My Mirror Dagger Project

[TI-6212]

Tiberius Kirk has inspired me. After fifteen years (I saw the original on display at the Smithsonian back in '92) I've decided to try my hand at this. Here's a rough mock-up of mine.

The finished handle will be machined from 1/2" thick Aluminum.
The blade and guard are 7 gage (3/16" Thk) Stainless Steel.
The blade will have a partial tang that fits inside the handle.
My thanks to NeilO for his generous technical advice on this project.
Wish me luck!

Todd H.

 

[Prefect42]

Todd,

You are off to a fantastic start. I was just looking at the finished pictures of the one Tiberius Kirk made and yours is quite impressive.

Looking forward to more pictures.

Ted.
Prefect42.

 

[tain669]

If your going to leave that point on there that would be neat.I like the design but for the blunt end of the tip.:cheers:thumbsup

 

[TI-6212]

Thank you both for the encouragement! I do well enough to finish a model kit straight from the box - I've pretty much jumped off into the deep end of the pool now! A good friend is going to help me set the components up for the various machining processes. I've got ten or twelve "pointy" blades for a display version, and three blades with the rounded nose profile that I will leave completely flat for use at a convention. I'm still unsure of the live-steel policies at a Con. I've got the flat stainless steel trim panels for the scabbard.
The scabbard will be constructed of Black ABS with the textured surfaces visible. I hope to begin the machine work sometime before the end of the year. My friend is building a new house, so I have to wait until he's done.

Stay tuned...

-Todd H.

 

[tain669]

Weapons guidelines vary from con to con but most will have you peacebond or secure the dagger to the sheath with atie down of eome kind to make sure the blade can't be drawn from the sheath.:cheers:thumbsup

 

[TI-6212]

Weapons guidelines vary from con to con but most will have you peacebond or secure the dagger to the sheath with atie down of eome kind to make sure the blade can't be drawn from the sheath.:cheers:thumbsup

Thanks for the info. I still plan on making the flat/round nose versions just in case I'm lucky enough to show them off at a Con. The pointed versions will be for display. I just hope I don't kill too many blades before I figure out what I'm doing. That's why I don't mind waiting for some experienced help. I've waited fifteen years so far, so another few months should be a snap.

-T

 

[TI-6212]

I have a quick question - several actually.
What's the best finish for the handle? Matte finish? Brushed finish?
I plan on polishing the guard and the blade. Depending on how difficult the stainless steel is to drill / tap, I might end up using Aluminum
for the guards. If I do, I'll finish the guard to match the handle.

My version of the dagger will be just that - my version. It will be very close to the actual prop, but I have made a few subtle changes to accomodate my fabrication methods and personal tastes. I can't wait to get started! Here's an early layout sketch that's pretty close to what I'll end up with.

-Todd H

 

[TI-6212]

wow - Five years have passed, and I've made absolutely zero progress on this project. My biggest obstacle is a total lack of machinist's skills. Looks like I might end up taking night classes at the local community college so I can learn how to operate a manual Bridgeport. There's a light at the end of the tunnel - I just hope it isn't a freight train.

Meanwhile, I have a few other projects going at the same blistering pace.

Cheers!

 

[TI-6212]

UPDATE: 01-30-13

I've actually made some progress since my last post! I was able to find a local machinist willing to work on the daggers on the side and not cost me my first born child in the process. I have a friend that can help me put the finishing touches on them, and I have the Trim Plates for the sheaths laser cut already. I know they'll never be as accurate as Tiberius Kirk's but I do think I'll be pleased with them when finished. Now, just to get them done before I begin receiving my Social Security checks...

 

[ProudCitize]

Awesome work, Todd

Will you be offering any of these for sale? If so will you be making any of the round-tip versions?

