Trad Gang
Main Boards => PowWow => Topic started by: indianalongbowshooter on December 15, 2006, 10:09:00 AM
-
Put in a order for a Helle Odel blade yesterday and they said it shipped yesterday, great service. Anyone have any pics. of a Odel blade that theyve done their own handles for, would be very interested in seeing what everyone came up with.
Thanks. Dean
-
Here's a couple of the ones I have done. The first is the knife that went with one of the St. Jude's auction bows. It has an osage/purpleheart handle, with a brass finger guard and a hand knapped bird point inlaid in the handle.
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a36/ckissee/Osageknife_sheath1.jpg)
This one is one I made for my Dad for Christmas last year. It is a walnut,antler handle, with a brass finger guard. They are a lot of fun to make, and not that hard if you take your time.
(http://i8.photobucket.com/albums/a36/ckissee/My%20knives/Knife2.jpg)
Good luck, and be creative. You will be happy with the results.
-
Hmmm? I didn't know they did that. You mean I can buy the blade and do the handle myself?
The Helle knives I have are AWESOME, but this sounds really cool. How do I find out more about this?
Too Short
-
This isn't the blade, but here's a couple Helle's that I did as presents a few years ago.
The wood is osage- I should have oriented the grain the other way to strengthen that little piece next to the blade there. Whitetail antler that I found on one and compressed leather rings that were contact cemented together first for rough shaping. The one with the leather rings was designed as a hardcore working knife.
I put the little nubbydoo on the tang of that one- you can see that it's for a positive catch on the sheath. Works great.
(http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o292/spankensteinNH/unshknives.jpg)
(http://i123.photobucket.com/albums/o292/spankensteinNH/2knives.jpg)
-
8th : Look on the left side of Chads page and you will see them . Drew
-
Dean : I e-mailed you some pics. Drew
-
Shawnee, Those are just plain neat looking knives. Naked, like the osage/bone handled knife. Drew sent me a pic of a really neat knife made from a turkey/leg with spur attached. Will try to download them for him later.
Heres a pic of Drew knife, pretty neat looking. (http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v94/dbowling/knife2.jpg)
-
Paul,
Try out this link:
https://www.darktimberdesign.com/helleknife/
Joe
-
Dean, Normally you could expect your blade today but with the Christmas mail volume it might take a bit longer.
Most orders are still arriving in 2-3 days but we have a few areas in the Midwest where it is taking longer.
Some great work here guys. The neat part is no two are alike.
Too Short, I thought you knew we had blades.
Thanks all
-
Here's one I made a few years ago for Dianne from osage to match an osage selfbow I made for her
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v247/theferret111/disknife1.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v247/theferret111/disknife2.jpg)
-
I think the dwarf is pulling ya'lls leg. He has to know Helle blades are available. I wish I had the talent to haft them into the beautiful knives I see here.
Prarrie Dog
-
Chad, can you get the Harding kit with a handle material other than birch?
Thanks,
Joe
-
Great blades...have some of them myself...gave some away to friends...great steel...Chad's a great guy to deal with...too short..get the short blade..no pun intended...I have 2 of them...stay sharp a long time!!
-
Joe,
The Helle Kit comes with just birch. It is a nice piece of wood often with curly grain.
I can put a "kit" together with the blade, fittings and wood of your choice from what we have on hand. We have Helle sheaths to fit most blades, this sheath would be completed and would not need assembly. Price would depend on the items you choose.
You could also make a sheath from material you have on hand, many of our customers do that.
Mickey, that is a cool matched set. The wood looks very light colored for Osage.
-
Chad, No blade yesterday, hopefully tomorrow. Nice knife Mickey..
-
Great blades!!!
This past September I used a Polar blade to skin not one, but two moose...without having to resharpen. I've got a lot of other knives I like, but none of them hold an edge half as good as a Helle.
-
Dean, Delivery times are slowing a bit, most areas are a day behind and some areas of the midwest are two days.
