Conversation with Shiva Ki

Friends,Romanian Relics :p ;) :D ,Countrymen,lend me your ears,

I got a couple small Spirit blades,I could send one down to Jimmy for some NON-destuctive testing,I'd like to get it back (in ONE piece) and I'll take care of return shipping,and ya' can post your impressions here.If this sounds like something you'd be interested in Jimmy,post here and I'll Email ya' for your address.
Might not get back to this thread till later today,busy day,but I will get back.

Doug
 
This is the best thread I've seen on a knife forum since I registered here! Glad to see you here, Jimmy - I've been slack in staying in touch.
 
Gary,
Thanks for walking this computer illiterate through that sig line change,
it all seems so easy now! :thumbup: :D

Doug
 
I hear his stepson doesn't have an interest in making knives, so maybe they'd part with him?

That horrible and stupid statement said, if you email Don Fogg, you should be able to get on a Fikes waiting list. See if that list includes knives from Mrs. Fikes, too.
 
leatherbird said:
Friends,Romanian Relics :p ;) :D ,Countrymen,lend me your ears,

I got a couple small Spirit blades,I could send one down to Jimmy for some NON-destuctive testing,I'd like to get it back (in ONE piece) and I'll take care of return shipping,and ya' can post your impressions here.If this sounds like something you'd be interested in Jimmy,post here and I'll Email ya' for your address.
Might not get back to this thread till later today,busy day,but I will get back.

Doug
Click to expand...

Hi, Doug

That is a most generous offer, I must say… and I thank you for making it, and for the implied trust in being willing to send off one of your treasures to me. Having one of Shiva’s knives to handle and do some light cutting with would be a lot of fun, but ‘testing’ the blade and posting my thoughts brings some questions to mind.

I’d need some input from you, Doug. I understand that you’d like the knife back in one piece, but how exactly would I know which tests would leave it in one piece and which tests might leave it with a rippled edge or worse. A test, by it’s very nature, implies a possibility of failure. Failure to hold an edge would be one thing, but failing in other tests would be another thing altogether. I *could* do a straightforward edge-holding test using ¾ inch manila rope as the medium to be cut. It would be the same test I put every blade of mine through except in this case it might be fun to see just how many pieces of rope two inches of the blade would slice through cleanly and still strop back sharp enough to peel some hair off my arm rather than stopping at my 'minimum 100 cuts'. That test would be easy enough (although hard on the hands) to do with no chance of harm coming to the blade. Assuming I’m functioning well enough to charge the battery for my video camera, I could even video the results for you.

But what then? I’m open to any suggestions you have for more testing.

The other thing I would hesitate to do is to post results of testing Shiva's work on an open forum. That’s not to say there would be anything other than good results to post, but still, I’d rather send my findings about Shiva’s work to you via email. You could then post any or all of the information, as suits you. Something else I could do is to send you the DVD (copied from a decade old video) of me working with my blades. I hope to get some copies made in the near future since a number of folks have requested them. You could then compare your Shivas to what you see me doing with my blades. Just let me know what you think.

I do believe Oley has been resurrected.:confused: How that happened I have no idea. I tried to sign on as Jimmy Fikes, but got the ‘YOU ARE NOT REGISTERED’ notification. I don’t know how I’ve been posting under that name if I’m not registered under it. But… that’s just one of ten million things I don’t know, so I'm not worried about it one way or the other. Oley's a much nicer guy than Arsehat Fikes, anyway. ;)

Thanks again for the generous offer of one of Shiva’s blades.:thumbup:

Old crazy Oley (for the time being, anyway)
 
Jimmy/Oley,
Good.Glad you're back! :thumbup: :)
Have a curly maple or a cocobolo handled Small Spirit blade I could send,I have an ebony one as well but that one doesn't get out much and these are Small Spirit blades as opposed to the Large that was used to make the 16 rope cut,that said,why don't I send the one with the wider hamon,not sure which one that is but I'll check and see and post back later.
I've cut some one inch rope with them both and will need to touch up the edge a little but it sounds like we've got a project.
I like this idea and we all get to learn something,OK,let me get what I have to done and I'll post back later.We'll talk about testing then.

Doug
 
Joss said:
I want one too!! :)
Click to expand...

Hi, Joss

Emails I can do on a (relatively) timely basis. Unlike blades, there is seldom more than a six month delay. Prices are commesurate with the work involved in composing each letter, of course.

Shall I send one, or would you prefer a matched set?? ;)

In addition, I'll soon have a Shiva Ki for sale. I believe you'd like it! :thumbup:

Jimmy
 
RogerP said:
Me three!!! :D

Roger
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Hi, Roger

You know what I think? I think that some of you guys should come and visit Maggie and me. Do it on a rotating basis so that there is always someone around to harangue me... perhaps strap me to a hand truck and wheel me out to the forge and trade me coffee and cigarettes for work finished. That way I *might* get something done.

