I poured myself a glass of bourbon and added one ice cube. I got out my pen and paper. I headed out to the garage and just couldn't help myself. I know its 1100pm at night on a Tuesday, but when I looked over at the line up of knife projects sitting on my bench I couldn't help myself, I fired up the grinder!
I've been diagnosed with cutlers disease! All I wanted to do was grab a knife to trace out and work on handle designs, but got a sudden urge of creativity (and some thin blue smoke...
) and had to do some grinding right then and there!
Two small knives I've been moving around my bench for a while now. One in .110" 1084, a hidden tang B&T sporting a FFG and a swedge, already heat treated and now ground to 120# with just some touch up to do.
The other is a rework of a design my good buddy DanCo sent me already drawn out on some band saw steel, believed to be 15N20. It is known to Uddenholm steel, .060" thick. Its a spin off of the venerable Sharpfinger pattern. My version sports a three finger grip with a birds head handle. Continuous curve blade with enough knuckle clearance for cutting board work, also th hump back design lends itself nicely to extreme fine tip work with your index finger placed on the spine. It is not heat treated yet.
Here are the two with a DFK tanto for comparison. Its obvious that Daniel has a much more advanced stage of this disease, when you see the symptoms side by side.
Like I said, amputation of my hands would be the only effective treatment for such a sickness, but I think I'll take the chances and ride it out. Many people have lived long and happy lives with this disease, yet others have been found hunched over a pile of steel shavings, hands misfigured and contorted to the shapes of sanding block, scars and burns are frequent. Daniel, I hope you make it through this affliction safely!
-Xander
