Target Practice - How am I doin?

KnifeHead

KnifeHead

Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Apr 5, 2006
Messages
5,575
Seems like alot of guys start out building kit knives(blades already made, put on handles, add filework, make sheath, etc) before they move on to forging their own blades. I've been making knives for a few months now and I am working my way up to forging. I read alot of what is said here in the forum and respect all the makers opinions. I was wondering, how am I doing? All comments will be appreciated....it's all part of getting better. Thanks for taking the time to look and comment.

Suppliers names are for reference only and are not linked. Also, I know I need to do some work on the photography :) but hopefully you'll get a decent idea of the quality of my work.

This is a Jantz Supply Sportsman blade. 7 3/8" oal, 1/8", 440c. Sheath made by me with full length snake skin inset.
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/...d Sheaths/blacknwhitesheathguthookskinner.jpg

This knife looks a bit weird. A taxidermy friend handed this antler shed to me and asked if I could make a knife out of it. The shed was found by the young son of a friend of his...the boys first shed, and they wanted a knife made out of it as a memento. It had to be made with the shed left intact and oriented as you see it. I think the blade is too small but it works. Blade came from
Washita Blade and Tool(Jantz) on Ebay, blade is 3" edge, 5/8" wide, 440c. Hidden tang was drilled in shed, blade knotched and epoxied, Ebony spacer covers ugly hole. Sheath was made by me and carved, tooled, and stained to look like skin inlays. A friend of mine said it looks like something one of the elfen folks would carry in the Lord of the Rings movies. :) The dad and son loved it, which is all that matters.
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/...and Sheaths/deer-antler-shed-knife-sheath.jpg

This is a 6a stainless blade I purched on Ebay from Washita Blade and Tool. Blade edge is 4 1/8" long, 1" wide, 5/32" thick. It came with a satin finish and I brought it up to mirror finish by hand sanding and buffing. The antler crown came from a huge whitetail that mysteriously fell over dead(must have been the extra holes in it :) on my dads place. Crown is about 2" across at the base. I oriented the handle out to the left as you are holding it and it feels great in both the left and right hand. Nickel silver guard and pin. Sheath is Mexican loop style.
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/...stom Knives and Sheaths/antlercrownbowie1.jpg
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/...stom Knives and Sheaths/antlercrownbowie2.jpg

This is the latest one I have been working on. A 440c blade I got from Northcoast Knives they call the Piranha. Was received as mirror finished but was a bit rough so I took it back a few steps and hand sanded/buffed back to mirror. Blade makes a good sized knife that looks great. 7 5/8" oal, 1 1/4" wide, 5/32" thick. Nickel silver guard and mosaic pins. Desert ironwood scales(first time to use....very stinky when hot :) sheath made by me stained to simulate the knife handle.
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/...Custom Knives and Sheaths/khpiranhaknife1.jpg
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/...Custom Knives and Sheaths/khpiranhaknife2.jpg
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/...Custom Knives and Sheaths/khpiranhaknife3.jpg
http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/...Custom Knives and Sheaths/khpiranhaknife4.jpg
 
wow man....you do some fine work there. Those are some nice sheaths and the blade finishes are good too. Keep up the good work bro.
 
Take this for what it is worth since I'm several months behind you. I've forged a R/R spike into a knife and I bought my first kit knife last week. I'm planning on taking the same path you are...kits, stock removal and then forging. But I do collect knives and know a nice looking one or four when I see them.

#1 Great looking knive. I want to make some with the laminated colored wood. I think they scream for a working hunting knife. I think the sheath would look better and match better if the color was red and black instead of white and black. Nice job on the sheath though.

#2 I agree...the knife is way to small for the antler handle. but like you said...the customer was happy. That's all that matters.

#3 Now that is a really nice looking stag. Is the circle of stag on the sheath that white or is that the picture and flash? I would suggest toning it down a little if it is that white so that it matched the handle better.

#4 Now your talking. Did you do the file work on the spine? That is one knife to be really proud of. The knife looks like it would get lost in the sheath. Could just be the angle. Does the handle stick out enough to grab it?

Thanks for sharing.

Reid Allen
 
waredbear said:
#3 Now that is a really nice looking stag. Is the circle of stag on the sheath that white or is that the picture and flash? I would suggest toning it down a little if it is that white so that it matched the handle better.

#4 Now your talking. Did you do the file work on the spine? That is one knife to be really proud of. The knife looks like it would get lost in the sheath. Could just be the angle. Does the handle stick out enough to grab it?

