Hey, why is your clay hardened blade so much $$$?

Thanks, Nick. Now I am going to mess with your head. Have you thought about coming up with a jig/fixture that uses guide rods or something so that you can get a perfectly straight full length pull every time when you are hand sanding at those higher grits? I know that you are a bit of a tinkerer.;)
 
braillediver said:
I'm still looking for the j-hooks by your name.
Click to expand...

Ditto! Thanks for sharing your process with us. Don't know if it has to do with ADD or OCD but keep at what you're doing, the result is well worth the effort. :thumbup: Given the amount of time you dedicate have you ever considered learning traditional togishi techniques? Reading through this thread also makes me wonder about the way you go about applying the coating of clay before heat treating. Only 32... will be nice to see what you're making once you begin to mature in another 10 or 20 years. :D
 
No, this is definitely not a traditional polish. I know just enough about a traditional polish to know that I don't know squat. :)

For purists, etching a blade with anything is akin to a lie/cheating. A traditional polish doesn't use any kind of etchant... everything is brought out with abrasives only.

With that said, a polish like this does SEEM TO ME, to come closer in appearance to something traditional than many of the other modern alternatives.

FWIW- maybe I can see the finish around my name looking a little dirty because I stared at the knife so long, and because I have a 19" monitor. ;)

Joe... NO!!!! :grumpy:

;) :p

Contrary to seemingly popular belief I don't have OCD. The ADD is a real, Doctor/lab diagnosed thing... I have a significant drive to make the best knife that I can... but that part is in my heart... not in my brain. ;) :)

I'm going to be building a whopper chopper for Lorien fairly soon and am planning on doing a photo tag along as I go. Unless plans have changed, his will have a clay hardened W2 blade and I'd be happy to include the heat-treating in the mix. BUT his won't be polished like this because he's going to be clearing trails with his!:cool:
 
NickWheeler said:
No, this is definitely not a traditional polish. I know just enough about a traditional polish to know that I don't know squat. :)

For purists, etching a blade with anything is akin to a lie/cheating. A traditional polish doesn't use any kind of etchant... everything is brought out with abrasives only.

With that said, a polish like this does SEEM TO ME, to come closer in appearance to something traditional than many of the other modern alternatives.

FWIW- maybe I can see the finish around my name looking a little dirty because I stared at the knife so long, and because I have a 19" monitor. ;)

Joe... NO!!!! :grumpy:

;) :p

Contrary to seemingly popular belief I don't have OCD. The ADD is a real, Doctor/lab diagnosed thing... I have a significant drive to make the best knife that I can... but that part is in my heart... not in my brain. ;) :)

I'm going to be building a whopper chopper for Lorien fairly soon and am planning on doing a photo tag along as I go. Unless plans have changed, his will have a clay hardened W2 blade and I'd be happy to include the heat-treating in the mix. BUT his won't be polished like this because he's going to be clearing trails with his!:cool:
Click to expand...
I have a 24" monitor and still couldn't see them.:D As for the aforementioned device, I wasn't joking and I would buy one.;)
 
Awesome Thread Nick! Sure is a lot of work but the end result is gorgeous!!:thumbup:
 
Nick,
It is really good seeing your skills have only gotten better - I had no real idea what it took you to get that kind of look in the blade.. Maybe I might not have been as likely to request you to; "bring the hamon back up over the clip"... like I did oh so many years ago! :D
Nah, I'd still have done it in a heart beat!!!! :eek::D Cause it was so worth it to me... She's still a beaut after all these years! :o
 
Amazing work Nick.

You should try once on a high-layer, random PW blade, Jpz style.

In any case, that blade is superb.
 
"Contrary to seemingly popular belief I don't have OCD. The ADD is a real, Doctor/lab diagnosed thing... I have a significant drive to make the best knife that I can... but that part is in my heart... not in my brain. ;) :)"

Nick, since you are self effacing, some of us have taken the liberty to rib you about these things. I truly believe I among others have elements of ADD, but never diagnosed. We all have to adapt to our own idiosyncrasies. You have analyzed it enough to have good coping techniques. I hope I haven't offended you with my words, 'cause it is really easy to do in this medium.:)

Enough of that. I asked the question in another thread, but you probably have not see it. Do you treat the whole surface the same, or do you polish the areas above and below the hamon and the hamon differently from each other?

