$600
Up for sale is my FINALLY completed Yin Yang Tanto. I started working on it a couple months ago, but had to wait for the forge to get set up and everything to finish it. Now it is complete, and I think it's a great piece of art, as well as very usable. It is called the "Yin Yang Tanto" because each side is a polar opposite of the other, yet they are both necessary and complete the other, just like a yin yang. One side is natural, one side is synthetic. One is smooth, one is rough. One is dark, one is light.
I was trying to portray on the rough side the same type of knife that a Rambo-type figure would make out in the woods. I know that he wouldn't worrying about polishing the blade, because why be pretty in the jungle? However, he would probably grind it in the same general direction, so most of the grind lines go the same way. A tanto point would be useful to piercing things. He would probably use a carbon steel for its hardness and versatility, so it would corrode easily. So any indentations or gouges would have corrosion, which is why I blackened part of the blade. But the surface would be constantly rubbed against, keeping the natural steel color. He would also use a wood handle, since it is light, durable, and available. However, it wouldn't be smooth and pretty. He would definitely put deep gouges and jig it very rough so he could grip it even while wet. And the product that came out is exactly what you see. The same type of knife that a Rambo character would have made in the jungle. The other side is simply a modern product obviously made in a shop with futuristic synthetic materials, a high polish, and chemical coloring. The complete opposite of the other side.
The blade is 8" long, just under 1/4 thick w/ the CF, and it is 12 3/4" overall. The steel is only about 1/10" thick, so the weight of the knife is surprisingly light! I don't have a gram or ounce scale, but I weighed myself with it and without it, and it said 164.8 and then 164.4, so I guess it is around .4lbs (6.4oz). This sounds about right. It definitely doesn't feel as heavy as it looks, and that is because of the light wood and carbon fiber.
It is also extremely sturdy and solid and has a great grip. I made the handle a comfortable fit for the average size male hand, but still usable if you have big hands. It does not have a bevel, but if you decide to use it, the rough side can be sharpened with no worries, and the colored side can be gently sharpened to remove burrs and then touched up with a bit of gun blue to restore the color. I can include a bit of gun blue if you want.
The wood handle is exotic bocote. It is hard, but very light. I roughed it up with a grinder and dremel for an awesome grip and rugged look. Then I darkened and the wood with grease, and then smoothed it over with 400 grit sandpaper to make it feel better on the hands and to bring out the lighter color on the surface and leave the darker valleys. Overall it looks beautiful. The blade on the wood side has been hand sanded, sort of like a stone tumbled finish. This gives it a very natural "Rambo-type" look. Still, the edge is clean and smooth. The carbon fiber side is very smooth and furturistic, and the wood side is very natural and old-looking. Even the tang is split. It is smooth and colored on one half and rough and uncolored on the other half. I do not have a way to test the RC hardness, but the blade cut into a pair of pliers, took chunks out of and was stabbed into hard wood, shaved off the top of a steak knife blade, and put a dent in my aluminium quench bin when it hit it edge first, and the edge is still fine. So I think the hardness is okay. It should be around RC 60 according to the instructions. I took it to about 1600 for 6 mins, quenched it in room temp canola oil pulling it up and down to disperse the vapor jacket, and immediately tempered it twice at 350 for 2 hours each time. It also comes with a beautiful handmade solid oak locking display case with red felt. Anywho, here are the photos:
I KEEP FORGETTING I CAN EDIT THE POST. HERE'S THE VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cgnHcehqWc
Up for sale is my FINALLY completed Yin Yang Tanto. I started working on it a couple months ago, but had to wait for the forge to get set up and everything to finish it. Now it is complete, and I think it's a great piece of art, as well as very usable. It is called the "Yin Yang Tanto" because each side is a polar opposite of the other, yet they are both necessary and complete the other, just like a yin yang. One side is natural, one side is synthetic. One is smooth, one is rough. One is dark, one is light.
I was trying to portray on the rough side the same type of knife that a Rambo-type figure would make out in the woods. I know that he wouldn't worrying about polishing the blade, because why be pretty in the jungle? However, he would probably grind it in the same general direction, so most of the grind lines go the same way. A tanto point would be useful to piercing things. He would probably use a carbon steel for its hardness and versatility, so it would corrode easily. So any indentations or gouges would have corrosion, which is why I blackened part of the blade. But the surface would be constantly rubbed against, keeping the natural steel color. He would also use a wood handle, since it is light, durable, and available. However, it wouldn't be smooth and pretty. He would definitely put deep gouges and jig it very rough so he could grip it even while wet. And the product that came out is exactly what you see. The same type of knife that a Rambo character would have made in the jungle. The other side is simply a modern product obviously made in a shop with futuristic synthetic materials, a high polish, and chemical coloring. The complete opposite of the other side.
The blade is 8" long, just under 1/4 thick w/ the CF, and it is 12 3/4" overall. The steel is only about 1/10" thick, so the weight of the knife is surprisingly light! I don't have a gram or ounce scale, but I weighed myself with it and without it, and it said 164.8 and then 164.4, so I guess it is around .4lbs (6.4oz). This sounds about right. It definitely doesn't feel as heavy as it looks, and that is because of the light wood and carbon fiber.
It is also extremely sturdy and solid and has a great grip. I made the handle a comfortable fit for the average size male hand, but still usable if you have big hands. It does not have a bevel, but if you decide to use it, the rough side can be sharpened with no worries, and the colored side can be gently sharpened to remove burrs and then touched up with a bit of gun blue to restore the color. I can include a bit of gun blue if you want.
The wood handle is exotic bocote. It is hard, but very light. I roughed it up with a grinder and dremel for an awesome grip and rugged look. Then I darkened and the wood with grease, and then smoothed it over with 400 grit sandpaper to make it feel better on the hands and to bring out the lighter color on the surface and leave the darker valleys. Overall it looks beautiful. The blade on the wood side has been hand sanded, sort of like a stone tumbled finish. This gives it a very natural "Rambo-type" look. Still, the edge is clean and smooth. The carbon fiber side is very smooth and furturistic, and the wood side is very natural and old-looking. Even the tang is split. It is smooth and colored on one half and rough and uncolored on the other half. I do not have a way to test the RC hardness, but the blade cut into a pair of pliers, took chunks out of and was stabbed into hard wood, shaved off the top of a steak knife blade, and put a dent in my aluminium quench bin when it hit it edge first, and the edge is still fine. So I think the hardness is okay. It should be around RC 60 according to the instructions. I took it to about 1600 for 6 mins, quenched it in room temp canola oil pulling it up and down to disperse the vapor jacket, and immediately tempered it twice at 350 for 2 hours each time. It also comes with a beautiful handmade solid oak locking display case with red felt. Anywho, here are the photos:
I KEEP FORGETTING I CAN EDIT THE POST. HERE'S THE VIDEO: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5cgnHcehqWc
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