Custom Glaucus Build

I guess my timing for taking custom orders was spot on since I received my first order request just two days after opening the books.  So far, this has been a great experience.  I've had fun working with the client to nail down all the specifications and design of this new knife.  I hope to deliver a piece that meets all of the clients expectations.  I invite everyone to tag along with me on this new knife-making adventure.

I made some serious progress on this knife over the last week.  Somehow, I found a lot more time than usual to sneak off to my little shop and smell the glorious aroma of hot metal.  The design that the client and I settled on was a Glaucus pattern with solid 416ss scales that will be carved and textured, similar to the Pride that can be found on the Knife Gallery page.  Here are a series of photos showing the build so far.

The first step of the build was to profile the blade and get it ready for heat treatment.  The process of heat treating takes some time, so I like to get the blade going from the start.  Here is the CPM154 blade after it has been profile ground, pivot and thumb stud holes drilled, and the choil filed in.  The flat surfaces have also been ground down to 600 grit.  All of this work is much easier to accomplish while the steel is in its annealed state.

After the blade is ready to go, it gets wrapped in stainless steel foil and enters into the heat treat process.  Heat treating is accomplished in four steps.  First the blade is heated above its critical temperature, which for this steel is around 1850 degrees F.  After soaking at this temperature the blade is removed and quenched between two aluminum plates to quickly draw out the heat, leaving the steel in a hardened state.  Next, the blade goes into a super cool or cryogenic process which hardens the steel even more.  Lastly, the blade goes through two temper cycles to draw out some of the hardness from the steel to make it tough and more usable without being brittle.

Here are the raw materials for the major parts of the knife handle.  The liners will be made from 6AL4V titanium and the spacer and scales will be from 416 stainless.

Here are the parts after they have been profile ground to shape.  I know it doesn't look very exciting now, but just wait.  It gets better.

After a whole lot of drilling, tapping, grinding and fitting, here are the knife parts ready for their initial assembly and first fitting.  The small parts at the top of the photo will make up the pivot assembly.  It is comprised of a pivot pin with two button-head screws, two phosphor bronze washers, and a pivot bushing.  All the pivot parts have been precisely ground to length and fit to the blade.

All the parts have been assembled for the first time and are ready to be profile ground so that all parts fit together seamlessly.  It's actually starting to look like a knife now.

After some time on the grinder with the slack belt attachment, the surface of the handle scales get rounded over and polished up to 600 grit.  With all the sharp edges knocked off, the knife feels really comfortable in the hand.  From here on the scales will be carved and textured to the design that the client and I agreed on.  The design will be a carbon copy of the Pride knife shown on the Knife Gallery Page.

Here's a quick look at the spine of the knife.  We decided to keep everything sleek and smooth with no filework.  The liners will get a very fine texture along the edges to break up the looks of the surface, simply for aesthetics.

Moving on now to the blade.  This photo shows the blade after it has been hollow ground to its finished form.  I use a shop-built file guide to keep the plunge lines perfectly symmetrical and a 6 inch contact wheel for a deep hollow grind.

Next, the blade gets its final finish, a hand-rubbed satin finish.  This kind of finish is so beautiful.  At least it is to my eyes.  The finish is uniform and and smooth with all stray scratches are sanded out.  This takes a lot of work, which is likely why many knife makers are satisfied with a belt finish right off of the grinder.  I like to go the extra mile on my blades.

This photo shows the right liner after the lock bar has been cut out.  The lock bar is the part that will engage with the back edge of the tang to keep the blade locked open while in use.  This is cut into the liner using a small cutting disc mounted in my drill press.  I didn't take any pics of this step, but you can scroll back through previous posts if your interested.

Here are the liners in their almost-finished state.  The ceramic detent ball has been pressed into the lock bar and the inside surfaces have been given a jeweled finish.  The jeweled finish is accomplished at the drill press with a Cratex rod that has an abrasive embedded in the rubber cylinder.  This detail is very subtle, especially since it is actually inside the knife, but I think it's worth the extra work.

The edges of the liners have been stippled using a rotary tool with a diamond flame bit.  This gives the liners a fine texture to them that will eventually match the texture on the scales once they have been finished.

The next step is to build the thumb stud.  I use a piece of 416ss dowel rod and turn the stud on my mini lathe using files and sandpaper to establish the design.  The stud gets drilled and tapped to accept a screw which will fasten it onto the blade securely.

Here is the knife in its current state.  It's practically done except for the carving and texturing yet to accomplish on the scales.  I also need to tweak the pivot system until it is velvety smooth.  You can see that my maker's mark has been etched into the blade and the face of the thumb stud has been stippled to match the texture on the liners.  It's looking pretty darn good if you ask me.  I do need to put this little knife on a diet though.  Being an all-steel knife, it's a little on the heavy side.  I'll lighten the load by removing some material from the inside of the scales and I'll also drill some holes through the spacer to remove any extra material and lighten things up some.

Here is a spine view of the knife.  One thing I just realized that I neglected to document was the anodization of the liners.  They have been colored this nice rosy pink hue, since the new owner is of the feminine persuasion.  It actually looks really nice and that thin strips of color help break up the silver surface.  Classy!

The next big step is to carve and texture the scales.  It's a meticulous process that can get a little fussy and make one's eyes go crossed, but I'm looking forward to the challenge.  Wish me luck.  I hope the client will like her new knife.  I know that I sure do.  Thanks for following along with me on this build and we'll catch you next week.

-  Brandant Robinson