Hello Readers. I told you this AM, that I hoped to have this folder complete today. I went to my Dr. this morning. Had to wait 2 hrs to see him. Didn't mind, but there went two hours. Then, it was a thorough meeting. And, nothing I was hoping to hear. There will be considerable follow up.

This evening, I find Serial Number 1369, at about 90% completion. I hope you like it. Logo engraving will lend Elegance. The file worked back spring will get polished. Interior polished and numbers engraved. Riveted together and polished. Tuned. Sharpened. I feel it's quite easy to envision the rest - and so I will offer it. The knife is $682us plus $18 shipping and insurance via USPS. A $700 US Bill will buy it. It's quite nice. And BTW, it's the prototype of my new "Aurora Class" of folding knives. These are the standardized ones I recently referred to. . I will mark it inside, as such.





Drop your marker here. Go to PM Section (upper right of page) if required. I'm barnespneumatic in the list of members.

God Bless,
Gary

Updated photos and discussions follow!



Edited 2 time(s). Last edit at 02/19/2017 04:39PM by barnespneumatic.

Blade is highly polished.



My Dragon Coin Die, reflected in the blade ....

Thks. much,
Gary



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/10/2017 03:18AM by barnespneumatic.

It certainly isn't like the internet. Love to watch a true artist at work. Can't wait to show off all the goodies I ordered. No pressure no pressure. Just really admire your work and love art which flows from your finger tips

Thank you very much Alice.

I accept your sincerity. And, believe me .... nobody could ratchet up more pressure than I put on myself.

Thanks for reading and commenting.

Gary

Great Lines.

Sorry I didn't get the final rivet pins set. It's done 'cept for that and sharpening.

The Shop turned into a Clown Car this afternoon! . . I've actually built this knife twice! What a bargain. Two fur One!!!

Enjoy. Thks. Drop your marker here to purchase. Thanks.
Gary

Gary
That's a great looking knife . I really like the shape of the handle design !
Of course the file work is beautiful but with all the steel ive worked with your polished blades are the best . Alice's knife reflection doesn't even look like a piece of metal . It looks like the actual container with the writing backwards .

I sure wouldn't mind being spectator for a week watching it all come together . I'd even sweep the floors and clean your lathe bed of chips ! You can watch a lot on the Internet but it's just not the same being there in person .

Thanks
Kurt

Kurt,

You need a break from the grind there. You are officially invited to spend a week here. You can watch, and I'll put you to work. I need a good Foreman.

Gary

Love the reflections.

Gary

Nice, do you use a tripoli - rouge for the end? just curious .... don't give away any secrets!

Hi Steve,

Tripoli is good for brass. They claim the green is for Stainless and White for Steel.

Technique vastly effects it and polishing without destroying the detail and corners is the secret. Amateurs will always wash out detail trying to polish.

As I'm sure you know, the backing material, flex, speed are all big factors.

BTW, got your note. Thanks Steve,

Gary

That must be the proper attire for safely polishing knifes!
Another fantastic knife Gary! I really like the file work and the Camo tusk!
I am sure this one will fly of the shelf

Bob

That's it Robert. Dressed for Success!

Buffing and grinding are filthy tasks. That's why I get the big bucks.

Thanks for commenting!

Gary

Hi Guys.

I forgot these two Pics. Notice the new mirror image Filework on each side of where the blade folds into the case.

Also recall: This is the first of the Aurora Class. It's a new geometry inside. It uses a front blade pivot bushing. The spring is tapered spine to interior edge. And, on this one, the blade case area is also milled to leave trunions and thus relieve the Ricasso from side scuffing.

First; to your pics. Then please read the important discussion below the pics.





Now, this is important. There are a ton of features and attention to detail on this knife, that are completely unnecessary. In fact, they are a complete waste of time .... to most buyers. Please allow me to list them:

1). Blade tang geometry and Case shape .... makes certain that the blade spine/spring face notch, is tucked in when the blade is closed. Lesser knives have a famous "Pocket Buster" geometry.



2). Blade tang is bushing mounted in the front. This makes it impossible for the front bolsters/liners to pinch the blade (slowing it down or freezing rotation).

3). Liners are machined to leave "Trunions" upon which the blade rotates AND the area around the trunions are relieved so that they can't pinch the blade tang. Pinching would slow/freeze rotation, and if not relieved, those areas might provide drag on the tang - creating lack of motion and scratching.

4). Back spring is double tapered. The height (belly to spine) of the steel is tapered, AND (much more rare), the spring is tapered all along its movement length - leaving the spring spine face ful thickness, and the spring's belly less thick. All of this produces a "stacked flex" and "relieved motion". You will recognize that this must all be done very precisely and that it takes considerable time and attention.

5). The interior surfaces if the spring and the liners are finished and polished. This takes considerable time. Most will never notice.

6). The parimeter of the blade tang is finished and polished. Who cares? The blade/spring contact surfaces care very much. And, it takes a lot of time and attention. You can't take a well fit surface or interlock .... Then polish it ... and have it remain well fit. Sanding and Polishing both remove material! I must plan well ahead. End up with the measurements I need ONCE polished.

7). Blade tang and the front of the spring where they interact, must be the same hardness. This is so one will not wear the other. If they are mismatched, the knife will wear easily. This means that you cannot just toss the springs in a tempering oven. It's a hand/eye process with an hot secondary tool (Torch - bar of hot steel). Blade tang
- blade edge - blade spine: are also three different hardnesses. Skill and experience. Sure; you can make them other ways. You can bet industry and most Custom Markers don't bother with these details.

