Frederick89
Scout
I though it would be nice to translate this thread as it was posted few times yesterday, but if not speaking italian it could be hard to get all the work involved. Making a birch bark puukko is rather simple, but very time consuming.
This is not a tutorial, but just Pasi's way. He's a finnish full-time smith and part time wilderness guide and sled driver.
The forging pics were took in another moment, as the blade of the knife was already finised when I was asked to make this reports.
Everything starts from a Böhler K510/silversteel round bar with 13 mm diameter.
It's heated and flatted, then the tang is forged out. (colours went wrong, the bar is actually orange)
the bar is cut with anvil's wedge and the raw shape of the blade is hammered
then comes the bevels forging; the spine is straightened a bit, but the compensation curve is left
and exploiting it the spine "bevels" are forged, creating the rhombic section.
The blade is now flattened and/or straightened if needed, stamped and roughly finished. With beltsander shoulders are marked more, spine is rounded and bevels are polished a bit. In this way it will be also easier to see the steel's colours during heat treatment.
The blade is now placed under the charcoals of the forge and heated
quenched in oil, lifting the spine out of the liquid to leave it softer, and tempered over the charcoals. The number and duration of the temperings change depending on the use the blade will see. (again, the charcoals are orange)
After the treatment the blade is finished with finer grits, sharpened and it's finally ready.
Now to the handle. As this will be a stacked handle it should be better to make bolsters out of 5 mm thick brass to give the structure more sustain and, for the same reason and prevent the handle to bent easily on torsions, the tang has to be wider and thicker than "normal".
Front bolster drilled and fitted and stacking of first flaps. These are places crossed (straight-sideways-straight-sideways) in order to exploit the friction between the vegetal fibers of the bark and give additional strenght to the handle.
When the correct length is estimated as almost reached the handle is compressed and measured.
Few flaps are added or removed if needed. All the flaps are then removed, the butt plate is drilled and fitted.
Now all the flaps are glued, crossed, with 2 hours epoxy, the butt plate is fitted and peened and the handle is left to dry. When it has shrunk a bit and has reached the same lenght it had while compressed is dry enough and can be roughly shaped on beltsander with worn out #60 and #80 grits.
The handle is then sanded by hand with #180, #240, #320, #400, #600 grits and finished with a finer sanding cloth. Last touch is to give a light coat of oil to darken it a bit and protect from skin oils.
Time for creating the birch liner. It's carved and chiseled in the inside while carvend and sanded in the outside. In this way the puukko is also tested in its primary duty.
The sheath is made out of vegetable tanned cowhide sheet. The leather is wet, the liner is placed, folding, sewing (few holes-stitching-few holes-stitching), the sewing is straightened, the exceeding leather is cut. The sheath is then wet formed and, after a while, decorated.
Now the shath is left to dry overnight and then dyed. The belt loop is of the same leather, the D-ring is created twisting a brass rod with pliers, while the brass botton closing the loop is the only piece to have been purchased ready made.
Finally the puukko is completed and ready to be used.
Hope you liked!
This is not a tutorial, but just Pasi's way. He's a finnish full-time smith and part time wilderness guide and sled driver.
The forging pics were took in another moment, as the blade of the knife was already finised when I was asked to make this reports.
Everything starts from a Böhler K510/silversteel round bar with 13 mm diameter.
It's heated and flatted, then the tang is forged out. (colours went wrong, the bar is actually orange)
the bar is cut with anvil's wedge and the raw shape of the blade is hammered
then comes the bevels forging; the spine is straightened a bit, but the compensation curve is left
and exploiting it the spine "bevels" are forged, creating the rhombic section.
The blade is now flattened and/or straightened if needed, stamped and roughly finished. With beltsander shoulders are marked more, spine is rounded and bevels are polished a bit. In this way it will be also easier to see the steel's colours during heat treatment.
The blade is now placed under the charcoals of the forge and heated
quenched in oil, lifting the spine out of the liquid to leave it softer, and tempered over the charcoals. The number and duration of the temperings change depending on the use the blade will see. (again, the charcoals are orange)
After the treatment the blade is finished with finer grits, sharpened and it's finally ready.
Now to the handle. As this will be a stacked handle it should be better to make bolsters out of 5 mm thick brass to give the structure more sustain and, for the same reason and prevent the handle to bent easily on torsions, the tang has to be wider and thicker than "normal".
Front bolster drilled and fitted and stacking of first flaps. These are places crossed (straight-sideways-straight-sideways) in order to exploit the friction between the vegetal fibers of the bark and give additional strenght to the handle.
When the correct length is estimated as almost reached the handle is compressed and measured.
Few flaps are added or removed if needed. All the flaps are then removed, the butt plate is drilled and fitted.
Now all the flaps are glued, crossed, with 2 hours epoxy, the butt plate is fitted and peened and the handle is left to dry. When it has shrunk a bit and has reached the same lenght it had while compressed is dry enough and can be roughly shaped on beltsander with worn out #60 and #80 grits.
The handle is then sanded by hand with #180, #240, #320, #400, #600 grits and finished with a finer sanding cloth. Last touch is to give a light coat of oil to darken it a bit and protect from skin oils.
Time for creating the birch liner. It's carved and chiseled in the inside while carvend and sanded in the outside. In this way the puukko is also tested in its primary duty.
The sheath is made out of vegetable tanned cowhide sheet. The leather is wet, the liner is placed, folding, sewing (few holes-stitching-few holes-stitching), the sewing is straightened, the exceeding leather is cut. The sheath is then wet formed and, after a while, decorated.
Now the shath is left to dry overnight and then dyed. The belt loop is of the same leather, the D-ring is created twisting a brass rod with pliers, while the brass botton closing the loop is the only piece to have been purchased ready made.
Finally the puukko is completed and ready to be used.
Hope you liked!
I simply translated a thread I wrote in italian few days ago. 
