Willie71
Warren J. Krywko
- Joined
- Feb 23, 2013
- Messages
- 12,214
this year, we will be doing the kith (Knife in the Hat) a little bit differently. (See here: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/summer-kith.1671127/) JTknives has offered to cut out profiles and heat treat 15n20 to make sure we all have a great starting point. I have sent JT six profiles to review. For those of us who have steel and dialed heat treat, the profiles can be e-mailed to each smith. There will be a lot of customization available to make it your own, as you can design western or wa handles, full tang, or hidden tang, and grind etc. All the profiles are ones that have been used by many people.
What is a kith? A kith (Knife in the hat) was something men did during the depression. Each man would put a knife in the hat, and the hat would be passed around and each person would pick a knife to use to whittle that day. In modern times, it’s a gift exchange, (and obviously not limited to men) . Each person makes a knife, and on the completion date, a draw is done, and the knife is sent to the recipient. This is about giving, not receiving. There are wide ranges of skill, and when I first started out, I really appreciated feedback on my knives, and the opportunity to see and use other people’s work. For the past few years, we have had feedback provided, either on the forum, or in private, at the smith’s preference.
Edit: JT has the blanks heat treated, so deadline will be 17 October 2019 at midnight. Post a pic of the completed knife by midnight on the 17th, and you will be entered in the draw.
You are not obligated to anything unless you finish your knife before the completion date. You must post a pic of the completed knife, and provide your address to be entered in the draw. Life gets in the way, so if you do not complete, no harm, no foul. We often get a lot of question s regarding whether someone is ‘good enough” to enter. I do not police entries or tell people they aren’t good enough. Just ask yourself, can I make a straight blade, properly heat treated, with good geometry, and appropriate materials? For kitchen knives, that means 0.005” or thinner before sharpening, typically full flat grind, or offset grinds, depending on the style, and stabilized wood or synthetic handle materials. Being able to do a decent finish with even pattern, and no rough grind marks poking through.
I’ll post the patterns once reviewed by JT.
To join, just post “‘I’m in!”
What is a kith? A kith (Knife in the hat) was something men did during the depression. Each man would put a knife in the hat, and the hat would be passed around and each person would pick a knife to use to whittle that day. In modern times, it’s a gift exchange, (and obviously not limited to men) . Each person makes a knife, and on the completion date, a draw is done, and the knife is sent to the recipient. This is about giving, not receiving. There are wide ranges of skill, and when I first started out, I really appreciated feedback on my knives, and the opportunity to see and use other people’s work. For the past few years, we have had feedback provided, either on the forum, or in private, at the smith’s preference.
Edit: JT has the blanks heat treated, so deadline will be 17 October 2019 at midnight. Post a pic of the completed knife by midnight on the 17th, and you will be entered in the draw.
You are not obligated to anything unless you finish your knife before the completion date. You must post a pic of the completed knife, and provide your address to be entered in the draw. Life gets in the way, so if you do not complete, no harm, no foul. We often get a lot of question s regarding whether someone is ‘good enough” to enter. I do not police entries or tell people they aren’t good enough. Just ask yourself, can I make a straight blade, properly heat treated, with good geometry, and appropriate materials? For kitchen knives, that means 0.005” or thinner before sharpening, typically full flat grind, or offset grinds, depending on the style, and stabilized wood or synthetic handle materials. Being able to do a decent finish with even pattern, and no rough grind marks poking through.
I’ll post the patterns once reviewed by JT.
To join, just post “‘I’m in!”
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