i think im getting the hang of it

[hurley0816]

here is my third knife made with old saw blade. has a bubinga and leopardwood handle and a little file work.give me some critique please

 

[Mitchell Knives]

Looks good; especially the file work.

 

[heatheninthehills]

It looks really good.:thumbup: I especially like the way you designed the handle. The file work looks great as well. keep up the good work.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

OK, while the knife has a nice look to it there are some big problems. I could say nothing , and you will find out soon enough, or tell you now ( you asked to be critiqued).

That "cool" looking projection of bubinga sticking out along the spine will snap of the first or second time it is bumped. The ricasso surface of a user knife handle should always be a smooth curve with no fine corners or points. They will chip off easily in use. Watch grain direction,too. Any grain running the wrong way will make this a worse problem.

The blade looks like you stopped sanding at 120 grit? If you want a satin finish, go to at least 400 grit. The blade will rust much faster, and drag in cutting with such a rough surface. Since the style is a skinner, it should be as smooth as possible. I would suggest the next one be done to 800 grit.

You have a two piece handle scale...held on by only two rivets. Right now, the glue is all that is really holding the handles on. There should be one rivet in the bolster section, and two in the larger piece of leopardwood.

These are things that will affect the use and saleability of your knives. Attention to finishing a knife is as important as the shaping of the blade.

The work shows real improvement, just don't sell yourself short by rushing to get the handles on before the knife is done.

Stacy

 

[hurley0816]

thank you stacy! thats what i was wanting.one question though, what is a ricasso?

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

The ricasso is the flat area on the blade at the point where the handle meets the blade. Technically, it is the area between the plunge line and the handle. On your knife, it would be the area below the projection of the handle.
Stacy

 

[scout_77]

I like the flow a lot, and I the knife is better then my 3rd, but I would drop the point, I think it's too swept back. But that is just me