- Joined
- May 16, 2006
- Messages
- 227
Why Just Own A Knife When You Can Own A Piece Of Art?
My name is Richard Von Hagen Palmer, functional artist and the maker of Von Hagen Knives. I love to make knives and almost every knife I make is for sale. Each original, one of a kind Von Hagen Knife is handmade by me. For me, part of the thrill of being a functional artist is sketching out my ideas on paper and then watching them come to life by my hands and in front of my eyes.
This is just that. I listen to the input from my loyal customers and what I heard from some is that they like the Bush Style Knife but the handle was a bit bulky for their personal preference. I sketched out many versions and came up with this. It fits nicely in the hand and feels like it belongs just there. I am very happy with the way the entire knife came out: the grind, the edge, the proportion, the look of the handle...
Thank you for taking the time to look at my work. I hope you like what you see.
This NEW UTILITY STYLE KNIFE is ground from 1/8" thick 01 TOOL STEEL bar stock. The FULL TAPERED TANG knife is 9" long. The 4 1/4" blade has a FLAT GRIND. At it's widest part, the blade is 1 1/4". The handle is incredibly detailed OLIEPOD BURL. Oliepod Burl is a South Africa Wood that is a member of the Anacardiacea Family, the common name is the Currant Resin Tree. The wood is a medium to heavy reddish brown hardwood with exceptional figure. It is an extremely rare wood. This knife also has a BLACK VULCANIZED SPACER.
I shop around for handle material. Most of what I buy comes in blocks or slabs, which I buy raw, unstabilized and mostly wet. I cut the scales, stabilize them and then harden them in a zero atmosphere setting. This entire process may take up to a year and a half. It may seem like a lot of work and a lot of waiting but this allows me to use woods that you just can't buy from the knife scale sellers.
The handle is tapered and hollow ground. This assures that the knife is perfectly balanced not too heavy in the blade, not too heavy in the handle. This knife weighs only 4.37 ounces. When it is in the sheath and on your belt, you will be carrying a mere 7.67 ounces. Have you ever used a knife that was either too heavy or not balanced? It feels awkward. Your hand can tire out faster. You may not even recognize that there is a problem. Once you use a balanced knife, you will recognize what you have been missing.
I do my own heat treatment. I edge quench and triple temper my blades to a Rockwell Hardness of 58/60. Each knife is then bench tested to assure the perfect hardness -- not too hard as to chip out when carving on brass but not too soft where it would not hold an edge.
On handles, I am not a big fan of pins. I do use pins on my micarta knives because micarta is generally ugly and needs a little something. The pins add personality. If I don't use pins, how do I assure the handles don't come off? I use six (6) 3/8" anchors that are attached to the tang. The handle material is then milled and keywayed to fit up into the anchors. A lot of work goes into this but when the epoxy is added, it creates a fusion that will never come loose. In the fifteen years I have been making knives, I have never lost a handle yet!
I use Vulcanized spacers on my knives. Yes, it gives the knife a custom look and adds color but the real reason for the spacer is that it adds a happy medium between the high carbon, corrosive steel and the handle material.
I make each sheath for my knives also. This sheath is made from top quality, heavy black, oil tanned leather. It gauges approximately at 7 -8 oz. It has a pliable hand and is very durable leather. Like all of my sheaths, THIS sheath was cut around THIS knife. I hand stitch each sheath.
Notice the unique look of the blade. This blade has been oxidized with a burnt patina to help slow down rust. There are many ways to oxidize steel. This particular process etches the steel and makes the blade take on the appearance of Damascus. THIS IS NOT DAMASCUS IT IS 01 TOOL STEEL BAR STOCK! I have used other methods to oxidize high carbon steels but doing it this way has always been my favorite. I love the look of the blade. I am having fun working with new designs or patterns on the blades. It adds dimension. It adds originality. It adds the Von Hagen touch.
So, that is what I have to offer... My Best. I call myself a functional artist because for the fifteen years I have been making knives, I have believed that a knife should be a work of art but MUST be functional. You should never be afraid to take it out and to use it. The craftsmanship of the art should be such that it will hold up. I will stand up and say, with confidence, that there may be similar knives out there but there is no other knife out there like this one. If my legacy comes to pass, I believe these knives will be out there long after you and I are gone.
Thanks for looking,
Rick
