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Author Topic: Intro  (Read 3392 times)

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SVanderkolff

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Intro
« on: March 09, 2018, 11:22:46 AM »

I'm a knifemaker from Southern Ontario. If you want to see my knives take a look at my website www.vanderkolffknives.com
I'm new to lapidary but want to learn how to inlay the stones into my knife handles. I picked up some equipment from an older gentleman who was moving into a home so now have to figure out how to use it all.
Not sure what else to say.
Thanks
Steve
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Slabbercabber

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Re: Intro
« Reply #1 on: March 09, 2018, 04:58:48 PM »

Welcome from Deep East Texas.  I love your work.  Looking forward to seeing them with stones.
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hummingbirdstones

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Re: Intro
« Reply #2 on: March 09, 2018, 06:29:00 PM »

Welcome from Northern Arizona!  Beautiful knives!  I know we have a couple of knife makers on the board.
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Robin

Jhon P

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Re: Intro
« Reply #3 on: March 09, 2018, 07:05:58 PM »

Welcome from Nevada. I have thought about learning to forge. Right now I buy blanks or finished knifes and remove the scales and put the stone scales on them. Are you wanting to inlay the stone into wood or other traditional scales?
I have put finished stones in antler but have never tried to inlay a stone and finish it in the scale. Maybe Michael Hoover ( our resident expert) can help
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SVanderkolff

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Re: Intro
« Reply #4 on: March 12, 2018, 05:02:57 AM »

This is what I am trying to figure out how to do properly. This is bloodstone inlayed into 416 stainless steel in a slip joint pattern. Unfortunately the stone on both sides cracked during the polishing process.
Steve
green inlay.jpg
*green inlay.jpg (67.3 kB . 720x960 - viewed 503 times)
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Jhon P

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Re: Intro
« Reply #5 on: March 12, 2018, 06:17:51 AM »

Could the cracking have been caused by heat. Were you using a dry buff to polish the steel. The stone may expand more when heated than the steel? You may try nephrite jade it is more durable and less prone to cracking. You may explain the process you are using to set the stone and shaping it to the steel scales it might give us a better idea of what is going on
 I am just taking my best guess
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irockhound

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Re: Intro
« Reply #6 on: March 12, 2018, 10:25:28 AM »

I am stating probably what you already know since you have such nice work and are obviously very experienced.  Anything that causes expansion when 2 different materials are joined will cause this type of problem.  Even when you have an old rind of agate that is glued to a piece of wood if the wood expands due to getting wet the stone will fracture.  Once the stone is bonded in it will be necessary to avoid any type of expansion such as heat.
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Redrummd

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Re: Intro
« Reply #7 on: March 12, 2018, 07:49:53 PM »

How is the stone fit or adhered to the metal?  I use loctite 325 as it is flexible when cured and allows for the difference in expansion of metal and stone.  Your work is very well done so I doubt it is not a solvable issue.   

2nd guess would be too much space behind the stone for the method used to adhere....

Phishisgroovin

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Re: Intro
« Reply #8 on: March 13, 2018, 05:29:06 AM »

lol!
We have our own "FORGED in fire" master here. sweet!
Welcome to the group!
wish i was welcome in Canada, i would come up and learn.
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Slabbercabber

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Re: Intro
« Reply #9 on: March 13, 2018, 07:49:55 AM »

I've only done one tight linlay into steel knife handle but I had good luck doing the entire process wet.  That includes the final polish.  I wish I had taken a picture before it was sold.
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Jhon P

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Re: Intro
« Reply #10 on: March 13, 2018, 01:01:05 PM »

Maybe you got a bad rock that was prone to cracking or the cracks were not visible in till you got to the polishing stage, the polish gets in the fine fractures and they become more visible
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peruano

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Re: Intro
« Reply #11 on: March 14, 2018, 05:41:09 AM »

I have already borrowed your guidance of the four things you have learned.  Having an understanding wife seems to be the key one.  Welcome.
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Combining a love of bikes (pedal and otherwise) with hiking, hounding, lapidary, and the great outdoors

SVanderkolff

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Re: Intro
« Reply #12 on: March 14, 2018, 11:56:22 AM »

Thanks to everyone for the welcome.
There seems to be a fair bit of interest in the process so I will lay it out.
I use a milling machine to carve out a cavity into a 416 stainless steel bar that is 1 inch wide by 4 inches long by 3/16 thick. I use a hardened pattern to ensure I have exactly the same cavity on both sides. The cavity is roughly 5/32 deep.
Once I have the cavity cut I use Vaseline on the inside of the cavity and then fill the cavity with 24 hour epoxy. I make 2 small holes in the back of the cavity in order to push out the hardened glue.
This gives me an exact mold of the cavity. When inlaying stone into steel an exact fit is required as neither material has any give in it and even the tiniest gap is visible when you give both the steel and the stone a mirror polish.
Once I pop out the mold I will glue it onto a piece of stone that has been cu t to rough shape.
I am currently using my drill press with a diamond burr under water to shape the stone. BY using Dykem on the outside of the mold I can see when the diamond burr just touching the mold.
This gets me very close to a true fit, them it is test and check.
I then take the two halves of the knife and give them a preliminary shaping. This removes most of the metal leaving a cavity roughly 3/32" deep.
After that is is back to the finish of the knife. The knife is peened together at the front and back. Then the stone is inserted int the cavity with a good layer of medium thickness superglue.
Once that has hardened I use a 100 grit diamond wheel with water to grind the inlayed stone o roughly the same thickness as the sides of the knife. Then use 220 through 600 grit on expanding wheel to shape and polih the stone. The use a leathe buffing cloth with very fine abrasive powder to try and get final polish.
Thats the steps at this point. Given my current lack of anything that looks like knowledge I am extremely open suggetions.
Thanks
Steve
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Jhon P

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Re: Intro
« Reply #13 on: March 14, 2018, 12:30:21 PM »

I would try the loctite  325 like micheal suggested and jade because it is less likely to crack
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Redrummd

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Re: Intro
« Reply #14 on: March 14, 2018, 10:03:36 PM »

Leather buff gets the stone too hot.......  The stone should never get too warm to comfortably hold it to your cheek.
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