- Joined
- Jan 27, 2000
- Messages
- 615
This is a Platypus with bone handle and premium India Sambar stag inlay.
Though it may not look like it at first glance, this one is unique in a couple of ways. This was the first (and maybe last) time I tried a stag inlay. Boy, did I open up a can of worms there.
After cutting and shaping the inlay to fit the hole, I realized that this natural irregularly dome shaped piece was going to be a real booger. You can't just poke it in there and have it sticking up above the surface of the handle like a big ugly wart. You also can't just inlay it and sand it down because you lose the texture. I wanted 100% texture and color.
Sure, the way you take it down is by taking material off the bottom side, but with all the little hills and valleys you end up with one edge being flush with the handle, another edge below the surface, and yet another area above the surface. It took a couple of hours of filing a thousandth off here, dry fitting, knocking the piece back out and filing a bit off there, etc. The thing is, the piece has to be a perfect fit. There's no tweaking once it's inlaid for the final time.
Anyway, enough rambling about that. The second unique thing about this one is that instead of being forged from 1/4" 1084 which is my normal thing, it is a stock removal blade from 3/16" 1084. You don't see too many stock removal knives coming from me. Not because I have any problem with it, but because I'm known for forging blades, not grinding them.
The way this came about was that I had a couple knives in various phases of completion. One was annealing in the HT oven, and on another, I was waiting for the bonding agent to cure on the handle. The weather outside wouldn't allow for forging another blade. Time is money, so to stay busy I picked up a piece of 3/16" stock laying on the bench and started grinding.
I'm rather pleased with the results, but I'm not in a hurry to do another one.
