This is my first blade in W2, and my first attempt at satanite coating for heat treat and ferric chloride etching to create a hamon. Steel is 3/32 x 1.5, 4 inches to the front of scales and the handle is just a hair over 4 inches, for a total length of 8 1/4 inches. I learned a few things with this one as my first clay coating was too thick and low, which combined with the oil quench pushed the hamon to the edge in the 1/4 inch at the tip and plunge. Recoated and started over with less clay and had better results. I know its far from the hamons created by guys like Don Hanson but for my first ever attempt i am happy, and i can continue to improve from here. Even being stabilized this specific piece of box elder had a few pretty significant voids or checks but I filled them with super thin CA glue and it worked great. This knife was made for a local welder in trade for all the steel i got from him to build my 2x72 grinder, and his time for cutting all the pieces to length for me. Again, comments and criticisms are totally welcome. My next project needs to be a light box, and a camera upgrade.
It looks very nice. Well done. Perhaps next time you could get some photos of the whole process? It might help anyone else wanting to have a go at it.
Thanks for checking it out guys. And thanks for the compliment Cal, after seeing your work in person your oppinion is highly valuable to me. This one was a trial and error process but when I do my next one I would be glad to take some pictures and do a partial build along. I am by no means experienced but seem to have had good results with this hamon and W2 so anything I can do that may help out another maker is great. It may also show others that have not tried it, that producing a hamon on the correct steel is not really that difficult and can really add a cool look to blades.
Something I forgot to add. I like the overall look of the the knife, but I think a bolster would have really made both the blade and handle stand out --at least for me.
Good point and looking at the knife now i can see that it would have suited it well. Next one in this pattern will get one forsure. I will have to order some stainless. I did have a piece of very dark black died Buckeye i was going to use as a sort of bolster but it got claimed for another project.
