5th knife complete, seeking feedback and constructive criticism

PIndelicato

PIndelicato

Joined
Sep 16, 2002
Messages
1,577
I completed blade #5 this afternoon (well, it still needs sharpening and a sheath), and I would like to get some feedback on it. Anything at all is welcome...design, fit/finish, handle shaping, choice of materials, etc.

Unfortunately outdoor light is fading a bit and I'm also using a brand new camera, so the pics aren't the best. If these aren't sufficient to allow a proper review, I will try to take some better ones tomorrow.

Info:

-Intended use: 'Bird & Trout'
-Handle length: ~3 3/4"
-Blade length: ~3 1/4"
-1/8" O-1
-1/8" brass pins and 1/4" brass thong tube
-Arizona Desert Ironwood, hand sanded to 2000x and hand 'buffed'
-blade hand rubbed to 1000x

Known issues:

-crummy newbie grinding (2nd blank from my Craftsman 2x42)

-because of the crummy grinding, it starts tapering at around the ricasso or so and goes all the way to the tip

-the wood scales are not bookmatched (I still think they are beautiful though :) )

-filework is not perfect. This was my first attempt and I will be more careful next time. I also should have practiced on some scrap first...

-still struggling with final finish/fish hooks/swirls, but at least it's getting better. This likely doesn't show up in photos

-I was going to flare the thong tube, but I chickened out as this was my first try and I thought I had better try not flared as my first attempt

I've read some guys buff (I don't have a buffer), some guys wax, and some guys oil Desert Ironwood. I would like to know if anyone has any input on that topic. As of now, I've only sanded to 2000x and then hand rubbed with an old sock.

Thanks in advance for any input!

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From what I can tell, looks like a nice job to me! A little red or black fiber lining material would look great with the ironwood, but it certainly does'nt need it to look nice, as it looks very good as is!
 
Phil, Let me tell you, my fifth knife looked like garbage compared to that. It seems that you are willing to pay attention to details and not try to skip any steps, and that is important for "newbie" knifemakers. A lot of people want to take the easy way out, and fit and finish suffer as a result. It looks like things have come together real well on that knife. I also like the slight contours in the handle. I have noticed that a lot of new makers make handles that are not contoured very well. In my opinion (wrong as it may be) contours not only make the knife more comfortable, but add to the aesthetic aspect of the knife.

Overall, I would say well done.
 
Excellent job !

About the only thing I would suggest is that if you are going to carry the file work back into the scales, that you carry it all the way back to the end of the handle ( or all the way around). It seems to stop a bit abruptly. It is certainly not a big thing, and some might like it that way.

Stacy
 
PJ it looks real nice the pins line up they fit nice . The finish looks real nice. This is what a master wood worker told me to do scrap all other stuff oils bla bla , and use true oil gun stock finish . He makes instruments and has for over 30 years . This is how you do it, wipe it on and leave it over night . Buff with a rag the next morning and re=coat it if needed. I do that but use a buffer and seal it with the wax and buffing wheel.Iron wood has a alot of oil in it so you really dont need to do much. As far as using none matching scales there close . Your grinds look clean and i dont see swirls . The only thing is the handle is a little blocky I like that but it depends on what it feels like. Some people like a blocky handle i am just starting to make my handles egg shaped, they do feel more comfortable in your hand.I have thought about my own style lately and will mostly make working knives. That means skinners ,fillet,and even kitchen. My reasoning is up here thrusting knives are illegal so are balisong and switch blades as well as the new flash type made by sog.If i were you ide get a cheap buffer like 60 bucks or make one.
 
Love the knife, don't care for the file work. Handle is awesome!:thumbup:
 
Fine looking knife PJ! Looks like you went a little high on the plunge on one side of the blade. Handles, pins and lanyard tube look great! I like the look and profile of the handles. I really like the shape of the blade. Good job!
 
Plunge lines could use some work. The handle shape looks great, I think the position of the pins could be differant but thats just me. The rear pin closer to the front by about an inch or so.
The finish is great as well.
 
Paul, you already mentioned the filework "issues". Obviously, you understand what needs to be improved there; I'm sure your next one will be more evenly spaced. Someone once advised me to use a thread-cleaning file to lay out the grooves, give that a shot. The design of it looks nice! Personally, I suck at filework, so I just don't do it. :o I need to take some time and practice.

P J 234 said:
-because of the crummy grinding, it starts tapering at around the ricasso or so and goes all the way to the tip
Click to expand...

In my opinion, any knife except a dedicated "sharpened pry-bar" should taper from ricasso to tip. This helps with balance, beauty, and most of all, effective cutting. I try for a full distal taper on almost every blade I grind. Show us a full pic of the spine so we can see what you mean, please. (this is a pet peeve of mine... I like to see the whole knife, viewed from the spine, from butt-to-tip.)

The blade finish looks coarse to me, but that's just personal preference. I like to go to a finer grit but I will say that it shows you've taken the care to keep the scratch pattern pretty nice and straight. That's the main thing. Lots of folks like a fairly "coarse" satin finish.

