JR Law Knives (my two new custom designs)

B

biogon

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Jan 2, 2002
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Heya,

I had two designs made for me by Reese Weiland recently.

Hope you like them! Let me know what you think.

If you like it and would consider owning one, please let me know. I'm trying to determine whether there's enough interest to have a short semi-production run done up.

Thanks,

-jon

elysium-01s.jpg


leviathan-01s.jpg
 
A couple more pics.
 

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They're neat, but I'm failing to see the "Japanese grind dynamics". Looks more influenced by Americanized style :confused:
 
*laugh*

Robert, I'm honestly NOT going to argue with you at all on that. ;)

To tell the story... it originally started as a shibo-zukuri. Then the swedge moved back and it became more of a wakizashi-style grind, but without the angles. Subsequently the tip got a lot pointier; finally, it acquired the hollow ground scoops.

Ultimately, the thought was that it was sort of a sabre-ground hira-zukuri tanto (in the vein of Snody and Hayes). I had been reacting strongly against a movement I'd observed toward calling the geometric tanto a "traditional tanto" -- which was really kind of funny.

So in returning to a continuous and gentle belly, a higher tip, with an upswept (in the design, not the execution) saber grind, it had become a modern tanto whose forefather was, to all intents and purposes, the hira-zukuri rather than the Hartsfield grind. In this way I justified to myself, wholly tongue-in-cheek, to call it a "postmodern" tanto -- that is, to poke a little fun at the reductionist and overly-celebrated geometric tanto (which I had liked in my early days, but of late have found its functionality somewhat less compared to a good drop point).

Finally, it was in the light of Sherrie Levine and Warhol that I reappropriated some of the elements of the traditional tanto.

Besides... what kind of American/Western grind looks like that?! Even without the scoops... it's not really a Bowie, a clip point, a Loveless drop point, a spearpoint... I don't know what it is.

;)

-jon
 
smbrum4.jpg


This is hira zukuri. No yokote, no shinogi (ridgeline), just a plain convex spine-to-edge grind.

I think you've botched up a lot of the tsukurikomi names that you posted. There is no Shibo zukuri. Almost everything with a yokote (the line of definition between blade/point) is shinogi-zukuri. Shinogi zukuri has no "swedge". Shobu zukuri (which I figured you were saying but made a typo), which does not have a yokote at all, looks more like it could have a swedge, but it also does not.

http://www.meiboku.demon.co.uk

I think Alan's site has some good information on sugata with drawings (IIRC).

Also, I think the actual idea behind the yokote in the first place is one sharp differentiation between Americanized blades and Japanese.

Just trying to be helpful, not argumentative. :)

And since I don't want to steal anything from your thread, I still think they're cool designs! :D
 
Robert,

No problem... clearly you know much more than I do about this stuff. You're the expert on Japanese blades; I just draw lines on bits of paper and struggle to make something that will function well in the real world. Sometimes I look at existing designs and try to determine what parts would translate well for today's tastes and steels.

But I better stop trying to put names to things before I munge it up more. ;)

Thanks for the clarification. Cool site, too. :)

-jon
 
I apologize if I sound really anal about stuff like that, I really am not *extremely* gung-ho about such things!

I'm curious what kind of setup was used to take the photos, and I'm also curious about what the Elysium looks like closed. If ya have any other pics to share, please do!
 
Robert Marotz said:
I apologize if I sound really anal about stuff like that, I really am not *extremely* gung-ho about such things!

I'm curious what kind of setup was used to take the photos, and I'm also curious about what the Elysium looks like closed. If ya have any other pics to share, please do!
Click to expand...

Hah! No, please don't worry... when it comes to my field of specialization, you can damn well bet Tootsie that I'm incredibly anal about being accurate and precise when it comes to nomenclature and descriptions. If a term isn't specific and precise... what good is it!?

Hence why I have sworn off calling it anything more than just "Japanese influenced", which, if I do say so myself, I can be in good company when just about everything these days can be considered "Japanese influenced" (although I suppose it is no longer in vogue to have that sort of label on one's business practice theory...)

I apologize if I sound snippy... been reading a very irritating journal article and it has gotten my goat for the day, so to speak.

---

Now, to business...

Since you have been so helpful, please find attached a closed pic. ;) Forgot about those. There's one comparing sizes and one comparing the spines. If there's another angle that you'd like, I'd be happy to shoot some more.

Photo setup...

Believe it or not, east-facing window light for all of them. One big (3') white diffusing disc (or just a muslin curtain), one small (1') silver and gold reflector. Sony F-707 on an old Bogen tripod with a 3-way head. Everything shot with manual exposure, some with a lightmeter. A little bit of post-processing in Photoshop, mostly in cleaning off dust, blowing out the background on the white-underlay shots, bumping up the contrast, and unsharp masking.

If there's something else I can help with, let me know.

-j
 

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I think the designs are pretty unique and I would most likely buy one if it wasn't too pricey :) I am a newbie but I know I like em.
G
 
While I can't comment on the usefulness of the differently ground blades, they certainly look nice. Amazing in fact.
 
Thanks for the kind words, everyone.

Planterz,
They're... unusual, I'll grant that. Funny thing is, they work surprisingly well. Both the Elysium and the Leviathan were designed as compromises that take advantage of modern steel to provide multi-role functionality.

On the Elysium, the tip gets very thick very quickly -- but it's still awful pointy. This lets the cut get started without too much effort and there's little worry of the tip breaking. Then you transition to the rear, where the high hollows and extra thin edge get your slicing really going.

The Leviathan slices like nobody's business, has a lot of stock thickness high up, doesn't bind up in thick material, and barely veers, depending on the material.

Wish I could afford to have some more made to have a passaround... but at this time... they're the only protos in existence. ;)

-j
 
Nice knives, thanks for sharing.
I know this may sound odd, but I'd like the Elysium with a Leviathan blade.

BTW, what's the purpose of that tiny hole in the bolsters?
 
dialex said:
Nice knives, thanks for sharing.
I know this may sound odd, but I'd like the Elysium with a Leviathan blade.

BTW, what's the purpose of that tiny hole in the bolsters?
Click to expand...

Hmmm. That's interesting... why? I'm not sure it would hide the blade completely... but... with some tweaking it may work. That's the joy of a full custom -- you can do anything that will physically work. :)

The tiny hole is, afaik, a positioning hole for the stop pin, which is press-fit in. At least I think it has to do with that.

BTW... LOVE your Spyderco work. Great designs, awesome renderings.

Thanks for the comments. :)

-j
 
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