Newbie from WA

Hi all , I have been lurking here for a short time trying to pick up a few tips here and there so i thought it i should do the righty and introduce myself.
I am a merchant seaman but when i'm home I like to tinker around with timber and steel.I'm certainly no expert by a long shot but did manage to almost complete a new workbench which i will finish next leave.Also interested in stabilising wood for knife handles and what not and have ordered the turn tex chamber and cactus juice to give it a go,been waiting for it a couple of months so hopefully it's not too far away.Also still need a few tools like a work station maybe and a bandsaw to cut the shapes from blocks.
I have attached a couple of pic's of the only 2 i have done to date , the first one is a knife made from an old saw mill blade and the second is a re handled Schrade Old Timer.
Anyhow thanks to the mods and members on a very informative forum and will try to contribute where i can , kind regards , Mark
http://i1262.photobucket.com/albums/...psfb7e47c8.jpg
http://i1262.photobucket.com/albums/...ps89e7d18b.jpg
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G'Day & Welcome to a top forum "Mark".
There are quite a few members in and around Perth.
Great photos of your knives, well done.
You'll find a heap of helpful & knowledgeable blokes & ladies on the forum and for most very willing to assist.
Make sure you keep showing off your handiwork as everyone loves a photo, especially WIP photos with build notes.
Enjoy the forum.
Enjoy your woodwork.
Cheers crowie

Gidday Mark, welcome aboard and may your journey with us be a pleasant one. Good luck with the vacuum chamber from Curtis I've been waiting since last November & have now given up and decided to get someone locally to make me one.

thanks for the welcome guys , @ tdrumnut , that doesn't sound good about the vac chamber.Who would i talk to if i decided to also get one made locally?

Welcome to the forum.

Welcome aboard mate

welcome aboard

Yes welcome aboard from another sand groper!.

REALLY nice work, most impressive indeed.:cool:

As a merchant seafarer... perhaps you could consider using whales tooth for handles and scrimshaw carving it, while at sea to pass the time?. Once upon a time it was all the rage with seafarers... and you don't see much of it nowadays...:?

The local wildlife blokes take a somewhat dim view of collecting whales teeth from dead beached whales... they actually tried to prosecute a couple blokes down Albany way who resorted to using a chainsaw on the beach to get a dead whales jaw bone for the teeth, a few years back. I heard that all charges were later dropped coz it ain't wildlife once its dead - its deadlife :D.

Just saying, might give you something to while (whale) away the hours maybe?.(S'cuse the intentional pun)

Heck with one of them little electric engraver thingy's nowadays, you could do it much faster than the old timers!. :2tsup:

I have a shrade old timer, that I had for maybe 30 or more years... and used it heaps on the farm for 20 years skinning deer etc, the blade was a little soft for skinning but it took a keen edge easy. Then one of my idiot sons, put it in the side pocket of the boat one day (without me knowing) and left it there.... for the next 12 months or so, out in the salt & weather to rust, before I 'found' it again, and reclaimed it!. :~ :doh:

It's of course rusty now - and the leather scabbard has seen far better days...but for me it has "sentimental attachment"...(first good hunting knife I bought myself).

Might have to get it restored to its former glory one day - seeing the one you have done.... is giving me the "I wants".... :;

I've a bit of a "thing" for fine knives...

http://i9.photobucket.com/albums/a70...knifebox11.jpg
(some here might even recognize Member Alex Springalls fine work on the custom Bubinga wood box). :wink:

If your keen for another Shrade Old Timer restoration job, I could shoot you a pick of the one in need of help?

My number 1 rule now, is keep them away from idiot son no. 1 (by buying him his own to wreck - he's grown & has kids of his own now, so just a question of time before they pay him back for all the things tools / knives etc of mine he lost or wrecked growing up.... :~

Lost count of the number of spanners I found in the front lawn, with the lawn mower, where he would use them to fix his bike. :rolleyes:

The joys of parenthood! (but I digress)...

Again welcome aboard and very nice work sir!:2tsup:

Cheers

thats a nice set of knives you have there TT and i like the timber case , not sure i'm up for a restoration job yet mate until i can stabilise my own wood , but feel free to send me some pics anyway (it may not be as bad you say) and i may be able to still do something , AB

I might be able to assist you with that wood stabilization issue... I had my own timber seasoning kiln for 20 years and studied timber technology during my 8 year forestry career...

It's a bit of a science...getting timbers down to EMC (Equilibrium Moisture Content).

You need to know several things like ; -

1. The relative humidity environment the timers going to be used in.
2. The type and properties of the actual timber grain wise & how seasoning will be affected by these factors.
3. What the wood moisture content is at any given time - for which you need a non destructive (impedance) wood moisture encounter (Tramex make a good one).
4. The ability to control the air circulation and RH content of the air charge in which you wish to dry your timber (i.e a kiln or mini kiln in your case - microwave will work on very LOW settings for extended periods of time).
5. A drying schedule that will remove free moisture, intra cellular and inter Cellular Moisture - at rates that will be slow enough to prevent structural collapse by avoiding cell wall collapse thru removal of moisture too quickly, creating a pressure gradient differential, sufficient to burst the cell walls within the timber.

It's a little tricky but once you understand it - it's easy as pie.

Just holler if i can help you run thru it...so you understand it thoroughly.

Cheers

#### , talk about high tech mate , i was just going to throw it the oven for an hour @ 50C and then in a vacuum chamber with cactus juice and then cook it again.
I guess i better do some more homework .....

Welcome to the forum. Love your work.