8). Filework. Nobody needs it. Everybody wants it. It takes time, a great measured eye, and skill to do it correctly. What a MESS if you do it wrong. What a mechanical failure if you cut it wrong, in the wrong areas, or heat treat incorrectly where it is.

Posting so I don't loose this! Be back ....

I'm back. And WITH muscle relieving ointment on the clacking neck. (Looking down all day for 42 years ....)

Continuing with our list of time draining build features. Are they worth it to you?

9). Blade grinds and finishes. The great majority of blades are hollow ground on a fast moving small diameter belt grinder. I will assume that you recognize these blades. Typically, such blades have a large flat steel area, then a hollow ground drop off toward the edge. In my opinion, the transition area between that fast thickening bevel, and then the thick flat area ... prevents a blade from "slicing". It "wedges" into a cut - from my experience. You can't make a longer taper with the small wheel diameter, it grinds a fixed distance across the blade width, due to its diameter cup. It you try to grind back farther in the width of a blade, you will begin to grind the center thickness out of the blade. If you would persist, you'd meet the other side of the blade. So, if you are grinding on small wheels, you are limited to the look and (I think also the slicing ability) of your blades.

The Flat Grind is a simple wedge from edge to spine. It can be produced by allowing a grinding belt to run over a flat steel backer (platen), or it can be produced by hand grinders and files. That is painfully slow and the blade, and belts, will easily act squirrelly on the flat backer. You need restrictions and guides to prevent the belt from sliding.

Note: A hollow ground blade establishes a hollow "track/groove" and guides the belt as you steer it.

Back shortly .... Got a text where Kelly has offered a homemade egg salad sammich. You guys can wait! Hah!!!



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/11/2017 07:26PM by barnespneumatic.

Ok. Yum.

Now. To wrap up.

9). Cont. I made a Custom Grinder. What .... 37 years ago??? Still works wonderfully. Contact wheels are amazingly expensive. As you go above the standard fare, it would just stagger you. Price 24" wheels! Ha!!! Mine are around 21 inches. I made them! Ha! The way I built most of my sets of tooling and odd machines. And so; I gring a hollow ground blade, that goes from edge to spine. And it slices beautifully. It all has to be maintained. And used properly without damaging it.

To finish the "Blade Grind" section; it's necessary to speak about "symmetry" and "accuracy". Do the blade grinds match from side to side? Are they cleanly cut? Is the edge centered? Is the point centered? Is the edge well established. Then, I cut in a "Choil". It's that notch at the back end of the edge it allows you to sharpen the edge all the way to the back. It allows you to lay the edge on a flat stone. If there is a radius back there where the edge just sort of morphs into the tang, then you can't ever sharpen back there. So you don't use that section of the edge and you sharpen the blade more and more tapered toward the front.

This stuff ALL takes time and precise care.

10). Blade finish. I'll stop with ten, but I'm sure there are more.

In FINISH, anything beyond a nice brushed finish is cosmetic. But, customers want it. That's fine. It carries out the statement of elegant attention to detail. It takes time, skill, patience, and it takes belts and equipment. You don't just wander over to the buffer for a few minutes. You must MAINTAIN the grind lines. You slowly work thru a PROGRESSION of belts and abrasive. It's all expensive to produce.

Ok: there are just 10 ITEMS to consider. Are they worth the bother? They take more time then making the knife itself. Meaning, IF it took 2 days to make a knife pretty much looking like this knife's cousin ... then it would take 4 days to make it this way. Of course it's going to drive up the price. But, when you begin asking which step I should leave out, very few want to leave out anything. It's the old "once you've seen it, you can't go back."

Even this long explanation is an expensive extra. Who does this? But it's done in an effort to have you understand that I don't just make up numbers. I just wanted you to have an understanding of many details built into Barnes Knives.

Best,
Gary

11 would be .... Handle materials. I hope you understand the place held by my Skeeter Tusk. Heck ... I could buy something for $15 to put on there, or even cut something classic to use. But, the maker of the knife "made" this! (I mean excavated .... from the tar pits ....). It's unique. Won't happen again. Limited edition. Goes with him. It's neat, if you are going to follow the work of an artist, to follow "what he does that is unique to him). You know those chrome wheels with the split branched end on the spokes, that you could get on like a 67 Mustang? Well, you can restore a 67 fastback now ... and put some OTHER "popular now" wheel on it. But - Dude .... Paint it Green and use THOSE wheels. That is what FORD did. If you want the FORD .....

Ok. Lots in there. Back to Alice's projects ....



Edited 1 time(s). Last edit at 02/11/2017 08:14PM by barnespneumatic.

BTW .... This Fantastic Folder is now finished, if you wanted to make sure I didn't die on ya or anything. Haha. "Hey, I hear he's done it before .... ... make sure it's done ...."

Ok .... It's a piece I'm really pleased with - all the way thru.



Gary

Amazing Gary, thank you so much for the detailed explanation! I really enjoy learning each time I read one of your many detailed descriptions and explanations. I have not had to sharpen any of the Barnes knives I have yet. I'm a bad boy too and use them to cut cardboard.

CARDBOARD!!!!!

Ha.

Thanks for using them Sal.

Gary

yeah, Gary's blades work good for snap on watch case backs. Some of those are real bears to get open.

Watch Case Backs!!!!



Anybody scraping their shrimp boat hull with one?



Gary

Gary
That knife is gorgeous !! If a hadn't just bought one I would jump on this one!
Nice work and great explanation of the extra steps we don't even know about!
I really like the camo tusk.

Bob