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- May 5, 2010
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Like all good collaboration pieces the idea for this knife began to take shape somewhere between Maggiano's and The Pit. It was BLADE 2013 and I was at the CKCA banquet watching Elizabeth Loerchner accept her award for the Fisk Cutlery Challenge. It was an exciting time, I had read about her years ago in my cave-girl, coal forging days but hadn't ever thought I would get the chance to see her in person. I began summoning the courage to introduce myself when fortune favored the brave and I chanced on her outside having a cigarette. I blundered something trite in congratulations and she flashed me a companionable smile, sighing a puff of smoke into the finally cool, Atlanta air like she was glad it was all over with. She was so approachable, and eager like all of us, to hear how her art affected others. Somewhere in the conversation I forgot to be shy and walking back over to the Pit, a plan started to form. I decided to try to meet every girl maker attending the show. This was Stephanie Lemulin's first year and it took me awhile to track her down. She was brave enough to allow her exquisite blades to be passed around over that stone floor, we were all impressed with her work. Veronique Laurent attained her Journeymansmith rating also with some of my favorite blades at the show. It was a great year for the girls! Audra Draper and I have been in the same row in the showroom for a few years now so we had already hit it off. I asked her what she thought about an all girl collaboration blade? Too much fun to pass up she said! By the time the show was over there was a good sized group of us tossing around the idea. We made a facebook group called Ladysmith Int'l to keep in touch, share what was on the bench and tell jokes boys wouldn't understand. If you've ever hung out with Grace Horne you know exactly what I mean. We might have plotted the project indefinitely if Dr. David Darom hadn't gotten wind of it and given us a deadline to have it appear in his next book. This trimmed the collaborators down to those who had the time to get it done in a year. There wasn't any real guidelines to hinder creativity, we loosely figured out who wanted to do what so that everyone could add their area of expertise to the project. This is how it shook down.
Audra Draper - Damascus, rough forging
Haley DesRosiers - Grinding, Heat Treat, Handle
Julie Warenski - Engraving
Dellana - Embellishment
Grace Horne - Display
Audra welded up the damascus and forged the blade without so much as a peak at her pattern before she sent it to me. How fun to grind into the steel and get that first glimpse of what was underneath!
It was important to me that this not be a wall hanger. I gave it a fully sharpened clip and a grippy contoured handle. Should someone, generations from now, snatch this from it’s stand and defend themselves with it, the intruder will be sorry I heat treated it. While not at all a chopping blade it survived aggressive hacking on moose antler and easily pierced metal tubs repeatedly.
[video=youtube;TM_XDw-FTJw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TM_XDw-FTJw&feature=youtu.be[/video]
By this time BLADE Show 2014 was upon us, the blade was etched and the handle bedded and shaped. A band had been resisted on the bolster so Julie could work her magic.
We had planned a Ladysmith aperitif at Maggiano’s bar just before the CKCA banquet. This may have been the most fun I’ve ever had at the show. Grace was there with her new scissors and even some cling film for us to try cutting. The bar was littered with G&T, Vero’s incredible integrals and some of my twisted damascus blades. Evening wear and black hands that never quite scrub clean made a lovely combo. Here Grace traced the blade to begin her display creation. The handle was mailed to Dellana for embellishment and the blade went home with Curt Erickson for engraving by Julie.
By our deadline in September, the project was almost finished. Thankfully the book production was delayed for another project so we squeaked in. I’ll leave it to your imagination our excitement when we first got a glimpse of not only the famous Warenski engraving but the gold inlay she added to the bolster. Dellana’s touch was five gold pins, one for each blade-sister and a bezel set ruby in the pommel. I wish I had more pictures to share of the other ladies at work but I'm hoping they will be in Dr. Darom's spread. I think you guys are better at taking pics for a WIP than we girls are. My final part of the project was to assemble the blade and handle for the last time, permanently. It was humbling to work on something that had so much effort in it by makers I admire. Picture cleaning up epoxy around Warenski engraving, or clamping the butt of a knife that has Dellana’s gemstones on it. Gulp. I took a few deeps breaths and did it. The effect was rich, understated elegance. Grace sent me a note asking if I could send her a casting of the blade, she’d decided to create a combination molded box and display. This got a giggle out of me...I fix things with a hammer, I have no idea about the finer parts of this trade. Visions of me picking plaster of paris out of Julie’s engraving flitted through my mind. How about I just mail you the finished knife? As it turned out Ed Schemp offered to hand deliver it in his travels over the pond. It was worth the trouble, Grace’s box has to be touched to be believed. Seamless corners, red beading, and a top that nests under the bottom half for an angled display. Without further ado here’s some pictures of the completed piece.
