Man, I could listen to these presentations endlessly, but, alas I must eat some dinner and retire for the evening! Just too interesting, i never thought that knife making could get so deep...
Still can't believe u go to such lengths to make sure all your knives r as good as they can be . The very reason I have ordered a knife from you , not to mention they also look great . Cheers. Scott
Thank you for the informative and easy to follow video. I just got a vacuum chamber for knife scales and am currently gathering info before I try my first batch.
Hey Sandy, you're giving away all your secrets! Awesome explanation. Great details, excellent steps you take. You're lucky to be allowed to use the microwave and oven for non store-bought food items. (I've ruined one microwave oven...and my wife says, "never again"). Great demonstration on moisture in "dry wood." Thumbs up, my friend. Peace, Ken
Hi Ken, All the info in this video is available to anyone who does a little research. I am always happy to share my knowledge. That way hopefully everyone will benefit. Knowledge should be freely shared. Peace Sandy
Hi Jack, A real expert and I have never seen a better more careful knife maker in every way through the various stages of knife making, thank you. It took me several years to find you, I though for a long time all the knife makers were in Americar, I am so pleased we have a true Englishman who can centre a blade, and all done by hand!
Didnt realize the wood had to be next to no moisture content , and sealed that is amazing Sandy ! Congrats on all you do ! Jerry K9UT Very Nice looking knives you produce ! Got to be a Collectors item !
Sandy, each time I look at one of these 'how I do it' videos of yours I get a deeper understanding of how much work you put in to your knives. Great video. Thanks for sharing!
Brilliant video Sandy - clear, concise and interesting all the way through. A first class guide for any aspiring knife maker and a hugely reassuring one for anyone thinking of purchasing a Jacklore. As you say, it doesn't get any better than this. Best wishes to all the Jacklore clan, Noel
100'/. Commitment to what you do so well. Very in depth explanation on how you achieve your very high standard, the quality of your commentary makes the time fly. Thanks for taking the time to show us how you produce such a brilliant hand made Tool. All The Very Best to you. Spenny.
The amount of work and craftsmanship you put into your knives is inspirational. I am honored to watch your videos and attempt to be the professional you are!!
THANKS. great video I'm just starting out and learned a lot. i watched a lot of video on vacuum scales and i was doing it all wrong i was vacuum to 30 bar and thought while i was vacuuming the air out the catus juice was gone in the wood. then i watched your video where you showed you had to let it set for 2 days thanks for the help. there is a lot of people out there doing it wrong. i hooped to get on your list for you to make me a knife done right. THANKS AGAIN
Sir, you are remarkable. I just found this vid . You do a great job of explaining wood moisture content and your entire process . Thank you so much for sharing .
Just a note of caution regarding the fumes from curing stabilising methacrylates - they can cause irritation and sensitisation over time which crosses over with cyanoacrylate curing fumes - I can now use neither without getting 'the glue flu' unless I use a fume mask. 'Superglue allergy' is pretty well documented. Anyway, stay safe - it's horrendous getting 3 or more days of bad cold/mild flu symptoms every time you get caught out by fumes from either! Love your work ',;~}~
I would love to watch you do a knife build series if you had the time. Great video and hopefully one day I will be lucky enough to pick up one of your fine blades.
Nice demo Sandy. I have been using the Ronseal hardener with a vac chamber. Though it may penetrate quicker than your resin, I suspect that it still needs a good few hours of vac to get the air out. But I'm getting the acetone condensing out of the pump. Which I think you mentioned suffering. Also a friend reported that his system boiled off the solvent so much that the hardener ended up yellow and the chamber froze to the floor! So I will try and rig up something to allow me to run the vac chamber dry for hours, then introduce the hardener, just before releasing the vac.
With volatile resins this happen but if you use cactus juice heat curing resin it does not boil. I leave my wood under vacuum with the pump running for upto 18 hours sometimes depending on the timber and there is no loss of resin or cooling of the chamber atall. Sandy
Another very informative video Sandy, it's great to see all the hard work and the dedication that you put into each and every single knife you make, each one has a little bit of you running through it. Can't wait for mine now :0) Take care. Atb Dean.
If the vacuum chamber had another valve on the left (hose/vacuum side) to effectively seal the chamber, would you be able to keep the vacuum pressure where it needs to be without having to keep the pump running?
Sandy, that was really interesting to see whole process for stabilization. I have studied it a bit but never seen it done whole through. How badly do they smell in the oven/kitchen? How do you clean the cactus resin off from the tube or is it necessary before next project? I think it's more important to have wood that doesn't swing, crack or anything, with full tang knifes than hidden tang knife due to way you attach them different ways. Yes, I have used stab wood and it sure is great to turn! Thank you for this fine video!
Hi Sandy, have you thought of getting a cheap toaster oven? They do a surprisingly good job at this sort of thing. You can even go on ebay or a home brewing site and get a PID controller with a SSR for relatively low cost, bypass the rudimental toaster oven temperature controller with the PID and thermocouple and in doing so create yourself a multipurpose oven much like your heat treat oven (only much lower temps) that is far more accurate than the kitchen oven and don't have to wait till the wife is out shopping! The other bonus is this is all very cheap, particularly if you find a second hand toaster oven.
great info and thanks for sharing what is a hard earned body of knowledge, though it is always only a start, but that is normally the hardest step to find!! thanks mate.
