Gidgee Mistake - Vest Bowie in Ringed Gidgee

[Erin Burke]

Good morning folks.

This is little vest Bowie that I recently finished up. The handle is a beautiful chatoyant piece of stabilized Ringed Gidgee. The W2 blade shows an active hamon in the forced patina... not an easy trick.

During construction, this piece of steel fought me at every turn. It was originally part of a much longer "chopper" design, but a quench crack near the tip took it back to the drafting table for redesign... thus the name "Gidgee Mistake".

The mild steel fittings are a rich dark brown that came about by experimenting with bleach, gun blue, motor oil and a torch. I am very pleased with the results.


Some Stats:
Length: 11-3/8"
Blade: 6-7/16", 0.24" thick at guard
Weight: 271g (0.60lbs)
Steel: W2
Fittings: Browned Mild Steel
Handle: Stabilized Ringed Gidgee

Edit: I had a couple folks ask for some additional detail shots of the knife. While I didn't have time to set up for quality images, I did record this quick video. I apologize for the poor overhead lighting.

[video=youtube;lG0ANeroPVs]

Thanks for looking. As always, feedback is welcome.

Erin

 

[Dawkind]

Nice........I had a number of your pieces out for a look just the other day.

 

[machineage]

Beautifully done Sir! Very understated and not to showy. The brown fittings look amazing. Love it.

 

[Erin Burke]

Nice........I had a number of your pieces out for a look just the other day.

And I'm only getting better, Dudley... only getting better.

Beautifully done Sir! Very understated and not to showy. The brown fittings look amazing. Love it.

Thanks man. The blade and fitting treatments were both experimental, and I ended up pleasantly surprised with the results... particularly the fittings.

Erin

 

[Erin Burke]

After having a few folks request additional images, I shot a short video and added it to the original post. Hopefully it provides a bit more detail.
Erin

 

[stezann]

beautifully executed, the blade is somewhat strange, still powerful and very interesting! I love the continuity between the spine and the handle's top facet!
The browning came out very nice, reminding the old rust browning methods

 

[Chefget]

Wow, really beautiful piece...well done and different

-Michael

 

[BladeScout]

A world apart and very impressive.

I tell myself, that I can see the bigger knife hidden away in there some where.....most likely just because you told us the background

If that is one of your 'mistakes.......!'

 

[Erin Burke]

I love the continuity between the spine and the handle's top facet!

Thanks for the kind words brother... and I'm glad you noticed this. Since I started making, I've been told that the blade profile should flow through the guard area... meaning no wide handles behind skinny ricassos or vice-versa. With most of my recent builds, I've made an effort to carry that flow concept from the spine into the the rear facet of the handle. The key to pulling it all together is usually correct shaping of any spacers/bolsters.

This photo shows a CAD sheet I printed of the superimposed guard and spacer. You'll note that the rear of the spacer is flat and is near the same width as the blade spine at the guard.

Wow, really beautiful piece...well done and different

-Michael

Thanks Michael.

A world apart and very impressive.

I tell myself, that I can see the bigger knife hidden away in there some where.....most likely just because you told us the background

One of the great things about the iphone is the camera... it's always around, making it easy to document the day's activities. {From my Flickr album for this project} This is what the first iteration of this knife was suppose to look like.

Thanks again guys.

Erin

 

[wasatchdan]

I really like this design. I'll bet that lowered point is nice for accurate thrusting, and the fullers give it a mean look. Well done in every way.