SOLD - PRICE DROP: High Carbon Unique Utility Knife, Hand-Forged

[Forged in Patagonia]

Hand-forged, high-carbon steel (5160) utility knife, hand-carved Radal handle (Latin name Lomatia hirsuta, Radal is a tree native to Argentina, Chile and Peru). Bronze and leather separators, filework on the spine, pommel crafted from a Columbian coin featuring indigenous designs. Dimensions: 11.4 inches long, blade 6.6 inches long, 4mm wide. Comes with handmade leather sheath with coin ring detail. Note: There is some color differential in the photos due to a mix of shots in sun and shadow.

Any questions feel free to write in! First come, first serve, whoever says "I'll take it" first gets it, you can write here or email me forja.patagonia (at) gmail dot com

Price: $160 (includes international shipping)

PAYMENT: Paypal or bank transfer (US).

About me: I'm a blacksmith from Patagonia with over 10 years of experience in the craft.

My website: https://forjapatagonica.com/
My IG: https://www.instagram.com/forja.patagonica/

 

[davidf99]

I'll take it if it's still available. PM me with your Paypal address.

I really like the carving knife that I got from you last month. That was a gift for my grandson. This one is for me.

 

[Forged in Patagonia]

Hi David! It's yours! Excited to get it to you.

 

[davidf99]

$160 Paypal payment sent. I used Kristin's paypal address, same as my last purchase from you.

I'm an amateur woodworker with a special interest in tropical hardwoods. I really look forward to seeing the Radal wood handle close up, and I like the way you shaped it.

The handle shape reminds me a little of another knife that I have: A Himalayan Imports "Bolo Knife" by Sher Kami, with a satisal wood handle:

This one is a real monster: overall length 20", weight 35 oz, and the spine is 1/2" thick.

 

[Forged in Patagonia]

Wow! We'll include some hardwood samples native to Patagonia when we ship your knife! They're samples that we've collected in the forests around here.

 

[davidf99]

That's great. One of the things I like to do with tropical hardwoods is polish them to bring out the grain, sub-grain and colors that usually can't be seen.

Here are a couple of examples:



The totem in the first picture is made of Koa wood. I got it for a low price because it didn't look anything like that before I worked on it. Took mucho time to sand and polish all the inside curves. Lots of craftsmen work with wood of this quality, but they just don't have the time to polish it up properly. They have to sell their work to pay bills. I do it as a hobby, so I can take as much time as I like on a piece.

The hippo was made in Africa by two brothers who are excellent craftsmen. It was impressive the way they got the grain of the wood to follow the contours of the hippo's body and head. It came covered in a thick layer of varnish, but I could see the hint of fine details underneath. I sanded off the varnish, used a series of finer sandpapers up to 2000 grit, then rubbed with rottenstone, approximately 8,000-10,000 grit, a thin layer of tung oil, and an even thinner layer of carnauba paste wax.

These pictures are the best I could get, but they still don't show the tiny spiderweb of sub-grain between the lines of the main grain.

The last picture shows a Japanese-style knife that I made from scratch out of a piece of Lignum Vitae (ironwood). I did most of the work with files and sandpaper, after rough-shaping it on a saber saw. Many, many hours, and at one point I put it aside for two years before deciding to finish the job.

 

[Forged in Patagonia]

Wow!!! Sorry for the late response, I somehow lost this thread when they did the server update. That hippo is so beautiful! And your knife is really lovely as well. Wood is a wonderful world unto its own. We just got your package out and we can't wait to see what you do with the wood samples we included - they are Radal and Patagonian Cypress.