Wow! I had no idea. Thanks for showing this Sandy, it's very interesting. I have a couple of pacific yew scales and a couple of hickory I salvaged from a broken antique axe handle. Not sure how I'm going to do this to them though. I have a product called "wood hardener" I was going to try and use as an experimental stabilizer, but I can't think of a way to put them in a vacuum yet.
I been trying to get one made with Bodark, aka Osage orange wood for a few years. As the stuff is literally growing everywhere on my sisters 80 acres in Texas. We cut then down for fence post. Maybe I will send some to Sandy if his books ever open up for the classic again.
Wow, what a craftsman, you take such care through each process, from blank to finished sheath. Works of art, each one, I should think your knives will become highly collectable. I've got to have one, walnut scales me thinks, I know your taking orders at the moment, but would you bear me in mind when you do, thank you Sandy. A.t.b shane.
I wonder if you can shape the wood before stabilizing it and finetune the shaping after it has been baked in the resin? I imagine the stabilized wood may be much harder than the non stabilized wood. Therefore doing at least rough shaping in advance may save some time/tools?
Great video and thanks for sharing more of your knowledge. I was wondering after you do this how do you stain them of oil them? Or does this process eliminate the need for that. Thanks again for sharing with us!
Excellent video! You surely put to rest any notion that one can remove the scales just after you remove the vacuum! Curious, does the stabilized wood float in water now? Thank you!
I enjoy all the video's. My reasons are twofold: in part because the content is informative and, in part, because I do not have the chance to, "sit-in-along", with really decent folks at all, or ever, anymore.. Thanks for it all.
Just a thought regarding the dehydration process. I've recently bought a Bielmeier 601127 Food Dehydrator for making my own dried pineapple chunks. I was thinking you could probably use it as a more cost efficient way of dehydrating wooden scales. You can get them on Amazon for about 50 Quid. Its got a 12 hour timer with a fan supplying three heat settings: 250 / 500 / 700 W giving 20/40/60 degrees above ambient temperature respectively. It has 4 dehydration trays each with a diameter of 34cm. You can do the maths but I would imagine you could fit 5 or 6 scales on each tray. The other benefit is that it makes great lightweight snacking food for camping and hiking. I've tried dried pineapple chunks and beef Jerky so far and it rocks! Just thought I would mention it in case it turns out to be useful. Really enjoying the videos. atb Ian. Note: The same model is distributed by ABC and Rommelsbacher in case you have trouble finding one.
Thank you for the video, I watch a few and yours was the best. Nobody mentioned that you could reuse the cactus juice.One question, can you over cure the wood when you have it in the oven or longer is better..Thanks
I wonder what would happen if you let the wood alone sit in the chamber with Little, Stabilization juice, I imagine it wouldn't foam as much. slowly adding it perhaps?
Hello Sandy, You are an awesome craftsman. I linke your work and also your Ideas. What vaccum pump are you using for stablizing? Regards from Germany Holger
Hi Sir, how are you? I am from Iraq and I love the American people and I hope that you will accept me as your student and that I will learn the work that you are doing. I love this work and wish you and your family the best of health and happiness.
Hi Sandy, Great video, very informative. Have you tried the vacuum pump to dehydrate the wood? That is the method to remove moisture from a refrigeration system, pull a deep vacuum and you can boil water at 40 deg F (aprox 4 deg C). I think it would use less energy, but I don't know that for fact. Thanks, Stefan
Sandy. amazing video. An utter joy. Question would like to no what problems could arise from untreated knife scales? Could one of your videos develope from this? Cheers Sandy.
derrick felix Hi Derrick, If you keep the knife in a stable enviroment then the scales will remain as they are. The problem comes when you move into hot, cold environs with different humidity etc. Wood acts a bit like a spong and will take moisture from the air and vice versa depending on the environment. You can limit this to some extent by sealing the wood with linseed etc but it can still move. Stabilising using a thermo setting resin is the best way.
Thanks for taking the time to put together a good video. I have looked at all the vacuum pots on the market and I think the one you have looks like the best. I am thinking getting about the 4 x 16" , Is that the size you have? Or is yours larger?
Wow, that was fascinating, do you find that the scales are appreciably heavier at the end of your treatment process? Had you ever considered treating something silly like balsa just to see what the end product was like?
Great philosophy of continual improvement. Cost benefit considerations must presumably play a part though so will customers get a choice of stabilised scales or not with a price difference? There are millions of knives out there with non stabilised scales so they can't be that bad.
Ofcourse non stabilised scales are not bad at all, but from the makers perspective I want to eliminate any potential problems associated with moisture, and wood movement after all I don't know who or how that person is going to use the knife or where they may take it, so I have to make it as bomb proof as I can and Cactus juice gives me a piece of mind that i know my scales are not going to fail.. Take wooden handled knives into extreme climates and unstabilised scales will move and you will see it very easily on a quality knife when the fit and finish is perfect. Believe me it shows like a sore thumb. On a rougher blade it is not so much of a problem.
Wiltshire Man I completely get that Sandy. Thank you very much for sharing the whole process, you and others like Lee and Scott have inspired me to start on the whole knife making journey myself. Lee has even offered to heat treat my first blade.
