This week's Blackjack Knives Project

[M14sRock]

A friend gave me this Blackjack dagger a few years ago. It was in pretty rough shape. The end of the rubber (Gag) grip was broken off and there is a blade nick in one edge (Cool!). The piece of wood shown is King Wood. It has a price tag of $1 on it, and I've had it for about 20 years. Bought at the old Pomona Gun Show in SoCal.

This is how it started.



For once, the old handle came right off. It was held in place by a Chicago Style screw. Unscrewed that and it slid right off.



Unfortunately, the yellow stripe ended up being ground away, as it was really pretty. But here is the wood after curing. I used the drill press and a long drill bit to drill the hole for the tang to slide into. Ended up drilling 3 parallel holes and using the drill press as a sort of router to clean up the hole. Some work with some thin files got it perfect. Then it slid right onto the tang. I almost went pin-less on this handle, but like the extra stability the pin affords. This pin is black linen Micarta. I did not have any nickel pin stock, or would have used that to match up with the guard.



Here is the original price tag.

Here is the rough cut of the final shape.



And here is the final product.





The King Wood is very pretty wood. It got it's name from it's use in making the thrones of the European royalty.

The blade profile on this knife is really tough. It is a very strong blade and designed for penetration more than cutting. Not sure what, if anything, I will ever use it for, but making it functional and pretty was a lot of fun.

[KLRanger]

That is awesome dude! You have an enviable collection indeed. Nice woodwork, do you do it all yourself?

[M14sRock]

Thanks, KLRanger. Yes, I do all the work myself. It is very cathartic. Each knife takes about 6-8 hours to complete.

[KLRanger]

Awesome. Anything you can make your self and looks that good must be satisfying.

[wthang]

Real nice work M14! You clearly have a great hand for these!

What are the chances you'd be willing to give us a more in-depth how to guide?
Id be interested in what tools you use, tips etc. The guide for me would be just for our own personal use.

[M14sRock]

Thanks guys. It is really pretty simple.

For this knife I used a single block and drilled the hole for the tang on my drill press. A triple width of the drill bit and then some back and forth with the adjustable machinist vise. Then some thin file work. The goal was to leave enough space for the glue (epoxy) to have to grip, but not so much that the fit was loose.

I roughed up the tang with a stone wheel in a Dremel and cleaned it up with acetone.

The critical part is truing up the front edge of the handle where it will snug up to the guard. This one was easy and only needed a little fine jewelers file work.

Then fill the tang hole (in the handle) with epoxy and use a long piece of wire (coat hanger) to make sure all the edger are coated.

Then clean the tang with acetone and smear the epoxy on the tang. Then slide the tang into the hole.

Seat the pre-cut pin in the hole (coat both the pin and the hole with epoxy).

Then place the knife, blade down, in the padded vise.

I use duct tape to pull the handle down tight against the guard and hold it there. Then I tape a weight on top of the end of the handle to keep it down. Let it dry over night.

For shaping the handle I usually use rasps and files for the big work (but on this one I used a 1" wide belt sander for all the big work and small work), and a sand paper drum on the Dremel for the small work. Then the final work is done by hand with cloth backed sand paper (Crocus cloth).

Once the small work is done, I cut the Crocus cloth into full length strips about one inch wide. The blade gets clamped in the vise sideways. Then the strips of Crocus cloth are used like the buffing strap for shining shoes to smooth out and true up the surface. This takes some time and is good exercise.

When the final shape and size are achieved, I use 1000 grit sand paper to finish the surface and show any scratches and bumps.

The final step is a cloth wheel to buff the wood. After that it gets rubbed with a soft cloth and some kind of wood preservative. On this one I used a beeswax and orange oil wood floor polish.

I enjoy the work and find it very cathartic. Thanks for asking. If you have any specific questions, please ask.

[Pivo]

Outstanding!

I have a couple of cord-wrapped blades... at some point I must look into making handles.

[M14sRock]

Outstanding!

I have a couple of cord-wrapped blades... at some point I must look into making handles.

Thanks.

The hardest part for me, originally, was starting. Once I got started the process sorted itself out. For the two handled (scales) knives, having a small router table is critical.