"Additional Knife Progress"

Hey there folks,

I stayed late today at the shop to finish up the blades for heat treat.
First I surface ground them to within .005 of finish thickness.

Next I wrote a program in MasterCam to do a 3D sweeping contour profile using a .125 diameter carbide ball mill. I manipulated the amount of step over, and across step in the program parameters to achieve the rippled/fluted effect on the blade. I was able to use the same program for the opposite side after turning on the mirror image function on the CNC control.

I don't know about you, but I'm digging them...:)

Thanks for looking,  Kenn

        

"Got A Bit Further Today"

Hi all,

Had a few minutes today and was able to press the 1/16 detent ball into the frame lock mechanism.

I also milled a notch in the blade, drilled and taped a hole #2-56 to accept the thumb wheel.

I'm sitting here now flipping it open and closed, great fun....:)

Next I need to finish surface grind the blade to the final thickness to allow for 2 phosphor bronze washers to be fitted on each side of the blade. After that I'll need to add the blade angles, and send it off to be heat treated.

Enjoy, Kenn

"Progress Report"

Well Folks,
I made it to the shop today, and roughed out the Prototype blades.

I think it's looking pretty good so far.

Whatcha think?

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

"Ti Lights"

Hey there Folks,
Here is a fresh lot of  "Ti Lights".
These are made from .500 diameter 6AL4V Titanium, and are 1.270 in length. There are four viewing portals featuring five .093 diameter holes with a 45 degree counter sunk slot. These have a nice satin Scotch Brite finish on them, which I then anodized. Inside is a 3mm x 23mm Self Lighting Gas Vial. Once again the Vial is captivated by the para cord lanyard.

Price on these is $95.00 each.

The Green anodized  have a Green SLGV. !!SOLD!!
The Purple anodized  has an Ice Blue SLGV. !!SOLD!! 
The Blue anodized have an Ice Blue SLGV. !!SOLD!!

If you're interested please Email jordanmetalart@gmail.com with your color choice as well as your payment preference.

As always thanks fo looking folks, Kenn

"Colors"

Hey there folks,

Just wanted to share a photo of some newly anodized Titanium.
I was gifted a sample of a product called Multi Etch.
It apparently cleans impurities while slightly etching the Titanium, making the surface accept the anodizing process with greater success.
This is an amazing product, just look at these colors.
I'm able to achieve much more brilliant results in a wider spectrum now.
Sorry, no new Knife progress this week...:(
Kenn

"Knife Handle Protos"

As promised, here are the 1st. photos of the Integral Knife Project.

These are the one piece Titanium handle prototypes.

3/8" thick, 1" wide, and 2 1/2" in length.

The machining went surprisingly well.

I'm really excited about these, and hope you all like them so far.

Kenn

"New project info"

Hi all,
 I see several of you have been reading the comments in the previous post, and have come to the conclusion that I'm in the process of creating a new item.
I'm going to try my luck at making a Folding Frame Lock Knife. (There I said it....whew)
I did the design in MasterCam, and will be starting a few prototypes as soon as possible.
The Knife will be on the small side, 4" to 4 1/2" over all length which will make for a great EDC.
The handle will be integral, and machined from solid Titanium.
The blades on the protos will be in S30V as that's what I was able to secure for free.
I'm quite excited about this, and hope I can produce a quality product that folks will be proud to carry.
Stay tuned, as I'll be posting pictures of the process.
Kenn

"Ti Lights"

Hey there Folks,
Here is the latest edition in my series of Lanterns "The Ti Light".
These are made from .486 diameter 6AL4V Titanium, and are 1.270 in length. There are four viewing portals featuring five .093 diameter holes with a 45 degree counter sunk slot each. These have a nice satin Scotch Brite finish on them, which I then anodized. Inside is a 3mm x 23mm Self Lighting Gas Vial in Orange or Blue. Once again the Vial is captivated by the para cord lanyard.
Price on these is $95.00 each.
!!These are all SOLD, thanks folks!!
As always thanks for checking in, Kenn

Titanium Flash Drive Housing

Hi folks,
Take a look at this Titanium Flash Drive housing I finished up today.
For the innards I used a SANDISK 2GB Micro Cruzer.
The overall dimensions are .375 X .972 X 2.375.
The back has a slot with a 2mm X 12mm Purple Self Lighting Gas vial installed.
To hold it together I used 6 #2-56 SS socket head cap screws.

