Back in March 2017, I converted a 4 inch length stiff blade "Rabbit Knife" made by Victorinox, whereby removing the Fibrox handle material and custom fit a deer antler.  I didn't take any pictures of the conversion and decided to do another one with a photo pictorial essay.

I used the knife below last hunting season and this 2018 hunting season and it performed flawless for a blade thickness of only .063 inches.  The knife is reminiscence of the 1850s trapper and hunters patch knives used to trim the excess material from the ole patch and ball in the black powder era.  Those knives were typically worn in a scabbard hanging from their neck resting on the chest for quick access.   A tight fitting scabbard was necessary since there was no finger guard in place which a scabbard strap would normally be used to secure the knife.

I had Harry Savage of Saxis, VA make a custom sheath for this knife.  The blade fits into the custom made sheath "tighter than two coats of paint."  I also ground a small recess in the handle aka finger guard for the safety strap to rest in since there is no finger guard on this knife. 

The knife handle will come from the lower set of antlers harvested on 12-10-18.

The antlers do not have the perfect crown at the base, but will make do with what I have to work with.

PERSONAL SAFETY AND LIABILITY ISSUES

My goal will be to keep Safety paramount because hand and power tools can do serious bodily harm and death if not used properly, therefore these pages are solely for entertainment purposes only from a personal liability standpoint.  Please read the Legal Stuff page for additional information concerning liability issues before going any further.  Safety glasses and hearing protection is a must, although I do forgo the hearing protection many times; my bad!

BAND SAWED ANTLER TO LENGTH

I used my band saw to cut the antler length to 6 inches.  The smaller end where the knife blade shank will go into is a little over 1 inch in diameter and should work ok.  I plan to add a 1/4 inch thickness brass finger guard which will be silver soldered to the blade.

I band sawed the brow tine off and used the 4 x 48 inch belt sander to blend the base of the antler and the brow tine area.  The shape of the antler with the brow tine area not fully sanded flush makes a unique fit in the right hand.

Below a few thumbnail pixs of the antler handle:

DRILLED HOLE FOR TURKEY TRACK MEDALLION

I used a .625 inch diameter Forstner drill bit for the turkey track medallion.  Something in the line of a deer medallion would be more appropriate, but I have about 200 of those turkey track medallions on hand for custom turkey box calls and will use what I have.  It does add a custom feature to the knife handle and you can use the knife to harvest the breast from an ole Long Beard if desired too!

The above Milwaukee electric hand drill has been in service since the mid 1980s and still going strong, however the battery powered drills get far more usage.  I had to pull this drill out of retirement since both the 18V batteries for my DeWalt drills were dead and time to replace those batteries due to not hold a charge for a month or two while setting idle.

I will let the antler cure out a few weeks before I drill the final diameter hole for the knife tang.  In the mean time, will remove the Fibrox handle from the rabbit knife and regrind the shape of the knife tang.  Any time you grind on a knife blade that is already tempered, caution must be used not to overheat the blade and destroy the blade temper aka hardness.

REMOVED FIBROX HANDLE

It is easy to get cut removing the Fibrox knife handle which is molded in place, therefore will tape the blade with a several layers of masking tape for protection.  The tang of the blade goes at least 2 inches into the Fibrox knife handle.

Click on below thumbnail pixs for a larger screen view:

I drilled a series of holes in the Fibrox handle to ascertain its length in the knife handle.  I used a 1 x 24 inch belt sander to expose the knife tang,  I then used a chisel and hammer to separate the knife tang from the Fibrox molded handle.  The tang was ground rectangular and rough ground it to around .070 +- inches.  I dipped the blade into cold water to keep from destroying the knife hardness.  The manufacturer ground the blade about 1/2 inch into the molded hidden tang and had to square the shoulders of the blade off to the tang, otherwise the tang would be too short for usage in the antler handle.  The tang length now is 1 7/8 inches in length, of which the knife guard will use up 1/4 inch of that which should leave enough tang to become firmly embedded into the antler handle.

BRASS KNIFE FINGER GUARD SLOTTED

I used a piece of 1/4 x 2 x 4 inch length piece of brass to fabricate the knife guard.  The knife tang thickness is around .070 inches +- where the knife guard will abut.  I used a carbide tipped scribe and rule to layout the knife tang hole/slot in the brass and center punched a few witness marks for the drill bit.  I then drilled connecting 5/64 inch diameter drill holes and my scroll saw with a # 6 jewelers saw blade to connect the drill holes creating the slot for the knife tang.  I used a flat musical instrument file to square the ends and fit the knife tang to the slot cut.  I rough sanded the brass knife finger guard using 400 grit wet/dry sand paper.