Jason, Moose? Did I miss one your stories? Skinning moose is a lot of work....but sweet work I guess. I heard from an Alaskan guide that gutted and skinned several moose a year. With his Helle knife he was into the third moose before it was necessary to sharpen the blade and all it needed was a quick touch up.
Of all the positive comments we get from customers "holding the edge" is the most common.
-
Shawnee,
Nice looking knives - can you tell me how you make the brass guards?
-
Native,
I started with a piece of 3/8" x 1" brass bar stock that you can get from knife making suppliers. Cut it the length you want, and lay out a small rectangle the size of the knife tang in the location you want the tang to go thru.
Drill holes at each end of the layout the same size as the width of the tang...on the Helle blades, 2 holes is usually enough. If the tang is wider, drill as many holes as you need. Now's when the hard part comes. I use a combination of a dremel with a small grinding tool, and a couple of very small files to square out the holes and make it to where the tang will fit thru the brass. It's not real difficult, just real time consuming if you want a good fit.
Also, some blades are not square where the tang joins the blade...some have a radius. If they have a radius there, you will also have to dremel/file the brass so that the radius will fit inside the brass also. I mostly use the dremel for that. It's not real important that it is a perfect fit...only that the back of the blade fits tightly against the brass, and the hole in the brass doesn't show any more than it has to.
Once that part is done, the rest is pretty easy. Drill a hole in your handle material and any spacer material you are using, and epoxy the whole thing together. I also like to pin the handle thru the tang with 1/8" brass rod. If you do that, make sure you anneal the tang where you are going to try to drill it. If you don't, you won't be able to drill it. I ruined about 5 drill bits on my first one trying. I leave everything square until it's all glued up and I have the pins in, then start sanding and shaping the entire handle. The brass will work with most woodworking equipment...I've even roughed shaped it with my bandsaw and a woodcutting blade.
Sorry this took me so long to explain. I've been meaning to do a build-a-long, but just haven't had time lately. Maybe after Christmas I can find time to do one and take pictures as I go along.
-
Chad at DarkTimber is A#1! Here is a Harding blade from them that I fitted onto a peice of antler:
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v407/ColtnReed/P1020092.jpg)
(http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v407/ColtnReed/P1020093.jpg)
-
Just placed an order yesterday and Chad called me to confirm an early delivery date. Great service! Happy Holidays to you and yours Chad. You certainly helped me with a typical last minute plan on my part. Marty
-
Good info here, thanks for sharing it with everyone.
Marty,
I've had a few last minute plans myself and always appreciated it when someone was able to help make the plan happen.
You folks in Florida have a wonderful Holiday Season. It was 6 degrees here this morning and I'm hoping for fresh snow for hunting.
-
Chad, Got the Odel in the mail today(blade), thanks for great service, will be ordering more, maybe all of your blades.. Dean
-
Just got my polar blade and nice looking pieces of purpleheart and cocobolo. Won't get to working on it til after the holidays though.
-
Originally posted by Chad Sivertsen:
Jason, Moose? Did I miss one your stories? Skinning moose is a lot of work....but sweet work I guess. I heard from an Alaskan guide that gutted and skinned several moose a year. With his Helle knife he was into the third moose before it was necessary to sharpen the blade and all it needed was a quick touch up.
Of all the positive comments we get from customers "holding the edge" is the most common.
http://tradgang.com/cgi-bin/ultimatebb.cgi?ubb=get_topic;f=1;t=037314
I've been using that Polar for a few years on deer and small game, and knew it held an edge well. But Ed's moose and mine (add a dozen or so grouse too) really put it to the test. Those folks sure know how to made a blade!
-
Glad you got your orders, shipping times are still holding up well in most areas.
Jason,
Thanks for the link, that is a fine bull and a great story. I did miss it, I was in the mountains for a while hunting elk about that time.
