Knife in Progress, Color or No Color

Dave Kelly

Dave Kelly

Joined
Dec 17, 2003
Messages
597
Just about finished with this one but I can't decide if the colored liners and pin look OK or the no color goes better with this style of knife. If color OK maybe they would look better in a different color?

I know you can't see it in the photos, normally I make the guard, liners, handle all the same level (like everyone else does) but on this knife I lightly filed in between the liners and slightly rounded them, you can feel them but they're smooth to the touch.....I don't know if this would bother most people or not (doesn't bother me but what do I know!)

When in doubt I thought it best to once again ask for your expert opinions!

Thanks,
Dave


orig.jpg






looks like I didn't get all the color off but you can still get the idea of no color
orig.jpg
 
This is just my personal preference, but I prefer the no-color knife. To me it makes it much more timeless and classy. Less is more most of the time.

BTW, awesome knife there! Very clean and a beautiful job. How did you get such a great contrast on the hamon? Did you just etch for effect? Oh, and specs on the knife please :).

Great work!

--nathan
 
Thanks Nathan
About the hamon, I used clay on 1095, multiple etch and polish. 6" 1095 blade, 416 ss guard, black and titanium spacers, stabilized Carpathian Elm Burl handle w/ ti pin, approx. 11" o.a.l.

Thanks Charles L

Dave


Thanks Brett.....that was my choice!
 
David, it's whatever you want it to be, you're the author. I do like the color, a lot. To me it gives a great little accent to the overall knife.
 
The color in the handle helps to offset the stunning blade.

Fred
 
The color in the guard ring (or whatever you want to call it) looks nice, the pin however clashes heavily in my "devoid of any fashion sense"-eyes...

Cheers Rody
 
No color - no doubt.
Don't worry about the varied smoothness issue. I'm not a big fan of everything being smooth and level anyway. I think way too much attention is placed on that and limits creativity.
Don't do it "(like everybody else does)".
Nice blade profile.
 
Dave, again a beautiful knife.I prefer the color, as I like to put a little color in alot of mine.Then you can add a blue accent to the sheath as well and bring them both together.Dave:)
 
Beautiful, beautiful knife Dave :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:

No color is my preference, but wow, it looks great both ways !!
 
Great knife. I would go with the colored spacers. How do you etch and polish your hamon to make the steel dark beneath the hamon?
 
I like a coloured spacer, but not with a beautifull brown wooden handle like this one.
I think both are goodlooking bot not together.
(like mustard and whipped cream, I like them both, but not together)

Perhaps you can finish this knife without the blue spacer and make one like it with the spacer and a plain blackwood handle.
(or plain white, like an ivory, polised antler without the bark or white micarta)
 
Awesome Knife. You mentioned you did a multiple etch. Can you describe what you used and how you did the etch. Also, what kind of finish did you do? High grit on a grinder? Buff with compound, or did you hand finish? This is a really nice knife. Thanks for sharing.

-John
 
I'll let Dave reply as to his methods, but here's my guess: multiple etches to the entire blade; buff or hand polish the hardened steel below the hamon to near mirror polish leaving traces of etched steel above the cutting edge to "fade up" into the hamon. Perhaps the darkness seen below the hamon is more a function of the angle of the blade for the photo?

Again, just a guess. I'm curious on this one as well.

Great looking knife regardless.

--nathan
 
My vote would be no color spacer but colored pin; or else full color with colored guard as well. But no color is nice too.
 
Sorry about the delay in replying......been one of those days!

Thanks once again for your help, sounds like it's another personal preference thing. I may just offer the colored liners as an option, I can anodic paint the color anytime.


rloveday said:
Great knife. I would go with the colored spacers. How do you etch and polish your hamon to make the steel dark beneath the hamon?
Click to expand...
Since the hardened section of the blade is almost mirror polished I kept getting reflections in the blade for the photo. I angled the knife to avoid them so the dark you see is just empty space darkness reflected.

Awesome Knife. You mentioned you did a multiple etch. Can you describe what you used and how you did the etch. Also, what kind of finish did you do? High grit on a grinder? Buff with compound, or did you hand finish? This is a really nice knife. Thanks for sharing.

-John
Click to expand...
John,
Be careful not to overwork/etch the line, it's easy to wash it out and to the extreme.....lose it completely.
I've tried warmed vinegar by itself and it works but I don't seem to have the patience for it and even though it's a much milder acid I find it harder to control the outcome.

This is basically what I do,

The blade is almost a mirror finish before I start the etch/polish, I usually finish my pre-etch blade on a green chrome loaded cork belt. I use approx. 70/30 Ferric Chloride and distilled water with short, no more than 20 second acid dips, usually 10-15 sec.. I neutralize after each acid dip with an ammonia windex (or baking soda & water) sponge rub followed by a dish soap and warm water light sponge rub (I'm not trying to remove all the oxides).

The procedure:
Put on my rubber gloves and thoroughly clean with warm dish soap and water, "clean towel" dry.
Dip the blade, neutralize and clean
2000 grit sandpaper with oil (I use baby oil) Sanding lightly focusing more on the hardened side of the line but still lightly sanding the soft side.
Repeat the above as many times as needed until you just start to see maybe some ashi or at least activity below the main line. Seem to remember it took 4-5 times on this blade.

Dip, neutralize, clean
I mix Flitz metal polish with a little pumice powder or you can use straight Simichrome metal polish.
A little of the above paste on a soft cloth rub in short sections down the length of the blade working the hard side of the line first. Repeat, working the hardening line and below 2nd, then work the entire width of the blade last. Important....don't over work the soft side, you just want to lightly blend it in leaving most of the contrasting color.
Repeat the above until you're happy with the hamon, think it took 3 times on this blade.

Pink no scratch buffing compound is pretty dry so I take a razor knife and shave off some of the powder and mix it with lamp oil. A little of this paste on a clean soft cloth and work the line and below only, polish off with a clean soft cloth.

I know this sounds like it takes forever but it really doesn't take that long, if you have any questions please don't hesitate to ask.

Thanks,
Dave


DC Dave, Great idea about the sheath, thanks!!

Thanks for commenting on the varied smoothness issue Karl, I feel the same way!
 
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