Gentleman's Skinner (Updated Photos)

scottishsmith24

scottishsmith24

Joined
Sep 4, 2012
Messages
416
Hello all, it has been a while since I last posted but I have been keeping busy. Here is a little project I have been working on for the past couple of weeks as time permits between commissioned orders, but it's kind of funky so I thought I would share. This little skinner started off its life as the remnant of a billet for several damascus rings I had to make. This blade gave me a number of challenges aesthetically as I don't normally make blades this small with such a narrow ricasso, so getting it to be comfortable in the hand and look right was a bit tough. I'd love to hear what you guys think about it the good and bad, the picture is not the best and for that I apologize. I will try to get better ones if the light cooperates. Now onto the knife:

Steel: 15n20 and 1095
Blade Length: 4 1/2"
Ricasso width: 3/4"
Handle length: 5 1/8"
Guard: blued mild steel with fluted bronze spacer
Handle material: Minnesota birch burl







Thanks for looking,

Robert
 
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Very nice Robert!
I find this knife very appealing, did you Hot blue the guard?
A minor criticism would be the handle looks a bit long, maybe it is the photo angle.

Wish I could attend your Damascus class this month, sounds like fun! Hope the class is full!

Steve
---------
Member, W.F. Moran Jr. Museum & Foundation
ABS AP
 
An interesting piece.
Very nice Damascus pattern as is the blade shape and guard.
Also good looking handle material, however as Steve, I feel the handle
is a bit disproportionate to the rest of the knife.
Handle seems too long/thick and over contoured. Has the potential
To be a outstanding knife.
 
Thank you for the very honest comments Kevin and Steve, partially it is the photo angle causing the handle to look disproportionate. In reality the handle is barely 3/4/ of an inch longer than the blade and it fits perfectly in the hand. When I was designing the knife I ended up leaving it sitting for two weeks because I could not for the life of me figure out what to do for the handle shape/ guard. I will try to take better photographs tomorrow from other angles to show what I mean.
 
So I was able to snap this picture today from the spine view of the knife and (at least to me) it seems to have decent proportions but I am always learning so if the length etc still look off then I will take it to heart in my future designs. Thank you again as always for your honest input.

 
Robert, I think it is not the length of the handle per say that doesn't quite fit, as demonstrated by your spine view pic in witch the proportions look a lot better. The large butt for retention is more associated with a larger fighter than a hunter/skinner. As is a S guard usually although the smaller proportions of this one makes it not as obvious.

The parts by themselves are great, just hard to make it all come together sometimes, believe me I know. :o
 
Patrice, thanks for that additional explanation that does help, I think I'll just have to call it "fun and funky" :)
 
I've had the same paralizing moment when i had to build the handle of a little hunter blade of mine i liked a lot.
I went to the internet, browsing through the pages only to find out that the 4-5-'ish inches blade hunter's handles are somewhat a "problem" for a lot of people ;)
We don't want it too simple, but we don't want it too distracting and redundant with much contouring.
 
Stezann exactly! Full tangs are relatively simple to get a flow and aestethically pleasing lines, but with hidden tangs it seems everything becomes tricky. :)
 
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