- Joined
- Sep 16, 2002
- Messages
- 1,577
Thought I would try posting here as well for the first time (previously I've only posted to the Shop Talk area)...
I completed photographing my 6th knife (and 7th sheath) this morning, and I would like some critique on what people think of it, both good and bad. Anything at all is fair game: overall design, workmanship, fit/finish, choice of materials, leather work...anything at all that comes to mind is welcome. The size of this knife exceeds the capacity of both my makeshift lightbox and my art paper background, so please excuse it overrunning the edges of the paper and the overall quality of the photos...I'm going to get a real lightbox made sometime soon.
This blade fought me tooth and nail from start to finish, so it definitely has some flaws. I think it was my third or fourth blade to grind on my Craftsman 2x42 grinder sometime last year, and the first to have halfway decent (but not perfect) bevels and plunges. I used a makeshift file guide to help me there. There are some grinding flaws that I'm not sure show up well in the photos, but marks I was not able to completely remove during finishing.
Also, I ended up quenching it twice and had some pitting/decarb to deal with afterwards, so I spent many (and I mean many!) hours sanding and grinding everything out, and then getting out the deep scratches left from this process during hand sanding. Even the hand sanding took forever, probably going through $20 worth of abrasive paper in the process. Finally, when I removed the protective tape from the blade just before sharpening, I was treated to some rust and spotting on the ricasso and above the top grind line, which can be seen in some of the photos. Anyway, enough of my griping...here is the information about the knife:
Specs:
-1/8" O-1 steel
-Flat ground
-~10" OAL
-~5 1/2" from tip to front of scales
-~1 1/2" wide
-1/8" stainless pins
-black linen micarta scales, finished to 400x
-600x hand rubbed blade finish
Sheath: The victim...I mean recipient...of this gift knife is not a knife guy, so I tried to come up with something that he would like. He's an old college buddy of mine, so I carved a Purdue 'P' logo into it. I'm not particularly creative, so I would like to know what folks think of this both from a design and execution standpoint...ie, does it work or did it flop?
-8 oz Tandy mystery veg tanned leather
-Fiebing's Black Pro Oil dye w/ Tandy Satin Sheen top coat
-I have made several standard pouch sheaths, but this was a new design I tried this time. Therefore, I goofed some things, such as putting the snap too far towards the end of the strap.
Firsts for me:
-exposed butt
-lanyard slot (I did not make the lanyard, I happened to have it laying around and it matched the vulcanized liner material, so I threw it on.)
-red vulcanized liners (don't show up well in photos for some reason)
I'd be happy to take and post any additional photos if needed. Thanks in advance for your time and feedback!
I completed photographing my 6th knife (and 7th sheath) this morning, and I would like some critique on what people think of it, both good and bad. Anything at all is fair game: overall design, workmanship, fit/finish, choice of materials, leather work...anything at all that comes to mind is welcome. The size of this knife exceeds the capacity of both my makeshift lightbox and my art paper background, so please excuse it overrunning the edges of the paper and the overall quality of the photos...I'm going to get a real lightbox made sometime soon.
This blade fought me tooth and nail from start to finish, so it definitely has some flaws. I think it was my third or fourth blade to grind on my Craftsman 2x42 grinder sometime last year, and the first to have halfway decent (but not perfect) bevels and plunges. I used a makeshift file guide to help me there. There are some grinding flaws that I'm not sure show up well in the photos, but marks I was not able to completely remove during finishing.
Also, I ended up quenching it twice and had some pitting/decarb to deal with afterwards, so I spent many (and I mean many!) hours sanding and grinding everything out, and then getting out the deep scratches left from this process during hand sanding. Even the hand sanding took forever, probably going through $20 worth of abrasive paper in the process. Finally, when I removed the protective tape from the blade just before sharpening, I was treated to some rust and spotting on the ricasso and above the top grind line, which can be seen in some of the photos. Anyway, enough of my griping...here is the information about the knife:
Specs:
-1/8" O-1 steel
-Flat ground
-~10" OAL
-~5 1/2" from tip to front of scales
-~1 1/2" wide
-1/8" stainless pins
-black linen micarta scales, finished to 400x
-600x hand rubbed blade finish
Sheath: The victim...I mean recipient...of this gift knife is not a knife guy, so I tried to come up with something that he would like. He's an old college buddy of mine, so I carved a Purdue 'P' logo into it. I'm not particularly creative, so I would like to know what folks think of this both from a design and execution standpoint...ie, does it work or did it flop?
-8 oz Tandy mystery veg tanned leather
-Fiebing's Black Pro Oil dye w/ Tandy Satin Sheen top coat
-I have made several standard pouch sheaths, but this was a new design I tried this time. Therefore, I goofed some things, such as putting the snap too far towards the end of the strap.
Firsts for me:
-exposed butt
-lanyard slot (I did not make the lanyard, I happened to have it laying around and it matched the vulcanized liner material, so I threw it on.)
-red vulcanized liners (don't show up well in photos for some reason)
I'd be happy to take and post any additional photos if needed. Thanks in advance for your time and feedback!
