Knife I just made

[ancientsteels]

I just made this knife for a friend of mine.
Blade is made from and old hand saw, VERY hard, yet flexible, and it turned out very sharp, as the saw blade is tempered spring steel. I had to use a localized heating method to heat two SMALL areas on the tang so I could drill the pin holes and maintain the integrity and temper of the blade and tang ( heated only two small 1/4 inch diameter ares on the tang to allow me to drill the holes). The tang is full length of the handle and full width as well. handle is oak wood. I kept the looks as rustic as possible because he wanted a reasonably old style knife for Renaissance festivals. https://discourse-cdn-sjc1.com/imgu...67b6af6b55b19780fc76ea899a554d9_1_690x474.png ( pic of the knife)

https://discourse-cdn-sjc1.com/imgu.../d8b47df76c5612f32052c1e2eb4e26ba4cb6b762.png (pic of what I made it out of)

 

[O.L.C.]

I think it fits for a rustic renaissance theme.

 

[ancientsteels]

Thanks! I appreciate the feed back.

 

[JTknives]

The Renaissance was a period between 1300AD and 1600AD. I am no historian by any means so take that for what it’s worth. but that time period probably had some of the finest crafted knives of all history. I am excluding the modern day high end custom stuff we see today. This was a time when “ART” was in so to speak. Style was everything and said a lot about who you are and your position. Hell even kitchen knives where fancy. So with that being said, it’s rather inaccurate to say

I kept the looks as rustic as possible because he wanted a reasonably old style knife for Renaissance festivals.

( pic of the knife)

Here are a few examples of the craftsmanship of that era.

16th century

15-16th century

1300-1350

15th century

15th century

16th century

16th century

16th century

1600,ish

 

[Yonose]

Saw steel was/is usually L6, if I recall correctly. Very tough stuff. Also, most people I see that are in renaissance fairs are dressed in the pre Renaissance style. Not like Florentine merchants at all.

 

[Metalhead0483]

Hmmm, I'm with JT. If you want to do a knife for a ren faire then by all means. But there is a world of difference between period correct, and merely "rustic." Some truly amazing craftsmanship came out of middle ages and renaissance Europe...

 

[Yonose]

Hmmm, I'm with JT. If you want to do a knife for a ren faire then by all means. But there is a world of difference between period correct, and merely "rustic." Some truly amazing craftsmanship came out of middle ages and renaissance Europe...

Most people were peasants at that time, and wouldn’t be able to afford in 20 lifetimes what one of those beautiful knives would have cost.

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Jut a piece of advice:
Calling something partly finished or roughly made "rustic" or "renaissance" isn't a good idea. Rustic doesn't mean unfinished, it means unadorned. As said, the renaissance was anything but rustic.

Rustic knives should be well made, well shaped, and the handle properly shaped and finished. They don't need guards, or embellishment, but should be sanded and finished as any other knife.

 

[JTknives]

Hmmm, I'm with JT. If you want to do a knife for a ren faire then by all means. But there is a world of difference between period correct, and merely "rustic." Some truly amazing craftsmanship came out of middle ages and renaissance Europe...

I think the thing that gets my goat is when pore quality knives are passed off as “rustic” or “period” blades. To me it’s a dead giveaway showing a lack of skill and minimal knowledge. All this does is hurt the custom knife community as a whole. But with that said, if that’s the best blade you can make at this point in your life then that’s ok. Just call it what it is and don’t try and pass off the lack of craftsmanship and fit n’ finish as somthing you where trying to do.

For exzample this is a “Rustic” blade I just finished.

I’m not saying you should be at this level. But new makers need to own up to there lack of experance and not pass the buck.

If anyone is interested i will post a thread on how I did this blade.

 

[Metalhead0483]

Most people were peasants at that time, and wouldn’t be able to afford in 20 lifetimes what one of those beautiful knives would have cost.

I'm actually not talking about some masterwork piece to be seen in some museum. I'm saying that craftsmen are craftsmen, and saying something is going to be finished poorly just because it wasn't made in modern times is doing a great disservice to our forefathers within the craft. There are any number of very simple day-to-day knives from the period out there that exhibit a perfectly acceptable level of quality.

 

[Yonose]

I'm actually not talking about some masterwork piece to be seen in some museum. I'm saying that craftsmen are craftsmen, and saying something is going to be finished poorly just because it wasn't made in modern times is doing a great disservice to our forefathers within the craft. There are any number of very simple day-to-day knives from the period out there that exhibit a perfectly acceptable level of quality.

