Customized 9" Jndiana Bolster Open/Close Italian Stiletto

[john]

Hello Everyone,
Customized 9" Jndiana Bolster Open/Close Italian Stiletto with Beautiful Mammoth Scales I re-scaled this last week and I Swedged the blade by Hand.
OAL 9"
4" Polished Stainless Steel Swedge Blade
5" Handle with Beautiful Polished Brown Mammoth Scales
Highly Polished Brass Bolsters, Liners and Pins
Tang Stamp Front Side: STAINLESS in capital letters running diagonally, Back Side:UD96A000103 over PATENT in capital letters running diagonally
Blade sits Below the Liner and is Centered in the Channel
If you have a Jndiana Bolster O/C, please feel free to post a photo of here.
Thank you for taking a look at my customized knife,
John











[/URL]

[ILikeStilettos]

Very nice work, John, but I am not sure that I am following.

You said "kit" - is Jndiana still producing, moreover producing kits with mammoth scales?

What do you mean you swedged the blade? What did you start with, a blank?

[daddyloko]

Beautiful work. The scales are perfect.

[john]

Very nice work, John, but I am not sure that I am following.

You said "kit" - is Jndiana still producing, moreover producing kits with mammoth scales?

What do you mean you swedged the blade? What did you start with, a blank?

Hi Dave,
OOPs It wasn't a kit. I had kit on my brain from the other two knives I did.
This knife came with wood scales. I re-scaled it with mammoth. The blade was a traditional flat grind. I filed the blade to put the swedge on it. I transformed a noun "swedge" into a verb "swedged" . I apologize for the confusing sentence.
Thank you, Dave, for taking the time to look at my knife, for your comment and question,
John

[john]

Hello Daddyloko,
You can do this too. All it takes is a few basic tools, time and lots of patients.
I really like the way it looks too. I sanded it using 400 to 6000 grit, then polishing pads ending with a 12,000 grit. Finally I used neutral shoe polish. I used the same pads and shoe polish on the brass.
Thank you, Daddyloko, for checking out my knife and your comment,
John

[Razor_54]

Awesome job. Really like what you did with the blade. Very cool.

[Krab-E]

Nicely done John.
Were the new scales hard to work? - I've no experience (yet), but read somewhere that it is harder than bone.
Bolster release - (please to educate the ignorant) is this like a swivel bolster that unleashes & unlocks the blade?
I've missed your photo-essays, guess I shouldn't've stayed away so long.

[john]

Hi Razor,
Adding the swedge was really easy, but scary to do; if I messed it up I'd have to dump the blade and install a regular blade with a nail nick or add a button and safety for an auto.
All I did was take a file and you can see how it worked out. I went from a course file to a very fine file. Then, I used a sanding block with an extremely fine grit sandpaper; it's actually is a plastic material with an abrasive coating.
Thank you, Razor, for taking the time to take a look at my Jndiana and for your comment,
John

[john]

Hi Dave,
The mammoth is no more hard than bone. It's easy to work with. To fire the knife you swivel the bolster as you would to close a stiletto and to close it you swivel it as you would any other knife.
I should have written to you to ask why you weren't posting, but I'm glad you found your way back.
Thank you, Dave, for taking a look at my knife and asking about the mammoth's ease of use,
John