Hey all, I'm long interested in making and customizing knives, but done little of it in real life. Finally getting a bit of a start with this birthday present I made for my brother. Always loved the time tested and utilitarian design of these knives, and thought it'd be a fun (and inexpensive) way to get started. Wanted to give it the appearance of some age and love, while also adding a subtle bit of extra flair.
Here's what I did...
Next project, putting a vintage red brown micarta handle (micarta recovered from a decommissioned navy base in CT almost 20 years ago, no idea how long it was there before I salvaged it) on a Condor Bushlore blade blank.
This Opinel is a start, and simple as it was, I'm proud of the result. Meantime, I learned a lot, too! Lemme know if you have questions!
Here's what I did...
- Sanded off original finish and then down to a very fine grit (removed locking ring to prevent damage to the knife, and taped off the blade to prevent damage to me)
- Added a recess in the handle for the nail nick
- Added a lanyard hole with brass liner, tied a little p-cord lanyard in there with a (you guessed it" lanyard knot.
- Applied a 50/50 mix of pine tar and boiled linseed oil - same stuff I use on axe and tool handles
- Rubbed in and buffed a bit of beeswax once Tar/BLO was completely dry to give a bit more sheen
- Forced a patina on the blade using mustard (horseradish style, but I'm not sure the specific variety matters)
- Etched my brother's initials on the back side of the blade using a technique I found on Youtube - mask with nail polish and scratch in the design, then use white vinegar/salt mix applied with q-tip and battery charger. Nerve wracking, but it worked - next time I think I'll do that part first before I invest a lot of time on the handle. Practiced by putting my own initials on my carbon steel Mora, but I was still nervous I'd ruin the whole look.
Next project, putting a vintage red brown micarta handle (micarta recovered from a decommissioned navy base in CT almost 20 years ago, no idea how long it was there before I salvaged it) on a Condor Bushlore blade blank.
This Opinel is a start, and simple as it was, I'm proud of the result. Meantime, I learned a lot, too! Lemme know if you have questions!