Hi Bernard, There are many wood hardening resins available of the shelf in the UK. The problem with them is that they are quite volatile and boil away quickly under vacuum. Also thy have low melting points and really clog up abrasive belts. However they will stabilise you wood better than linseed oil. I lookimg for a thermo seeting resin here in the UK. it is available here I am sure of that but I don't know it's proper name. The resin I used in this video was called Cactus Juice. I think they called it that so that we would not find out it's proper name and therefore by it elsewhere probably for less money. Your looking at spending around £100 including shipping if you want 1 gallon of the stuff from the USA
Jackloreknives Thank you for the reply. That is about what I thought. Being a beginner I was hoping to find something cheap for now. I was also wondering if it would be possible to use the vacuum chamber with no resin to dry the wood. I thought maybe it would be quicker as the water should boil out of the wood in a vacuum. Maybe it would save on the electric bill because you wouldn't have to use the oven for hours as it dries. Just draw a vacuum on the chamber and let it sit. I don't know, just an idea that ran through my head. ..
Bernard Adams Hi Bernard - If you didn't replace the moisture with resin or some other substance it would gradually return over a period of time and you would eventually be back where you started. Best wishes, Noel Adams (no relation as far as I am aware!)
***** lol you never know cuz...I was just thinking on the lines of an alternative to using heat in the dying process. I know vacuum is used in some large scale wood drying operations l wonder if anybody has tried it on this small of a scale. Maybe it would speed up the drying process?
Bernard Adams I'm not sure it would work so well Bernard. Something to do with the oil in the vacuum pump becoming contaminated by water. It is important to keep contaminants out of the chamber I feel.
Why cool the wood after the oven, and before being put in the vacuum? Would the heat of the wood "cook" the resin and prevent the wood from being stabilized?
Thanks a lot for sharing. When i see your process, who seems to be to the top, i can't help wondering what is the cheapest way to have stabilised wood handles, by this method ? or simply buying stabilised wood ? Could you please bring it to light to me ? Thanks in advance. (Please excuse my english. Ain't my mothertongue.)
I still don't understand why these chambers have to be so tall where you have to stick you whole arm in there to place in and remove the material. A square or rectangular box made of the same material here would be more efficient.
Hi Sandy, i did ask about my contacts in the GRP industry about "Cactus Juice" but no one has heard of it, i see from this vid it is a thermo activated resin but all the resins i deal with we need to mix our own catalist or it can be activated by UV lightb but that takes weeks / months depending on the amount, i am still loving your vids though
Thanks Scott, I had to mix a catalyst with this resin too but so long as I don't epose the resin to heat it should remain in a liquid state for a long time. Thanks Sandy
Excuse me, Sir, for the benefit of me in the field of decoration of houses, and I liked the turning of pieces of wood, and if it was Marmara, would you accept my master to teach me to benefit the society and my country in this beautiful work?
Hey Sandy, first of all: thanks for sharing your work on youtube, it´s absolutely beautiful! But i have a question since your doing your stabilization by yourself and you mentioned in another video you also use linseed oil as wood protection. Do you see linseed oil as a serious humidity protection with woods like birch, walnut or cherry, or would you say it´s absolutely worth investing in a vakuumchamber for a hobby knive maker who uses his knives regulary for fishing and stuff? Thanks in advance and greetings from germany :)
Vacuum stabilised using thermo setting resins will be better than linseed, but linseed is quite traditional whereas thermo resins are quite modern. There is something nice about the tactile quality of a linseed finished handle, very organic. Yes it will expand in damp or humid conditions, but it will contract back again when it is drier. Maybe if you are continually in very humid conditions then stabilise the wood.
Ok, thanks for your fast response :) So i will keep on with linseed, also because i like how it feels. And i also like the idea to have a complete organic knive. If i should improve my 'buisness' i would consider investing in a vakuumchamber :)
G'day Sandy. Thank you for another great video. I know I do not comment very often, but, this time I will. I have wondered about something for a while now and would like to know your thoughts. I have seen many videos of stabilising wood, though honestly none as comprehensive or educational as yours. As bushcrafters, we often like our tools and accessories to be as natural as possible. So, I have been wondering for a few years now, what if you did that whole drying, vacuum stabilising process, BUT, instead of using a resin, using pure refined artist grade linseed oil. This means you would have a minimum of moisture and maximum absorption of Linseed oil into the wood. I don't know if you have ever been to an art shop (my kids are arty, not me, lol) and seen pure artist grade Linseed oil, but it looks beautiful, pure, much nicer than the linseed oil you buy at your local hardware store. Mind you it costs a bit more as well. I would be interested to hear your thoughts?
Under vacuum the linseed oil would boil and give off fumes that would condense inside the vacuum pump possibly shortening it's lifespan. The Linseed oil needs to polymerize (Harden) and the oil deep within the scales may not cure so well. Then you have the problem of a good epoxy bond with the wood to liners which may be compromised by the linseed oil. I would therefore not advise it and in fact have moved away from Linseed oil as a natural treatment instead preferring hardening oils like Teak or Danish oils if I am going for a more natural finish These polymerize much faster and are better all around. Once the wood and the first few mm are sealed it's unlikely that moisture will penetrate.