Click on below thumbnail pixs for a larger screen view.

Next week, the Lord willing of course, I will pre-shape the finger guard profile and silver solder the knife tang to the brass finger guard using Stay Brite low temperature solder and a propane torch.  I don't think I need mapp gas for this project. 

Since the tang is a little over 1/16 inch in thickness, I plan to drill several 1/8 inch diameter holes about 2 inches deep using a brad point drill bit in a vertical orientation and have the antler handle anchored securely in my drill press vise.  There will be at least 1/32 inch clearance all around the tang and route some angular holes into the handle for either epoxy or JB Weld to grip.  I will drill a small diameter hole into the bottom of the handle into the cavity of to allow air to escape, otherwise hydraulic action will try and push the knife tang back out of the filled cavity with epoxy and/or JB Weld.

Web page uploaded by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 12-21-18 and updated 12-22-18.

DRILLED HOLE FOR THE KNIFE TANG

I planned to drill three 1/8 inch diameter holes into the knife handle, but elected to drill a 3/8 inch diameter hole using a Forstner drill bit and grind a couple slots in the handle for the excess knife tang width.  The hole was drilled about 1.75 inches in depth.  I used a tool and die makers small rectangular file and the Dremel tool with a carbide cutter 1/8 inch in diameter to finish fitting the knife tang to the handle.  I routed several angular holes into the inside cavity of the hole drilled to allow the epoxy a better gripping surface, whereas the blade should never pull out of the cavity.

After checking the fit for the knife tang to the handle, I traced around the antler onto the brass finger guard and rough sanded the profile using a 6 x 48 inch belt sander and 1 x 42 inch belt sander.  I used the PortaBand saw to cut the longer end off the brass finger guard.

Below pixs of the hole layout and drilling:

KNIFE GUARD TO BLADE

I started heating the knife brass finger guard with the propane torch and after a little while, solder was barely starting to flow, however the knife blade was discoloring too much and stopped the process.  There probably is a solder with a lower melting point than the Stay Brite and might do some research if I decide to do another knife handle conversion.  The blade tang is only .070+- inches thick and heated up quickly even with the flame directed toward the brass finger guard.  I will epoxy the guard in place with the tang.

BLADE AND GUARD GLUED TO THE HANDLE

I mixed up some Epoxy 330 and glued the knife blade, finger guard and tang to the antler handle.

I will let the epoxy cure out over night and start the final shaping and polishing of the finger guard.

GLUED TURKEY TRACK MEDALLION

I glued the turkey track medallion in the handle.

Below pix of the knife curing out:

Tomorrow, the Lord willing of course, I will start the final shaping/sanding of the  brass finger guard.

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 12-31-18.

FINAL SHAPING AND SANDING

I used my 6 x 48 inch belt sander and the smaller 1 x 42 inch belt sander to final shape the finger guard along with a fine file and 400 grit wet/dry sandpaper.  I didn't want to bring out the large buffer/wheels which is stored and mainly used for musical instruments and small wood projects.  I might later sand the brass finger guard with 600 or 800 wet/dry paper.

I taped the blade for safety and hopeful keep the blade off the sanding belt.

FINISHED KNIFE

The antler handle fits my hand very well.  The antler is very wide and somewhat flat in the middle and the word of the day is ergonomics.  The final knife blade length is 3 7/8 inches with a width of 7/8 inch and blade thickness .063 inches.

I hope to get a chance to field dress a few deer with this knife during the 2019 big game hunting season, our Lord willing of course!  Tomorrow is promised to no one.

I definitely enjoyed converting the Victorinox Rabbit knife and will see what kind of scabbard I can get for the knife.

I located a scabbard aka sheath that I used to hold a modified Chicago Cutlery knife and relocated the snap tie down strap.

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 01-01-19.

KNIFE HANDLE MODIFICATION

NOTE:  I shortened the handle of the above knife 1.125 inches and reduced the side to side thickness since the knife protruded to much outward by the shape of the handle from the sheath aka scabbard.  I also ground three small finger grooves into the handle.

I plan to contact Harry Savage of Saxis, VA and have him make a custom sheath for this knife.

I like the handle shape and size much better.

I got a chance to use the knife on 01-19-19 skinning/dressing eleven (11) rabbits.  The drop/spear point is really an asset when inserting the tip into the body cavity and moving the knife forward without cutting into the intestines or stomach.

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 01-26-19.

HARRY SAVAGE CUSTOM SHEATH

I had Harry Savage of Saxis, VA make a custom sheath for the above knife.

