Knife #24: Redwood Mini-Chop - SHEATH IMAGE ADDED

Erin Burke

Erin Burke

KnifeMaker...ish
Joined
May 19, 2003
Messages
1,330
Good morning guys,

I just finished this knife up yesterday and am lovingly referring to it as a mini-chop. The plan was for a dark look that complemented the redwood burl, so I went with a blued guard and a bit of a darker etch on the blade. We had a bit of drama during construction, this knife and I... but I am pleased with how it all shook out. ;)

Some Stats:
Length: 13-1/2"
Blade: 7-11/16" (Tip to Choil)
Steel: Differentially heat-treated 1095 (from Kelly Cupples) Flat-Ground
Handle: Stabilized Redwood Burl (from Mark Farley at Burl Source)
Guard: Blued mild steel (from a plate I found on the side of the road)
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I won't say I have the thickest skin... but I'd appreciate your honest feedback. I'll go put on my cup. :D

Erin
 
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Erin, while the handle looks a little funky to me, (the hump at the top of the handle could be another 1" or so forward of where it is, and I'm not particularly fond of hard edges especially toward the butt of the handle where they can easily be dented or chipped, and it looks like the handle is squared off a bit much at the top toward the front) this knife has a very organic flow to it which I really like.

I think you played it a little too safe with the shaping of the guard. That is another place where you can get your freak on, and with this knife, you missed an opportunity to do that. This guard would fit in well with a more conservative design, but because of the radical shapes and lines of this knife, it is a bit dysjunctive to my eye.

The exaggerated clip I think is a success, and really does some interesting things to the other lines.

The wood is beautiful, as is the hamon. The combination with a dark guard is nicely complementary.

I also like your mark placement. That's a good spot for it.

I think you should send it to Tai Goo for critique, this knife makes me think of him a bit. Kind of got a fetishistic quality to it.
 
I really like the knife.
I am impressed that you had the guts to take an atypical piece of wood with some natural flaws/character and work with them instead of trying to make them conform to the mainstream idea of how things should look.
All in all, while the look is not the norm, I think you came up with a uniquely, beautiful knife.
 
Lorien,

Thanks for the feedback... that is exactly the type of stuff I want to hear. You've given me some good stuff to think about.

I am particularly intrigued by your thoughts on the simple guard. Through my design process, I felt it was important to go simple and dark with the guard to balance the aesthetic. With an unusual blade on one end, and that piece of redwood on the other, I didn't want to overwhelm the middle. I'll have to ruminate on this some more. :)

Tai... I appreciate the kind words, and your opinion on design carries a lot of weight with me.

Mark... matching design to wood and wood to design is a big deal for me. This was a great block of redwood burl, and I'm stoked that I have a couple similar blocks left in my stash. I appreciate the consistently high-quality selection of wood and great service that I get from Burl Source. :thumbup: Thanks dude.

Erin
 
Amazing Erin. I agree on a lot that has been said, the wood is as sharp as can be. I love how you took the knots and character and used it to your advantage!

This is purely cosmetic, but I wonder what it would have looked like if you had not done a double guard. lose the top point... Either way, I like it a lot.
 
Love that blade profile. Very cool looking! Your knives that I've seen (this and your first balisong) have some very cool curvature to them. It's great to see unique blade profiles.
 
Love the handle. It looks great, and I like the light to dark, and glossy finish. What did you use for finish on that, by the way? I am utterly unqualified to remark on design and all, but I like the lines, although aesthetically I do agree that I don't like the double guard.
 
crimsonfalcon07 said:
Love the handle. It looks great, and I like the light to dark, and glossy finish. What did you use for finish on that, by the way? I am utterly unqualified to remark on design and all, but I like the lines, although aesthetically I do agree that I don't like the double guard.
Click to expand...

I too am interested on how you achieved that blade finish..
I don't see the ugliness in the guard like the others; I think it looks fine. In fact, I love everything about this sucker. Nice job!
 
kneedeepinstatic said:
I too am interested on how you achieved that blade finish..
I don't see the ugliness in the guard like the others; I think it looks fine. In fact, I love everything about this sucker. Nice job!
Click to expand...

I think "Ugliness" is the wrong word...
 
The Redwood and finish are very nice as is the shape of the handle which flows nicely with the blade profile but the
guard looks as if it belongs on another knife. Still a good looking knife, however if you had reduced and moved back the spine rise
slightly and added a high styled guard (imagine Gerhard Wieland's guards) and you have a GREAT knife.

Only my opinion of course!
 
Thanks for taking the the time to post your feedback guys.

crimsonfalcon07 said:
Love the handle. It looks great, and I like the light to dark, and glossy finish. What did you use for finish on that, by the way? I am utterly unqualified to remark on design and all, but I like the lines, although aesthetically I do agree that I don't like the double guard.
Click to expand...

The finish on this handle wasn't terribly complex. The block came from Mark Farley and was stabilized (by K&G I assume)... but I still did a simple tung oil finish. I took about four coats of Minwax Tung Oil Finish thinned about 5-1 with turpentine, with a light sanding (~400-800 grit) in between.

Erin
 
I completed a simple sheath for this knife awhile back... but I finally got organized enough this weekend to reshoot some photos. You can see a photo with sheath at the beginning of the OP. Thanks.
Erin
 
This is a striking blade!
Nice job matching the sheath colors to the knife.
If you burnish (or dye & burnish) the edges of the sheath it will look quite a bit more finished.

-Daizee
 
daizee said:
If you burnish (or dye & burnish) the edges of the sheath it will look quite a bit more finished.

-Daizee
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Thanks for the info Daizee. I typically do dye my edges... but I felt like leaving the edges on this one natural (though they were lightly burnished with gum tragacanth) to complement the highlights in the handle.
Erin
 
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