Triathlete #9

Hi everyone, this was a good cold weather project that I just finished a couple of days ago. The wood is Lignum Vitae, buffalo horn on front and rear and the sheath is crocodile belly cut with a reverse lining made by Greg Gutcher.

That is a beautiful knife. Congratulations!

Spectacular artistry...and a gorgeous sheath to match.

If you don't mind me asking a couple of questions...

How many hours of work does this custom handle represent?

I've read that LV is one of the hardest woods; do the LV scales take appreciably longer to shape than other hard woods?

Thanks.

Bob

Another winner Dave. This one is pretty spectacular.

Dave
exceptional
2 very difficult materials to work with
Like that Croc a Gutchie
Seeya in the spring when it thaws
Stay busy this winter
Sharpi

You do exquisite work! Would love to have this knife in my collection!

Hi Bob, thank you very much, I'm glad you liked the knife. I work on the handles for fun and as such have not kept close track of the time involved. However, I have developed enough of a routine that I believe that considering epoxy dry time and working several hours (3-6) a day with hand tools would finish a knife in about a week and a half. I usually take much longer since there is no rush.

The LV is hard but was not difficult to shape. I started off as usual rough shaping with a belt sander then a coarse dremel drum, a coarse flat file, then a rat tail file for the finger grooves and finally alternating between buffing to see imperfections then sanding to remove. Just to answer your question, I would say that shaping the wood to a near finished point would take (me) 8-12 hours. The LV was very aromatic when cut/sanded and was initially pleasant but grew tiresome quickly The LV also filled the sandpaper quickly. If you are interested I'll email a few pictures of the knife in it's early stages before shaping.
Dave

Well being the great guy that I am, how about I start sending you Tri's to build for me! Because I may lose sleep if I thought you weren't having fun!

Dave,

Thanks very much for the information, and for sharing the photos. Great craftsmanship takes time, care and skill, and your results speak for themselves. I loved the earlier Triathlete handles that you created, but this one just floored me. The knife looks totally different from its original form; more like a mini RMK drop point hunter than a Triathlete.

Thanks for the offer of the in-progress photos. I'd love to see them.

And if you ever decide to accept commissions, please let me know.

Bob

I think you are very very good at transforming a great knife into a work of art. I would be honored to own any of the Knives you have transformed. Keep up the great work. And please keep adding pics.

Very nice work.

Great craftsmanship - well done!

You are good!
Outstanding job.

WOW!

BEAUTIFUL!

Tony

Morning Chief. You are a great guy, thanks.

Tony took the words right out of my mouth

WOW!

BEAUTIFUL!

Dennis

That is fantastic. Excellent job!

Nice job. It looks like the hilt "grew into place". A truly remarkable transformation.

I admire good looking knives, and this is one of the best I have seen, ever! It is difficult to imagine the amount of time, and patience, involved on the part of the owner.. I just offer my congratulations on apiece of art that will last, maybe, forever.