Malucan Dagger in progress

OK, I have all of the scroll work cut, relieved, carved and stone polished to 400 grit. I worked on the first Parrot today.

First pic is the outline of the parrot and the scrolls that create a "pedestal" effect.

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Now I cut the inlay pocket and the scroll outline. I had some silver sheet, but it was too thin for this project, so I melted it all down and forged it flat to just under .04". I decided to do a sheet inlay to show how I do that as opposed to the wire inlay method I showed earlier in the thread. So to get the outline of the pocket on the silver so I can cut it out, I simply lay the silver over the pocket, and hammer around where the edge of the pocket is. This gives a very accurate impression on the silver.

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Next step is to undercut the edges of the pocket, and raise burrs in the center of the pocket. I used my undercut tool so I would have very strong burrs. The idea is to hammer the silver inlay into the pocket and it should flow under the burrs a little and create a velcro effect to hold it in place. I use a jewelers saw to cut the inlay, and I cut it undersize a little. I don't want a perfect fit becasue as I begin to hammer the silver onto the burrs, it will begin to flow outward as well, and go into the undercuts before it tries to lift over the edge of the pocket. If it does lift over, it can be a real pain to deal with.

The silver inlay is just above and left of the pocket.

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Now after the inlay is hammered in.....

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And the foundation level of sculpting done, as well as the background removed and textured, and the scrolls sculpted and stoned. I have another gold leaf inlay as well.

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On a Moluccan parrot, his eye and beak are black. I left the steel from the frame and will blue it once it is finished to resemble the birds natural colors. I will have the feathers carved and textured tomorrow.

Later:p
 
Super cool. :cool: Although parrots aren't my favorite animals:D this is really one of the most interesting knives I've ever seen.:thumbup::thumbup:

Marcel
 
OK, with the carving all finished, I am ready to blue the handle. I like nitre blue against the gold, as it is a brighter blue. I had to sit close to the salt tank and keep checking for just the right color. With the whole handle blue, it's hard to see the engraving.

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Now I need to grey the engraving. Now I am not exactly sure if there is a "true" French grey, and what I am doing is just a look alike, but it works, and is easy to control. I mask all of the areas I want to remain blue with frisket paper. It is a low tack adhesive backed vinyl. Basically the whole handle is covered, and I cut away the areas I want greyed. I use a Pasche air eraser. It looks like an air brush, but it is really a mini media blaster. I use the fast cutting grit at low air pressure and blast off the blueing, leaving a nice flat grey finish. Useing different grits will actually produce different shades of grey.

Once I have all the blueing off the unmasked areas, I remove the frisket and lightly go over the greyed areas with 4000 grit paper to put a slight sheen on the high areas.

Last is to blacken the background with Gesswein antique flat black. It is a paint used for jewelry and such. Very fine pigment so it gets into the smallest cuts. Put the inlays in, put the handle on the knife and BING BANG BOOM......you have a finished dagger!! I still need to engrave my name and sharpen it, but we will call if finished.

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Thanks to all of you for following this thread. It's been one heck of a project....think I might have my annual glass of wine now:p

Fire away if any of you have questions BTW...
 
Holly macaroni, loads of work here! Thanks Bailey for that great thread!
 
That is just stunning Bailey - thank YOU for taking the time to take us through this step by step. I hope that either you or your customer will have the knife professionally shot. I'd love to see all those fine details in their best light. Man, if I had that thing on a display stand on my desk, I'd never get any work done! :eek:

Roger
 
Absolutely Magnificent piece Bailey. Your multiple talents are impressive in deed.

Will you make a sheath?
 
bailey....truly spectacular in every regard.....where did the parrot come from...was it a request from the customer?.....is there going to be a sheath made or a stand?......the bluing on the handle looks so cool.....u mentoned salt pots etc.....could you explain the process of how u blue the handle a little......i understood that u mask off parts not to be blued.....are u talking about salt pots like people use to heat treat......just curious.....another thing....i saw someone engraving at the recent eccks in nyc .....they were promotong a school for engraving....i knew it was tedious but was amazed to watch him engraving looking under a microscope.....it made me respect engraving alot more.....thanks again....ryan
 
Bailey,
Add my thanks for an education in artistry, as well as a plea for a multi-view professional photo to cap it off. This dagger should be delivered by gondola to the steps of an Italian palace...
John
 
Incredible Gift You Have Bailey this is a Chef D'Oeuvre...Stunning
 
Thank you very much for taking the time to do this. Knives like this always impress me, but I think gaining some understanding of what it takes to produce them really helps me appreciate them that much more.
 
Bailey, all I can say is WOW! Very impressive. So when are you going to teach at GRS? One happy customer who is getting a heck of a knife.

Brion
 
This is amazing. :thumbup::cool:
I have a hard time imagening how one person can hold all these talents to make something like this.

Marcel
 
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