I need Your Honest Opinion On This One

Laredo7mm

Laredo7mm

Joined
Jul 8, 2002
Messages
1,240
Hey all, I would appreciate your honest opinion on this one. Really, be brutal.

I have been trying to finsh a couple more of this style and half way thru the billet i get the bright idea to try something different than a plain old star twist.

When I could first start seeing this pattern, I was more than disappointed, but I decided to go ahead and finish out the blade. The more I work with it, the more it has started to grow on me. But aint that the way it always goes? Heck, nobody thinks their kids are ugly, but you know they are out there. :D

My primary concern is that this knife is intended for a very special friend, and I want the knife to leave her speachless. Secondly, I was planning on using the same billet on another knife to finish out that display case.

You guys are familiar with my work, do you think this blade is a good example of my ability? Like I said above, please feel free to let me know. You all are the best qualified to critique my work.

Thanks for you help.

Bama2.jpg


Bama1.jpg
 
to be brutaly honest...i think its gorgeous! awesome looking damascus and a proven blade design...what more could you ask for!:D
great job! cant wait to see it all dressed up!
 
yep what ddavelarsen said. :D I really like it, great contrasts and very different, a very one of a kind. She should be way more than happy with it. A real conversation starter for sure. :eek: what are the 2 thicker steel in the design?
 
Thanks everybody, I appreciate your help. I will feel a hell of alot better if someone tells me they don't like it:D

I have been having a very difficult time lately with over working the billet after it has been twisted, and this blade was no exception. I think I need to revert back to the multibar twists so I pretty much know what my finished dims are going to be on the billet.

Terry- The two thicker steels are 1095 and pure nickel. This billet has a total of 311 layers, probably should have stopped back at 150. ;)

Anyway, I am going to let the epoxy sit over night, so tomorrow I should have a pic of this one finished. Now I just need to remember how to make a sheath, man I think it has been since before X-Mas.

Thanks again guys.
 
Laredo, you've gone and done it again, you dawg! That is pure wow, guy. While you are in the neighborhood, how did you drill your jade yourself? Inquiring minds want to know(including me). I gotta go back and look at that work of yours again, dang you!
 
I love that damascus pattern. I think it looks good on that knife, but would look amazing on a larger knife. DO you ever make damascus to sell?
Kyle Fuglesten
 
Originally posted by Laredo7mm
I will feel a hell of alot better if someone tells me they don't like it:D
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Okay, if it will make you feel better, it sucks:D I was wondering what you were going to do for an encore after the last one. Looks awesome!
 
Looks very striking to me, and I'm no pushover. It's good enough for even the most newbie of knife owners, frankly.

Great work.

Dan
 
From what I see it looks to be a stunner the stripes really set it apart from most knives
 
That damascus pattern ROCKS! I would like to see it on another style/size blade, but I really like the visual effect.
 
That's pitiful. You are capable of much better work. Get rid of it man!! Tell you what...........I'll dispose of it properly if you send it to me;)
 
Since you have used the words critique and brutal together, you are most likely really wanting to know if there are any problems that need to be avoided in the future.

I replied to your post on CKD, but I'll mention it here as well. For future reference, when using pure nickel in the mix, you definitely want to avoid having it run through the edge. The pure Nickel does not harden.

The pattern itself is very striking. I think that it would be better suited for a larger knife, but that is just an opinion. You're doing real well with your Damascus.
 
My two cents! I don't care for the design, but that is a personal thing. The damascus looks great, the grind is excellent. If your damascus cuts well you have some awful good damascus and I would be interested in buying a blade!
 
Of coarse I like it, alot. It has several steels and loads of character, great flawless welds, difficult and expertly done grinds, out of the box creative designing. Your girl friend will love it or else you should think about a new special friend IMHO. However It is not the last knife you will ever make so there is room for thought on the next one. I agree with Terry about the nickel on the edge. It doesnt hold an edge for beans. I like the contrast you have with the finely worked damascus next to the large undisturbed steel but it may be even more interesting to blend the nickel and the 1095 a few folds just make things finer. I like the 300 layers and disagree with stopping at 150. I think more is better in most cases. The Pure nickel makes a beautiful pattern and adds greatly to the overall WOW but should be finer stands and much more of them.

It is really cool to see you developing patterns of your own. It will help to set you apart and make your knives much more personal. You are off the ground my man! Fly!
 
I agree that this Damascus would be displayed better in a larger knife. But I don’t know what kind of large blade to do next. Lucky, I have enough left for a 0.25 x 1.5 x 24 inch billet. Right now it is still in the rough twisted form and still needs to be drawn out flat.

I did know that pure nickel does not hold an edge and I was about to try to inlay the nickel in the 1095 as not to have any on the edge, but then I decided that it would be easier to do what Fritt (CKD) said and weld some high carbon on the edge. But, my disclaimer, this knife, like most that I make, is not intended to be a user by the owner. I do have one out there that is being used and have not heard anything bad yet, but again it did not have any nickel in it.

I am going to make another one in this style with this Damascus, but I am going to draw out the already twisted billet to a smaller diameter and then twist again. Hopefully that will help keep some more of the twists in the final blade. I have no idea what that will do to the pattern though. But, heck, who knows? Maybe I will get “inspired” while in the forge and try something new.

All I know is that I truly appreciate your help, and feed off your positive and honest replies. This one would have been in the scrap pile if it were up to me. Thankfully I decided to finish it out anyway because the first reveal of the pattern (right after profile I did a test etch) was disappointing to say the least.

Anyway, enough of my rambling. This blade will be done tonight. I am just waiting for my mokume pins to patina a little before I take some more pictures of it. I will put it into a new post so this one can find its way to the bottom of the board.
 
Oh yeah, John, I used a diamond hole bit to dirll that jade. I set my little vice in a container because you have to use alot water. But other than that $59 bit, my little $35 drill press did a good job. The bit that I used just hogged out the hole. I wish now that I would have used a coring bit that is hollow in the middle. Those rod shaped scraps from a coring bit would have made some cool pin material.

You should be able to find the bits at a lapidary store. Hope that helps.
 
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