So one of the ladies I work with wanted me to make her husband a knife for Christmas, understanding that it was not going to arrive before Christmas. He had recently broken the tip off his Buck that was his favourite knife so she wanted me to make him something similar. She wanted to keep the costs down so she went with no bolster and dymondwood as a handle. I really like Dymondwood and this particular piece had great colouring as you work down through it. O1 steel, Blue/Green Dymondwood handle and stainless pin and thong hole. When she got the knife and gave it to him he was over the moon which makes a guy feel good. After he rolled it around in his hands a bit he asked her "do you think he could make another one?" So back to work I went on a knife for her. She wanted it to be a little smaller for her hand size and she really wanted the jimping on the spine, which I refused to do on his knife (and I wish I had refused to do on this one...I just hate it). But I did it, because the customer is always right...even when they're wrong. I had a hell of a time getting a polish that I was satisfied with and eventually threw in the towel and decided to do a satin finish. It turned out pretty well and as a bonus it made the photography a lit easier...no more knots from my pine ceiling looking like defects on the blade! Again, O1 steel, Red Dymondwood and stainless pins. I suppose I'm being harsh, but I absolutely hate this knife shape. It was too big to make it with any protrusion to help lock it into the sheath. It's quite deep and that makes for a pretty heavy blade. Now with a few tweaks maybe it would be better. I'm just not sold on it. But they are so I guess I'll just bury the pattern and move along.
Knots in the ceiling.... I was wondering what was going on with that knife. One thing i love about knife making is that it can be just like art. Everybody likes something different and sees something different. I absolutely love these knives and their overall design. I think they're amazing. I'm not a huge fan of jimping either but it really looks great on that knife. This is my favourite handle style too. Slight belly to the handle and a shallow finger groove. Love the way the handle sweeps forward at the bottom too. Beauty knife.
Lots of sanding, buffing with green compound and, finally, Shellawax and another hard go on the buffer. Thanks for the kind words on the design.
I actually like the aesthetics; I think what counts is how does it feel in the hand, and how does it work for its intended purpose?
