October 2024 Huntsman and Tradesman Orders



October 2024 Huntsman and Tradesman Orders

Order Status Update and Production Schedule Page

Update: Jan 13, 2025

Total Orders
We received approximately 66 orders in total; order #9768 to #9833.  Just a few of these orders included multiple knives, so its looking like somewhere around 70 knives to build. 

Estimated Wait Time
The original estimation of 8-12 weeks +/- still seems to be accurate for most orders, though they will all be on the later end of the estimation.

This is because of "typical stuff", murphy's law.  To elaborate: the steel company ended up shipping about 2 weeks past when I expected.  Waterjet took about a week longer as well, then the blades were delivered to the wrong address (holiday season craziness).  Thankfully, we did retrieve the blades a couple of nights ago, and we jumped right into stage 4.

Steps to the Knifemaking Process
Listing out the steps is something people might find interesting.  The step we're currently at will be highlighted in orange.

  1. Reply to emails, organize the orders, do a tally of all of the blades, handle materials, and consumables required to create the knives.
  2. Order the steel (2-3 week window typically).  Note: This took more like 5 or 6 weeks this time.
  3. Order handle materials and consumables.
  4. Once the steel arrives: Cut out the blades profiles, ream the holes, straighten the blades, grind the pre-heat-treat edges, do any necessary pre-HT surface grinding.
  5. Send the blades to heat-treat. (1-3 week window typically).
  6. Prep handles while awaiting heat-treat by cutting the blocks in half, flattening the handle scales, and gluing the scales to liners.  Then, we may prep the bolts and tubing, cut the handle scale perimeters, drill the holes, and the do the ramps on the handle scales so that they are ready to be bolted on and epoxied when the blades come back and are finish-ground.
    1/13/2025: We're at stage 6, taking care of any previous lingering orders and prepping handles while we wait for blades to come back from heat-treat.
  7. Once blades return from heat-treat: This is where the true one-piece-flow begins.  We will go order by order and start to finish the knives one at time.  We do the blade's satin flats, grind and finish the cutting edge bevel, epoxy the handle scales to the blade, contour the handle, make the sheath and firesteel (if they were added).
  8. Photo and video the knife after finishing and upload it to Instagram.
  9. Wipe the blade with mineral oil for shipping, fit it into its sheath (sheath making is also done in-house and has its own entire process, handled by Amber).  Package and ship the knife, sending a tracking number to the customer.

 

Step 7-9 One-Piece-Flow Order Status:

Black: Coming up; all materials are in shop
Blue: Awaiting handle material
Orange Bold: Started, being worked on
Green Italics: Shipped

  • 9767: assembling scales
  • 9768: ordering handle material (dark ironwood)
  • 9769: assembling scales
  • 9770: assembling scales
  • 9771: ordering handle material (bone/horn/antler)
  • 9772: assembling scales
  • 9773: assembling scales
  • 9774: ordering handle material (karelian birch)
  • 9775: assembling scales
  • 9776: assembling scales
  • 9777: assembling scales
  • 9778: assembling scales
  • 9779: assembling scales
  • 9780: assembling scales
  • 9781: assembling scales
  • 9782: ordering handle material (purple box elder burl)
  • 9783: assembling scales
  • 9784: assembling scales
  • 9785: assembling scales
  • 9786: assembling scales
  • 9787: ordering handle material (bone/horn/antler)
  • 9788: assembling scales
  • 9789: assembling scales
  • 9790: assembling scales
  • 9791: materials are ordered and on their way
  • 9792: ordering handle material (camel bone)
  • 9794: ordering handle material (buckeye burl)
  • 9795 A: ordering handle material (ironwood)
  • 9795 B: ordering handle material (ironwood)
  • 9796: ordering handle material (ironwood)
  • 9797: assembling scales
  • 9798: materials are ordered and on their way
  • 9799: assembling scales
  • 9800: materials are ordered and on their way
  • 9801 A: ordering handle material (antler)
  • 9801 B: assembling scales
  • 9802: assembling scales
  • 9803: assembling scales
  • 9804: assembling scales
  • 9805: assembling scales
  • 9807: assembling scales
  • 9808: assembling scales
  • 9809: ordering handle material (ironwood)
  • 9810: ordering handle material (ironwood)
  • 9811: ordering handle material (custom green material)
  • 9812 A: assembling scales
  • 9812 B: ordering handle material (buckeye burl)
  • 9813 A: assembling scales
  • 9813 B: materials are ordered and on their way
  • 9814: assembling scales
  • 9815: assembling scales
  • 9816: ordering handle material (bone/horn/antler; contact with options)
  • 9817: assembling scales
  • 9819: ordering handle material (black g10)
  • 9820: assembling scales
  • 9822: assembling scales
  • 9824: assembling scales
  • 9825: assembling scales (requested r-series build style)
  • 9826: ordering handle material (ironwood)
  • 9827: assembling scales
  • 9828: assembling scales
  • 9829: assembling scales (awaiting decision on liner combination)
  • 9830: ordering handle material (ram's horn)
  • 9831: ordering handle material (ironwood)
  • 9832: assembling scales
  • 9833: assembling scales