Thanks for sharing.

Reid Allen
Click to expand...

On the #3, stag is that white. I was considering practicing some scrimshaw and then trying my hand at it on the butt of that handle. It cries out for something like that and I would consider sending it off to a accomplished scrimshander if I knew one. I used leather stain on it to darken it as you suggested...it was MUCH whiter before I did that.

#4, That is my first attempt at file work. I tried to use dremel flex cable and carbide tools but ended up with chainsaw and small triangle files for better control. The butt of the handle sticks out enough to grab it but last night I made a thong for it and turned a nice bead out of stag to put on it. Makes a nice grabber.

Thanks for your comments. Encouragement from other knifeheads is.....uhhhhh.......encouraging :D
 
waredbear said:
I want to make some with the laminated colored wood. I think they scream for a working hunting knife.
Reid Allen
Click to expand...

#1 was a complete kit that came with the Dymondwood handle material. It was the second knife I have made with Dymondwood and it is hard to beat for hard working knives IMHO. It works down easily like simple hardwood but requires no finishing coats or sealers. Sand it down as fine as you want to and buff and it's done. As far as I know it is unaffected by environmental conditions.

You notice though, you don't see it used by custom knife makers much. I think it is because it has a somewhat "Pakie" look that might turn off some folks. Rather than start a new thread, it would be interesting to hear from some of the veteran knife makers why we don't see it used more.
 
My wife told me I could make her a nice set of kitchen knives. I was thinking about using corian but now I think I will use Dymondwood. I think I can find it in a color or two that she would like. Of course I would have to build a knife holder to match.

I really like the antler tip beads on the sheath. How did you secure the leather to the bead?

Reid
 
waredbear said:
I really like the antler tip beads on the sheath. How did you secure the leather to the bead?

Reid
Click to expand...

Thanks for the question. I drilled a hole barely big enough to shove the leather thong into and secured with 2 ton epoxy. I don't think they will come off easily unless you purposely try to pull them off.

Here's another sheath that is similar in design that I made for an odd 19" dagger looking beast. The guy wanted a sheath and I was practicing my leathercraft so I made this and sold it to him for $20 bucks. Theres alot of leather in this guy!

http://i108.photobucket.com/albums/...KDH Custom Knives and Sheaths/MexicanLoop.jpg
 
Kerry Hampton said:
#1 was a complete kit that came with the Dymondwood handle material. It was the second knife I have made with Dymondwood and it is hard to beat for hard working knives IMHO. It works down easily like simple hardwood but requires no finishing coats or sealers. Sand it down as fine as you want to and buff and it's done. As far as I know it is unaffected by environmental conditions.

You notice though, you don't see it used by custom knife makers much. I think it is because it has a somewhat "Pakie" look that might turn off some folks. Rather than start a new thread, it would be interesting to hear from some of the veteran knife makers why we don't see it used more.
Click to expand...

I've used Dymondwood on several kitchen knives, and I'm not real happy with it. The scales have swollen, and now stand out from the pins. There's also some cracking going on. I don't know if I just got a bad batch or what... In the future I'll use Micarta.
 
Phillip Patton said:
I've used Dymondwood on several kitchen knives, and I'm not real happy with it. The scales have swollen, and now stand out from the pins. There's also some cracking going on. I don't know if I just got a bad batch or what... In the future I'll use Micarta.
Click to expand...

Well that ain't good:grumpy: Were the knives wiped down after use or did they take rides in the dishwasher? There is wood in Dymondwood so it definitely won't be as resiliant as Micarta. I recon the tradeoff would have to be determined between the color choices of Dymondwood versus the near 100% stability of Micarta.
 
There is the matter of what was used for the glue to hold the Dymondwood to the metal. I just read a very indepth study thread performed by Steve over on the Knife Net Forum on different glues. I was surprised to see the 2-ton expoxy fail right out of the gate. I think it fell off after the first dishwasher cycle. The guy also showed how Simple Green leaves a residue that prevents glues from sticking. It was a very informative read. Glue Test Thread

Reid Allen
 
I think for most knifemakers dymondwood looks cheap. For most buyers it looks cheap, thus it is.

If you want something tough, use stabalized wood, much nicer than plywood (dymondwood) and will hold up to most things.

Kerry, your kit knives are looking good, but I notice that you are stamping the blades. I don't want to start a flame-fest, but this is also generally considered a no-no. Do a search on this and other forums and you will find a multitude of posts about this, for others, let's not beat that horse here, the posts are available to those that want them.