+Ron Spomer That would be correct. If the wood can't accept moisture then you have no chance of straightening it. Sanding it on a belt or disc sander only takes a few min. anyway.
Sandy, I noticed in an older video you were using ronseal wood hardener to stabilise your scales, would be interested to get your thoughts on how that compares to your newer method. I'm about to add some scales to my first knife, a 'lore clone' from a farriers rasp and have bought some ronseal hardener, planning to stabilise using the 'putting a lid on a hot jam jar' method.
Hi Marcus, Go very careful when you heat the jar and hardener up. It is flamable and has a low melting point. I think because it is such a light fluid it will penetrate the scales without a vacuum. Just leave the wood in the liquid for a week and you will find it will penetrate the wood. The Ronseal/ Wickes hardener has a very low melting point and will clog your belts, but it will also stabilise the scales OK.
Jackloreknives Thanks for the response Sandy, I think I'll test the wood I'm using and see how well the hardener penetrates. Not sure what it is, salvaged from a pallet I picked up for firewood and decided some of it was too good to burn! looks like red oak to me, which I understand isn't ideal. Plan to get the scales pretty much roughed out before hardening, partly because I want the penetration to be good on the finished scales, also because I don't actually have a belt grinder ! will be profiling with rasp / file/ sandpaper so want to do some of the work before making it more difficult. Already spent many hours on the knife using a Heath Robinson file jig to put the scandi bevels on the blade. Materials were free, but by the time I'm finished I could probably have ordered several custom blades if I tot up the hours invested ! Enjoying the learing curve though :-)
In the micro owen in the beginning to dry, what effect and for how long ? Where do you buy it from ? How many blanks do you think one bottle will cover, e.g. what will the cost be / blank ?
i now see why i dont seem to get the results i want with turntex cactus juice. i have followed the directions on their videos and the directions they sent with the jug of stabilizer.. soak after vacuum was released was about an hour and i dident get much penetration
Tony, Ypu can leave the wood in there for a very long time, it won't hurt. If you are stabiising quite dense woods I would leave for several days. Also if the workshop is cool, then the juice will be more viscous and not penetrate so easily, so try to keep the juice around 15 to 20 Centigrade. Sandy
Jackloreknives yeah i will let them soak longer.. fun fact: vacuumchambers can implode and soak you in resin if you run a powerful pump,, that got my pulse up
Hi Sandy. Have you found a source for cactus juice in the uk? Or if you import from the U.S. do you get stung much on import duty/vat? Thanks for your great vids.
Jackloreknives Thanks for info Sandy, sounds like its worth just ordering from the US the real thing. One other question if you don't mind - Can you tell us about your vacuum pump, I'm seeing some 8cfm pumps on ebay for under £90 which look very similar to yours.
Man, I could listen to these presentations endlessly, but, alas I must eat some dinner and retire for the evening! Just too interesting, i never thought that knife making could get so deep...
Still can't believe u go to such lengths to make sure all your knives r as good as they can be . The very reason I have ordered a knife from you , not to mention they also look great . Cheers. Scott
Thank you for the informative and easy to follow video. I just got a vacuum chamber for knife scales and am currently gathering info before I try my first batch.
i have to say your method of infusing the timber looks top notch !
Hey Sandy, you're giving away all your secrets! Awesome explanation. Great details, excellent steps you take. You're lucky to be allowed to use the microwave and oven for non store-bought food items. (I've ruined one microwave oven...and my wife says, "never again"). Great demonstration on moisture in "dry wood." Thumbs up, my friend. Peace, Ken
Hi Ken,
All the info in this video is available to anyone who does a little research. I am always happy to share my knowledge. That way hopefully everyone will benefit. Knowledge should be freely shared.
Peace
Sandy
Hi Jack,
A real expert and I have never seen a better more careful knife maker in every way through the various stages of knife making, thank you. It took me several years to find you, I though for a long time all the knife makers were in Americar, I am so pleased we have a true Englishman who can centre a blade, and all done by hand!
Your oven method of dehydrating is very smart. Thanks for the explanation. They look great.
Thanks Louise and all the best
Sandy
So much Love you put into your "work". Honored to be carrying one of your creations!!
Didnt realize the wood had to be next to no moisture content , and sealed that is amazing Sandy ! Congrats on all you do ! Jerry K9UT Very Nice looking knives you produce ! Got to be a Collectors item !
Sandy, each time I look at one of these 'how I do it' videos of yours I get a deeper understanding of how much work you put in to your knives. Great video. Thanks for sharing!
Very Cool. I am doing a batch of Bird's Eye Maple Scales while I watch you..... Thanks for the demo.... Be well....
Brilliant video Sandy - clear, concise and interesting all the way through. A first class guide for any aspiring knife maker and a hugely reassuring one for anyone thinking of purchasing a Jacklore. As you say, it doesn't get any better than this.
Best wishes to all the Jacklore clan,
Noel
100'/. Commitment to what you do so well.
Very in depth explanation on how you achieve your very high standard, the quality of your commentary makes the time fly.
Thanks for taking the time to show us how you produce such a brilliant hand made Tool.
All The Very Best to you.
Spenny.
Thanks Spenny,
I do try my best.
Sandy
The amount of work and craftsmanship you put into your knives is inspirational.
I am honored to watch your videos and attempt to be the professional you are!!
