I'm moving! Check Facebook

I'm in the process of moving everything to my Facebook account. Check it out at:
http://www.facebook.com/ltcray

Portugese .308

I've got four 200 round battlepacks of Portugese .308. One's been opened for inspection. I checked gunbroker.com to make sure my price is fair (lower than his...), so it goes for $475 all four packs (800 rounds). Picking up the ammo would be a lot more affordable than whatever the shipping cost would run, but I can ship if that's what you want. BTW, if somebody were to show up on my doorstep with cash, I'm sure we could negotiate the price a bit.
responses to: bgft@charter.net

Just finished another type #11 - Ironwood handle!

Hokay! I just finished another type #11, and this one is actually not on order for somebody. Very unusual for me that I was able to find the time in between orders to make an extra.
This one has an ironwood handle, and the usual CPM154 steel. However, I did choose to install black micarta pins instead of the stainless fasteners used in the others.
I'm making the sheath right now; it will be a natural color and hot wax/oil dipped. That ought to be real pretty with the ironwood handles. BTW, you know how working with wood always smells kinda nice? Try ironwood... makes you wish for blocked sinuses. Don't worry, the finished knife won't stink- the handle is sealed with pure carnuba wax.
To give you an idea just how tough CPM154 is:
The optimum working hardness for a blade made of 440C would fall about 55-58 Rc. CPM154 is usually going to run 59-61 Rc. So right off the bat, it's going to have a much harder (and longer lasting) edge. This one (61 Rc) was a real chore to sharpen the first time. I broke the edge in using a new 600 grit belt, then started sharpening. Three hours later, I had a scary sharp edge. THREE HOURS.
Leave me your e-mail in the comments if you feel like you can't live without this knife, and I'll do my best to sooth your troubled spirit.

Another type 11

This one's for another brother in Christ. I had to keep in mind his hands are smaller than mine, so the handle thickness has been reduced somewhat.
The handle is stained and stabilized Buckthorn. The sheath (not shown) is 8-9 oz. veg tanned leather and water molded to the knife.

Type 14 with new handle design

This is #001 in the style number 14 series.
I was able to get my hands on some wood originally ordered for Randall Knife Co. The blocks were smaller than I typically use, but just right for this knife.
Same steel, CPM154- why reinvent success? The sheath (not shown) is 8-9 oz. veggie tanned leather and water fitted to the knife.

Custom knife for a boy's birthday

A friend of mine at work saw this one in a magazine, but since it was an import (and inferior metal) he asked me to make an "improved model".
First thing, we used a respectable steel. In this case I used 154CM. It only took me about three hours to get the first edge on this blade. Talk about a tough steel. His father supplied the stag for the handle, and the guard is laminated copper chromium and brass. I also used a through tang design where the import only had a stub tang. I filled the counterbore in the butt with more copper chromium.
The spine of the blade is engraved with a message to the son from his father.

New style hunter

I really enjoyed making this one. It's for a brother in Christ, as a gift for his son. We made a wood model before starting the knife, since not everybody has hands like my big mitts. The blade's the usual CPM154 and hollow ground. The handle is an unusual wood called Narra, which was stabilized. The guard and pommel are made of a laminate of copper chromium and brass. And yes, the blade's dang sharp!

A boy's first knife

I like doing "one of a kinds", especially if the individual doesn't know it's coming. This particular knife was commissioned by a good friend and his mother for a nephew's Christmas. It's his first custom made knife, and when he received it he was thirteen years old.
I used the basic #11 design, but made it a hidden tang to take advantage of the elk handle. No staining or heat was necessary in this nice horn to bring out the color.
The boy collects old coins, so the grandmother sent a walking liberty half dollar to be used. I wrapped the coin in a silver jewelry bezel and soldered it to the coin. Then I drilled out each of the little rosettes, and pressed in very tiny (.024) brass nails.
The finger guard is nickle silver, with a red liner.

#11 with curly maple

This one was made for a guy's father for Christmas. I just barely managed to get it done in time. It's a type 11, with some incredible curly maple handles

A matching set

These two are going to Greece. They're both type 11's, with amboyna handles. The steel as usual, is CPM154 and hollow ground.
Notice the logo and steel type on the face side of the blade, and the serial number on the obverse side. This number says it's a type 11, and second issued in the series.
The handles are one piece, in that the tang has been milled away just below the pin holes. This shows the strong backbone of the blade, but the user has the warmth of wood under his fingers. It also dramatically lowers the overall weight of the knife, and places the balance forward.
Not shown in this picture, both knives also have leather sheaths in a semi pouch style.