I had thought of anodizing this, but it's too cool the way sits now.

It only took 9 hours to make

Thanks for checking this out, Kenn
(This is already spoken for, sorry)

"How about an update?"

Well folks,
I figured it's time for an update here.
For those of  you that aren't aware of it, I had Lumbar Spinal surgery (7 hours on the table) back on 8/25/09.
I've been recuperating since then. This Monday I returned to work, 1/2 days for the next 2 weeks then back to full time. I feel well, and am excited to get back into the swing of things again.
 Stay tuned as I'm going to try my damnedest to put some items new and old up here just as soon as possible.
Thanks for stopping by, Kenn
!!Teaser Picture!!

SLGV* One Off Lantern

I thought I'd share my latest Self Lighting Gas Lantern, I have no plans to make others quite like this. It was just a little project to keep me sane.

Specifications:

Material 360 Naval Brass, 1.875 over all length by .750 hex.

All six side have a viewing slot, and the bottom employs a 1/4-20 ss socket set screw modified with a viewing hole as well. I made a Lucite tube to protect the Self Lighting Gas Vial. At the top I added some fancy ball mill divots for aesthetics.

I purposely used the Brass so this will show wear, tear, and tarnishing over time. The goal is to have this look like something out of a futuristic Sci-Fi movie.

Thanks for checking in folks, Kenn

"PLEXI CUBES with SLGV's"

Well I got ambitious the last two days, and finished up these three new Plexi Cubes. As you can see in my really poor pictures, only one has a self lighting gas vial inserted. This is only because I haven't done the complete install with the Norland 61 epoxy yet. I know, I'm lazy.
So here are the specifics,

1.000" square Plexiglass, with .750 diameter X .125 wide slots milled on all six sides leaving a .500 diameter boss in each. This leaves us with two separate pieces, the outside square and the inside six bosses being the other. In addition I milled my makers mark on one boss, drilled, and reamed another to accept a 2 mm X 12. 5 mm self lighting gas vial. I also added a 45 degree chamfer to all of the sharp edges.

Whew, is that a detailed enough description for ya?

Once again the pics don't do these justice.

Thanks for looking, Kenn

"Lanyard Spur"

I had a small piece left from a bar end the last time I made some Cubes, so I put it aside for awhile.
Finally got an idea as to what to do with it, and here it is.

I'm calling it a "Lanyard Spur"

It's 1.00 across the star points X .201 thick, with a .250 diameter thru hole.

Let me know what you all think, should I make more?
Red Brass?

Stainless?

Titanium? Oh yeah I got Titanium....hehehe.

Thanks for looking,

"RED BRASS CUBE" 2ND. GENERATION

This is "The Cube" 2nd. generation machined from 1" square Red Brass stock. Finish size is .9375 square featuring a .750 dia. inner ball, and eight.3125 square satellites. Thru holes are .281 and .1875 in dia. One satellite cube is drilled .118 dia. thru to accept a small included split ring for use as a key fob, zipper pull or what have you. They also make neat desk curios.
!!!ALL SOLD!!!
The price on these is $65.00 each.
Sorry for the poor pics, but I had trouble w/ reflections in the polished Red Brass.
Thanks for looking, Kenn

"LANYARD FOB PROTO"

  I made this little Aluminum diamond shaped piece a while back and it just kept calling to me to do something with it. So after seeing all the great and varied lanyard beads available it came to me. I added two holes in the side to accept Para Cord, polished it up and tied it to one of my Encapsulators using Matthew Walker knots.
 I think it's cool looking as well as utilitarian.
 Also in the picture is one of my Red Brass Triple Cubes and a fine tip Sharpie for size comparison.
Just thought I'd share, I have to keep posting stuff so all you Folks stay interested. 
Kenn

"ADVENTURES IN GLOW EPOXY'

Well I bought some glow powder and epoxy a while back and today I finally got around to doing something with it. I have to say I'm quite pleased with the results, considering these were charged by overcast sunlight.
 The 1st. picture is of a Porto Span with .140 diameter glow dots.
The second picture is of a prototype Lantern filled with the epoxy/glow powder mixture.
Let me know what you think of these, Kenn

"SLGV* LANTERN PROTOTYPE"

Here we have a prototype  Lantern. I used a 3mm x 22.5 long "SELF LIGHTING GLASS VIAL". The lantern body is .3125 Brass hexagon stock 1.250 long. I still have to fill the slots with clear epoxy to protect the vial. I'm not sure if this will be a production piece or not, so lets see if you folks are interested. As of now I don't have a price point, I may change the design somewhat too.

