First Hunter

[Sharpe5097]

So I did my first attempt at a hunting knife. Has some issues with hand sanding, figured it out a little late. Let me know. Handle is bamboo

https://imgur.com/9L14pd3

 

[R.C.Reichert]

I like it!

 

[kvaughn]

I like the double pin pattern a lot.--KV

 

[PaulDiStefano]

I'm not one for laniard tubes but I love how you did the 6 pins. That's my new favorite way to pin a full tang knife. I feel it adds a little more elegance to the handle. And that bamboo is sweet. Nice job bro

 

[Sharpe5097]

I'm not one for laniard tubes but I love how you did the 6 pins. That's my new favorite way to pin a full tang knife. I feel it adds a little more elegance to the handle. And that bamboo is sweet. Nice job bro

Ya. I wanted something 1/4 inch, I need to invest in something better. Thank you

 

[Kevin McGovern]

I'm not apposed to lanyard tubes. I think it depends on the knife. Sometimes I'll do a hidden tube if I don't want it to be seen from the side, but want to give the user options. I always do this on filet knives since they often get used on or near water.

 

[john april]

wow, that is a great first knife! looks like you have made 10 already. check out my horrible ugly 1st knife from 2004 DSC_0241 by john april, on Flickr

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Good first knife. The bevel grinding looks very nice.

Some places to look at on the next are:
The edge should be a bit more smoothly curved, not angular.
The handle is pretty massive - about 60% of the knife length. It also wastes almost 2" of it on the oversized birds head. Try for a sleeker and less blocky handle next time. The bird's head should be a feature that the handle blends into, not a stiff 45° angle on the end.
The front of the handle at the ricasso is too rounded and projects out too far. It would have been better as a slight arc instead of as a radius.
Lanyard holes are a personal taste, but if putting one in, place it in the top or bottom corner, not in the center.
The whole knife is "stiff". It lacks "flow". A tiny curvature of the spine and a tad of drop in the handle toward the butt will change the look dramatically.

Look at some of the hunters in the Gallery and other places for ideas on how to get a smoother flow and shape.

TIP:
Drawing a full size sketch ( several of them is better) will help you visualize where you are heading in making the knife. Try different blade widths and curvatures, different handle shapes, etc. Make the final drawing a blend of the best of them.

 

[Sharpe5097]

Awesome , thank you

 

[Sharpe5097]

Good first knife. The bevel grinding looks very nice.

Some places to look at on the next are:
The edge should be a bit more smoothly curved, not angular.
The handle is pretty massive - about 60% of the knife length. It also wastes almost 2" of it on the oversized birds head. Try for a sleeker and less blocky handle next time. The bird's head should be a feature that the handle blends into, not a stiff 45° angle on the end.
The front of the handle at the ricasso is too rounded and projects out too far. It would have been better as a slight arc instead of as a radius.
Lanyard holes are a personal taste, but if putting one in, place it in the top or bottom corner, not in the center.
The whole knife is "stiff". It lacks "flow". A tiny curvature of the spine and a tad of drop in the handle toward the butt will change the look dramatically.

Look at some of the hunters in the Gallery and other places for ideas on how to get a smoother flow and shape.

TIP:
Drawing a full size sketch ( several of them is better) will help you visualize where you are heading in making the knife. Try different blade widths and curvatures, different handle shapes, etc. Make the final drawing a blend of the best of them.

Sho me a good example

 

[JTknives]

wow, that is a great first knife! looks like you have made 10 already. check out my horrible ugly 1st knife from 2004 DSC_0241 by john april, on Flickr

I got ya beat, my first knife from 1991-1992

 

[Natlek]

Sho me a good example

What Stacy think is this

 

[Sharpe5097]

Holy crap. That's what I'm talking about. Thank you

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Thanks Natlek.

 

[Frank Niro]

Pretty darn nice, Mister ! Hard to believe though, that John ever did that one he shows to be his.
Frank

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

We should be proud of our first knives. I still have mine ... from 1960.

 

[rodriguez7]

How are you guys posting pics? I would like to post my first one from a couple months ago. I'm using an iPhone or iPad.

 

[Ken H>]

I like using https://ibb.co/ site. To post a photo look at menu bar at top of the space I'm typing in when replying to a post. See the "happy face"? Just next to that is the image button, paste in the URL of the photo you will get from posting to the site linked to above. There are other sites, such as https://Imgur.com that will work good.

 

[rodriguez7]

https://imgur.com/gallery/lSsOt

 

[rodriguez7]

See if this works