Al Pendray

I've got a stag handled hunter with mokume guard and butt cap plus another knife on order.

I have a few not so hot pix of mine in my custom fixed blade album.
(See link below my signature if you want to take a look.)
 
Any chance you could get me a close-up?
I just got a wootz knife with Kirpechev's blade and interested in comparing them.
perhaps even testing Al's against Ivan's.
 
benyaM95 Ranger Knif said:
Any chance you could get me a close-up?
I just got a wootz knife with Kirpechev's blade and interested in comparing them.
perhaps even testing Al's against Ivan's.
Click to expand...

Testing for what, exactly?

AFAIK, Bulad(Bulat)/Pulat(Pulad) and wootz are not exactly the same as far as production methodology:

http://home.att.net/~moltenmuse/Pulad.htm


IF you are talking about performance, who cares? It is not high performance steel compared to Bainite L6 or INFI, has a much more robust pattern than tamehagane.

Al has worked the steel up to perform adequately and look beautiful, which it does. Everyone else is a "Johnny-Come-Lately" as far as pioneering a trial, which makes Al's stuff "da kine" for those that care about such things. I have two of his and NONE of anyone else's.

He is referred to as the "Wizard of Wootz" for a reason.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Kohai999 said:
Al has worked the steel up to perform adequately and look beautiful, which it does. Everyone else is a "Johnny-Come-Lately" as far as pioneering a trial, which makes Al's stuff "da kine" for those that care about such things. I have two of his and NONE of anyone else's.
Click to expand...

I must disagree with you on this point. Al Pendray is a pioneer, but kept his cards close to the vest.
I had a beautiful wootz folder by Achim Wirtz (Germany). He not only developed a method for consistently producing good quality wootz, but shared the knowledge with anyone else interested. He also makes stainless wootz, which not only looks great but is way easier to maintain.
 
Flava, do you have a link to Achim Wirtz's wootz knives? I agree with the sharing comment.....altho I do understand if Al prefers to keep his techniques proprietary. But at some point of time, the knowledge will need to be shared...otherwise we will see another proverbial 200 years of lost knowledge.
 
spyken said:
Flava, do you have a link to Achim Wirtz's wootz knives? I agree with the sharing comment.....altho I do understand if Al prefers to keep his techniques proprietary. But at some point of time, the knowledge will need to be shared...otherwise we will see another proverbial 200 years of lost knowledge.
Click to expand...

Look here, you can see pics of wootz ingots and bars (low in the page). The wootz making process steps are also explained. I don't know where to find pics of finished knives, I'm sure Achim would be happy to email you some.

http://www.7knifedwarfs.com/aw/
 
Kohai999 said:
Testing for what, exactly?
Al has worked the steel up to perform adequately and look beautiful, which it does. Everyone else is a "Johnny-Come-Lately" as far as pioneering a trial, which makes Al's stuff "da kine" for those that care about such things. I have two of his and NONE of anyone else's.

He is referred to as the "Wizard of Wootz" for a reason.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
Click to expand...

Of cause not hitting one another. Perhaps some performing testing.
Let's say - slice some soft metal.
As far as Al being The One & Only - come on...
I am sure he is a Master of high caliber, but lets not create idols.
 
Sorry, benya. No scanner and an old digital camera that doesn't do close-ups.
 
i own two integral knives with wootz blades, one by al pendray with a fossil walrus ivory handle and a mokume butt cap, one by tai goo, made of ric furrer's wootz (handle lignum vitae, silver fittings). can't say anything about the performance as i have never really used the knives.

hans

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flava said:
I must disagree with you on this point. Al Pendray is a pioneer, but kept his cards close to the vest.

I had a beautiful wootz folder by Achim Wirtz (Germany). He not only developed a method for consistently producing good quality wootz, but shared the knowledge with anyone else interested. He also makes stainless wootz, which not only looks great but is way easier to maintain.
Click to expand...

Flavius, you are always free to disagree. Al is entitled to keep his cards close to the vest. Last time I talked with him, he said that he would license his technology to other makers, which seems fair. There is no rule that says knifemakers have to give away all their hard-earned knowledge for free.

That is great for Achim!! I would like to see some of his work, but regardless of how nice it probably is, it is not from Al Pendray, and that is like saying "not a Loveless" or "not a Moran" for work that is done by S.R Johnson or Jay Hendrickson....not bad work, by any stretch of the imagination, just not the "original".

AFA the original poster, Benya, I weighed in with my comments, owning 2 Pendray knives. I speak with my wallet. Do you have any Pendray knives?

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Kohai999 said:
That is great for Achim!! I would like to see some of his work, but regardless of how nice it probably is, it is not from Al Pendray, and that is like saying "not a Loveless" or "not a Moran" for work that is done by S.R Johnson or Jay Hendrickson....not bad work, by any stretch of the imagination, just not the "original".
Click to expand...

His work is a completly different style. I'll try to find some pics.
He owes nothing to Al Pendray and came up with his own method of making wootz. Nothing to do with the "Loveless situation" here.
I don't have a Pendray, they seem nice but they aren't the style I prefer.
Wootz was never actually lost BTW, it just went out of fashion when cheaper good steel could be produced.
 
Kohai999 said:
AFA the original poster, Benya, I weighed in with my comments, owning 2 Pendray knives. I speak with my wallet. Do you have any Pendray knives?
Best Regards,
STeven Garsson
Click to expand...

No I don't. That is why I started the thread.
I have no idea what's your wallet has to do with that:)
As far as calling ANYBODY an original wootz maker - come on:)

here some of the paterns

http://s208.photobucket.com/albums/bb33/benyaM95/Wootz/
 
Fascinating -- two threads re Al Pendray wootz blades within hours of one another. Just in case you missed the other thread, here is the knife in question

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