Forging scales left on knives

blademan11

blademan11

Joined
Oct 6, 2003
Messages
161
Hello Forum knife makers and members,
This question has been bugging me for quiet a while. Why do knife makers leave scale on their blades, or beat up stainless with a hammer and why would anyone purchase one? I have been collecting for over 30 years(I'm a 67 year old wrecked NAM VET). I bough my last :Loveless for $150. I have Moran's , Lile's , D.E. Henry's, Gilbreath's, Beauchamp's, Jack Cranes and many other makers. This is not to brag about my collection. This is for my own education and understanding. Why would a knife maker make or a purchaser buy a knife that looks like the maker says it's good enough,someone will buy it. As a serious collector I would never purchase such a blade and probobally would not let someone give me one. Those knives look incomplete , ragged and to me quiet ugly. Please remember this is for my own seeking of informatiom and kowledge and not to rundown or bad-mouth makers or buyers.
Thanks,
Hondo
 
Like just about anything, Its all about the paintjob.
I made alot of knives leaving scale. Some folks like the color & contrast between rough to polish.
 
It depends on how it's done... the fiddlebacks forge blades from Andy Roy are awesome

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Maybe a hint at the process in the final product. Makes it more unique and looks different then from a factory.
I don't own one but some look quite good.
 
It is the current "style", or maybe call it a "fad". It takes a lot of work out of making the knife so IMO the knives should sell for a lot less money, but they don't. It also makes it hard to keep a blade clean and allows more spots for corrosion to start. I prefer that a handmade knife have grinds that show craftsmanship and not that they skipped a few steps.
 
I like Andy Roy's "spalted" look. I have a nice Olamic damascus fixed blade (Voykar is what it's called) that has a rough and unfinished look to the flats. It goes well with the pattern of the damascus.

Other makers have something called "hammered flats" which is what you think. Not left over forging scale, but instead a series of bumps and ridges created by hitting the hot, soft steel w/ different hammers to acheive a certain "look." It's okay and complements some blades very nicely. Others, not so much. These things are so subjective to begin with and everyone has a different opinion--that's part of the fun.
 
I have to think part of the reason is it's cheaper to leave the scale on than take the time and effort to grind and polish, though the examples here are not cheapies.
 
I gotta agree with you Blademan, I don't understand it either. Obviously some do but I've never seen an explanation of why it "looks good."
 
It seems to me that it stems from the fact that the makers want to leave evidence that the knife was truly hammer forged and not shaped through stock removal from sheet steel. Now, is that better for a knife? I don't know. That's probably a whole different discussion.
 
To me it is just the appearance of a little rough blade and a nice handle looks appealing. A little texture to hold onto as well when holding the knife different angles.
 
Looks and in my case to remind the blade was hand forged. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder. Some like oriental exotic looking women, others like the Nordic looks, some of us like them chubby others like them tall and athletic looking. Big boobs vs medium.
You get the drift eh?
 
Visually: contrast.

Otherwise, it can be evidence of an advanced bladesmith's ability, i.e. the less final grinding has to be done to achieve correct final geometry, the more skilled the maker at forging.
 
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