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The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is ready to order! See this thread for details: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/bladeforums-2024-traditional-knife.2003187/
Price is$300$250 ea (shipped within CONUS). If you live outside the US, I will contact you after your order for extra shipping charges.
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/ - Order as many as you like, we have plenty.
Handle treatments: scrimshaw and sculpture.
- Thread starter 2knife
- Start date
- Joined
- Apr 6, 2003
- Messages
- 2,498
Yes indeed, Jon, it was a priceless gift!
Jim Kelso's "Maple Leaf" Tanto, won the W.W. Cronk Memorial
Award for best knife in show at the 1986 Guild Show.
The metal fittings have an overall design of fallen maple leaves.
They are cast in Sterling silver and finished with engraving and chasing,
along with fused gold highlights. The handle features both frog and cicada
menuki, and has stingray skin under the silk wrapping.
The saya (scabbard) is made from wenge wood with its grain enhanced
by sand blasting and a lacquer finish.
The sageo (fastening cord) was custom woven (kumi-himo) by Junko Narikawa.
Overall length 20 1/4 (513 mm).
All the best,
David Darom (ddd)
MacHete
Hair Cropper & Chipmunk Wrangler
- Joined
- Apr 7, 2000
- Messages
- 2,559
First of all, I think most of us would agree that a knife is the epitome of functional art. But "function" is matter of individual need, and "art" is a matter of individual taste.
At the extreme ends, a knife can be so functional that it is ugly, and a knife can be so artistic that it is useless. There is a very broad area in between, and the best knives are made with the best balance between the two.
Personally, I do not care for a lot of embellishment, be it scrimshaw, engraving or carving. But, I would never deny the art and skill that go into pieces that have these features.
Thirty-odd years ago when I was first learning about the wonders of customs and handmades, a gentleman named Jim Pugh was doing amazing things with knives that involved a lot of gold and beautiful carvings. I have no doubt that I could skin a lion with one of his knives that had a lion carved into it's pommel, guard and blade, but I probably wouldn't.
As to whether or not such embellishments are "cheesy"- I would say that it is purely a reflection of the skill of the maker. A very plain knife can look cheesy- without any carving- if it is made poorly.
At the extreme ends, a knife can be so functional that it is ugly, and a knife can be so artistic that it is useless. There is a very broad area in between, and the best knives are made with the best balance between the two.
Personally, I do not care for a lot of embellishment, be it scrimshaw, engraving or carving. But, I would never deny the art and skill that go into pieces that have these features.
Thirty-odd years ago when I was first learning about the wonders of customs and handmades, a gentleman named Jim Pugh was doing amazing things with knives that involved a lot of gold and beautiful carvings. I have no doubt that I could skin a lion with one of his knives that had a lion carved into it's pommel, guard and blade, but I probably wouldn't.
As to whether or not such embellishments are "cheesy"- I would say that it is purely a reflection of the skill of the maker. A very plain knife can look cheesy- without any carving- if it is made poorly.