8 inch clip point with new and improved leather

C

Crawdaddy

Joined
Sep 7, 2012
Messages
142
hello everybody (this knife and sheath are now for sale over in the knife for sale fixed blade section, thank you)

i wanted to start by saying thank you to all who have contributed to my education, i greatly appreciate it, my first set of six months was on youtube and all i got over there were attaboys, with no real constructive criticism to help me develop my skills. so finding some feedback with areas i can work on to improve means a lot to me. so Thank You

ok, so i was told my leather work was very sub par, i went over and posted on the sheaths and such and got some help over there, i took the week off from making knives (momma didn't like that one too much...lol) to focus on my leather work. i will leave it to you to let me know if i'm getting close or what other areas i need to improve. and for the knife as well

ok the knife is made from a nicholson file
3/4 flat grind, convex secondary
1 inch height
3 1/2 cutting edge
i watched Nick Wheeler's video on hand rubbing and i will purchase supplies to get better at that as soon as i can, but i hand rubbed a satin finish
cocobola diamond wood scales
copper pins and lanyard tube


sheath is a stacked leather bucket sheath, excellent retention, i shook the snot out of it, 2 1/2 fingers of handle sticking out
cow hide leather, hand sewn by me
the dye was supposed to be light brown, well it was, that was what the bottle said. but i really like the color it came out anyway, to me it looks good

i also have zero idea what to price this knife at for sale, i have been told that i don't charge enough, so i am seeking your advise on what to charge for the knife sheath package, at some point in the next few days i will post it over in the for sale part, unless someone sees something i have jacked up so horrible as to warrant me not selling it, or if there is something i can fix, but any help on the pricing would be appreciated

ok i'm gonna shut up now, if you need more pics or a video i can do that, thank you

crawdaddy











 
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Crawdaddy you are moving ahead in leaps! It seems like you must have made ten or twenty between this one and the last. Well done ! Sorry I can't help you on the pricing. Frank
 
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The package looks good and functional, nice work. But I agree. Attaboys will only get you so far. So here is my honest opinion. Both the knife and the sheath could use some refinement. "Functional" and "pretty good" are fine for giving knives away to family and friends but if you want your work to be seen as expert and professional you need to sweat the details. Assuming you have a good heat treat these are the things I notice or suggest. Your knife blade has a grind on the left side which is not the same height and angle as the right side. The shape of the knife is very rudimentary. Try to get more stylish and artful lines going on. You can start by adding a small radius to the leading edge of the scales so it's not so flat and abrupt. Make sure your lines and angles are crisp and well defined. Your straight lines should be straight and crisp and your curves should be graceful and purposeful. Make sure your pin placement has a reason, not only structurally but artistically. Measure everything. Your sheath looks well built but again, lacks refinement. Make sure your stitches are straight and don't wander off line. Also, while smaller stitch spacing adds work it also gives it a more refined and elegant feel. Cut your leather with precision. Curves should be smooth and fluid. Take a look at where your belt loop attaches to the sheath. It's curved but has a flat spot in the curve. The outer profile of the sheath shape is not clean and crisp. Make sure when you sand the edges that you end up with even spacing from the edge to the stitching all the way around. Well finished edges really make a difference in the presentation. Please don't take this as me ripping you a new one. As I said, it's a very nice package and well done. These are just some things to consider if you want to take it to the next level.
 
Frank Niro said:
Crawdaddy you are moving ahead in leaps! It seems like you must have made ten or twenty between this on and the last. Well done ! Sorry I can't help you on the pricing. Frank
Click to expand...

hey Frank, thank you very much, i tore up a lot of leather, but this is the first sheath in totallity i have put together since the last post, and as always i will continue to work hard at it
and thank you for the encouragement Sir
 
i4Marc said:
The package looks good and functional, nice work. But I agree. Attaboys will only get you so far. So here is my honest opinion. Both the knife and the sheath could use some refinement. "Functional" and "pretty good" are fine for giving knives away to family and friends but if you want your work to be seen as expert and professional you need to sweat the details. Assuming you have a good heat treat these are the things I notice or suggest. Your knife blade has a grind on the left side which is not the same height and angle as the right side. The shape of the knife is very rudimentary. Try to get more stylish and artful lines going on. You can start by adding a small radius to the leading edge of the scales so it's not so flat and abrupt. Make sure your lines and angles are crisp and well defined. Your straight lines should be straight and crisp and your curves should be graceful and purposeful. Make sure your pin placement has a reason, not only structurally but artistically. Measure everything. Your sheath looks well built but again, lacks refinement. Make sure your stitches are straight and don't wander off line. Also, while smaller stitch spacing adds work it also gives it a more refined and elegant feel. Cut your leather with precision. Curves should be smooth and fluid. Take a look at where your belt loop attaches to the sheath. It's curved but has a flat spot in the curve. The outer profile of the sheath shape is not clean and crisp. Make sure when you sand the edges that you end up with even spacing from the edge to the stitching all the way around. Well finished edges really make a difference in the presentation. Please don't take this as me ripping you a new one. As I said, it's a very nice package and well done. These are just some things to consider if you want to take it to the next level.
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hello and thank you for your comments, all are welcome, and not a problem on the straight talk that is why i am here. i'll have to assume this is the first post you have seen from me, i think this is my third of fourth of this kind. so shoot em straight, as long as it is constructive im all ears
on the front of the handle, i was doing a radius, then i was told to make it straight, so i will chaulk that one up to personal preference, but i agree, they need to be crisp, i'm working on that one
grind heights, i'm working on a 1x30 from harbor freight, that thing will let you make a knife, no excuse ,but it sucks, i can not wait to rebuild my 2x72
and on the feedback on the leatherwork, thank you i have taken note and will work on further refinements for sure
and thank you for taking your time to leave this feedback, i appreciate it
 
