Not finished. A few more passes required. But you get the idea.

Gary

Love it already!

Gary,
Looking good as always!
I just saw this one on eBay-$599.95.
[www.ebay.com]

Scott

Gee .... thanks Scott!

Competition. Links and prices too!

The price of that stock fix ..... Hummmmm ........

Gary

Gary,
I don't see it as competition. I see it more as an appetizer!

You always say that having your pieces seen makes them more valuable....

I also know that whatever you charge for the stock repair will be honest and worth it.
I wish I had more time to shoot and comment on every post. But, I try to drop at least one note every time I visit.

Scott

Much appreciated Scott! All I hope for. Boy, we'd be busy reading and have a sence of brotherhood, if everyone did just that, and no more.



Gary

I like it!

You got any more ancient Woolly Mammoth material to use? No worries if not . . . sounds like they'll be able to clone up a new one soon.

-- Jim

Hi Jim,

I do have Mammoth Ivory. Neat stuff. Every color and texture has been seen. Always brings a puzzled look on the faces of those you explain it to.

Mammoth are not legal to harvest with airguns though Jim. I'll bet you have them grazing in your yard.

Gary

Better then that old crap ... Haha.

Gary

Uhhhhhhhhhh, niceeeeeeeeeeeeeeee

Not quite finished - but you can see the whole picture now. A great example of a fine model 97 Barnes.



Gary

Wow that blade is so shiny I can see my face ! What is the final grit you use to get that mirror finish? Wet sand, compound, buffing wheel?the symmetry must be really hard to achieve .

Thanks Kurt. I appreciate a comment.

There are quite a few steps. When I get to a real keyboard, ill list them. Yes - keeping it symmetrical is what makes it a professional job. That blade started (professionally) back on 1975.

That magic marker is a great tool!

I like doing that too. It's good therapy.

Here's a catch 22. You can't engrave until you have something to engrave. It also must be "worthy" to engrave. So; it's gonna take time and make the piece more expensive. But it's also what turns heads. So .....

While many people say they'd be happy with simplier things .... there's a BUNCH or work in that simplier thing - if I've made it all. The percentage of "add on" cost for the engraving is considerably less then the wage for the original object. That is something I do that I'm not sure people realize.

And then; the total of the whole, makes a pc. that is going to stand out from a whole table of plain pcs. of work without the engraving.

It's a hard mental sell. Folks mostly like the look - but assume its the carving and engraving that makes stuff expensive. Not so. It's the quality build of the ORIGINAL object that makes things cost up. Make it cheap. Make it need work right out of the box. And you have just bought "cheap" - not "inexpensive".

Gary.

I'd like to read more about the model 97. Is that a button lock? Do button locks lock closed and open(I really don't know much about knives...)? I do have a well used Barnes though!

Just saw this.

Yes, model 97s lock open and closed. They are tuned to simply float open. Or open with a simple toss of the wrist while pushing the button. The blade opens against a ground camshaft. This the mechanism can be tuned for the lock up point.

The look with the handle material surrounded and inlaid is called an "inner frame" design. A cavity matching the oval material is milled out. The material is then recessed. This is all done with handmade cutters, handmade jigs and patterns. It is not done by CNC or pantograph mill.

More later ....

Thanks for asking.

Gary

I really like the 97 models with the framed stag and mammoth ! The one in your website has the case surrounding the insert and really makes it stand out ! Was that one carbon steel case ? It looks like a different type of metal. I was showing a guy at work the one on this post ( he has 2-3 knifes in pocket always ) and really liked the colors on the handle kinda a mahogany shade !