Gojira!!!!! Bowie {Inspiration of the Fogg kind} Finished pics pg. 3

BenR.T.

BenR.T.

Tanto grinder & High performance blade peddler
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Hey everyone! So this is something I have wanted to do for a very long time. Don Fogg's knives have been a big influence for me with my work, and his Yakuza Bowie II is a stand out piece. Probably in my top 5 favorite knives of all time. Just a powerful design. I decided to build a knife inspired by it. With this one I am not trying to copy his, it's just a source of inspiration thoroughly mixed with my design elements and style. His was a chisel ground, mine will be double ground. I will likely do a chisel ground version as well eventually.

I figured I would post a couple pics of the build.

Laying out the design on a big ol' chunk of 3V.


For extra weight reduction and better balance, I went with a flat bottom radius-ed fuller. Manual mill, no power feed. Lots of cranking. :D


My signature tapered fuller on the spine. This is a feature that I put on most of my large Japanese style fixed blades.


Blade profiled and fullers milled.


I didn't get any rough grinding pics, but here it is ready for pre HT hand finish.


Bevels cleaned up by hand.


Hand filing the shoulders square for nice guard fit.
 
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This is going to be good
 
I remember Don making this piece, if my memory serves me correct. That was one of my favorite pieces of Don's work. I wait with fervent anticipation to see your spin on this, Ben.
 
Just remember that the hamon was one of the greatest elements of that knife, and without a hamon, it's weak sauce!

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
gga357 said:
I think an attempt to differential HT 3V would be a mistake.
Click to expand...

Likely so, but it doesn't change anything.

Not questioning the inspiration, but if you are going to use a steel that does not allow one of the key elements to be incorporated, it becomes an odd pursuit.

Sort of like making a Moran ST-24 or ST-24 with a carbon fiber handle, thus eliminating the possibility of wire inlay.

Joe Paranee made a very convincing argument for the Hartsfield type sheaths to be used with the cord wrapped tanto and kwaiken many makers produce. It seems to have been received well and become advantageous to the makers.

Hopefully, pointing out how important a hamon is to the design elements of the Yakuza II will be beneficial as well!

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Kohai999 said:
Likely so, but it doesn't change anything.

Not questioning the inspiration, but if you are going to use a steel that does not allow one of the key elements to be incorporated, it becomes an odd pursuit.

Sort of like making a Moran ST-24 or ST-24 with a carbon fiber handle, thus eliminating the possibility of wire inlay.

Joe Paranee made a very convincing argument for the Hartsfield type sheaths to be used with the cord wrapped tanto and kwaiken many makers produce. It seems to have been received well and become advantageous to the makers.

Hopefully, pointing out how important a hamon is to the design elements of the Yakuza II will be beneficial as well!

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
Click to expand...

Good thing I didn't call it the Yakuza Bowie III! :D
I get where you are coming from Steven and a proper copy would would be chisel with a hamon.
But I am not making a copy, at all. I like to give credit where credit is due.
Even when I am only using one or two elements from a piece and the rest is all me. In this case, the basic profile and size.

I like 3V, it is in my opinion one of the best steels available right now, if not ever. I know how to do a hamon, I have done my fair share. Maybe someday I'll get the itch to do some more.

I have been around and around with certain folks when I make a "Japanese inspired" knife. Same thing, if something inspired a design, I say so.




By the way a carbon fiber handle ST-24 (another of my favorites) would be the bees knees. Maybe some titanium wire inlay. I'll keep that in mind!
But I'm odd like that. :cool:
 
Hey Ben, I also get where you are coming from.

It's difficult.

Stifling creativity is not my goal.

When people make what they call a "Loveless subhilt" and it functions or looks nothing like a "Loveless", I get upset.

Why use his name if you cannot take the design cues from him? That skews towards lack of ability at the least, and misappropriation of name/concept at the worst.

Said situation NOT applying to you in any way....but I hope you see where the conflict is generated.

If you were going to do ti wire in carbon fiber, how would you do it? The material feathers, so I'm wondering how the inlay cuts would be made.

When doing escutcheons, I understand a whole lot of CA glue is employed.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
I think it's awesome when a maker pays homage to work they find inspiring by into their own style, they're own translation. Love this one, bud. Can't wait to see where you take it!!!!
 
Ohhh, I can not wait for its arch nemisis "Mothra"
 
Ok, I've been working like crazy on this thing all week. Finally uploaded some more pictures, so her you go!

Here is a pre HT pic of it next to my Shinobi tanto, which is a pretty large knife. It pales next to Gojira!!!!


Decent size piece of high temp foil needed for this one.


All wrapped up.


I didn't get any pics of HT. To do it properly there can be little delay (minutes) between the Plate quench at 2000+ degrees and soon after into Liquid nitrogen. It is a crucial process that I have spent a lot of time perfecting. My knives are first and foremost high performance tools, the HT is one of the most important elements of that. The blades soaked in Liquid nitrogen at -300 overnight.


This is them coming back up to room temp before temper.


Here the blade is out of it's temper cycles, and ready to fit the guard.
 
Some of you may be wondering about the name......

Since this was inspired by Don Foggs Yakuza Bowie II, and his was inspired by a Japanese whale knife. And Gojira is basically "gorilla/whale"...it makes sense to me anyway. Plus the knife is a monster!! :D
 
Wow that is an amazing blade, I am out of words to tell you how much I like it!
That helps me redefine my Grail!
 
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