An introduction, with "failed experiment" question.

[scarysamcary]

As a long time collector of modern, vintage, and antique weaponry I have been going through BF threads for years looking for answers to simple questions and have finally decided to join the ranks. I look forward to learning what I can about vintage and modern blades and hope that my (albeit limited) background in antique knives will be found useful at some point.

While going through the process of learning forum etiquette and figuring out imgur, I came across a photo of one of my first knives. I was trying to recreate a broken back seax I saw and came out with laughable results.

As an extreme amateur, I was devastated at how "wonky" this knife looked. I came to calling it "the wonk knife". Thankfully a local knife maker took pity on me and offered me very nice knife in exchange, just to make me feel better.
I'm still pretty terrible a few years later, but I am slowly getting better and now I know what to expect.

I guess my question is How do you feel when a piece comes out "Wonky"?

 

[N.W. Gean]

Don't be discouraged. Different people learn at different rates!

A good place to start for designing your knife is this article by Andy Roy of Fiddleback forge. http://knife-gear.com/get-a-grip/
I read it over regularly as I'm working on my knives.

As an amateur I don't have much advice but I'll leave you with this: Welcome to knife making. It's a lot of fun and you'll never get it off your mind!

And to answer your question; it feels bad when I mess up but I do it enough that I barely grieve over a ruined piece anymore

 

[scarysamcary]

An amazing article that will now join my bookmarks! Thank you for welcoming me and I hope we cross paths again in the forum!

 

[J-T-K]

As a beginner I feel like every knife I make is a series of mistakes that I'm correcting. Results in a working knife at the end, though. I've asked some Finnish puukko makers and the feeling does not seem to subside much with experience either

 

[john april]

that looks pretty nice compared to my first one

 

[scott kozub]

The key is to take your time and try your best at every stage. It's really easy, especially when your a beginner to rush a stage because you want to get to the next stage. The thing is, I'm not sure you'll ever be completely satisfied. You'll likely always have something that bugs you and that's good. You'll strive to do better next time. Take your time and you'll be amazed at how quickly you progress.

Welcome.

 

[Drew Riley]

Every maker has a box, bucket, drawer, wall, or other designated spot for "wonky" blades that didn't turn out right. Some can be fixed later as skills improve. Others are just good reminders of how far you've progressed since you tossed it in "the pile".