Brilliant enjoyable video Sandy. Many thanks.
Thanks for watching Red and all the best mate,
Sandy
THANKS. great video I'm just starting out and learned a lot. i watched a lot of video on vacuum scales and i was doing it all wrong i was vacuum to 30 bar and thought while i was vacuuming the air out the catus juice was gone in the wood. then i watched your video where you showed you had to let it set for 2 days thanks for the help. there is a lot of people out there doing it wrong. i hooped to get on your list for you to make me a knife done right. THANKS AGAIN
+KNIFE MAKER Some woods need to sit in the rein for a week.
Thanks Sandy. Your videos really show how much work goes into making a good quality Knife. Thanks for sharing
Thanks for watching. Yes it is a lot of work but is worth it.
Sandy
Turtl
really enjoyed this Sandy. A long process to make the perfect scale.You wouldn't credit it that air still comes out some 8 hrs later. Cheers, Richie.
Hi Richie,
You will never remove all the air, but so long as you get 99.9% you will be OK. Haa.
ATB
Sandy
Sir, you are remarkable. I just found this vid . You do a great job of explaining wood moisture content and your entire process . Thank you so much for sharing .
Sandy you are an artist in every aspect of your knife making.
i have never seen this before you put so much work into your knives Sandy well done mate,your a Master Craftsman.
your attention and persistence to refine every detail is one of the traits I admire in you
Thank You Sandy, excellent tutorial on best practice use of the Cactus Juice Professional, wood hardener...
Often wondered how that was done. Thanks for the step by step.
Nice process Sandy, pleasure to see.
Thanks for watching AW. The chamber really works great.
Sandy
I’m constantly amazed at your vast knowledge, and I can’t imagine that there’s a knife anywhere of higher quality than a Jacklore.
Just a note of caution regarding the fumes from curing stabilising methacrylates - they can cause irritation and sensitisation over time which crosses over with cyanoacrylate curing fumes - I can now use neither without getting 'the glue flu' unless I use a fume mask. 'Superglue allergy' is pretty well documented. Anyway, stay safe - it's horrendous getting 3 or more days of bad cold/mild flu symptoms every time you get caught out by fumes from either! Love your work ',;~}~
Great video Sandy, loved every second of it! Could watch you all day mate. Thanks for sharing. ATB Shaun
Thanks for watching Shaun and see you at the Xmas camp I hope.
Sandy
Great demonstration Sandy, very informative thank you sir.
I would love to watch you do a knife build series if you had the time. Great video and hopefully one day I will be lucky enough to pick up one of your fine blades.
Nice demo Sandy.
I have been using the Ronseal hardener with a vac chamber. Though it may penetrate quicker than your resin, I suspect that it still needs a good few hours of vac to get the air out. But I'm getting the acetone condensing out of the pump. Which I think you mentioned suffering. Also a friend reported that his system boiled off the solvent so much that the hardener ended up yellow and the chamber froze to the floor!
So I will try and rig up something to allow me to run the vac chamber dry for hours, then introduce the hardener, just before releasing the vac.
With volatile resins this happen but if you use cactus juice heat curing resin it does not boil. I leave my wood under vacuum with the pump running for upto 18 hours sometimes depending on the timber and there is no loss of resin or cooling of the chamber atall.
Sandy
Another very informative video Sandy, it's great to see all the hard work and the dedication that you put into each and every single knife you make, each one has a little bit of you running through it. Can't wait for mine now :0)
Take care.
Atb
Dean.
If the vacuum chamber had another valve on the left (hose/vacuum side) to effectively seal the chamber, would you be able to keep the vacuum pressure where it needs to be without having to keep the pump running?
Thx for all the info Jack.
Great video Sandy it shows just a small part of the work that goes into making one of your knives,atb John
Nice work, Sandy! Looking forward to getting the knife your making for me!! Martin
19:00 Off I go to get a two liter bottle LOL. Thank you I have learned a lot from you.
Thank you for all!
Sandy, that was really interesting to see whole process for stabilization. I have studied it a bit but never seen it done whole through. How badly do they smell in the oven/kitchen? How do you clean the cactus resin off from the tube or is it necessary before next project? I think it's more important to have wood that doesn't swing, crack or anything, with full tang knifes than hidden tang knife due to way you attach them different ways. Yes, I have used stab wood and it sure is great to turn! Thank you for this fine video!
Hi Sandy,
have you thought of getting a cheap toaster oven? They do a surprisingly good job at this sort of thing. You can even go on ebay or a home brewing site and get a PID controller with a SSR for relatively low cost, bypass the rudimental toaster oven temperature controller with the PID and thermocouple and in doing so create yourself a multipurpose oven much like your heat treat oven (only much lower temps) that is far more accurate than the kitchen oven and don't have to wait till the wife is out shopping! The other bonus is this is all very cheap, particularly if you find a second hand toaster oven.
HI Sandy just got to this grate very informative and riveting video thanks fore sharing ATB Keith
great info and thanks for sharing what is a hard earned body of knowledge, though it is always only a start, but that is normally the hardest step to find!!
thanks mate.
my set is on the way. u vid is a great help to me. greets from the netherlands and keep it up (y)
Wow! I had no idea. Thanks for showing this Sandy, it's very interesting. I have a couple of pacific yew scales and a couple of hickory I salvaged from a broken antique axe handle. Not sure how I'm going to do this to them though. I have a product called "wood hardener" I was going to try and use as an experimental stabilizer, but I can't think of a way to put them in a vacuum yet.