"i'm working on a 1x30 from harbor freight"

That says a lot. Yes, this is the first post of yours that I've seen. In light of the above information I must admit that your results are very good indeed.
 
i4Marc said:
"i'm working on a 1x30 from harbor freight"

That says a lot. Yes, this is the first post of yours that I've seen. In light of the above information I must admit that your results are very good indeed.
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lol, but it's still no excuse and i am truly trying to get that lil sucker to cooperate with me.

again, thank you for your feedback, it's why i posted
 
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Your stuff is looking a lot better Crawdaddy. The thing that jumps out at me is the area in front of the scales , not sure what it is , looks like gunk -maybe epoxy ? If you cleaned that up some it would look much better. ( I use q-tips to clean that area while the epoxy is still wet). Also work on getting your grinds even. As far as pricing I dont even know what to charge for my knives , but I will say I think your prices could/should be more. Good luck
 
Spalted said:
Your stuff is looking a lot better Crawdaddy. The thing that jumps out at me is the area in front of the scales , not sure what it is , looks like gunk -maybe epoxy ? If you cleaned that up some it would look much better. ( I use q-tips to clean that area while the epoxy is still wet). Also work on getting your grinds even. As far as pricing I dont even know what to charge for my knives , but I will say I think your prices could/should be more. Good luck
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LOL, yup after looking closer it is left over adhesive, amazing how much detail shows up in a picture. i'm gonna have to start taking close ups when i am finishing a knife just so i can catch that kind of thing...
and thank you i appreciate it
grind lines, yep, no excuse because i want to get it right, but fighting this 1x30 from harbor freight is a pain.
 
I think it looks real good and it looks like you're improving your leather work. I just started doing leather so I can definitely sympathize with you on the learning curve.

The main thing that sticks out to me is the uneven plunge line(which suggests uneven grind). There are a few things that I do that help me keep track of each side. Use layout dye and measure the bevel with calipers periodically. Scribe the center line(you can use the same calipers) and that will let you know when you're getting close. Most of the time I'll just grind one side and count the passes. Then I'll try and apply the same pressure and amount of passes on the other side.

The biggest thing I've learned is once you get about 2/3's of the way through the knife you gotta stop and dial down the speed you're doing things. Hell, the reaches a point where I just sand by hand. I'm using a high RPM grinder(Craftsman 2x42) at the moment and it's amazing how fast you can screw things up with faster grinders. I can't wait until I'm able to get a 2x72 with variable speed...
 
creature7 said:
I think it looks real good and it looks like you're improving your leather work. I just started doing leather so I can definitely sympathize with you on the learning curve.

The main thing that sticks out to me is the uneven plunge line(which suggests uneven grind). There are a few things that I do that help me keep track of each side. Use layout dye and measure the bevel with calipers periodically. Scribe the center line(you can use the same calipers) and that will let you know when you're getting close. Most of the time I'll just grind one side and count the passes. Then I'll try and apply the same pressure and amount of passes on the other side.

The biggest thing I've learned is once you get about 2/3's of the way through the knife you gotta stop and dial down the speed you're doing things. Hell, the reaches a point where I just sand by hand. I'm using a high RPM grinder(Craftsman 2x42) at the moment and it's amazing how fast you can screw things up with faster grinders. I can't wait until I'm able to get a 2x72 with variable speed...
Click to expand...

thank you, man i wish i had a craftsman 2x42,,, by the way you can get controllers to adjust the speed of your sander, i'm not electronically minded, but not a dimmer switch but it's kind of like that, i did some research on it a couple of years ago, if i think of the name of it i'll send you a pm

i'm grinding with a harbor freight special 1x30...lol. it i'm gonna get the grind lines straight it looks like i'm gonna have to finish em off by hand. the biggest problem i am haing is the stinkin platen, i've tightened the lil bolts about as tight as i dare, and it still gets goofy on me, so i'm chasing not only the grind line but trying to get the belt on the platen and find that angle, its a pain in the hinnie, one of these knives i'm gonnna figure it out, i might just take it apart and see if i can't engineer something that will stay put,

thank you for your input i appreciate it
 
You might want to also work on you're photography and presentation. This might sound mean but it is only intended to be constructive... You have your knife sitting on dirty shag carpet. Even if the knife was perfect, the background makes it look bad. It's not a big deal if you're just posting up to show the knife for advice but you're also using those pics in your for sale thread.
You don't need a high dollar camera there are plenty of things you could do for very little money or free to get better pics. Here's a good video to give you some pointers, notice he takes a really good quality photo at the end with his iphone. I hope this helps.
[video=youtube;i1Mkki1L3V4]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i1Mkki1L3V4[/video]
 
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