- Joined
- Jun 5, 2012
- Messages
- 1,071
So I got my first two commissions, and they are both doozies. I think I have the technical ability to pull them off, but I'm not quite as confident to barge in as I was on my simpler designs. Luckily they are both for good friends, and they are both understanding of what they're asking me to do. They're also both willing to wait patiently while I work these on my bench in between knives more suited to my skill level, so that I can give them the time they need to come out nicely.
Right now I have some .152" S35VN that I plan on using for at least the dagger, but maybe the dive knife as well. The dagger customer specifically requested that it be thick and heavy, so I'm trying to make a compromise. I don't think that I can go much thicker than that in this blade size and still come out with an attractive blade.
I'll start with the dagger first. A good friend had a knife similar to this that was important to him and was stolen. We sat down in my shop and did a police sketch style session in which I attempted to recreate his knife from memory. I tried to talk him out of the blood groove (not generally a huge fan) but he insisted, as it was a feature on the original knife, so I didn't push farther. He said the proportions look nearly perfect, so I suspect that the original was a sabre/scandi type grind.
I have the ability to do the groove on my milling machine so that isn't an issue. He originally requested full tang, but I think I may do a full takedown design with a hidden nut in the pommel. I think he is primarily worried that it is very strong. He is a firefighter and there's a good chance this knife may get some pretty heavy use. I'm going with 416SS for the guard and pommel, and black G10 for the handle.
The dive knife is for a good friend that is getting his scuba cert right now. Similar to the dagger customer, he requested a high end stainless steel, so I figured the S35VN I already have is perfect for the job. He wanted a safety tip with one side serrated and one side straight. He also suggested a rope cutter (basically a gut hook), but I don't know that it's necessary with good serration. It is a pretty common feature on dive knives though. This one is getting black G10 for the scales, similar to the one above.
I've never done serrations before, but am reasonably confident that I have the tooling here to pull it off professionally. I think my main concern is the blade thicknesss. I'm not working in such tight quarters as the dagger above, but I don't know if .152" is pushing it for a 1" wide dive knife blade. FYI the grinds will be done on a 10" wheel, so it will be a slightly hollow double grind.
Right now I have some .152" S35VN that I plan on using for at least the dagger, but maybe the dive knife as well. The dagger customer specifically requested that it be thick and heavy, so I'm trying to make a compromise. I don't think that I can go much thicker than that in this blade size and still come out with an attractive blade.
I'll start with the dagger first. A good friend had a knife similar to this that was important to him and was stolen. We sat down in my shop and did a police sketch style session in which I attempted to recreate his knife from memory. I tried to talk him out of the blood groove (not generally a huge fan) but he insisted, as it was a feature on the original knife, so I didn't push farther. He said the proportions look nearly perfect, so I suspect that the original was a sabre/scandi type grind.
I have the ability to do the groove on my milling machine so that isn't an issue. He originally requested full tang, but I think I may do a full takedown design with a hidden nut in the pommel. I think he is primarily worried that it is very strong. He is a firefighter and there's a good chance this knife may get some pretty heavy use. I'm going with 416SS for the guard and pommel, and black G10 for the handle.
The dive knife is for a good friend that is getting his scuba cert right now. Similar to the dagger customer, he requested a high end stainless steel, so I figured the S35VN I already have is perfect for the job. He wanted a safety tip with one side serrated and one side straight. He also suggested a rope cutter (basically a gut hook), but I don't know that it's necessary with good serration. It is a pretty common feature on dive knives though. This one is getting black G10 for the scales, similar to the one above.
I've never done serrations before, but am reasonably confident that I have the tooling here to pull it off professionally. I think my main concern is the blade thicknesss. I'm not working in such tight quarters as the dagger above, but I don't know if .152" is pushing it for a 1" wide dive knife blade. FYI the grinds will be done on a 10" wheel, so it will be a slightly hollow double grind.