An added benefit would be that Maggie beats me less frequently when we have company.

Let's begin scheduling those visits. Please.

Thank you.

Jimmy :D
 
Kohai999 said:
'

Me 4 that!

STeven Garsson
Click to expand...

STeven,

You get a roll of cord and 2 ounces of super-glue to go with a blade that has a naked tang. That way you can 'Garssonize' the handle without having to take off the old cord. ;)

Cordwrap Fikes
 
leatherbird said:
Jimmy/Oley,
Good.Glad you're back! :thumbup: :)
Have a curly maple or a cocobolo handled Small Spirit blade I could send,I have an ebony one as well but that one doesn't get out much and these are Small Spirit blades as opposed to the Large that was used to make the 16 rope cut,that said,why don't I send the one with the wider hamon,not sure which one that is but I'll check and see and post back later.
I've cut some one inch rope with them both and will need to touch up the edge a little but it sounds like we've got a project.
I like this idea and we all get to learn something,OK,let me get what I have to done and I'll post back later.We'll talk about testing then.

Doug
Click to expand...

Doug,

Please send two of the Spirit Blades. I think I've already lost one of them. I can't find it anywhere!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jimmy
 
Jimmy,
Hi,the c.maple one has a 7 1/8" cutting edge and the cocobolo has a 7 1/2" edge,I've used both these,I understand EVERYTHING that may happen so if you'd invest your time in cutting some rope AND some bamboo I'd be very pleased.Don't think ya' need to video as I believe your word is good enough for anyone but a video would be :cool: .
Won't get it shipped till Monday but I will ship to ya' then,if you can think of any more testing let me know.Take as much time as you need as I'm not in a hurry.

Doug :)
Edited to add:Probably be sending the curly maple one. :eek: ;) :D
 
OleyFermo said:
Doug,

Please send two of the Spirit Blades. I think I've already lost one of them. I can't find it anywhere!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Jimmy
Click to expand...

Oley....can we speak with Jimmy now ;)

G2
 
OleyFermo said:
STeven,

You get a roll of cord and 2 ounces of super-glue to go with a blade that has a naked tang. That way you can 'Garssonize' the handle without having to take off the old cord. ;)

Cordwrap Fikes
Click to expand...

Cool. As long as your mark is up high enough on the nakago/tang so I don't have to grind it off!:D

Be really, really interested in what you do to the Ki knives. I think that you will have to reprofile the edge in order to keep from chipping/rolling it, but you probably will not break it. I DO recommend checking the bamboo peg from time to time, so you don't send the blade flying.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Gary W. Graley said:
Oley....can we speak with Jimmy now ;)

G2
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Hi, Gary...

Oley finally took his meds, so this is Jimmy back at the keyboard. :p

Nice work you did polishing out that hamon, buddy. I think you need to hire on as polisher... not to mention sheathmaker. VERY nice sheath. :thumbup:

Jimmy
 
Kohai999 said:
Cool. As long as your mark is up high enough on the nakago/tang so I don't have to grind it off!:D

Be really, really interested in what you do to the Ki knives. I think that you will have to reprofile the edge in order to keep from chipping/rolling it, but you probably will not break it. I DO recommend checking the bamboo peg from time to time, so you don't send the blade flying.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
Click to expand...

Hi, STeven...

If you do grind my mark off, you might be able to sell the blade to Joss as a 'very early Fogg'... before Don learned to forge / grind / polish. ;) We'll split the proceeds.

On a more serious note, if I were to reprofile the edge the knife wouldn't be the same knife. I wrote Doug a note in which I said the last 1/8 inch of blade down to the bitter edge is probably the least understood and most neglected facet of blade making. Each maker sends their knives out with an edge they think suitable for the tasks at hand. To reprofile the edge would change both cutting ability AND strength... both of which should be in balance... thin enough to really cut, strong enough to withstand a lot of punishment.

Good Lord willing and the creek don't rise, what I plan on doing once Doug's knife arrives is to make a similar size / weight blade of my own to run through the tests along with the Shiva Spirit blade. I'll begin the testing for both blades with rope cutting... progress from smaller tree limbs to larger (especially the knotty areas)... move on to bamboo, first cutting through the long area between nodes, then through the nodes themselves. What I hope to do (assuming I don't go totally nuts again or get more kidney stones, or, or, or) is to then send Shiva's blade and the one I make to Doug so that he can run his own tests. PINE KNOTS are the death of an edge... or I should say an edge that's thin enough to actually cut something easily... and if Doug so chooses, he can do the pine knot test after evaluating both blades for sharpness and ease of cutting.

Making a blade similar to the Spirit blade will kill two birds with one stone... IF my blade doesn't break when Doug whacks the pine knots, when I get it back I can send it off to a certain Romainian Relic currently living the good life in France. (Are you reading this, Dog Face??? ;) )

I'll keep an eye on the bamboo peg. Thanks for the caution.

Life is good.

Jimmy
 
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