For forging, if you can take a class from an ABS Mastersmith you will be light years ahead. I had taught myself and hit a wall, I went to a class w/Ed Caffrey, and my skill level took a step function. Things clicked. If you can't take a class, try and get to some hammer-ins, actually seeing things done and asking questions can help enormously.

--Carl
 
Honestly, It never occured to me that it would be offensive to etch a name or logo into a "naked" kit blade. I don't think I ever would have found that in the forums because how does somebody search for something they aren't looking for. :) Point taken though and that's why I called it "Target Practice" because I was sure I didn't know everthing......yet.

Carl...you da man!
 
Kerry,

Figured as much, can start a firestorm and I really hate seeing someone new caught up in such. If you read through some threads there are really good ideas on getting you recognition for the work you do, without adding confusion.

The Class thing is the big one. Take a class and you will quickly fall in love with the forge, at least I did. It takes great effort for me to spend shop time finishing knives instead of just pounding blades at the forge.

From the looks of things, your "target practice" is going well, you do have a good eye for the knife. To find some nice stabalized wood try David Peterson http://www.sagebrushcountry.com/ he is a great person to work with and really tries to get you good wood.

--Carl
 
Kerry ,ditto on marking a blade you didn't make. Looks like you are coming along well, but as was said before your handles are somewhat out of proportion with your blades. The sheathwork just needs some more finishing like your edges. They need to be sanded smoother and burnished well. I use gum tragacanth and a piece of deer antler.On sheath #3 the top retention strap doesn't work well with Mexican loop style sheaths and they don't work that well with that style of knife either as the blade can still ride up and be exposed. Use a lower mounted Sam Brown stud.Looks more fitting and holds better. Forget using rivets on your sheaths. They don't hold any better than sewing if done properly and detract from the looks.I hope this helps, Dave.:)
 
DC KNIVES said:
Kerry ,ditto on marking a blade you didn't make. Looks like you are coming along well, but as was said before your handles are somewhat out of proportion with your blades. The sheathwork just needs some more finishing like your edges. They need to be sanded smoother and burnished well. I use gum tragacanth and a piece of deer antler.On sheath #3 the top retention strap doesn't work well with Mexican loop style sheaths and they don't work that well with that style of knife either as the blade can still ride up and be exposed. Use a lower mounted Sam Brown stud.Looks more fitting and holds better. Forget using rivets on your sheaths. They don't hold any better than sewing if done properly and detract from the looks.I hope this helps, Dave.:)
Click to expand...

I really appreciate the suggestions Dave and Carl Thanks for taking the time to post your thoughts and I will incorporate them in future work.

I have been thinking about the blade marking issue alot. I tried searching thru the archives to find the flame wars Carl was talking about but apparently I'm not using the right keywords.

From my perspective as an honest beginner, I can understand that when I complete my first forged or stock removal knife that the mark I put on it will mean much more. I can also understand how angry an accomplished knifemaker or collector might get at a fraud that would put their name on a blade they didn't make and tried to pass off as their creation. I've only sold a couple of knives(didn't TRY to sell them) and gave some as gifts and always make it quite clear that what I have made is a kit knife and didn't make the blade itself. Now that I think back on it, they didn't get upset that my name was on the blade that I didn't make.

If some poor newb got flamed for being proud of his work and putting his name on it then shame on the flamers if that is what happened.

That said, I'm certainly not going to mark these kit blades any more so that my fellow knifemaker buds' fuel can be used for making sharp, pointy things instead of on my newb a**
 
Kerry,

There has been in the past a number of people that have tried selling kits as their own, without disclosure, that is the biggest problem I see.

The next problem is not the problem of first sale (or in your case gift) where the buyer is aware, but say you are the hot new maker in 5-10 years and these pop up for sale as your first custom pieces. They sell in the secondary market for a bit before you are aware they are even being sold. Soon, it comes out (yourself or someone who knows the kit blades) that these aren't custom, but rather kits. Your reputation just took a hit for nothing you knowingly did.

I think the general agreement is if you are going to mark them, make clear in the mark that it is a kit (ie customised kit by Kerry) type mark. When you move on to sole authorship, change the mark, make it clear, and confusion won't happen.

As a number of makers I respect have said, your reputation is everything. You will spend a lot of time and money making that reputation, and it is worth more than a knife. However, it takes very little to loose it, do everything you can to keep that from happening.

I really don't want to flame you, I am just trying to pass on what I have learned, and am still learning. I don't see anything but honesty and pride in your work and the way you present it.

--Carl
 
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