Good luck, Mike...

Lorien

Lorien

Nose to the Grindstone
Moderator
Joined
Dec 5, 2005
Messages
27,884
I have a feeling that this is going to be difficult to pull off, but I have a feeling that Mike Deibert is the man for the job! I designed this just for him:) Unfortunately, it does not meet the Mastersmith quillion dagger specs, but it's gonna be some good practice.

Luckily, he has no hair left to pull out! :p:D:thumbup:






 
I love the handle and the drawing but I think the blade needs to be straight. I also think a straight blade would show more skill and is much more classy. whenever I see a curved blade I tend to think it was a mistake that was covered up. still wonderful sketch and the handle design is real cool.
 
Last edited:
Jon Brand said:
I love the handle and the drawing but I think the blade needs to be straight. I also think a straight blade would show more skill and is much more classy. whenever I see a curved blade I tend to think it was a mistake that was covered up. still wonderful sketch and the handle design is real cool.
Click to expand...

Either straight, or more pronounced curves. The curvature in the drawing looks like the smith simply couldn't keep the blade straight, it looks sort'a, well, unplanned. Just my humble opinion, of course.:)
 
thanks for your comments fellas! Much appreciated :)
 
I agree with Jon and David regarding the snake shape blade, as personally, I don't care for that blade style.
Solid design though in general and should make a very nice Dagger. Will look forward to seeing the completed project.
 
I like it. Very Magnuson-esque. I'd like it better if the blade was straight, killer hamon or san mai.

Man you can draw these things!!

-Peter
 
in researching kris daggers, I found many historical examples, but this piece by Larry Fuegen was probably the most instrumental in providing inspiration for this pattern;

 
I agree with the blade issues. I don't like that Fuegen blade at all either. It looks like it's curved to one side way too much. I think the problem is that for a kris blade to work, the radii of the curves need to be tighter or the blade needs to be longer to develop the repetition needed to create balance. In the Fuegen piece, there is only the one strong curve in the middle and the taper is too strong for the next one to balance the previous. To me it looks more Dali'esque, like it's melting.

In yours, Lorien, the curves are too gentle and they ricasso's flare combined with the slight recurve at the begining of both edges are at odds with the balance in the curves. Maybe stronger curves or less taper and a more abrupt transition to a point would work. Also I think the damascus would heighten the sense of confusion.

I think this is a good example of a kris blade that works and it's because of the amount of repetition creates a unity and the curves are all the same..
kris-knife-with-wooden-sheath.jpg


Just my opinion of course.
 
Last edited:
excellent feedback! Your strong opinions are notable to me, in a positive way.

it is very difficult to design a blade with this configuration, as there is a necessary lack of symmetry. And in this case, the handle is perfectly symmetrical, which adds to the issue.
 
the wire is intended to be inlaid, thanks for asking :)
 
While I'm not a huge fan of the Kris they're always sickly fascinating. There's a multitude of straight daggers out there anyhow, I can't wait to see this progress. I love the details on the handle! The only thing that catches my eye is that the first curve in the blade seems gentler than the last one, maybe they should be equal? I would disagree with Jon on the skill level involved in this grind, it's going to be crazy hard to pull off, far more than a traditional dagger grind. Go Mike go, we'll be here with the bowl of popcorn and any needed encouragement and/or heckling :)

-Haley
 
Lorien said:
in researching kris daggers, I found many historical examples, but this piece by Larry Fuegen was probably the most instrumental in providing inspiration for this pattern;

Click to expand...

No offense intended but that reminds me of a chocolate bar left in a car during summer. All melted and not in a good way.

+1 here for a straight blade.
 
here's the thing about Fuegen's kris- I don't really like it either. It was my strong negative reaction to it that instilled the fascination in me to try my hand at designing one. Haley's comment about the 'sickly fascinating' aspect of the kris really hit home.

The damascus pattern is to be feathered, with the nickel quill following the grind termination line. I think that might be the most difficult aspect of this build.
 
Last edited:
An observation. Traditionally, the number of luk (curves) on kris was always odd. Lorien's has 6 curves. The tip in this drawing has another curve, bringing the total to 6.

PA062372_zps0479aca2.jpg


That said, kris can be made without curves.

Source: I have Indonesian blood in me.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top