JS Test Knife 1 of 5

Kyle Royer

Kyle Royer

Joined
Dec 6, 2006
Messages
1,109
Here is one of the five knives I am making for my Journeyman Smith Test.

This one is the simplest one that I'll have and the next one will be the most complicated one I'll make for the test.

The 5" blade is forged from 5160. The handle is made from Desert Ironwood. The fittings are of German Silver. The handle length is 4 1/2".

The next one I am making is going to be a D-guard Bowie with a 12" blade. Then I'll make one more bowie and two fighters of some sort.

You can not really tell from the picture, that there is a nice palm swell in the handle. The spine of the blade is arched as well.

Tell me what you think!

Thanks for looking!

I would like to thank my brother Caleb for the picture!


3310099445_c42a86f445_b.jpg
 
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My guess is that it is pretty rare to see a D-guard bowie as a JS test knife.

I really like the look of this hunter.
 
Very elegant. The guard is particularly appealing. Nice proportions, a beautiful piece of Ironwood and the pin looks to be in just the right place.
I like it very much.
 
You can tell there is something going on with the handle, but I would still love to see a shot from the top! Looks like a comfortable knife. Good luck.
 
Nice, clean start to the JS five, Kyle. I really like your handle shape and guard design. Looking forward to seeing the rest.

- Joe
 
Really nice looking hunter. The guard is particularly well shaped, elegantly flowing up into the handle. Caleb's photo shows a finish that can make a carbon blade a real showcase for a maker's attention to detail.

This blade looks to be the first of a treat! Go for it, Kyle.

John
 
Very nice Kyle! The proportions look right, the handle shape is spot on, the ironwood looks fantastic and I really like the guard size and shape. A winner.

Caleb, your photography gets better each time I see it. Nice job! :thumbup:
 
Kyle Royer said:
3310099445_c42a86f445_b.jpg
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feather-hunter-008.jpg


Your handles have progressed a great deal in just 10 months. :thumbup:

Nice selection as to style and even better execution. Simplicity at it's best.
IMO, this is just what the ABS is looking for in a testing JS.

Excellent handle material selection, nice crisp plunge line, like the slight upsweep of the guard tab, the blade/guard hand rubbed finish looks to be perfection, and the single well placed pin adds to the overall.

As we have discussed, the only thing I would change here is a slightly more subtle maker's mark. ;)

Looks like Caleb has been spending some time with Chuck Ward. This could be his best photo, at least of what I've seen. Though a slightly lighter background may define the handle a little more.
 
Thanks for the complements everyone!

Jonathan, I will post a picture of the top side of the handle later today.

Karl, Caleb says "not yet". (Caleb is not a man of many words)
 
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Kyle, that looks wonderful!! I can't wait to see MORE of your JS test knives.
 
Yeah! That's the view I like to see:).
I keep staring at the plunge, man that's nicely finished. Lots of attention to detail, you can see that right away.
 
Lorien said:
Yeah! That's the view I like to see:).
I keep staring at the plunge, man that's nicely finished. Lots of attention to detail, you can see that right away.
Click to expand...

Yeah! in deed, a beautiful handle. I was hoping to see the plunge as that's often an area of opportunity, especially for newer makers.
 
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I really like that one alot, nice lines, spot on execution, just looks good in every way.
 
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