Have a Happy Halloween, Kenn

"MICRO BIT TWIST, SECOND EDITION"

Hey kids,

 Here is the updated version of the MICRO BIT TWIST.  Made from 316 series stainless steel the physical dimensions are .365 thick by .650 high (not including the bit) and .618 over the .3125 radii, with a .250 hex milled .350 deep.

  The difference between this one and the first four pieces is the hex is now offset to allow more leverage, and I opted for a #8-32 ss socket set screw instead of the #6-32. I had thought of using a set screw with a ball detent, but that proved to be cost prohibitive as they averaged $5.65 each.

  But wait there's more, I'll also be including a #2 Phillips bit as well as a short arm 5/64 Allen wrench with each piece.

Thanks for stopping by,  Kenn

RED BRASS TRIPLE CUBES

Just finished a  batch of Red Brass Triple Cubes. Made From 1 inch square stock finished to .900 X .900 X .900 these are heftier than the aluminum ones posted below. I include a small split ring for use as a key fob, zipper pull or what have you. 

UNTITLED PROTOTYPE KNIFE

Here is a picture of a rough prototype. The case is made of 303 SS and the blade is A6.  Now that I have something tangible,  I can see things I like and some I'd like to change, but this is the general idea. As of now the physical dimensions are 1.750 O.D. X .300 thick. Please note that when the blade is in the closed position  all you will see is the outside profile of the case. In case you're wondering I'm going to use a ball detent for a blade stop. 

"Encapsulator XL"

  Here is a large version of the "Encapsulator". Physical dimensions are 1.00" O.D. X 3.625" long, .600"  I.D. X  2.430" inside length. The ends have a .375 "  radius with a 45 degree angle to blend in to the 1.00" O.D. the threads are 7/8-28. This is a substantial piece and I'm very pleased with the finished product. 

GUITARS

Yes, guitars. Check these out, the bodies on these are Lucite & Aluminum. They were a lot of fun to do. How do they sound? well they both sound great. The Aluminum one resonates so good you can pluck a note, come back tomorrow & it'll still be ringing.... well almost. I used Carvin electrics and necks on both. These are mine personally and are not for sale...sorry.

CRIBBAGE BOARD

This is a cribbage board , made from 6061-t6 aluminum with brass pegs. Yeah it's hefty but hey you only move from the shelf to the table right? 

Over the years I've made a bunch of these mostly for wedding gifts. I even gave them to the ushers at my own wedding. I am not currently making any of these, but who knows I might do a  few more sometime.

"Encapsulator"

This is the "Encapsulator" made from 6061-t6 aluminum. The outer dimensions are 2 inches long x 3/4 diameter. Inner dimensions are 1 3/4 long x 13/32 diameter. The threads are a  17/32-32 pitch with an "O" ring for a weather tight seal. Put in spare cash, meds, matches or whatever you like that fits :)                              
                     

"Porto Span"

Here we have a tool for adjusting the pivot pin on a Strider knife. It is made from 316 series stainless steel and features both the spanner for the large Strider knives (NOT FOR THE PT MODEL) as well as an 1/8 hex wrench. The two halves screw together using a 1/4-28 thread with an "O" ring at the bottom of the thread to keep debris out. Dimensions are 3/8 thick x 5/8 wide x 1 &  3/8 long.

                                       ATTENTION PLEASE:

If  you have not adjusted the pivot pin on your Strider knife before, I suggest that you hold the end of the knife with the pivot pin in very hot if not boiling water for a minute to loosen any thread lock (Loctite) that the good folks at Strider may have applied.