Latest commision WIP

[mikew]

Here are some pictures of a knife I am working on at the moment. After several emails with the customer we decided on a 115x28x5mm blade from O1. He was very specific about wanting a thick, brass bolster; at this point I started to get worried

This was going to be a big, heavy blade so I suggested three wood types for the handle that are dense enough to provide a good balance to the knife. Cocobolo, ebony and desert ironwood. He chose cocobolo.

Here is the blade profiled and rough ground, ready for heat treatment. It was to be tempered back to 59HRC and cryo treated.

The plan was to leave the patina on from the heat treatment but polish the bevel up nicely to give a good contrast. This meant I had to etch my makers mark on before HT which was a first for me. It worked!

Here is where I am up to today. The handle and tang are drilled out awaiting a brass pin and the bolster is pre shaped. Don't ask me how long this bolster took to make

I was a little uneasy about the tear drop shape to the handle as I associate it with the work of Pekka tuominen so I contacted him and got his approval. Happy days.

On to the handle shaping....

 

[Dreadhead]

thats looking good Mike

 

[HillBill]

Coming along nicely mate. Took me a few seconds to realise the top blade pic was part covered by carpet, my eyes just saw a jagged top edge and thought...eh? lol

look forward to seeing it finished

Oh and how long did the bolster take?

 

[mikew]

Too long!

That's snow in the first pic mate.

 

[HillBill]

lol, fair enough..... just shows how much i know

Too long!

That's snow in the first pic mate.

 

[Stringmaker]

I thought it was carpet too if it's any consolation.

 

[Bartooon]

I really like the contrast between the polished bevel and the patina on the rest of the blade. Nice work!

 

[mikew]

Late lunch break and here's where I am up to. Symmetry is so important in a handle like this. I begin by faceting the handle....

Then I basically just keep taking the corners off until I have the shape I want....

Right then, back to it.

 

[mikew]

Enough for today. Is it too early for beer?

Just needs a final polish and then a soak in oil.

And an in hand shot for a sense of scale. It's a big'un.

I'll take some better pics once I've finished it off and made the sheath.

Please ask if you have any questions.

 

[Niels]

Wow! Nice knife. I didn't realy see how big it was until it was in your hand

 

[mikew]

Thanks Niels. Yeah that's why I took that picture, it's a lot bigger than the knives I usually make.

 

[HillBill]

Lovely knife that Mike

 

[Albus Culter]

Just found this thread.

Yep I missed the snow too, and wondered why the top edge looked like it did

Wow. Stunning work my friend. One great knife, two great standard and speed of work

 

[Samon]

that's a beauty mate! I really like the polished bevel and brass, they set the whole thing off

 

[mikew]

Appologies for keeping this thread prattling on but I thought you may like to see the finished knife....

That's not a gap between the spacer and the wood on this one, it's just the way the light reflected off the joint.

This shows the teardrop shape I mentioned earlier. It's actually quite nice to hold, though I wasn't convinced at first.

Total pain to photograph with all those different textures but you get the idea

Please feel free to comment.

 

[Niels]

Is it a single bevel knife? I like big single beveled knives

 

[mikew]

Not totally sure what you mean mate. It has a bevel on both sides but no secondary bevel.

 

[Niels]

Not totally sure what you mean mate. It has a bevel on both sides but no secondary bevel.

That's what I meant

 

[dazcon]

Great looking knife! Very nice job!!

 

[nic.]

Looking good Mike, it really is a whopper as well. Nice bevel and Bolster fit.