First Hamon Knife Finished!!

silver_pilate

silver_pilate

Joined
Oct 30, 2002
Messages
3,974
Finally was able to finish this knife over the last two days. See the initial discussion thread here.

This knife is technically a collaboration, I guess. I recieved the water jet cut blank from Big Smitty (Paul) a month or two ago, and I took it from there. This knife is basically Paul's design, though I did alter the handle just a little bit, and I did all the grinding, heat treating, and handle work.

The blade is flat ground 1/8" 1095 with a 3" blade and 3.5" handle. Nice size for a small daily carry knife. The handle is Arizona desert ironwood with black vulcanized spacers set with stainless tubing and a corby bolt. This is also my first time using corby's, and I think I'm hooked. Blade was differentially heat treated using furnace cement as clay and quenched in Park's #50. Blade is hand sanded to 1000 grit with multiple etches in dilute ferric chloride, polished with red rouge and WD40, and finished with 0000 steel wool and oil. The handle is hand finished to 2000 grit with a light buff and several coats of Danish oil.

Critiques and comments welcome as always! Thanks for looking!

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Now to make leather. This one's staying with me. Finally get to keep one of my own! :)

--nathan
 
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I think that one would be more at home next to the cactus down here. Pm me for my address. That sure is a sweet knife. Good job amigo.
 
Beautiful job Nathan. That is one fine hammon and the handle is great. Thanks for sharing!
Ed
 
Man that thing is smoking, in more ways than one the hamon curls across it like a wisp of smoke!:thumbup::thumbup:
 
The hamon makes me think of a coastline viewed from 30,000 feet! Love the Ironwood and looks like you nailed the hamon 'thing' right out of the gate...great job! Nice design by Smitty as well.
 
That's a beauty. I need to get some ferric and try for a hamon. I have about 30lbs of Satanite laying around, I need to get to using it.
 
I love your knives nathan and this one is no exception. The only thing that doesn't feel quite right is the hammon on the ricasso. Maybe just cause it is something we don't usually see or I am just dificult. ;)

Thanks for sharing.

Patrice
 
Wow! for your first one that Hamon is super symmetrical! I have never been able to achieve this symmetry on one of my blades.
 
That looks great, man! The frosty look of that hamon makes it look a little more japanese than some. I got hooked on corbys, too. They seem more secure and precise than just pins, and they look great too. The price of them is negligible for a nice knife. Keep it up! Oh, yeah... the handle looks swell, too.
 
Very Beautiful Knife Silver Pilate :thumbup: :thumbup:

Isn't the activity, the crystal structure (both above,below & including) the white line one of the most beautiful things you've ever seen ?

It's incredible (to me anyway) how steel can be so darn mesmerizing !

Especially Hamon in the sunlight !! WOW !!! Just WOW !@!

Absolutely Fantastic Work !


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Nathan,
The hamon looks great, as well as the rest of the knife. Have you found the Danish oil helps retain the color of the ironwood--decreasing darkening with handling?

Thanks, Tad Lynch
 
Thanks for all the great words, everyone! Pat, I was pleasantly surprised when I found the hamon on the bottom of the ricasso. I wasn't sure if it would show there or not. Typically, I'm use to seeing hamons on the great bowies and other blades that have a more traditional square ricasso, so I'm not used to the hamon being there either. I kind of like it :). This knife has been fun. It definitely won't be my last hamon.

Tad, honestly, I haven't had a knife with ironwood stick around long enough to tell you if it helps retard the darkening. It does penetrate a bit and adds a bit more shine to the wood. I do it more for sealing than anything as the Danish oil sets up inside the wood. I'll let you know as I carry this one around.

--nathan
 
Nathan, the more I look at the knife the better the hamon on the ricasso looks so I am sure that it was more of a knee jerk reaction at first.

I hope to make knives half as nice someday.

Patrice
 
silver_pilate said:
Thanks for all the great words, everyone! Pat, I was pleasantly surprised when I found the hamon on the bottom of the ricasso. I wasn't sure if it would show there or not. Typically, I'm use to seeing hamons on the great bowies and other blades that have a more traditional square ricasso, so I'm not used to the hamon being there either. I kind of like it :). This knife has been fun. It definitely won't be my last hamon.

Tad, honestly, I haven't had a knife with ironwood stick around long enough to tell you if it helps retard the darkening. It does penetrate a bit and adds a bit more shine to the wood. I do it more for sealing than anything as the Danish oil sets up inside the wood. I'll let you know as I carry this one around.

--nathan
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I give it 2 thumbs way up man, that thing is awesome.
 
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