New style- #15 light skinner

This one is a new style I'm trying out. So far, it's getting rave reviews. The blade marked #002 in the series was donated to the Arthritis Foundation for their yearly fundraiser. I won't say how much it brought, other than I was extremely and pleasantly surprised.
The blade material is CPM154, a thoroughly uncooperative and difficult steel to work with. As a result, it’s one of the top performing steels used by custom knife makers. After heat treatment, the final hardness is 60-61 Rockwell on the C scale. Most other knife steels are typically 58 or less. The number inscribed on the back of the blade is the style, with the actual number in the series shown after the decimal point. I split the tang of the blade to reduce the overall weight and to improve the balance. This also leaves the warmth of the wood handle under your fingers. The handle material is a special layered wood composite impregnated with resin and bound together under fifty tons of pressure and high heat. The sheath is 9-10 oz. vegetable tanned leather, water fitted to the knife and saddle stitched by hand.
An update: #001 is complete, and was delivered to a collector. The picture is posted early in the blog.

Knife Making Supplies

Learn about knifemaking blanks, stock removal, damascus steel, knife blanks, heat treatment, grinders, knife making kits and instructions for knifemaking.

Tired of voting for "Evil or Eviler"?

I pray that I'm wrong about this character who managed to bluff his way into the White House. There's a small voice in the dusty corners of my mind that keeps whispering, "...he's not what he claims to be...". The voice kind of sounds like Gollum from Lord of the Rings.
Just keep in mind, this is the guy who has fought EVERY attempt and request for proof that he is qualified for the highest office in the land. If he genuinely cared what we believe, don't you think he would have been more forthcoming? Just what is he hiding?
Watch him closely everyone. I hope I'm wrong, but I believe we are in for a rough time as a country and as a People.
http://www.constitutionparty.com

The last guthook knife I'll make

Here's a companion knife for the knife mentioned below ("a custom knife for a buddy"), and absolutely the last guthook style I'll make. Material is 154CM (a thoroughly uncooperative and resistant material to work with); hardness is 60 Rc. The handle is very old curly black walnut. I made the sheath after the friend said he really wasn't all that fond of a full length pouch type. This sheath has the better attributes of a pouch, but with an open back so the knife can be removed easier.

Traditional knife for my daughter

Here's one I did for the fun of it, and gave it to my daughter. Those of you in the SCA probably will recognize it as a "meat" or "eating knife". Back then, you simply didn't cut your meat with the same knife you just stuck in a bad guy. The blade is from an old Nicholson file, and is convex ground. The stag is quite small, as you can see from the pocket scale next to it. I also inlaid a jade cabochon in the butt of the handle to cover the nut counterbore.

wishlist

I'm going to be posting a number of items as they come available. Right now it's mostly going to be custom made knives, or refits of commercial knives. Please give me some feedback on the knife designs. I'm always looking for new ideas or designs, if anybody has something to share.

Needed Items Wishlist:
(Please, I'm not rich and famous...keep the price low)
1) 2"x 10" smooth contact wheel, 60-70 durometer, .75" or 1" bore.
2) Wilton Square Wheel Grinder, 2" x 72" belt, with 8-10" wheel, single phase, variable speed would be nice
3) decent sized stag crowns (the end closest to the skull)
4) a large block of curly maple or walnut- 3" thick min. x 14" x 18"-for a dough kneading bowl project
5) small precision lathe, approx 7-10" swing, 18-30" part length, single phase, power feed and threading

a custom knife for a buddy

This one was made for a friend and team partner at work. He wanted a slightly longer blade, with finger grooving. We made a tracing of his hand before I started, and also generated an Autocad drawing of the blade. The handle is curly black walnut with stainless steel Corby rivets. The blade is hollow ground 440C, and has cryogenic treatment. The blade design is a "semi-full" tang, in that I split the tang down the middle. This way the finger grooves are all wood, and the rest of the tang is exposed in the back. Notice I didn't use a logo. I simply ran out of room. I also made a matching guthook skinner to go with this one.

custom knife for a friend

Here's a little trinket I made for a guy at work. It has a hollow ground 154CM blade, bronze finger guard, and stag crown handle with a stabilized maple burl spacer. The butt has a two dollar Canadian coin in a bronze bezel. The stag was dyed to bring out the detail.