Building a knife for a long time friend who is headed to Mongolia for the second time please check out this video called Rally For Rangers.
RALLY FOR RANGERS
So I decided to document the build for him to share with the receiver, all and all its been a blast.this is day two and three so let us have a look. The start of day two we have a blade that has been shaped and heat treated and tempered
We measure the blade thickness do some math then using the height gauge we scribed two parallel lines to grind our main bevels.
Using a Ames portable hardness tester, we can check to ensure the steel was heat treated and tempered correctly.
Using the Hardness Rockwell "C" scale, we find the blade is at 58-59 which is perfect for its intended use.
We start the main bevel grinding with a 10" serrated wheel which runs cooler and cuts more aggressively using a 60 grit ceramic belt. This is a crtical stage as you want to remove all the material and establish the height of grind and the terminal edge thickness. The rest of the grinding is about the refinement of that work.
We switch to a smooth 10" wheel for refinement and finish we start going higher or finer in grits used, this is a 3M Trizac 120 grit belt.
Using a metal bluing solution we paint the blade each time we change belts, it allows you to see what you have missed and ensures you removed the previous grits scratches.
We stop just short or a completely finished grind and switch to working on the handles. I use whats called threaded inserts, and in this case, I am using 1/4" X /1/4" standoffs threaded for a 4-40 screw. They are placed in the handle then ground flush.
Once flush we clamp the knife to the handle material and mark for the screws, cut them out, drill and counterbore for the screw heads to fit. Then fix them to the knife and do a rough grind fit.
Handles are finished, and we refocus on completing the bevels and cleaning up all the edges for a final fit. We start by using a scotchbrite belt to apply a satin finish. Beginning with a medium (red) we simply are smoothing out the bevels and placing a very crip scratch lines hence the term satin finish. We finish with a fine scotchbrite (blue) before moving to bead blasting
Once the bevels, edges are cleaned up we move onto the next step which is bead blasting the entire blade, using high-pressure air and a mixture of 70 grit aluminuim oxide and glass beads which cleans the knife smoothly and provides a nice even gray finish.
The final step is the finish of the blade is called "Stonewashing" the knife is placed in a barrel that is filled with ceramic media which will gently scratch the entire knife a few million times over the course of 30 minutes. Stonewash is a superior finish not only does it look really nice, it prevents future scratches and will prevent rusting. To be honest its the only finish I use on my blades.
Handles get fitted again, and the knife is prepared for my makers mark using a process called electro etching. A stencil of my logo is tapped down and a pad with chemicals and DC current is applied until the desired depth is achieved as shown then you flip the switch and current to blacken the mark.
Second, to last is making a kydex sheath. This carrier is made of a thermo plastic sheets cut, then warmed up in the oven once pliable the knife is placed between the two sheets and extrem pressure is applied allowing the kydex to form around the blade. Once cooled you drill and shape then lock it together using eyelets. This paticalar sheath has the ability to be used as a short range day and night signal device which is something a person patrolling vast stretches of protected land could and might need. Not only is the back of sheatha very bright "International Signal Orange, it has a small reflective Safety Of Life At Sea disk secured between the two layers. It is also outfitted with a belt device called a Tec-Lok which facilatates taking it on and off of a belt or pack with ease.
The very very last thing is putting the bevels on the terminal edge (Sharp side) with a wheel and belt, then a few passes on a hard felt wheel with jewelers rouge to remove the burr, now it is a complete knife ready for the daily rigors one can throw at it. The knife as I type is on its way to a knifemaker named Les George of George knives for the laser engraving which will complete the whole package for my friend Lance and his counterpart. Les is an awesome knifemaker and a friend going back to my beginnings in 2006. So huge shout out to Les for helping us make this a reality. Please have a look at some of Les's over the top work a true craftsman and super solid guy.
George Knives
That completes a one of a kind experince and my first completed knife of 2018, which started with a harmless text to check on a old dear friend. In my whole time of knifemaking (13 years) I will chocked this up at the very top as one of the most rewarding knives I have ever made to date. Having sold knives and gear around the world knowing a product of mine is being used in Mongolia by a park ranger and hopefully makes his job easier, safer will always be a source of great personal satifation and futher reinforces my decision to rename my company in 2010 from SAR custom knives to "SAR Global Tool"
Thanks for tuning in and for all the support that makes these types of endeavors possible.
"A New Breed Of Tools Built For Adventure"
Sincerly
S.A. Reiter
