Post by akansan on Dec 27, 2007 19:35:12 GMT -5
So last year when I got my grinder I had grand plans for Christmas presents. The delay in getting it up and running sidetracked those plans to birthday plans...and then back around to Christmas plans again. I've worked on this knife off and on throughout the year - first cutting the pieces, working the blade...revising the pattern when I learned the painful truth of inside curves on straight wheels... ( ), etc. But it was going to happen this Christmas.
Until yesterday. I finally epoxied all the pieces together over the Christmas break and wanted to be SURE it was nice and secure before grinding on it. What I hadn't counted on was the poor shape of the expanding drum on the other grinder I have (my soon-to-be polish grinder). That grinder had more room between expanding drums, and I had SiC belts given to me when I purchased it. I figured it was meant to be and the knife would finally be finished in time for a gifting (for those of you curious, the family gift exchange is happening over New Year's instead of Christmas...).
The first belt snapped. I figured I had simply put it on in the wrong direction. I replaced the belt and happily went on my way roughing out the hilt. Then the second belt snapped and the knife flew out of my fingers. A quick inspection told me I would be okay...everything looked fine. After the second belt, I looked more closely at the drum. It's shot. Where the rubber is supposed to be connected to each other at the bottom (close to the metal) is separated, and the rubber is hard there instead of supple. In fact, it goes crunch crunch when you squeeze there instead of making no noise at all.
Anyway, now here's where I started whining. I took the knife inside to wash it up...and noticed a CRACK on the blade. A large crack. A crack that just makes me MAD. *sigh* And sad.
So I figured if nothing else I can share with you the knife that just is not meant to be.
The knife: Dumortorite from Stoner, Sodalite from Snowdog, and black feather plume from ebay. It was going to have the Star of Life (Paramedic symbol) etched into the handle with the mirror etching stuff with EMT-P and my father's name etched into the sides of the blade.
The crack:
A close up of the crack:
I might try epoxying it to see if I can work around the crack, but I'm so afraid that the blade is just going to crack in half if I apply any pressure.
So there's the story of my failure at knife making. And now I have to figure out what to get my father for Christmas instead. *Sigh*
Until yesterday. I finally epoxied all the pieces together over the Christmas break and wanted to be SURE it was nice and secure before grinding on it. What I hadn't counted on was the poor shape of the expanding drum on the other grinder I have (my soon-to-be polish grinder). That grinder had more room between expanding drums, and I had SiC belts given to me when I purchased it. I figured it was meant to be and the knife would finally be finished in time for a gifting (for those of you curious, the family gift exchange is happening over New Year's instead of Christmas...).
The first belt snapped. I figured I had simply put it on in the wrong direction. I replaced the belt and happily went on my way roughing out the hilt. Then the second belt snapped and the knife flew out of my fingers. A quick inspection told me I would be okay...everything looked fine. After the second belt, I looked more closely at the drum. It's shot. Where the rubber is supposed to be connected to each other at the bottom (close to the metal) is separated, and the rubber is hard there instead of supple. In fact, it goes crunch crunch when you squeeze there instead of making no noise at all.
Anyway, now here's where I started whining. I took the knife inside to wash it up...and noticed a CRACK on the blade. A large crack. A crack that just makes me MAD. *sigh* And sad.
So I figured if nothing else I can share with you the knife that just is not meant to be.
The knife: Dumortorite from Stoner, Sodalite from Snowdog, and black feather plume from ebay. It was going to have the Star of Life (Paramedic symbol) etched into the handle with the mirror etching stuff with EMT-P and my father's name etched into the sides of the blade.
The crack:
A close up of the crack:
I might try epoxying it to see if I can work around the crack, but I'm so afraid that the blade is just going to crack in half if I apply any pressure.
So there's the story of my failure at knife making. And now I have to figure out what to get my father for Christmas instead. *Sigh*