I guess I didn’t look closely enough at the knife. It looked alright to me but I’m not a knifemaker, so I’ll apologize for arguing with your evaluation.

 

[DanF]

Nice handle to tang execution on that one JT

 

[bike4fun919 OpbunchKnives]

Wow.

 

[ancientsteels]

The Renaissance was a period between 1300AD and 1600AD. I am no historian by any means so take that for what it’s worth. but that time period probably had some of the finest crafted knives of all history. I am excluding the modern day high end custom stuff we see today. This was a time when “ART” was in so to speak. Style was everything and said a lot about who you are and your position. Hell even kitchen knives where fancy. So with that being said, it’s rather inaccurate to say


Here are a few examples of the craftsmanship of that era.

16th century

15-16th century

1300-1350

15th century

15th century

16th century

16th century

16th century

1600,ish

You are correct about the "Renaissance" period and craftsmanship. However most renaissance festivals that i know of mix everything from the 1000ds up to the 1700ds, and have a mix of everything from ancient styles all the way to fancy flashy stuff. The guy I made it for wanted ancient style so thats what I tried to base it off of.
Kinda something a farmer or traveler of the 1100ds or there about would have used.

 

[ancientsteels]

Jut a piece of advice:
Calling something partly finished or roughly made "rustic" or "renaissance" isn't a good idea. Rustic doesn't mean unfinished, it means unadorned. As said, the renaissance was anything but rustic.

Rustic knives should be well made, well shaped, and the handle properly shaped and finished. They don't need guards, or embellishment, but should be sanded and finished as any other knife.

It is sanded smooth and wax coated on the handle. The guy I made it for wanted it simple, ancient-looking so thats the effect I went for. I did not call it Renaissance I said he wanted it to use at Renaissance festivals, and similar to what a traveler or farmer would have had during the 1100ds or there about.
I agree it is not 100% period correct, but it is the style he wanted so thats what i made.

 

[ancientsteels]

I think the thing that gets my goat is when pore quality knives are passed off as “rustic” or “period” blades. To me it’s a dead giveaway showing a lack of skill and minimal knowledge. All this does is hurt the custom knife community as a whole. But with that said, if that’s the best blade you can make at this point in your life then that’s ok. Just call it what it is and don’t try and pass off the lack of craftsmanship and fit n’ finish as somthing you where trying to do.

For exzample this is a “Rustic” blade I just finished.

I’m not saying you should be at this level. But new makers need to own up to there lack of experance and not pass the buck.

If anyone is interested i will post a thread on how I did this blade.

Nice work!
As I have said before, That is the style that was requested of me, and I made what was requested. When crafting it I used hand tools to shape the handle, then sanded it by hand and coated the handle with wax. I was asked to make it to where it would look the way it does. With all respect and no offense intended, Fancy is not always pretty or appealing. I was not asked for fancy, I was asked old looking, to fit with his renaissance costume. Again I am not calling the knife "renaissance" Or period correct, It is in simple fact designed to look somewhat crude.

 

[ancientsteels]

Most people were peasants at that time, and wouldn’t be able to afford in 20 lifetimes what one of those beautiful knives would have cost.

Yonose, you are right. The average person (peasant) at that time would have had something functional, looks being secondary. Only royalty would have been able to afford a "fancy" knife. Most villages had 1 blacksmith and most people were poor, so they would have either crafted it themselves if the could or would have paid the lowest price possible, for something functional not fancy.

 

[ancientsteels]

Most people look at the flashy fancy work that came from the 1300ds to 1600ds and forget that those designs were owned by royalty, nobility, and people who had status, money, and power. The average peasant would not have owned something as fancy as what JTknives posted.
I have done much study on the 1100ds to 1700ds (I AM NOT AN EXPERT AND I DO NOT CLAIM TO BE) And while those fancy designs did exist, the price to have one that fancy was VERY high for that period of history.
I do not wish to cause offense, but too many people assume a knife that is not fancy and flashy is not quality.

My simple statement is this, I made what I was asked for, the design I was asked for and I cry no pardon for my work. Given the materials (which I don't have) and the tools (most of which I lack) I could just as easily make something fancy as something simple. I DO NOT CLAIM TO BE ANYONES EQUAL, AS WE ALL HAVE OUR LIMITATIONS. But remember, there is beauty in simplicity.

Thank you all for you comments, and those who complimented i thank you as well.

Wishing You All The Best!

 

[ancientsteels]

I think it fits for a rustic renaissance theme.

And thank you for the compliment!

 

[ancientsteels]

Wow.

Like your response! Thanks!