Bush Knife #1

Von Hagen Knives · Oct 25, 2006

Hi.

New Member here. First Posting.
This is one of the knives I finished over the weekend.
It is one my Bush Knives. Made of 01 Tool Steel Bar Stock. Buckeye Burl handles which have been filled, hardened and stabilized by me. The pins are brass to compliment the earth tones of the beautiful wood.

This one has an OAL of 10 5/8" with a blade length of 5 3/4".
I made another knife from the same block of Buckeye. The pics of that one should be posted right after this one.

I list every week on e-bay as bladenknives. Check it out.

raylaconico · Oct 25, 2006

Welcome to Bladeforums! I love the shape of the blade and the handle. The sheath looks great too. I don't care for the designs you put on the blade but that's just me. The knife looks very useful. Before I made knives, I had a custom maker make me a camp knife and it looked very similar to that one. You did a great job there:thumbup:

waredbear · Oct 25, 2006

Very easy flowing lines. I love the way the handle just flows into a blade...or vise versa. I can't wait to get my hands on some bucyeye burl. That is one BEE-utiful wood. I too don't care for the grass etching on the blade...or for the upside down palm tree (reflection

I know).

Thanks for sharing.

In His Service,
Reid Allen

bjr · Oct 25, 2006

Very organic looking. Like something that grew on its own.

dfarmerknives · Oct 25, 2006

Nice piece. You SHOULD think about selling here. I will look for you on ebay....
Welcome to the forum.

Keith Montgomery · Oct 26, 2006

I'm another one that would prefer that the markings were left off the blade, but I sure like everything else.

Von Hagen Knives · Oct 26, 2006

Keith Montgomery said:
I'm another one that would prefer that the markings were left off the blade, but I sure like everything else.

Wow!! Thank you everyone for all of your positive feedback!

I have been looking at BladeForums for several months and have enjoyed reading the comments and the pat on the backs that you guys share with each other, along with the suggestions and the different opinions.
I pride myself in being, not only a knife maker, but also a functional artist. Rarely, if ever, do I use a process on my work that does not serve a purpose or fall into the functional art category. I have been making knives for over fifteen years and have tried every knife steel available. I have both forged and done stock removal. The steel of choice for me is 01. I like it for its high chromium content among other reasons (ask why and I'll tell you, that is a long story in itself).

A big drawback, however, with 01 is corrosion, rust and staining. We all know that ANY blade has carbon, even stainless steel. Stainless simply means that -- it won't stain, it will still rust if not taken care of. As for the staining problem, I have discovered a way of staining a blade which will put a layer of oxidation on it. Does this mean that it will not rust? Hell no!

If not taken care of, any knife will rust. However, I have 01 kitchen knives that have been used daily for about five years. After use they are washed, dried and put away. However, with the proper care, I have not had to do any other work or rust or stain removal on any of these knives.

The design on the blades is a layer of oxidation that works great. Without the design, this process would make the blades look blotchy. I have other designs besides the grassy look. Maybe one of the other designs would catch your eye better.
Rick

Von Hagen Knives · Oct 26, 2006

David Farmer said:
Nice piece. You SHOULD think about selling here. I will look for you on ebay....
Welcome to the forum.

Showing my knives here may just be the first step to selling my work here. I started selling on e-bay about a year ago and got very comfortable doing it. I have some VERY LOYAL buyers there, some of whom I would consider friends. One of which actually referred me to this forum.
I also like to sell on e-bay because I kinda like the auction format. I can set a price that is the minimum I would like to take on a knife but if there is a demand for it, the price could shoot way up there!
However, e-bay is also a place where people go to look for bargains. I respect that. I shop on e-bay for a lot of my handle materials and I look for the bargain. When you sell someplace where you know you are targeting bargain hunters, it is bargain hunters you shall get.
The more I delve into BladeForums, the more I know that you folks are knife lovers, collectors and makers in the true sense. I am working my way towards selling here, in this forum. Soon I hope.
Rick