Well, the Guardian build is almost complete. I have just a few more things left to do and this knife will be finished. I can't wait to see what it looks like in its finished state. This guy is going to be really cool. I sure hope my client is pleased with it in the end. Here are a few more work in progress pics for you to follow.
The pattern on the rear bolster on the front side got kind of washed out after grinding and didn't look as good as it could have (old bolster on the right). At my clients request, which I was more than happy to grant, I replaced that bolster with a new material. The new fit is nice and tight and the pattern is much better. I'm very pleased with the improvement over the original bolster.
The bevels have been ground into the blade and the blade has been polished up, ready for an acid etch to bring out the Damascus pattern.
In order to protect the critical points on the tang, I mask off those areas with some enamel paint that will resist the acid, leaving these areas unetched.
Into the acid it goes. For stainless steel etching, I use muriatic acid, which is essentially hydrochloric acid. I follow up this etch in ferric chloride which helps to darken the darker layers of the Damascus. The jar on the left is water with baking soda to neutralize the acid.
Here's the blade after being etched. Looks pretty darn striking. I just love that feather pattern and it really stands proud on this blade.
Here I am at the mill, adding the jeweling to the insides of the liners. Again, this is a subtle detail that many will not even know is there, but I think it's still worth the effort.
The lock gets cut into the liner at the mill as well. I use thin cutoff disks mounted in a mandrel for this step. Works really well and I get a thin, consistent cut this way.
This was the end of my shop time for this weekend. I did manage to fit the lock to the blade tang and get the detent ball set, but I neglected to take any pics of those steps. All that is left to do now is to make a thumb stud, adjust the fit of the pocket clip, sharpen and mark the blade, anodize the liners, and make any final tweaks that need to be made. I should have this one done by next weekend and ready to send off to its new home. I can't wait to post some finished pics taken with a good camera in good lighting. This one is really eye catching. I hope my client likes it. Thanks for following along with me on this build. Catch you all next week.
- Brandant Robinson