Thank you sir. Very good! Wonderful video!
Thankyou for watching
Thank you so much for outiing this out there. It has been really helpful
I been trying to get one made with Bodark, aka Osage orange wood for a few years. As the stuff is literally growing everywhere on my sisters 80 acres in Texas. We cut then down for fence post.
Maybe I will send some to Sandy if his books ever open up for the classic again.
Wow, what a craftsman, you take such care through each process, from blank to finished sheath. Works of art, each one, I should think your knives will become highly collectable. I've got to have one, walnut scales me thinks, I know your taking orders at the moment, but would you bear me in mind when you do, thank you Sandy.
A.t.b shane.
I wonder if you can shape the wood before stabilizing it and finetune the shaping after it has been baked in the resin? I imagine the stabilized wood may be much harder than the non stabilized wood. Therefore doing at least rough shaping in advance may save some time/tools?
Great video and thanks for sharing more of your knowledge. I was wondering after you do this how do you stain them of oil them? Or does this process eliminate the need for that. Thanks again for sharing with us!
Great video I do enjoy watching you work and seeing the effort and pride you put into it
I am blown away with attention to detail that continues, finding ways of improving an already awesome product thanks for sharing this Sandy. atvb t ..
Excellent video! You surely put to rest any notion that one can remove the scales just after you remove the vacuum! Curious, does the stabilized wood float in water now? Thank you!
A lot more work than people think Sandy😄
Yes it is Dean, but that is what you have to do if you want a great knife.
Sandy
Your dedication to make a Truly home made, custom knife is Fantastic. I just hope that I get a chance to purchase one of your knifes soon PEACE :-)
Thanks for the great video.
I enjoy all the video's. My reasons are twofold: in part because the content is informative and, in part, because I do not have the chance to, "sit-in-along", with really decent folks at all, or ever, anymore.. Thanks for it all.
Thanks Thomas, well atleast you kind of got to sit in with me.
Sandy
Nice video. Thanks!
Just a thought regarding the dehydration process. I've recently bought a Bielmeier 601127 Food Dehydrator for making my own dried pineapple chunks. I was thinking you could probably use it as a more cost efficient way of dehydrating wooden scales.
You can get them on Amazon for about 50 Quid. Its got a 12 hour timer with a fan supplying three heat settings: 250 / 500 / 700 W giving 20/40/60 degrees above ambient temperature respectively. It has 4 dehydration trays each with a diameter of 34cm. You can do the maths but I would imagine you could fit 5 or 6 scales on each tray.
The other benefit is that it makes great lightweight snacking food for camping and hiking. I've tried dried pineapple chunks and beef Jerky so far and it rocks!
Just thought I would mention it in case it turns out to be useful.
Really enjoying the videos.
atb Ian.
Note: The same model is distributed by ABC and Rommelsbacher in case you have trouble finding one.
Thank you for the video, I watch a few and yours was the best. Nobody mentioned that you could reuse the cactus juice.One question, can you over cure the wood when you have it in the oven or longer is better..Thanks
I wonder what would happen if you let the wood alone sit in the chamber with Little, Stabilization juice, I imagine it wouldn't foam as much. slowly adding it perhaps?
Hello Sandy,
You are an awesome craftsman.
I linke your work and also your Ideas.
What vaccum pump are you using for stablizing?
Regards from Germany
Holger
great video as usual, i would really like to know all the pertinent information on your vacume chamber and pump such as manufacturers and model#s
Hi Sir, how are you? I am from Iraq and I love the American people and I hope that you will accept me as your student and that I will learn the work that you are doing. I love this work and wish you and your family the best of health and happiness.
Hi, great video, many thanks.Just a couple of question...cactus j. waterproofs the wood ? did you try with hard wood (ebony or maple) ? ty
Hi Sandy,
Great video, very informative. Have you tried the vacuum pump to dehydrate the wood? That is the method to remove moisture from a refrigeration system, pull a deep vacuum and you can boil water at 40 deg F (aprox 4 deg C). I think it would use less energy, but I don't know that for fact.
Thanks,
Stefan
Sandy. amazing video. An utter joy. Question would like to no what problems could arise from untreated knife scales?
Could one of your videos develope from this? Cheers Sandy.
derrick felix Hi Derrick,
If you keep the knife in a stable enviroment then the scales will remain as they are. The problem comes when you move into hot, cold environs with different humidity etc. Wood acts a bit like a spong and will take moisture from the air and vice versa depending on the environment.
You can limit this to some extent by sealing the wood with linseed etc but it can still move. Stabilising using a thermo setting resin is the best way.
Thats a lot of time and effort and thats just the wood be safe steve
spot on Sandy thats the way to go Thanks
Thanks Andy,
Take care my friend.
Sandy
Thanks for taking the time to put together a good video. I have looked at all the vacuum pots on the market and I think the one you have looks like the best. I am thinking getting about the 4 x 16" , Is that the size you have? Or is yours larger?