Mr. C. aka Calvin Jones with a good grin going!

The above knife was gifted to one of my friends Calvin Jones on 03-09-19, retired US Navy Senior Chief Petty Officer.

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 03-09-19.

CALVIN JONES KNIFE PIXS

Mr. C. aka Calvin Jones sent me several pixs of the knife gifted him and I was impressed with them, therefore adding them to this page.  I also gave him the section that I removed from the deer antler knife handle to shorten the length, of which will make a small paper weight or something.  I inlaid another turkey track medallion in the butt section of the deer antler handle.

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 03-12-19.

ANOTHER KNIFE

I had one section of antler left from the 8 point buck harvest of 12-10-2018 and decided to make another field dressing and utility knife using a Victorinox Kitchen Knife 6 inch stainless steel wide stiff blade. 

I did not take sequence pixs of the modification of the Victorinox knife which basically the procedures were identical to the knife I made for Calvin Jones annotated above.

I shortened the blade to 5 3/16 inch length for usage as a utility knife as well.  For field dressing deer, a blade length around 4 to 4.5 inches is the ideal length in my humble opinion.

My 35MM DSLR camera body mirror definitely needs another cleaning since there are dust spots showing in the above pix, especially on the upper left hand portion of the pix.  I will address that issue in the very near future!

During the fabrication of the handle, I had some difficulty getting the blade tang which had to be reground to about 3/8 inch in width to properly align with the 3/8 inch hole I drilled in the antler.  The hole was not drilled "perfectly" for proper blade orientation, but made it work with some "wallowing" out the antler drill cavity.  I had to change the grind angle on the handle that abutted the knife brass finger guard and it shortened the length of the knife handle more than I like for my large hand, but it will still work....not the best job I have done, but I didn't want to discard the antler handle...........grin if you must!

The tip of the knife resembles more of a spear point and/or drop point which will work great for field dressing a deer, whereas the tip of the blade is below the spine of the blade.

I am having Harry Savage of Saxis, VA make a custom sheath for this knife and will post a pix when the sheath arrives.   

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 02-26-2021.

DIDN'T LIKE THE ANTLER HANDLE

I wasn't pleased with the above antler handle since it was too short for my large hand.  I had a shed antler that is at least 40 plus years old that was found behind our home on White Store Road and decided to use it.  It was just large enough to fit the finger guard on the above knife.

I band sawed slots into the handle the length of the recessed knife tang and worked it loose with a chisel.  The epoxy glue did a good job holding the tang into the handle.  I gave the handle portion left to our Grandson Xander McKnight Gonzales, of which had a turkey track medallion inlaid into it and also the rest of the shed antler that wasn't used.

This antler crown handle fits my hand very well and has much more overall eye appeal in my humble opinion.  I will give this knife a field test this coming hunting season, our Lord willing of course.

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 03-03-2021.

KNIFE WITH HARRY SAVAGE CUSTOM SHEATH

INLAID INDIAN HEAD NICKEL

I inlaid a Indian Head Nickel in the antler crown handle.  I couldn't find the correct size bit to drill the cavity, but purchased a 7/8 inch diameter Forstner drill bit that would work, however oversized.

I had about forty (40) Indian Head Nickels and only half a dozen wasn't worn too badly.  The mint date on the Indian Head Nickel is 1936.

Our government certainly did the Native American Indians wrong and practiced genocide via manifest destiny and wiped out entire cultures of them, yet "we" point the fingers at other countries for committing the same type of inhumane crimes! 

I would not trust a Bureaucrat aka Stupacrat regardless of party affiliation and their die hard supporters in an outhouse with a muzzle on.  Native Americans summed Washington and it's Bureaucrats up very well during the period of their systematic destruction during the second half of the nineteenth century,  "White man speak with forked tongue."  For a Native American History Lesson with controversial evidence and documentation, read Bury My Heart At Wounded Knee by Dee Brown which might open your political blindness.  It is estimated that between 80 to 100 million native Americans have died since European settlers came to North and South America by various diseases and outright genocide.

Looking forward to using this knife in the future, our Lord willing of course.

Web page updated by Bill aka Mickey Porter on 03-05-2021 and 03-08-2021.

LEAVING ON A SPIRITUAL NOTE

If you do not know Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, please take this moment to accept him by Faith into your Life, whereby Salvation will be attained.   

Ephesians 2:8 - 2:9 8  For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: [it is] the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.

Hebrews 11:1 “Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen.”

Romans 10:17 “So then faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the word of God.”

Open this link about faith in the King James Bible.