Good job!! Thanks for sharing. :thumbup:

~Alden
 
My old eyes couldn't see the j's by your name either. The work you put into bring out the hamon is justified by the quality of the end result. Most of the hamons I have seen have not shown the white lines.

I am almost afraid to work on the blades you sent me. I will be sure to do my very best before I post any photos. You have set a really high standard to work towards.
 
Thanks again everyone :) These clay hardened blades are an exercise in frustration many times. The blade in these photos took 6 etch/polish cycles. The integral I finished for Coop took 11 or 12 and that's NOT counting the other ~30 that were ultimately sanded off. :foot:



While I certainly appreciate the kind words and accolades, I MUST point out that I'm not an artist and I DEFINITELY don't make anything that's even remotely close to perfect. I'm just a hack trying to make a decent knife out in the garage.

There are so many guys better at all aspects of this it makes my head spin.



At the end of the day, finding acceptance for your hard work does have to be one of the most rewarding feelings I have ever known. THANK YOU!!! :)
 
NickWheeler said:
While I certainly appreciate the kind words and accolades, I MUST point out that I'm not an artist and I DEFINITELY don't make anything that's even remotely close to perfect. I'm just a hack trying to make a decent knife out in the garage.

There are so many guys better at all aspects of this it makes my head spin.
Click to expand...

Nick,

When we first talked, I explained my thoughts on Forums, and if you remember them, it hasn't changed.

What is art? Simply defined-Art is the process or product of deliberately arranging elements in a way to affect the senses or emotions. Art can be simple or complex, can be craft as well...that is something meant to be used.

You may not be pretentious or "artsy" but you better believe that you are an artist buddy, and I've had this conversation with Jim Siska as well, who is as much of a salt-of-the-earth, downhome "guy" as you could ever imagine, but he is an amazing artist too. There is art in the design, art in the forging, art in the grinds, even art in the leather......let's not even try into the art of the finish, which is a true artform in industrial, commercial and fine arts.

You are not Larry Fuegen....there is only one, and for my money, even though Loveless is one of my personal icons, there is no better knifemaker alive than Larry Fuegen, and he has the soul of an artist...and is also a good friend.

What you create resonates with the people who are fortunate enough to hold it. The way you arrange the elements of a knife affects both my senses and my emotions in the same strong and visceral way that U2 does when performing "Pride( In the Name of Love)" or when my Sensei demonstrates a particularly difficult waza....these are performing or martial arts, but art the same.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Kohai999 said:
Nick,

When we first talked, I explained my thoughts on Forums, and if you remember them, it hasn't changed.

What is art? Simply defined-Art is the process or product of deliberately arranging elements in a way to affect the senses or emotions. Art can be simple or complex, can be craft as well...that is something meant to be used.

You may not be pretentious or "artsy" but you better believe that you are an artist buddy, and I've had this conversation with Jim Siska as well, who is as much of a salt-of-the-earth, downhome "guy" as you could ever imagine, but he is an amazing artist too. There is art in the design, art in the forging, art in the grinds, even art in the leather......let's not even try into the art of the finish, which is a true artform in industrial, commercial and fine arts.

You are not Larry Fuegen....there is only one, and for my money, even though Loveless is one of my personal icons, there is no better knifemaker alive than Larry Fuegen, and he has the soul of an artist...and is also a good friend.

What you create resonates with the people who are fortunate enough to hold it. The way you arrange the elements of a knife affects both my senses and my emotions in the same strong and visceral way that U2 does when performing "Pride( In the Name of Love)" or when my Sensei demonstrates a particularly difficult waza....these are performing or martial arts, but art the same.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
Click to expand...

That was quite well put:thumbup:
 
Good post Steven.
I hate to nitpik, but too often knife maker and "artist" are used interchangeably, as if a knife maker is only defined in artistic terms. Why is Larry Fuegen a "better" knife maker than Bob Dozier? The simple answer is "he is not". Only in certain aspects of very different definitions.
Both tremendous talents, surely, but none more deserving than the other..
There is no title, or winner.
Just a perspective.
David



Kohai999 said:
Nick,

.....

You are not Larry Fuegen....there is only one, and for my money, even though Loveless is one of my personal icons, there is no better knifemaker alive than Larry Fuegen, and he has the soul of an artist...and is also a good friend.

.......

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
Click to expand...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top