New knife with textured blade

jojo

Need to contact Admin...
Aug 16, 2006
2,630
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England's most easterly point
I haven't done much on the knife front lately, too many things to do, not enough time!

I decided to finish this one yesterday. The blade blank had been sitting around for months. I was going to give it a good polish and shine, but decided that was a bit too boring. So I took it to the forge and then to the anvil and heavily textured the blade with a texturing hammer. The indentations are quite marked in the steel, but they have very smooth, rounded edges anf therefore is still easy to keep clean. It was wire brushed then polished to give a good contract beween the surface and the dents.

DSCF4638.jpg


Size wise, it's pretty conventional, 8 1/2" in old money or 215mm. The steel is 01 tool steel, 3mm thick, although it looks thinner on the spine because of the texturing there.

DSCF4637.jpg


The handle scales are a wood I haven't used before, as I haven't found any big enough before. It's Boxwood. A wood that was very popular for tool handles, chisels, gouges and so on.

It's a very nice colour, very hard dense wood, that gets a high polish. I haven't yet put a finish on it, though I think it's going to be Danish oil.

DSCF4636.jpg


The blade has a small drop in the point. I have grown to prefer my knives to be a bit "handle heavy", they sit in my hand better.

Now for a sheath! Might give it some texture too...
 
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Hugo

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Nov 29, 2009
2,588
2
Lost in the woods
Blade looks good to me, well done.
When you were giving it a bit of bashing to get the indentations, did it move the blade around at all.
I ask because I'm thinking of doing the same on a blade that I have.
 

jojo

Need to contact Admin...
Aug 16, 2006
2,630
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England's most easterly point
Blade looks good to me, well done.
When you were giving it a bit of bashing to get the indentations, did it move the blade around at all.
I ask because I'm thinking of doing the same on a blade that I have.

Yes Hugo, it did give it quite a curve in fact. But it comes back when you do the other side, then it's easy to straighten the blade as needed.
 

sasquatch

Bushcrafter (boy, I've got a lot to say!)
Jun 15, 2008
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Northampton
Looks great, I'm always a fan of textured blades. It gives it a real rustic finish that looks nice and warm and screams 'use me'. Nice one...
 

John Fenna

Lifetime Member & Maker
Oct 7, 2006
23,306
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Pembrokeshire
Very nice!
I love the boxwood handle - I have made a couple of Box spoons and have got a finish on them so smooth and shiny that some folk think they are plastic...I have let that finish wear off with use to avoid the plastic look!
I am no great fan of mirror finish blades - I realy like the textured finish here :)
 

jojo

Need to contact Admin...
Aug 16, 2006
2,630
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England's most easterly point
Thanks gentlemen.

No doubt the patina will come all by itself in its own good time!

Very nice!
I love the boxwood handle - I have made a couple of Box spoons and have got a finish on them so smooth and shiny that some folk think they are plastic...I have let that finish wear off with use to avoid the plastic look!
I am no great fan of mirror finish blades - I realy like the textured finish here :)

Yes, that's a problem! The wood gives a super finish and polishes so well that it ends up looking like plastic in some eyes! A friend of mine has a couple of gouges with Boxwood handles, one old handle and the other brand new.. they look the same, he used Danish oil on the new one, but rubbed grubby hands on it whilst wet and it gave it a nice aged finish, so I am going to try the same. I just have to find the right kind of grime now!
 

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