 

[TI-6212]

Thanks! I ended up with ten "round-tip" blades. The first prototype has a bead-blasted finish on the handle - you can see that the stainless steel pins don't blend in with the Aluminum handle. Also, the edges on the first handle made it a bit uncomfortable to hold. I chamfered the edges on the handle for the second prototype, and stuck with a brushed finish overall that I like much better. I found some Aluminum Alloy pins that blend perfectly - just gotta get "my friend" to ease up on the ol' hammer for the remaining daggers. "My freind" makes knives by hand - he's used to hammering stainless steel pins for the guards and trim a bit harder than needed here - we're using Aluminum pins to match the Aluminum handle. The plan is to serialize the remaining daggers 001 thru 008 on the back of the guard before final assembly. Except for the untempered blade, the daggers will be as durable as a "real" knife. I'll get started on the sheaths once the daggers are finished. It's a bit early in the game to talk about putting them on the market, but a few should be available when I'm done.
That's a topic for the "Junkyard"

I liked Tiberius Kirk's handle so much, that I had to follow his design.
The daggers are 10 5/8" long overall, the handle is about 4 3/4" long.
Yes, that's a red shirt as a backdrop.

Here's the photo that "started it all", taken at the Smithsonian exhibit way back in 1992.

 

[TI-6212]

Update: 04-01-13
Nothing really new to report, unfortunately. Since completing the first two prototypes, "my friend" has decided to act as if I don't exist. I gave him the CAD files for his knife designs (and those of my deceased uncle) so I'm apparently of no use to him any longer.

I feel rather sad for him, actually. I still have eight dagger props to finish, so I'll just have to figure out a few things for myself. It will take a bit longer than I had hoped, but I'll be better prepared for any future projects.

I had a few issues with some of the guards being a tad loose, so I've got some more in the works from the laser vendor that cut the blades.

Stay tuned!

TI-6212. out...

 

[TI-6212]

Update: 05-02-13
Well, a bit of good news - With a bit of help from a fellow at work, I have finished one of the daggers - only seven more to go!

I ended up having the guard welded to the blade- the new guard that I had laser cut didn't fit any better, so I used the guard that already had the brushed finish. I had to drill out the Aluminum dowel pins so we could rework the guard. I didn't put any dents in the handle, but the pins are just barely visible. I've got a Tapered Reamer on order to prepare the holes for the dowel pins for the remaining handles. I'm still pretty pleased with the finished product. At least I can actually say I put this one together! It's the one at the bottom of the photo.

I want to finish all the daggers before starting on the sheaths - that's the plan for now.

TI-6212, out...

 

[neilo1]

Todd, those look fantastic, you did a brilliant job!

 

[Snow Builder]

Absolutely outstanding.

 

[TI-6212]

Thanks to you both for the compliments! The daggers are s-l-o-w-l-y coming along. The dagger at the bottom of the previous photo is No.002, I just finished up dagger No's 001 and 003 tonight. So far, welding the guard to the blade has been the best option. I'm using JB Weld to attach the handle to the blade tang. I can always go back and add the Aluminum Alloy pins, but it's quite difficult to blend them with the handle. My hope is that the JB Weld epoxy will be durable enough (they're props for cryin' out loud - not real, working knives). My buddy at work uses JB Weld epoxy to attach golf club heads to their shafts, and they get smacked around quite a bit without any problems. Will post more photos after I get a few more daggers done.

Cheers!

TI-6212, out...

 

[TI-6212]

UPDATE: 8-17-13


Here are the first five finished daggers! I got the blades laser cut at various times over the years. At the one o'clock position, Dagger No. 004 is an "early" blade design. Three more to go, then I begin work on the scabbards.

Thanks for looking!

TI-6212, out...

 

[wtr893]

Are you going to selling this production?

 

[TI-6212]

My apologies for the late reply! The short answer is "Yes", but I honestly do not know when that day will arrive. I haven't made any progress on the daggers since my last post. I made a (pathetic) attempt at installing Aluminum pins in one of the blades that had been JB Welded to the handle, but the pins were too long to finish out properly. I have to drill them out and start over, but I've decided to practice inserting the pins in some flat Aluminum plate to avoid the constant need for a "Do-Over" on the handles. The plan is to finish all eight of the daggers, fabricate the sheaths, then offer to sell the best four. I've been on and off (mostly off) this project for the past twenty-two years. All I can say is to please "Stay Tuned".

TI-6212, out...

 

[Cerberus442]

Wow.. very nice knives...!!! lots of sanding and buffering...!!!!