Our plan all along was to donate the proceeds from this knife to a worthy women's charity, specifically one that helped those escape human trafficking, rebuild their lives and learn a trade. It's not a 'nice' issue, it's hard to even think about, but if each of us in our own shops can strike a blow for freedom for those who have no voice, we're in. Dellana found us the perfect place. It's called Made By Survivors and they have programs in India, Nepal, Cambodia and Thailand. They also were the only ones who could guarantee that 100% of the money given them would go to the girls and not be swallowed in administrative costs. This also makes the purchase price of this art knife tax deductible.
I admit that I'm better at smashing metal than promoting and advertising something like this, any help or ideas are much appreciated. More info here https://www.facebook.com/pages/Intl-Ladysmith-Collaboration-Blade-Auction/376684049171085
If you think your friends or collectors might be interested in this piece and would like an info email with pictures to send them please email me. haley@alaskablades.com
Thanks guys!
-Haley
Audra Draper - Damascus, rough forging
Haley DesRosiers - Grinding, Heat Treat, Handle
Julie Warenski - Engraving
Dellana - Embellishment
Grace Horne - Display
Audra welded up the damascus and forged the blade without so much as a peak at her pattern before she sent it to me. How fun to grind into the steel and get that first glimpse of what was underneath!
It was important to me that this not be a wall hanger. I gave it a fully sharpened clip and a grippy contoured handle. Should someone, generations from now, snatch this from it’s stand and defend themselves with it, the intruder will be sorry I heat treated it. While not at all a chopping blade it survived aggressive hacking on moose antler and easily pierced metal tubs repeatedly.
[video=youtube;TM_XDw-FTJw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TM_XDw-FTJw&feature=youtu.be[/video]
By this time BLADE Show 2014 was upon us, the blade was etched and the handle bedded and shaped. A band had been resisted on the bolster so Julie could work her magic.
We had planned a Ladysmith aperitif at Maggiano’s bar just before the CKCA banquet. This may have been the most fun I’ve ever had at the show. Grace was there with her new scissors and even some cling film for us to try cutting. The bar was littered with G&T, Vero’s incredible integrals and some of my twisted damascus blades. Evening wear and black hands that never quite scrub clean made a lovely combo. Here Grace traced the blade to begin her display creation. The handle was mailed to Dellana for embellishment and the blade went home with Curt Erickson for engraving by Julie.
By our deadline in September, the project was almost finished. Thankfully the book production was delayed for another project so we squeaked in. I’ll leave it to your imagination our excitement when we first got a glimpse of not only the famous Warenski engraving but the gold inlay she added to the bolster. Dellana’s touch was five gold pins, one for each blade-sister and a bezel set ruby in the pommel. I wish I had more pictures to share of the other ladies at work but I'm hoping they will be in Dr. Darom's spread. I think you guys are better at taking pics for a WIP than we girls are. My final part of the project was to assemble the blade and handle for the last time, permanently. It was humbling to work on something that had so much effort in it by makers I admire. Picture cleaning up epoxy around Warenski engraving, or clamping the butt of a knife that has Dellana’s gemstones on it. Gulp. I took a few deeps breaths and did it. The effect was rich, understated elegance. Grace sent me a note asking if I could send her a casting of the blade, she’d decided to create a combination molded box and display. This got a giggle out of me...I fix things with a hammer, I have no idea about the finer parts of this trade. Visions of me picking plaster of paris out of Julie’s engraving flitted through my mind. How about I just mail you the finished knife? As it turned out Ed Schemp offered to hand deliver it in his travels over the pond. It was worth the trouble, Grace’s box has to be touched to be believed. Seamless corners, red beading, and a top that nests under the bottom half for an angled display. Without further ado here’s some pictures of the completed piece.
Our plan all along was to donate the proceeds from this knife to a worthy women's charity, specifically one that helped those escape human trafficking, rebuild their lives and learn a trade. It's not a 'nice' issue, it's hard to even think about, but if each of us in our own shops can strike a blow for freedom for those who have no voice, we're in. Dellana found us the perfect place. It's called Made By Survivors and they have programs in India, Nepal, Cambodia and Thailand. They also were the only ones who could guarantee that 100% of the money given them would go to the girls and not be swallowed in administrative costs. This also makes the purchase price of this art knife tax deductible.
I admit that I'm better at smashing metal than promoting and advertising something like this, any help or ideas are much appreciated. More info here https://www.facebook.com/pages/Intl-Ladysmith-Collaboration-Blade-Auction/376684049171085
If you think your friends or collectors might be interested in this piece and would like an info email with pictures to send them please email me. haley@alaskablades.com
Thanks guys!
-Haley
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