Project KOPA

bh49 · #21

Tony,
You doing good. I am quite impressed. What kind of wood it is?

ozspyder · #22

Roman I think it is Purpleheart?

tonydahose · #23

ozspyder wrote: I'm working on getting a couple finished off by someone else

you think after 2 years he would be done by now with them :rolleyes:

bh49 wrote:Tony,
You doing good. I am quite impressed. What kind of wood it is?

Dan is correct, purpleheart wood it is.

GradeMaker · #24

Tony - that is going to look so much better than it did.

Doc Pyres · #25

GradeMaker wrote:Tony - that is going to look so much better than it did.

+1 Agreed. I really prefer wood to any sort of animal bone. Tony, excellent project log/tutorial. It looks like a lot of work but you've got skills bro :p . Is the wood stabilized in any way? Thanks for keeping the Kopa spirit alive.

tonydahose · #26

thanks for the compliments, i am trying to take my time which is something that i am not accustomed to doing

. i think if you do that anyone with rudimentary wood working skills could do this. the wood isnt stabilized.

tonydahose · #27

just finished side 2, i didnt bring my camera so no pics. my next work day i'll start contour sanding the wood to match the rest of the knife. wish me luck :) .

tonydahose · #28

welcome, thanks for tuning into this week in project kopa :D . i briught the camera today and glue...so here goes. i was advised by butch to use 2 ton epoxy...who new that it takes hours for this stuff to dry...there was nothing on the label except what to do if you ate it or got some in your eyes :rolleyes:

here i am cleaning out some of the epoxy that was squished out with my manix and some toilet paper :p

since this was taking soooo long i decided to work on a project that i started over a year ago. i dont know what the name of this wood is, it was a freebie when i bought some other blocks. it must have alot of oil in it(i am guessing here) because when i got up to 400 grit it had a nice smooth/glasslike finish. i also forgot the double sided tape so i used a few drops of super glue, that is the residue you can see on the wood. it popped off easily with the manix shoved between them but held up perfect to the power sanding.

check out glare off of this from 400 grit on a belt sander..i know not the right tool but you work with what you got :)

ok back to the kopa...finally it is somewhat dry and i can start working on it.

my tool of choice...it was a lil difficult with the scales from the rookie but the with the kopa i had enough to grip to.

tonydahose · #29

here it is after the glue finally set enough to work on it.

i remembered to use tape this time :) medical tape of course

i kept using it past the end of the blade to give me a good handle to hold on to. oh and before you say anythng smart, that is apple juice i will have you know.

i used the belt sander or te drum sander on the drill press until i was about a 1/16" or so and then went with a piece of glass and sandpaper. i would rock the handle slighlty to match the curve of the knife to the new scales.

here is one side close to being done...i need to get some more sandpaper and in higher grits as well.

other side not done yet.

Tank · #30

Looking good.

ozspyder · #31

OMFG Tony !

It is starting to look magnificent :) My dreams of seeing a Kopa in Purple or Green is coming true. You're doing a fantastic job. Keep it up . You have inspired me to grab one of my Cocobolo's and do the same.

Can't wait to see it finished !

Fred Sanford · #32

Tony,

That's some good work bro. Thanks for taking the time to take pics throughout. Only thing better would be to be there. :)

Cheers!

Rob · #33

Awesome job, Tony! :cool: I am not really into wood on (pocket)knives but this is looking good. Both will be nice gentlemen's folders. Are the Kopa's bolsters dovetailed? It's difficult to tell from the pictures...

Cheers, Rob

tonydahose · #34

Thanks for the kind words Dave and John.

ozspyder wrote:OMFG Tony !

It is starting to look magnificent :) My dreams of seeing a Kopa in Purple or Green is coming true. You're doing a fantastic job. Keep it up . You have inspired me to grab one of my Cocobolo's and do the same.
Can't wait to see it finished !

Dan first thanks, now slowly step away from the cocobolos and go buy a few squashs like i did...i already know what the next 2 pieces will be :D

Rob wrote:Awesome job, Tony! :cool: I am not really into wood on (pocket)knives but this is looking good. Both will be nice gentlemen's folders. Are the Kopa's bolsters dovetailed? It's difficult to tell from the pictures...

Cheers, Rob

Thanks Rob, i know what dovetailing is in drawers and cabinetry but i am at a loss on knives...sorry :confused: i didn't really look at how it was held in place to the rest of the knife either.

edit: ok i had a lil nap and then ate dinner and went back to work :) i need to go buy some sandpaper but this will give you a good idea of what it will look like when she is all done. anyone have any idea on what to finish it with??? thanks! the pics aren't the best, i should send it out to Paul when it is done :D without further ado, i present to you Purpleheart Kopa

tonydahose · #35

i didn't like the pics so i took a few more with a backdrop of the knife on the computer :p

Fred Sanford · #36

Tony,

I would finish one of a few things. How about some tongue oil? You basically rub it on, and then let it sit, then polish it, and you do that over and over until you get the shine (finish) you want. I'm a fan of tongue oil.

Also, for the final grit for the SS and also the wood I would say try 400 - 600 grit if you want that semi-brushed finish. 600-1000 if you want a more polished look.

Good work homie!

Fred Sanford · #37

One other thing, I'm not sure how much wood working you do so this may be moot.

I have heard about wetting the wood with some alcohol or something to raise the grain before sanding a few times during the final sanding process. I'm not sure if this is still true nor if it helps.

bh49 · #38

Tony,
Your Kopa #17 looks good. Great job. Thank you for pictures and comments.
Roman

ozspyder · #39

That's awesome Tony :D

I have heard of using very fine steel wool to give it a nice rub and then use of tung oil or linseed oil to bring up the grain and help to partially preserve the wood. I use silicon oil on most of my knives to bring out the grain and to 'freshen' things up a tad.

I will take your advice and move away from the Cocobolo's (for now). Will save up some more and get some cheaper/ user Kopas and see if I can go find some green swamp kauri and grow some balls and do what you did LOL :p

tonydahose · #40

if you find some green, let me know. i was looking for it and had no luck. i do however have some yellow and that will be my next rescaling project. the cat is out of the bag now

but number 3 is still under wraps.