Rodrigo Sfreddo Yataghan

The wood shrunk up on the tang of my Fall Leaves Fighter...enough that the tang steel was "proud" (visible to the eye, and could be felt with a fingernail, easily).
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I am really surprised as I thought the Fall Leaves Fighter had stabilized wood for it´s handle. What are the other cases of shrinkage you have seen STeven? I like to track them down.

Most of the shrinkage problems we had was with Pau Ferro and Merino (sheep) horn. Sheep horn is really a pain in the ass. Now rosewood is usually very oily (so much that it can´t be stabilized, the resins just can´t get in there) and I would be surprised if there are any problems with this knife.
 
BrB said:
I am really surprised as I thought the Fall Leaves Fighter had stabilized wood for it´s handle. What are the other cases of shrinkage you have seen STeven? I like to track them down.

Most of the shrinkage problems we had was with Pau Ferro and Merino (sheep) horn. Sheep horn is really a pain in the ass. Now rosewood is usually very oily (so much that it can´t be stabilized, the resins just can´t get in there) and I would be surprised if there are any problems with this knife.
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Hey Jeff,

The Fall Fighter has rosewood handles........another has stag handles....and I am not sure what the wood on the third is, I saw it at Blade in June.

When I am talking about shrinkage....it is on the scale of maybe 10-15 thousandths of an inch....but as I said, it is visible to the naked eye, and you can feel it. In order to fix it....a grinding of the proud metal, and re-etch would be required...that is a hassle, and not something I wanted to deal with.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
shrinkage can also occur...
uh, nevermind
 
Avant-guarde type of knife that will make the Hall of Fame on the first ballot, which makes me wonder why Rodrigo selected pedestrian wood.

Surely a zero was lost in the language translation of the price, as Rodrigo will painfully discover when reviewing his bank statement. If not, the sale is akin to ethical theft and Rodrigo is more philanthropist than knife maker. Either way, if the knife were mine, I would send him a couple of my Social Security checks as tips just so I sleep at night.

ken
 
Hello Friends! Thank you very much for the comments, I really appreciate it! This piece have been in my drawer for some time... I originally made it to my Master's test, but then I had a flaw on my dagger, and did'nt had time to make another... So I had to left my testing for the next year. I'm not posting pictures here because my website is being re designed, and I can't deal with my pictures on the net for a while...
Regarding shrinkage, unfortunally I don't have control over nature, and already had this problem with all woods I have been using this years, including desert ironwood. And with animal materials such as sheep horn, stag, and mammoth. It seems that I'll have to work just with pearl and stabilized wood... I know the hemisphere change is hard for natural materials, but for the hundreds of knives I made so far, I just had this problem in maybe 3-5% Also, when I buy a wood block, I can't be sure about how seasoned the block is... The rosewood used on this handle is drying in my shop for 8 years at least!
Steven: the rosewood I used on the Fall Fighter was a burl (from the root of the tree) that I bouth from a supplier at the São Paulo Knife Show. The stag was bouth in the Blade Show.
By the way: Any of you gentlemen, that want to be on my mailing, just send me an e-mail telling me so. r.sfreddoknives@gmail.com

Best regards,

Rodrigo
 
Rodrigo Sfreddo said:
Hello Friends! Thank you very much for the comments, I really appreciate it! This piece have been in my drawer for some time... I originally made it to my Master's test, but then I had a flaw on my dagger, and did'nt had time to make another... So I had to left my testing for the next year. I'm not posting pictures here because my website is being re designed, and I can't deal with my pictures on the net for a while...

Regarding shrinkage, unfortunally I don't have control over nature, and already had this problem with all woods I have been using this years, including desert ironwood. And with animal materials such as sheep horn, stag, and mammoth. It seems that I'll have to work just with pearl and stabilized wood... I know the hemisphere change is hard for natural materials, but for the hundreds of knives I made so far, I just had this problem in maybe 3-5% Also, when I buy a wood block, I can't be sure about how seasoned the block is... The rosewood used on this handle is drying in my shop for 8 years at least!......

Best regards,

Rodrigo
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Rodrigo...didn't want to appear to be picking on you, but with e-mails to both you and Joss, it would have been double the time...easier to post, and open dialogue.

Your work is so artistic and unique, with great initial fit and finish, that any shrinkage is REALLY apparent. Burt Foster has told me about a heat/humidity controlled storage box that he has made for his wood supply.

It may be very helpful for you to investigate something like this OR do stick to using stabilized wood.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Hello Steven. Never mind, I don't took it for bad, just wanted to clear things up. The controled storage box is nice, but the problem start when the wood leaves my shop...

Cheers!

Rodrigo
 
Rodrigo and I have had an ongoing email exchange re this shrinkage and other things as I love his knives and will definitely be acquiring more. I'm hoping that somehow he could round off the edge of the tang and the scales so that when there is some shrinkage it will not be a noticeable to the touch.
 
Guys, it arrived ... :eek: :eek: :eek:

This is probably the most impressive - and highest quality - damascus piece in my collection. The damascus is simply one of the finest I've ever seen. And Steven, there's no shrinkage (knock on wood). It's very well balanced and fast.

The transaction with Rodrigo was very smooth, and the communication was fast.
 
Joss said:
Guys, it arrived ... :eek: :eek: :eek:

This is probably the most impressive - and highest quality - damascus piece in my collection. The damascus is simply one of the finest I've ever seen. And Steven, there's no shrinkage (knock on wood). It's very well balanced and fast.
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IF it is going to shrink, it will take about 3-6 months for it to become really noticeable. I'll be crossing my fingers for you.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
“IF it is going to shrink, it will take about 3-6 months for it to become really noticeable. I'll be crossing my fingers for you.”

Looks like Joss is in Seattle so his only real concern would be moss growing on the knife from all the rain.

Congratulations on the new knife it looks fantastic.


Mitch
 
braillediver said:
“IF it is going to shrink, it will take about 3-6 months for it to become really noticeable. I'll be crossing my fingers for you.”

Looks like Joss is in Seattle so his only real concern would be moss growing on the knife from all the rain.

Congratulations on the new knife it looks fantastic.


Mitch
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Yeah, you would think that...because you don't know him, maybe, or where he is...which is in Paris, France, right now, and for the slightly forseeable future.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
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