There is a huge amount of work to make your beautiful knives
that's an amazing process sandy, "the knife making alchemist"
Wow, that was fascinating, do you find that the scales are appreciably heavier at the end of your treatment process? Had you ever considered treating something silly like balsa just to see what the end product was like?
Fantastic. Thanks!
you could vacuum kiln the wood too.
Great philosophy of continual improvement. Cost benefit considerations must presumably play a part though so will customers get a choice of stabilised scales or not with a price difference? There are millions of knives out there with non stabilised scales so they can't be that bad.
Ofcourse non stabilised scales are not bad at all, but from the makers perspective I want to eliminate any potential problems associated with moisture, and wood movement after all I don't know who or how that person is going to use the knife or where they may take it, so I have to make it as bomb proof as I can and Cactus juice gives me a piece of mind that i know my scales are not going to fail.. Take wooden handled knives into extreme climates and unstabilised scales will move and you will see it very easily on a quality knife when the fit and finish is perfect. Believe me it shows like a sore thumb. On a rougher blade it is not so much of a problem.
Wiltshire Man I completely get that Sandy. Thank you very much for sharing the whole process, you and others like Lee and Scott have inspired me to start on the whole knife making journey myself. Lee has even offered to heat treat my first blade.
Great video as always. Very informative. As I'm new to knife making, I would like to know what you used previously as a wood stabilizer.
Hi Bernard,
There are many wood hardening resins available of the shelf in the UK. The problem with them is that they are quite volatile and boil away quickly under vacuum. Also thy have low melting points and really clog up abrasive belts. However they will stabilise you wood better than linseed oil. I lookimg for a thermo seeting resin here in the UK. it is available here I am sure of that but I don't know it's proper name. The resin I used in this video was called Cactus Juice. I think they called it that so that we would not find out it's proper name and therefore by it elsewhere probably for less money.
Your looking at spending around £100 including shipping if you want 1 gallon of the stuff from the USA
Jackloreknives Thank you for the reply. That is about what I thought. Being a beginner I was hoping to find something cheap for now. I was also wondering if it would be possible to use the vacuum chamber with no resin to dry the wood. I thought maybe it would be quicker as the water should boil out of the wood in a vacuum. Maybe it would save on the electric bill because you wouldn't have to use the oven for hours as it dries. Just draw a vacuum on the chamber and let it sit. I don't know, just an idea that ran through my head. ..
Bernard Adams Hi Bernard - If you didn't replace the moisture with resin or some other substance it would gradually return over a period of time and you would eventually be back where you started.
Best wishes,
Noel Adams (no relation as far as I am aware!)
***** lol you never know cuz...I was just thinking on the lines of an alternative to using heat in the dying process. I know vacuum is used in some large scale wood drying operations l wonder if anybody has tried it on this small of a scale. Maybe it would speed up the drying process?
Bernard Adams I'm not sure it would work so well Bernard. Something to do with the oil in the vacuum pump becoming contaminated by water. It is important to keep contaminants out of the chamber I feel.
Why cool the wood after the oven, and before being put in the vacuum? Would the heat of the wood "cook" the resin and prevent the wood from being stabilized?
You have answered your own question. Thanks for watching
Sandy
Thanks a lot for sharing. When i see your process, who seems to be to the top, i can't help wondering what is the cheapest way to have stabilised wood handles, by this method ? or simply buying stabilised wood ? Could you please bring it to light to me ? Thanks in advance. (Please excuse my english. Ain't my mothertongue.)
I still don't understand why these chambers have to be so tall where you have to stick you whole arm in there to place in and remove the material. A square or rectangular box made of the same material here would be more efficient.
I'm not saying it's not seaming, but hot but how air hitting a cool surface can cause condensation.
Hi Sandy, i did ask about my contacts in the GRP industry about "Cactus Juice" but no one has heard of it, i see from this vid it is a thermo activated resin but all the resins i deal with we need to mix our own catalist or it can be activated by UV lightb but that takes weeks / months depending on the amount, i am still loving your vids though
Thanks Scott,
I had to mix a catalyst with this resin too but so long as I don't epose the resin to heat it should remain in a liquid state for a long time.
Thanks
Sandy
Excuse me, Sir, for the benefit of me in the field of decoration of houses, and I liked the turning of pieces of wood, and if it was Marmara, would you accept my master to teach me to benefit the society and my country in this beautiful work?
Hey Sandy,
first of all: thanks for sharing your work on youtube, it´s absolutely beautiful!
But i have a question since your doing your stabilization by yourself and you mentioned in another video you also use linseed oil as wood protection.
Do you see linseed oil as a serious humidity protection with woods like birch, walnut or cherry, or would you say it´s absolutely worth investing in a vakuumchamber for a hobby knive maker who uses his knives regulary for fishing and stuff?
Thanks in advance and greetings from germany :)
Vacuum stabilised using thermo setting resins will be better than linseed, but linseed is quite traditional whereas thermo resins are quite modern. There is something nice about the tactile quality of a linseed finished handle, very organic. Yes it will expand in damp or humid conditions, but it will contract back again when it is drier. Maybe if you are continually in very humid conditions then stabilise the wood.
Ok, thanks for your fast response :)
So i will keep on with linseed, also because i like how it feels. And i also like the idea to have a complete organic knive.
