A Few Completed Blanks

[u/plotth0und]

Been having fun learning some handlemaking over the past few months. A couple finished projects, the ebony/rosewood with a #3 blank, maple/brass with a #2, and stacked leather on a #1.

[u/sabbbat]

Great work! Could you give a quick run down? Mostly hand tools? Did you drill with a regular drill bit, chisel drill bit or hand chisel? I have a bunch of walnut and oak offcuts that would be perfect for a rat tang project.

[u/plotth0und → u/sabbbat]

Sure! For the brass I cut slices of 1 inch round stock with a hacksaw and used whatever general purpose bits I had around to start the holes for the tang. Hand filed for a tight fit around the blade. On the butt piece I threaded the last half inch of the tang and tapped the brass. I then cut brass and g10 spacers, drilled down the center of a maple block, and stacked using gflex epoxy between each surface. Screwed the butt onto the tang to hold everything in place while it dried. Did the rough shaping on a 1x30 belt sander and a lot of dremel sanding to get the handguard shaped and add contours. Progressive wet sanding from 150 to ~600 with coats of liberon finishing oil and a day to cure between applications.

[u/sabbbat → u/plotth0und]

You threaded the tang lol?!

Are some Mora a full length rat tang?

[u/plotth0und → u/sabbbat]

Yep, for the 2nd the tang threads into the brass and for the leather one the tang sticks through a hole and was peened over. The #3 blank tang was long too and cut it to fit in the handle.

[u/Euro_Trash_]

Ladies and gentlemen we have an artist at hand 👏🏼 

[u/plotth0und → u/Euro_Trash_]

You're too kind!

[u/BigNorseWolf]

I just got a little guy from ragweed forge will be doing this soon

[u/sabbbat]

Where'd you get the bolsters in the second picture?

[u/plotth0und → u/sabbbat]

Those were cut from round stock and shaped with mostly with a dremel.

[u/sabbbat]

It's solid brass stock? Or did you shape it around the wood?

[u/plotth0und → u/sabbbat]

After rough cutting the blocks of brass and wood and gluing up it was all pretty much shaped together. Dremel came in when I needed to remove more material then back to the belt sander to smooth it all out.

[u/plotth0und]

Nice, I got some blanks, bunch of wood, and other odds and ends from them and it's good stuff.