I also make blades sometimes…

K

Kevin R. Cashen

Joined
Sep 9, 2003
Messages
2,361
I wanted to include this in the now past “Crowing Achievements of 06” thread but the photography delayed me until now. So I thought I would take a break from endless technical blathering to show that I do occasionally pull my face from the microscope and am able to actually make blades as well. I get grief that I do not offer examples of my work enough on the forums. My ethics simply will not allow me to sell my stuff on the informational forums but this one was an order and already sold so I think it is safe to share the most elaborate and challenging piece I did in 2006.

Saber1.jpg


The owner is one of those dream customers we all want who actually waited the years it took for me to get to his order and then waited an entire year for me to finish it; never bothering me, but always letting me know that I should take my time and do it right. I make a rule to always try to reward these guys for that level of patience. The original sword was to have just a pattern welded blade and simple steel fittings, when I took 6 months to finish the blade (life gets in the way :rolleyes: ) without a peep from the customer, I decided he deserved the whole thing to be Damascus (pattern welded) so I set to figuring out how to do all of those hilt fittings out of single 320 layer sheet.

7.jpg

3.jpg


I learned the extra efforts required to pull off a traditional kirk and rose pattern on a ribbed spine (get used to die work) and then polish the darned thing. It is based on a European quillback saber design and is very quick for its size. Between finding the right steel mix to handle the forging operations and how to get the tight 90 degree edges on the hilt extensions when using a single sheet of damascus, this one now rates up there as one of my most challenging projects, I learned a lot and am grateful to the customer for the opportunity.

1.jpg


I decided the mounting rings on the scabbard should also be twist pattern so a lot of damascus shavings went onto the floor to cut them from 1-1/4” rounds.

For those who are still dissapointed that I am not selling anything here...

Buy My BOOKS!

Check out the webpage!

Join the forum!
;) :D
 
Beautiful piece Kevin. I was complaining the other day finishing a 19-1/2'' blade, I can't imagine the amount of work your put into this one. VERY NICE man!!!
 
Kevin,
I'm fairly new to this forum, so I'm not sure why "ethics" would keep you from selling on BladeForums. Could you please explain, as I am considering beginning to sell here. Once I decide how to market myself, I'd like to make sure that I have the best possible information to make that decision.

If you're not comfortable replying here, because it might open up a can of worms, please Private Message me.

I would greatly value and appreciate any feedback that you can offer to me.

Scott (Ickie) Ickes
 
Thank you for sharing that, Kevin. It's seldom we get to see work like that on forums.

As for the rank commercialism, well, shucks..... :D
 
I'll take two books and a lifetime membership to your forum! How much? :D :D

Very nice!! Thanks for sharing!! :cool: :thumbup:
 
Kevin,
It's about time you posted something you've made! It's very nice, but the pictures are too small. :D
I'd also like to know about your reasons for not selling on here. Obviously, you can't because you don't have a knifemakers membership,,, :)
You can email me the answer if you want.
Nice blade. I can't begin to think how to go about making something like that.
 
:thumbup: Kevin, that's downright beautiful. Your talent is amazing. After your customer picks up his new saber, you'll have to forge a pry bar to use, so the smile can be removed from his face :D

Larry T
 
That is absolutely beautiful!!!
 
scottickes said:
Kevin,
I'm fairly new to this forum, so I'm not sure why "ethics" would keep you from selling on BladeForums. Could you please explain, as I am considering beginning to sell here. Once I decide how to market myself, I'd like to make sure that I have the best possible information to make that decision.

If you're not comfortable replying here, because it might open up a can of worms, please Private Message me.

I would greatly value and appreciate any feedback that you can offer to me.

Scott (Ickie) Ickes
Click to expand...


Most forum sites specify a time and a place for things. I feel the "BladeSmith Questions and Answers" forum is for honest and free information exchanging. I see there is a whole section here called "The Knife Exchange" just for selling things, and I think that would be a fantastic place to sell your stuff:thumbup: . But if I would have posted this sword here with a "for sale" sign on it, I would entirely expect to be told to take it to the appropriate forum, buy advertising, or remove the post. Since I'm too cheap to have even paid for a membership here, I should be happy just to post and not press my luck.

For me to feel good about my visits I need to use one of these appropriate outlets if I want to buy and sell stuff. Some sites actively enforce such rules, I don't think they should have to. You would not believe the number of people who keep after me about not posting my stuff on the forums, but I visit these forums to share in information and I like to keep that untainted. If my motive here was profit margin it could get in the way of credibility. For example, I have spent a lot of time countering claims about damascus being a super steel, and yet most of my blades are damascus! I have no reason to demystify it other than an ethical search for the facts, even if it hurts my wallet. I want people to take my posts as reliable information without having to worry about filtering out sales pitches.

On the other hand, I may be a hypocrite when I am entirely grateful to folks who do me the favor of mentioning that my "available" page on my site has been added to. I think it is all ego games with me, self promoting doesn't hold the same boost to self esteem as having others point out your work. I am a terrible businessman and have never liked the hard sell even at shows, but instead believe that if my work is good it should be able to sell itself.

Also on the other hand I need to face the facts that participating in these forums does get me exposure and may even help develop the impression that I may know what I am talking about half the time, so I guess I am not an icon of philanthropic virtue, but I do like to believe that it is a very nice karma like reward for sincerely wanting to help answer questions.:)
 
Phillip Patton said:
Kevin,
It's about time you posted something you've made! It's very nice, but the pictures are too small. :D
I'd also like to know about your reasons for not selling on here. Obviously, you can't because you don't have a knifemakers membership,,, :)
You can email me the answer if you want.
Nice blade. I can't begin to think how to go about making something like that.
Click to expand...

Thank you Phillip, you don't need to think about how to do it, you already know. You would just need to put many more hours into what you know. Often power tools can get in the way when one is trying to replicate a very old design. These designs were developed when hand tools were all there was, so often just resigning yourself to a few more patient hours away from the grinder is the answer.

More time was consumed in designing and making the dies that formed the rib, the edge bevels and the pattern all in one hit in order to get it to look right. I also lost the first blade I tried due to not taking my time with the alloys I used in such a radical cross section.

P.S. I feel I may have done an injustice to Bladeforums by not stressing that I was referring to informational forums. I would have no problem at all with advertising on the appropriate forums and honestly labeling my post as such. I think making those infomercials on T.V. label themselves as "paid advertising" is a great idea:thumbup: But it is all a moot point for me since filling my current orders is all I really need to do for some time.
 
Gabe Newell said:
Quick, someone steal his microscope.
Click to expand...


:D Some days I am sure my wife would love it if somebody would, and then chain me to my anvil and workbench.;) I would like to think that it wasn't the scope that made this one such a wait for the customer. I started on the blade in October of 2005, while dealing with some other orders as well. After losing the first blade to the learning curve and remaking a few sets of dies I started to run into my show season, and got bogged down in making stock for those. Then while trying to get the thing shaped and polished I also had some traveling to do for lectures and demos. I did add more time, but no more cost, in the hilting steel, but both the piece and the customer deserved it. I think it is an excellent insight into how the waiting becomes so much with custom smiths.
 
That's an amazing piece Kevin. I can't even imagine how you got the whole guard/pommel out of a single piece...

Bravo!

-d
 
Sick, man......you gonna show us how to do that at the hammer-in?:D :thumbup:
 
try not thinking of advertising when you post pics, but rather as ideas and inspirations.Ray
 
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