If i should improve my 'buisness' i would consider investing in a vakuumchamber :)
thanks for sharing your knowledge with us!
G'day Sandy. Thank you for another great video. I know I do not comment very often, but, this time I will. I have wondered about something for a while now and would like to know your thoughts. I have seen many videos of stabilising wood, though honestly none as comprehensive or educational as yours. As bushcrafters, we often like our tools and accessories to be as natural as possible. So, I have been wondering for a few years now, what if you did that whole drying, vacuum stabilising process, BUT, instead of using a resin, using pure refined artist grade linseed oil. This means you would have a minimum of moisture and maximum absorption of Linseed oil into the wood. I don't know if you have ever been to an art shop (my kids are arty, not me, lol) and seen pure artist grade Linseed oil, but it looks beautiful, pure, much nicer than the linseed oil you buy at your local hardware store. Mind you it costs a bit more as well. I would be interested to hear your thoughts?
Under vacuum the linseed oil would boil and give off fumes that would condense inside the vacuum pump possibly shortening it's lifespan. The Linseed oil needs to polymerize (Harden) and the oil deep within the scales may not cure so well. Then you have the problem of a good epoxy bond with the wood to liners which may be compromised by the linseed oil. I would therefore not advise it and in fact have moved away from Linseed oil as a natural treatment instead preferring hardening oils like Teak or Danish oils if I am going for a more natural finish
These polymerize much faster and are better all around. Once the wood and the first few mm are sealed it's unlikely that moisture will penetrate.
@@Jackloreknives Oh, wow, thank you for such a good insight. Best wishes my friend. :)
When you said "a lot of work to get out flat", I expect you mean sanding? After curing you can't hope to straighten it, right?
+Ron Spomer That would be correct. If the wood can't accept moisture then you have no chance of straightening it. Sanding it on a belt or disc sander only takes a few min. anyway.
is stabilising a wooden step will increase the strength of it? Any idea? Cheers
P.S.: What finish do you use for stabilised wood?
Sandy, I noticed in an older video you were using ronseal wood hardener to stabilise your scales, would be interested to get your thoughts on how that compares to your newer method. I'm about to add some scales to my first knife, a 'lore clone' from a farriers rasp and have bought some ronseal hardener, planning to stabilise using the 'putting a lid on a hot jam jar' method.
Hi Marcus,
Go very careful when you heat the jar and hardener up. It is flamable and has a low melting point. I think because it is such a light fluid it will penetrate the scales without a vacuum. Just leave the wood in the liquid for a week and you will find it will penetrate the wood.
The Ronseal/ Wickes hardener has a very low melting point and will clog your belts, but it will also stabilise the scales OK.
Jackloreknives
Thanks for the response Sandy, I think I'll test the wood I'm using and see how well the hardener penetrates. Not sure what it is, salvaged from a pallet I picked up for firewood and decided some of it was too good to burn! looks like red oak to me, which I understand isn't ideal. Plan to get the scales pretty much roughed out before hardening, partly because I want the penetration to be good on the finished scales, also because I don't actually have a belt grinder ! will be profiling with rasp / file/ sandpaper so want to do some of the work before making it more difficult. Already spent many hours on the knife using a Heath Robinson file jig to put the scandi bevels on the blade.
Materials were free, but by the time I'm finished I could probably have ordered several custom blades if I tot up the hours invested ! Enjoying the learing curve though :-)
In the micro owen in the beginning to dry, what effect and for how long ?
Where do you buy it from ? How many blanks do you think one bottle will cover, e.g. what will the cost be / blank ?
how long do you bake the scales? ps. i got the same sweater lol, got it at tesco's wen i was in the uk :0
May I ask what your pre-stabilized block dimensions are? It looks like 1.5" X 2" X 6" (38mm X 50mm X 150mm).
You are an artist !!...joe in ny
Thanks Joe,
Really interesting and well presented vid....gj
Very nicely done.
So you have to be part mad scientist, part baker, part smithy and all artisan to produce your knives! Good show old man, good show.
Your comment made me smile, this is so true.
Sandy
Jackloreknives
He is a mad scientist,lol.
Great vid r kid
Thanks for sharing.
i now see why i dont seem to get the results i want with turntex cactus juice.
i have followed the directions on their videos and the directions they sent with the jug of stabilizer..
soak after vacuum was released was about an hour and i dident get much penetration
Tony,
Ypu can leave the wood in there for a very long time, it won't hurt. If you are stabiising quite dense woods I would leave for several days. Also if the workshop is cool, then the juice will be more viscous and not penetrate so easily, so try to keep the juice around 15 to 20 Centigrade.
Sandy
Jackloreknives yeah i will let them soak longer..
fun fact: vacuumchambers can implode and soak you in resin if you run a powerful pump,, that got my pulse up
Hi Sandy. Have you found a source for cactus juice in the uk? Or if you import from the U.S. do you get stung much on import duty/vat?
Thanks for your great vids.
There is a supplier in the UK which sells thermo setting resin costs around £100 per gallon. Cactus juice cost me $160 to import 1 gallon.
Jackloreknives Thanks for info Sandy, sounds like its worth just ordering from the US the real thing. One other question if you don't mind - Can you tell us about your vacuum pump, I'm seeing some 8cfm pumps on ebay for under £90 which look very similar to yours.