-
Is there any special kind of leather used for spacers in the handles? I like Naked in NH's osage and antler with the Veideman blade. I was contemplating something similar with the blade and bocote I have sitting under the tree - only one more week!
-
shawnee,
I understand your explanation perfectly and had envisioned that very way of doing it. Couple of questions: 1) can you tell me exactly which Dremel bit you prefer?, and 2) what do you use to shape the handle/brass, etc. once it's glued up - a belt sander..file?
Thanks.
-
SOS- Ya, free leather- LOL. Go to Slavenation Army and buy 2 pocketbooks for like $1 each. Cut one up for leather and carry your stuff around in the other. It's really popular in Germany, so it must be right.
There's one strip of leather glued between the osage and the antler on that knife. That makes a nice even mating line there that belongs there without putting lots of effort into flattening and aligning the materials.
-
NativeCraft,
The one I use mostly is the #194 1/8" high speed cutter. The bit is shaped like a small cylinder. It seems to work really well. They also make one about like it out of tungston carbide, and it would work well, also. I just don't like dealing with the tiny, sharp shavings from it. Definitely need to wear good gloves and safety glasses if you do.
To shape the handle, I usually rough it out on the bandsaw, then go to a 1" belt sander and a dremel with a drum sanding bit in it. It could all be done with the dremel, if the other tools aren't available.
Once it is shaped, I finish sand down to 220 or 300 grit sandpaper, then usually use thin CA glue(super glue) as the finish.
-
chad,
i have no experience with making anything. how hard or easy is it to make a knife using your kits?
-
Joe,
It really is not that difficult. You will need a drill, files, rasp. You can do it with minimal tools it just adds time. It does not have to be fancy to be a good knife, it will be special cause you made it. Antler handle is an easy way to start. There is lots of good advice here.
Many folks are surprised how nice their first attempt turns out.
-
Chad,
Just wanted to let you know I received my Harding kit yesterday. Was I ever surprised since I ordered it midweek :thumbsup: I wasn't expecting it by Christmas but it sure was a nice surprise!!!
Tnanks again and have a very Merry Christmas,
Joe
-
-
-
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v252/gitnadoix/DSC05181.jpg
last try
-
just ordered and made another knife from a Helle blade, a Polar theis time, really like this little blade, really like their blades period. Thanks Chad for a great product and about the quickest delivery Ive had yet..
-
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v252/gitnadoix/DSC05181.jpg
OK one last try then I slink off, ok it sorta works not sure why mine is a link and others show up, oh well...its a bit busy but I wanted to try several things on the first one to speed up the learning process
-
Git, Very nice..
-
Joe, I lost track of this thread thus no response from me. Glad you got it before Christmas, I think most folks got there orders in time but there were some delays. The busy season and weather caused a few problems.
Dean, I like the Polar too.
Scott, Good job. Looks like antler, Osage, and what?
-
Good guesses there Chad, it is moose antler, and then its yew, but the colour in the pic is a bit misleading, and then its Purple Heart.
I am gonna try making and stabalizing some scales from some interesting Burls I have, and will then be ordering a couple of more blades soon.
-
hey chad, i love your stories in TBM and was pleased to see you are an avid poster on this new(to me) website. i love the looks of these blades and want to make my own. does the kit come with the rivets to hold the blade in the handle? i didnt see them in the kit pics.....thanks for all the info you are giving!!!
-
Mike,
Glad you liked the stories, I enjoy telling them. As far as the "avid poster" I do enjoy coming here and offering opinions and comments but can't always find the time so my visits here are sporadic.
Most of our customers do not use rivets in the handle, but drill a block of wood or piece of antler and epoxy to the tang. Small brass rod is often used to pin the handle, rivets are used for leather work and can be found here http://www.leatherfactory.com
I don't have any brass rod or rivets but hope to add some to the website when I can find some time.
I'm also working on some detailed instructions with pictures but that project is a few weeks away I think.