Rules for designing a handle???

Golden Ratio... more than a person wants to know... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Golden_ratio

Basically, the number breaks down to 0.618 and 0.382. A person can take either of those numbers and either mulitply or divide another number by it and come up with a number that has a "pleasing proportion" to the starting number.

A person can multiply and/or divide a number mulitple times by either or both of those numbers and come up with "pleasing proportions".

Yup, that last one sounds crazy... but it's not...

So you know, the result doesn't have to be exactly exact to fall well within "pleasing"... Like 1/4" guard x 0.382 = 0.0955" (for a spacer)... or... 1/4" divided by 0.382 = 0.6545" for a spacer. The results aren't standard size but 3/32" (0.0938") and 5/8" (0.625") are close enough to fool/please the eye... us humans are pretty flexible that way.

Mike
 
scottickes said:
Laminate a bunch of paint stir sticks together, or buy blocks of balsa wood and shape those. They can be shaped quickly and easily due to their softness. You'll quickly find shapes that are both pleasing to look at and comfortable in the hand.

I used the paint stir sticks, because I could shape a long center one first into a complete full tang knife design. Then I'd glue the shorter ones for a handle on both sides of that center one and then practice shaping. You'll then be able to see how the handles you design will fit with the blades you design. You can practice grinding your blades and doing your handles completely out of paint stir sticks!

Edited to add:
On hidden tang and through tang knives that have a guard, it's almost always more pleasing to the eye to have the handle behind the guard to flow at the same width top to bottom that the ricasso is. For example, the handle shouldn't be higher or lower than the ricasso from top to bottom. When they don't line up top to bottom, there seems to be an interruption of the lines of flow. I learned this from Ray Richards. Look at some of his designs, and the wonderful flow from ricasso, through the guard to the handle.
Click to expand...

I made a few knives from paint sticks they turn out great till I Try to forge.
Be careful they become non magnetic as soon they hit fire, almost like they were never magnetic. I am sticking with 1095.:)
 
This may not work for you, but I have been collecting knife images for years, since the first days I got the internet, I have been saving knife images......

Then when I get a feeling about a shape or an idea, or I just want to fill the hopper, I set my image viewer to random, and watch as the knives go by.... And you will start to see trends, and you will start to see why you like certain shapes. I think am important thing to remember is that a knife is many distinct parts that flow together....

It's not just a knife. It's a blade and a handle. It's not just a blade and handle, it's a tip, and a belly, and a ricasso, and a guard shape,or transition, and a swell, and a butt..... And on and on it goes....

And if you add in the knife designs from all over the world, you start to get even more source material.

To get started, since many images are hard to decipher for size or length, I actually asked a few people to send me tracings of certain designs, not to copy, but to have a reference for size and proportion of the different parts, I am trying to do that with Khukuris now....

A simple technique, is to start with a knife that you like the handle. And modify it slightly to suit....

Marion
 
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