treated the blade.

I dovetail all forward bolsters at 45 degrees as seen in this first photo.



Another view of a dovetailed bolster


A little different angle showing the dovetails and sculpting of the scales.


I often engrave the bolsters






A bottom view


Sometimes I fashion bolsters both fore and aft as seen in my 82nd Airborne knife. The AA emblem that I cast using the lost wax method is in sterling silver:


Doc Burgess, Maker

[bobob]

I like to engrave the antelope. I have made many knives using the antelope as the theme.



Doc Burgess, Maker

[labradigger1]

Great talent and great thread!
Lab

[Bzcraig]

Holy cow that is great and amazing talent!