52100 3.5" hunter utility with dyed spalted maple and brass

A

andrewfinnie13

Joined
Jun 20, 2009
Messages
364
So I get the feeling that not a lot of people know about me as a maker. In 2009 I got in contact with Master smith Bill Burke here in Boise about making knives and got invited to come up to his shop and poke around and ever since then I've been addicted to making a tough durable knife. Off and on for the next five years I hung around his shop and gleened a bit here and there as far as knives go. And the beginning this year(2014) I decided to step up from hobby maker to a part time maker to help ends meet after a job change. The past nine months I've ramped up my intensity and found somewhat of a groove for myself in these 3.5" and 4" clipped hunters. They are all stock removal blades made out of Kelly Cupples .160" 52100. I do all of my heat treating as per Bill Burke's direction in house and have got great results from that process. I chop up deer antlers and chop Into g-10 and check edge flex by running the blade down a brass rod to check edge flex. I have bent and broken some test blades with great results. The grain is fine and uniform and the blades hold a great edge even when I have beat the living hell out of the knife. I hope this little bit of info helps you as customers has helped understand my background as a knifemaker.

thanks and with out further a due....

Here I have another of my 52100 hunter utility blades with a black dyed maple burl handle. The blade is 3x normalized, 3x quenched and then 3x tempered at 400deg. F. And tested for durability and toughness.

I actually just skinned a mule deer today with this ones big brother that was quenched in the same batch and it still held a razor sharp edge after cometely gutting, separating the sternum and hips and skinning so I know this little one will do an amazing job.

Here are the specs:
3.5 in 52100 blade with a shallow convex grind and a tempered back spine for a tough durable blade
4" black dyed maple burl handle contured into a coke bottle style with a brass guard.
And all held together with acraglass.

Please feel free to make comments good or bad. To me praise and criticism are one In the same. Ether one will inspire me.

This is also in the for sale area.


And I am sorry for the bad pics. I am in The process of building a light box.

I sware this is the end.

Thanks,

Andrew finnie
 

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I will offer my opinion as a consumer, but I'm not qualified to make suggestions as far as knife making. I'm just looking into starting myself. :)

I have never liked "yellow metal" and "white metal" (if that makes sense) together. Not even in jewelry.

I'm also a simplistic guy. The handle, brass, and 51200 seem to clash. I dunno. Just a new guys thoughts since I saw nobody else was replying.
 
I like the blade style and handle, just my opinion, I would thin out the back of the handle or round it some more, so not to be bulky, but still offer good grip in the hand. I think it would also improve the aesthetics of the knife without hurting function.
 
Thanks guys! I do appreciate it.
Cbach8tw: Yes there is some sculpting I have to re do on the handle but I am focused more around the underside of the handle where the guard and handle meet To get rid of the squareness. As far as the bulkiness. I was trying to make a normal sized handle for a smaller blade. I realized it is bulky and sort of intended it to be. I have previously made this blade shape into a 3 finger knife and it sold with good reviews so I thought ide try something different.

Mr. Nelson, I appreciate the comments on the appearance from the standpoint of the consumer. The actual color is more subtle and varying with the grain than it appears. I will admit, this dyed maple is somewhat of and expirence but I assure you the brass looks better with the dyed maple than the pictures portray. I am also thinking of doing my next blade with this dyed maple a bit more of a mat finish so the brass and the blade don't look like they are trying to outshine one another.

I am going to build a light box the s weekend and re post some more pics.

Thanks again guys!
 
To me, there is a discrepancy between the size of the blade and the handle, the blade just looks to small to fit into that handle. I would suggest making the blade area at the guard slightly wider, so that it meets both bottom and top points of the handle. You should be able to look at the knife and let your eye flow along it without any stops. It would also help in making the guard look less bulky and oversized. It's a little hard to explain, but I hope you get the point. A suggestion? That knife would look much better with a stacked leather handle. And, all of this is simply one man's opinion.
 
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Now the leather handle is a neat idea, that would set this nice knife off.
 
Thanks guys! That's a good idea David. I really want to make a stacked leather handle out of the 4" version. And then was also wondering about treating the brass to antique it or make it black. I guess the brass black would be around the funiture polish isle at the local hardware store right (I'll google it).
I am going to do some I nor reshaping of the handle this s weekend and re post some pics.

Thanks for the comments everyone! An open discussion about knife design/improvement of my knives is something I really enjoy.
 
I can only speak as a fan of Ed Fowler and his " school" of knife making ; you are headed in the right direction. I think that improved pictures would also help me see what I am looking at.
 
Thankyou very much! I need to really get my light box built. Between working full time, having two young boys and a little girl due in seven weeks I have very little time for anything. I will sincecerly try to get better pictures posted this weekend.

Thanks again!
 
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