As far as fishhooks, NEVER EVER EVER go back and forth when hand-sanding the blade, in any direction. At least not after you have your bevels set nice and true at 220 grit or so. I've wasted so much time because of this, it's not even funny. Maybe I'm wrong, but I've found it's just way too much work to correct hooks and swirls from early rough work. I've had fishhooks from earlier grits that only show up after many steps later, and it's mind-boggingly frustrating. This includes the dreaded "1-2-inch dip" (just ahead of the plunge) whether it comes from a belt-grinder or hand-sanding. Those little marks only show up under certain lighting/angles, and are only fractions of a thousandth deep, but good gravy, they're a b!tch to remove in later stages. Did I mention never go back and forth? :D

One very positive thing I want to mention, your handle contours look real nice! The shape looks like it would be comfy in-hand, with that mild palm-swell and a little swell at the butt, and not want to fall out of your grip. Not blocky at all; I would complain if it was. It's hard to judge "precisely" due to the slight glare in the pics, but it looks to me like both sides are mighty darn close to being symmetrical, as viewed from the spine. I know that can be a bear to get right. The profile looks comfy and secure, too. The front end of the scales looks good! Nicely rounded. I would try to "oval" the shape as seen from the butt, so it's like an egg, with the fat part in your palm and the narrow part against your fingers. Our friends Nick Wheeler and others explained that better in recent threads.

All-in-all, that looks pretty good to me! I like the plunge-lines a lot, even though they're not quite even. The thong-tube placement looks good; try to space your pins evenly between the tube and front of the scales for a balanced look.

You obviously used top-notch materials, did your homework and took your time. Your design looks classy and efficient for a small knife, like a bird'n'trout should be. My hat's off to you! Don't take my "critique" too seriously, you've certainly matched or bettered anything I've done... so far ;) :thumbup:

holy cow, I sure talk a lot... sorry guys...
 
Just a couple of comments.

First, I've made a few more knives than you have, scrapped over a dozen during process, and still can't make a knife that nice, so you're definitely on the way!!!

Second, the pin towards the but of the blade lines up nicely in the center of that section, bit because of the visual line created by the lanyard hole and the top pin, it looks out of place to my eye. Were it me, drawing it out on paper, I would maybe have chosen to move that pin up to sit "in line" with the top pin, even though it may not be centered in the scale.

Second. Almost nobody does this, so don't feel like you're alone here, but at Ashokan last year, I had more than one professional bladesmith point out to me something I had not previously noticed. Distal taper in the tang can really set a knife apart and make it balance visually more smoothely. In handling some of the works at the sunday show, I took notice of that and it definitely makes enough of a difference to be noticed. Since then I have been monkeying with it. It's not as easy as it sounds, but it's not rocket science either. I think this particular knife would benefit from it a lot, though, which is why I bring it up.

third, GREAT JOB MAN! that's a knife any maker could be proud of!
 
I basiucally do scales and I really like the contour you did. I like soft curves and when I do a similar cut in stone I call it my "full sexy" cut.... Lots of curves and it feels good in hand.
 
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I had a whole bunch typed out... and it went poof. Here's the short version: agree with bladsmith re: filework (and it looks like it could use some evening out, as well), and agree with pretty much everything Smitty said. I also think you chose quite good scales, particularly the first one in the handle-closeups.
 
I like the knife allot.

Personally I dont care for filework on any spine whether it is good file work or not.

I think you need a logo on it

It looks like you have all the basics so think about a tapered tang in the future.

I think you need Corby bolts. They have them in 1/4" head size.

Nice fit and finish too. Good choice in wood.
 
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PJ
Great looking knife, Im up to #9 so far and Im struggling with handle contour, which it looks like you have got down pretty well.

The only problem I see is the plunges need some work.
Just my .02

Hope the feedback helps, I know I really need it when I post a pic on here.
Again good looking knife.
 
Wow, thanks everyone for all the nice words and great feedback; it helps a lot!

This was a blank that perhaps should have been scrapped (I haven't scrapped on yet), but I guess I'm not that kind of guy. I figured it would make a good knife for a friend, and would be good practice for me, so I finished it to the best of my ability.

The grinding stunk. When I first got my Craftsman, I ground out two blanks. This was the better of the pair, but still not very good. I think I just recently heard it called 'breaking it's back', ie, I ground all the way up and into the spine, leaving a step there. To address this, I ground down the flats a bit to bring the plunges back down and eliminate the step in the spine. I'm grinding much better now, so hopefully that will show on future blades.

On the pins, I really debated on the best way to lay them out. I wasn't sure whether to space them around the thong tube or not. After looking at some other knives, it seemed most of them had pin layouts that ignored the thong tube, so that's what I decided upon. It seems from the feedback that was a mistake, so I'll change that on future pieces.

For the filework, I agree that it's lame and I should have done it better or not at all. It was kind of an impulse to give it a try, and I should have practiced first before doing it on a real blade. I also agree that the layout is incorrect. I held the blank, put my thumb down, and that's where the filework went...not really thinking out where the handle would go and how it would look.

It's interesting that some like the handle contour, and some think it looks blocky. I changed it quite a bit after a recent post about this, and I think it's much improved from how it started. I do have a spine to edge taper (egg shape) to the scales, but perhaps it either doesn't show up well in the pics or I need to make it more prominent in the future. I will try to capture it in a pic tomorrow, and then take feedback on whether I need to change it or not.

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Finally, as far as a logo goes...I feel like I'm a long way away from anything deserving of a logo!!!
 
James,

Here's a pic of the whole spine. The distal taper has more to do with the grinding errors described above than it does with good design...

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A good knife does not need filework, and filework does not make a good knife.
That said, I think you will be a fine maker!
 
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