Second Knife- Please critique

S

Strohmboli

Joined
Jul 11, 2015
Messages
13
Hey guys, I just finished my second knife. After I posted my first, I received lots of good criticism and I feel like I took much of it to heart and improved between knife 1 and knife 2. Please check out this one and let me know what you think/what I could have done better.

This is a "drop-point hunter" style blade made from O1 with a figured walnut handle with brass rod pins. I chose not to use a sanding sealer on the wood as I prefer this look, but I did use 2 coats of tung oil to finish. The steel was sanded down to 800 grit and the bevels were filed using a jig like the one Aaron Gough shows. I also chose to drill out 8x 1/4" holes in the tang for better weight and feel of the blade.

The OAL is 7 3/4" and the blade is 3.5". Overall I am very pleased with this knife, especially the handle, as I made it without power tools with the exception of a hand drill.

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Looks good, well finished. One thing you could do is scoot your pins in a little or give it a 3rd pin. Looks a little off to me.
what thickness steel are you using? Looks a bit thick.
Those are the initial things I see, I'm sure others will critique it more, take each criticism with a grain of salt. We each have to find our signature and what we like. One thing that we Can all agree on is fit and finish though.
 
Yeah I wondered about the pins, too. The steel is 1/8" stock which like you said is probably a little thick for a <8" knife but it's what I had on hand. Would you use 7/64 or 3/32 instead?
 
Looks pretty nice. Like viral said, a third pin in the middle would have looked more balanced.
 
1/8" is fine for a knife that size. It's a good effort for a second knife. Here is what I am seeing. The tang/handle gaps are nice and tight. That handle is generally a pleasing shape and looks comfortable but lacks a bit of personality. You will find that as you go. The curve of the cutting edge meanders. It is not a smooth flowing line from tip to plunge. Maybe this was from over filing or over sharpening but it can be easily fixed if you wanted to take the time. The other issue is sanding. Try to make sure EVERY scratch is out at every grit before progressing to the next. There is a deep scratch evident in the plunge line in the 4th photo. Then when you finish with your final grit it is a nice detail to do straight linear pulls with the sandpaper for a finishing touch. Great job though. Your knife looks like a good user.
 
Listen to the pros and what they say...
I really like the wood grain.
Nice job and you committed yourself to the end.
 
Marc thanks for responding. You brought up stuff I didn't even see in my own work so thanks! I will improve those for the next knife. When you say "lacks personality" I totally agree, the handle is boring... how do you change that up? Bolsters, exotic woods? Is walnut just a plain boring handle material?
 
Not necessarily the material. The overall shape and fit have a lot to do with it. Even making the handle have a more egg shaped cross section (fat part closer to the spine) can add to a handle's looks. Go look at knives whose handles you like and try to copy them while adding your own artistic twist.
 
I think you just over rounded everything on the handle, plus it looks like it would just kinda squirt out of your hand if it was a bit slimy from blood or whatever... If you made the handle with a bit of a coke bottle shape when viewed from the side, it would probably solve the problem. Nice second though!
 
"Personality" develops as you travel down your knifemaking path. The more you try new things; the more you study the work of other knifemakers whose work you respect; the more you develop the techniques that work for you; the more it will come to you. It is common that a lot of new makers' handles look like polished turds. That's ok. I just mean they lack a clear design intent. As you start to realize more and more what you like and why, you will see your personality come through in your designs. Your handle actually looks pretty good. It could maybe benefit from crisper lines but you have a nice depth to the handle which looks like it fills the hand well. Nice piece of wood too. You're doing great.
 
Trog, I noticed that too. That's just a product of how I took the pictures and not the actual blade being bent. Had to double check myself too!
 
Okay, that makes sense. Thanks for checking it out Marc I appreciate the kind words. I'll keep plugging away!
 
I have to pretty much agree with everything that i4Marc said. The little fine details comes with the experience.

I wasn't able to send you an email from the forum. But we have some things in common, I would love to chat with you about knife making. Drop me a line.
 
Nicely done! The abrupt curve on the back of the handle looks a little off to me, I would open up that radius and blend one smooth curve all the way along the back of the knife. The next step as I see it is getting the finish on your steel dialed in. Dead straight sanding marks and crisp plunge lines would move this knife up several notches. It is a skill that takes a while to figure out, aaron gough's videos will help, but for me it just took a while to teach my hands to move in a straight line. http://i.imgur.com/fQBRg6jl.jpg This is what I'm talking out, as opposed to semi-random and curved sanding lines.
 
If I could offer a few suggestions for future handles. Like what was already said about the back of the handle smooth out the curve a little and move the apex of it more towards the middle of the handle. On the front I would say a smaller radius curve where the index finger goes that flows out into a gradual palm swell, then down for another curve where the pinky finger goes, pinky finger being the shortest finger I like the contours in that area to create a thin feeling so my finger feels secure and less fatigued with prolonged use. I'm hoping I am making sense, I could draw what I mean faster than I can figure out how to explain it. Those changes and some contours in the scales say maybe mild double contour to match the shape of the handle would have set off that really attractive piece of wood. It also makes for a dang comfy handle.
 
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