My Latest, Curley Maple Hunter

J

JoshTKnives

Joined
Jun 2, 2008
Messages
110
Hi, hopefully this time the images will show!
This is my latest knife. I made it for my dad who makes mandolins and provided the curly maple for the handle. unfortunately the images dont show the grain very well, i think i should have used a lighter background. the blade is 154cm and the file work is a positive rope pattern. this took a very long time to shape and polish! I have never seen the positive rope filework on another knife, but i am sure it exists! there is no way i am the first! in the finger guard i incorporated a bottle opener, which works great! i also did all the sheath work including making the stamps for the tooling on it. i incorporated the tassels to give it more of an old mountain man look. it is a cross draw and hangs perfectly on the belt! the firesteel on top I rehandled in curly maple and brass.
if the images do not show i have them posted on the link at the bottom;)
I appreciate all questions, comments and criticisms!


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Thanks for looking!!
jt

http://jtknives.blogspot.com/
 
These have a nice antique appearance to them - Scagel (?) - like .
Refreshing design to see as more and more designs turn high-tech.
 
Hey Jt,

That's some piece of work. I sure can see you went the distance on it for your Dad. Lucky guy. Hope he enjoys it. I like the progression of your knives. The more recent ones seem much more user friendly than the first ones. They're maybe a little too "boxy" for my taste, but looking real good! Your sheaths look good too. Nice touch with the "steel & flint."

Thanks for sharing, Phil
 
Nice work.On the next knives, try rounding the handle a little more. That one is pretty square. It will be hot in the hand ( create friction burns in use). Rounding will reduce the bulk some,also.Try curving the handle downward toward the butt a tiny bit ,too. Final suggestion would be to use some dye or chemical to bring out the curl in the maple. Take a look at one of Stuart Wills handles, like this one to see how nice curly maple can get.
Stacy
 

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Thanks all!

Not much high tech here:) just lots and lots of elbow grease!!


Hm, that is 2 comments on the boxyness of the handles. must be something to it:D are you guys saying make it more oval shaped if looking both down on top of the spine, and from the side? almost like egg shaped? i have definitely been shaping the handles more as i go and they keep getting more comfortable! guess i will keep going:p unfortunately the next knife i am working on will not have this option, as the handle is a full antelope horn! oh well then the next.

bladsmth, yea the photos dont do the curly maple justice. the figure did come out quite nicely, but that portion of the pictures got overexposed. i am going to try and re shoot them when i get the chance. yea my dad also mentioned staining the curly to really bring out the figure! just stuff i didnt know at the time! thanks for the help though! all these suggestions just help my knives evolve quicker!


Thanks again!!!
josh
 
Hi Josh,

It'll be nice when you figure out how to post those photos on this site so they're close and handy to look at. As for rounding, you could do it so many ways. What you described, egg-like, could be one. For me, it comes down to what feels good in the hand...and that seems to always add up to looking good too. Have you ever worked with modeling clay? It's a real handy (no pun intended) way to study this kind of thing, and enjoyable too. I'm home today with my feverish 7 year old son. When I get back to school (I teach high school applied arts) I'll try and snap a few pix of some clay handle studies I've done.

BTW, I really appreciated seeing your knives, your progress and your obvious love for what you're doing. I find it encouraging for my beginner efforts.

Keep it up and thanks for sharing! -Phil
 
yea, i think i figured it out. i need to buy a membership here! that would probably help!
i have thought about using clay or playdoh to get a mold of whoever's hand it is going to. just havent gotten there yet. but i typically grab the handles and move my had around on them and remove material wherever i feel a pressure point. and they have gotten much more contoured as i have gone. it is much easier to feel than to see! :)
yep, i love it! and i am continually learning new techniques and improving! right now i am getting ready to start forging! i am really looking forward to this! for now i am reshaping some old tongs as some practice to get a feel for moving metal, and to get my swinging arm in shape:) my dream is to do forge welding, and make some blades from that! ooooh i cant wait!!
thanks for the comments!
keep them coming!
peace
jt
 
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hey thanks!!
welcome to knifemaking! your life will never be the same!!:D
dont worry, it is a lot of fun to have to get creative bacause of lack of "easy making" tools! and make what you enjoy! and only go as far as you want to! ;)
ok now to try the image dealy. here it goes!

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Tell your son thanks!:)
peace
jt
 
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