- Joined
- Feb 28, 2002
- Messages
- 13,348
You can't tell everything about a knife from a photograph. I don't know anyone who would dispute the obvious truth of that statement. But lost in the frequent repetition of that truism is the fact that there is plenty you CAN tell from a photograph.
Which brings me to the subject of a Canadian bladesmith named Stuart Branson. Like many of you, I'm sure, I've both enjoyed and been impressed by what I have seen of Stuart's work posted on these forums. That he was a VERY capable sheathmaker I knew first hand, having had him fit out a number of shoeless knives for me some months ago:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=749568
But it seemed like just yesterday that Stuart said he was trying his hand at making some knives - which didn't seem to jive with the quality of the pieces he was posting - particularly considering the absence (until recently) of any formal training.
So when Stuart contacted me recently asking if he could send over a couple knives for some candid feedback, I more than welcomed the opportunity. Because as promising as the photos look, you don't really know until you have the knives in hand.
Well, now I know. He's the real deal.
Now, by that I am by no means saying "Here's the next Larry Fuegen." What I am saying is that this a very talented new maker whose knives impress very well indeed for what they are at this stage in his career, and impress even more for how quickly they are getting better.
The knife below won't be going back out west - it's staying right here:
You've seen it before, but I thought some pics with its sheath would be worth showing again. It deserves better than these backyard pics, but a busy schedule has denied me the chance to get over to Murray's for one of our show / tell / shoot sessions.
Now, these integrals look simple and easy, yet are anything but. It is one of the more elemental iterations of the contemporary custom knife and is utterly unforgiving in terms of lines, proportions and flow. The impression that registers is coldly binary in nature: it's on or it's off. And when it's off, it's obvious.
That Stuart should have done so well at his first crack at this type of knife is a compelling statement in and of itself. The difficult curved transitions from integral bolster to blade and from bolster to the nicely tapered tang have been nailed tight. The proportions and lines are spot on - as is the fiishing of the steel - and the hamon is a study in understated subtlety. Oh, and it is seriously sharp along the entire cutting edge with no flat spots.
But let's get back to the sheath for a moment. Sheathmaker extraordinaire Paul Long described Stuart in a recent thread as one of the few makers whose sheathwork makes Paul look twice to make sure he didn't actually make it. Well, look twice at this:
Getting a sheath of this quality directly from the maker himself is, to say the very least, a rare opportunity.
I am looking forward to seeing Stuart progress and develop and very pleased indeed to have a fine example of his work in hand right now.
Roger
Which brings me to the subject of a Canadian bladesmith named Stuart Branson. Like many of you, I'm sure, I've both enjoyed and been impressed by what I have seen of Stuart's work posted on these forums. That he was a VERY capable sheathmaker I knew first hand, having had him fit out a number of shoeless knives for me some months ago:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=749568
But it seemed like just yesterday that Stuart said he was trying his hand at making some knives - which didn't seem to jive with the quality of the pieces he was posting - particularly considering the absence (until recently) of any formal training.
So when Stuart contacted me recently asking if he could send over a couple knives for some candid feedback, I more than welcomed the opportunity. Because as promising as the photos look, you don't really know until you have the knives in hand.
Well, now I know. He's the real deal.
Now, by that I am by no means saying "Here's the next Larry Fuegen." What I am saying is that this a very talented new maker whose knives impress very well indeed for what they are at this stage in his career, and impress even more for how quickly they are getting better.
The knife below won't be going back out west - it's staying right here:
You've seen it before, but I thought some pics with its sheath would be worth showing again. It deserves better than these backyard pics, but a busy schedule has denied me the chance to get over to Murray's for one of our show / tell / shoot sessions.
Now, these integrals look simple and easy, yet are anything but. It is one of the more elemental iterations of the contemporary custom knife and is utterly unforgiving in terms of lines, proportions and flow. The impression that registers is coldly binary in nature: it's on or it's off. And when it's off, it's obvious.
That Stuart should have done so well at his first crack at this type of knife is a compelling statement in and of itself. The difficult curved transitions from integral bolster to blade and from bolster to the nicely tapered tang have been nailed tight. The proportions and lines are spot on - as is the fiishing of the steel - and the hamon is a study in understated subtlety. Oh, and it is seriously sharp along the entire cutting edge with no flat spots.
But let's get back to the sheath for a moment. Sheathmaker extraordinaire Paul Long described Stuart in a recent thread as one of the few makers whose sheathwork makes Paul look twice to make sure he didn't actually make it. Well, look twice at this:
Getting a sheath of this quality directly from the maker himself is, to say the very least, a rare opportunity.
I am looking forward to seeing Stuart progress and develop and very pleased indeed to have a fine example of his work in hand right now.
Roger
which serves the collectors and users of his knives VERY well.
