Darrel Ralph Sword

mndart

mndart

OH! Dog walker
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Apr 16, 2004
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moderator... please move to "swords" or wherever you feel appropriate.


My wife and I visited Darrel and Ryan on this beautiful 4th of July day.

We were very fortunate in our timing; we got to see a one of a kind piece made by Darrel a number of years ago; and recently reacquired by him. It is soon on it's way to a new collection... but I have permission to share these photos with you.

I wish I had more info and detail.. between all the chatting for some time I did not catch/retain all of the info.

As I recall, the OAL is is 24", the blade width apprx 4", the center is damascus steel and the edges are steel. The gold lettering and relief work is gold leaf and the handle is MOP. The piece is based on a theme from Dante's Inferno, inscripted passages from the Inferno.

The pix just do not do this piece justice... believe me... it is absolutely AWESOME!!! Dig the angel, holding a damascus sword!!

If Darrel sends me pix of the flip side, I will post.

fullsword.jpg


wings.jpg
 
This knife was made by Darrel in honor of Hugh (with his permission I might add) who was one of Darrel's early mentors in knifemaking.
 
Your Right!
Hugh and I were good friends for many years. He had a stroke that left him unable to make knives several years ago.
The sword I made was commissioned by a doctor that Hugh knew.
The Doctor asked Hugh who could make him a sword that was similar.
Hugh gave him some names at the time. The doctor asked me to do the project. This was my rendition of the sword that Hugh made.
The sword took 8 months of about 4 hours a day to make. It has a twisted Damascus center core with an O1 band forge welded around the edge. The fittings are 18kt gold that I cast or made. The blade is bas relived and 24k gold plated after etching.
It was a great honor to be asked to build this sword with Hugh's blessing and recommendation.

It was also a very large undertaking!
 
My son and I were lucky enough to see Darrel's sword in person at River's Edge in Columbus, Ohio. It is indeed an exquisite work of art. Each component part -- the handle, angel, and blade -- is a masterpiece in its own right.

At the same time I got to handle Darrel's new design for an safety feature on an automatic. It's a brilliant design. His talents amaze me.
 
Darrel Ralph said:
Your Right!
Hugh and I were good friends for many years. He had a stroke that left him unable to make knives several years ago.
The sword I made was commissioned by a doctor that Hugh knew.
The Doctor asked Hugh who could make him a sword that was similar.
Hugh gave him some names at the time. The doctor asked me to do the project. This was my rendition of the sword that Hugh made.
The sword took 8 months of about 4 hours a day to make. It has a twisted Damascus center core with an O1 band forge welded around the edge. The fittings are 18kt gold that I cast or made. The blade is bas relived and 24k gold plated after etching.
It was a great honor to be asked to build this sword with Hugh's blessing and recommendation.

It was also a very large undertaking!
Click to expand...
Ah, wonderful story! Incredible worth too.

EDIT: That would be work. Oops.
 
Thanks For the good words.

Hugh was a great man. He made many masterpieces that are in collections all over the world.
 
One of the coolest knife experiences I have had was getting to see and handle this sword and meet it's original owner. The doctor was a good man and many miss him.

The original one that Hugh made is pictured in Knives Points of Interest IV. There are quite a few photos of his work in that whole series of books by Jim Weyer. (I still consider those books one of my best "knife" purchases of all time. If I remember correctly, Darrel recommended them to me back in '95.)

This is simply an awe inspiring sword. Just seeing a picture of it a few years later still stirs me. To be honest I was nervous just holding it when Darrel showed it to me. Thanks mndart - great memories!
 
My pleasure Bastid! I have had good fortune in meeting Darrel and getting to know him. He is a fine man with tremendous talents. This sword just blew me away. It is always an experience you never forget, handling a work of art such as this. I am glad Darrel shared this with all of us!

Bastid said:
One of the coolest knife experiences I have had was getting to see and handle this sword and meet it's original owner. The doctor was a good man and many miss him.

The original one that Hugh made is pictured in Knives Points of Interest IV. There are quite a few photos of his work in that whole series of books by Jim Weyer. (I still consider those books one of my best "knife" purchases of all time. If I remember correctly, Darrel recommended them to me back in '95.)

This is simply an awe inspiring sword. Just seeing a picture of it a few years later still stirs me. To be honest I was nervous just holding it when Darrel showed it to me. Thanks mndart - great memories!
Click to expand...
 
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