traditional tanto clay quenched with grenadillo

Knifemaker87

Knifemaker87

Joined
Jan 2, 2006
Messages
1,073
okay this is my latest and greatest.
i have a LOT of pictures from this knife.
it is 1095 high carbon for the blade that has been clay quenced for a pretty hammon. i hand polished it both on a stone to 1500 and then with sandpaper. then etched it with a 50/50 ferricloric/water. the blade is about 3/16" thick.
the habaki was forged from 1/4" copper bad i hammered out... the tsuba was cut from some O-1 i had on hand... which i etched
this knife was done primarily with hand tools except for the primary grind on the blade. all of the wood work, file work, and polishing were done with hand tools. the knife was polished to a sharp edge and the edge is about 60 RC will the back is considerably softer. the handle is grenadillo some call it brown ebony and is secured by a brass pin. i wrapped it with silk ito.
this was going to be able to be taken apart but int he end i chickened out and epoxyed everything for stability.

i need help knowing how much i should ask for this knife

this knife is really sharp and stays that way
here is a video of my cutting with it:
http://video.tinypic.com/player.php?v=2i0zzo4

thanks for looking... comments would be appreciated
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stupid photo limit....
 
okayy... more pictures!


this is the batch of knives that i hardened after getting info on here from the experts... and i didnt crack a single blade
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Hand Polishing on a rough stone
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polishing more...
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polishing on 1500
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filework for the tsuba (notice the Cold Steel cataloge)
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all the pieces (i didnt do seppa... should i have?)
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rough shape of the handle...
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etching the tsuba and habaki (i didnt like how the habaki came out.. so i just sanded the finish off)
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all put together
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finished product
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Thanks for looking!
i would ask though... how much should i ask for this knife? i plan on selling it on here... but i have no idea what is reasonable
 
well I cant tell you how much to sell it for, it is very nice. I really like it. How much is your time worth to you? How much did materials cost? I am sure someone with more knowledge will chime in. I have made knives but never charged for them, I guess its not as easy as it sounds. Good luck I am sure you'll have no problems selling that. Nice Hamon by the way.

Email sent on the top knife in your second post. Thanks.
 
Dude! You put alot of work into that one, and it shows. how is the balance? how did the heat-treat turn out? With the right sheath that knife will sell easy. Really, really nice.
 
You put alot of work into that one, and it shows. how is the balance? how did the heat-treat turn out? With the right sheath that knife will sell easy.
Click to expand...

the balance is right in front of the guard. the heat treat turned out by all appearances and effects to have been really good. i was thnking of making a traditional wooden sheath for the knife.. back laquered with the grenadillo instead of horn. tell me what you think.. what would be the "right sheath"
thanks again yall
~Chris
 
Wow. Beautiful!
The easy answer -- How much have you charged for similar knives?

BTW, the video link leads nowhere.
 
I like it, too! Nice for a first try... :thumbup:
Can't help ya on the price, as I'm a cheap SOB! :D
But you can probably find a commercial one with similar properties and an associated price... Go from there.
If your work holds up as good as it looks, I don't think you'll have a problem selling it here on BFC! In fact, with a minor change or two, I'd be honored to add it to my collection!
Good luck!
 
I might be interested, can't tell you what's fair without knowing how much work you put into it, what the materials cost, etc. You decide what your work is worth on this!

That's really good work!
 
i have about $20 invested in this knife materials-wise. i also think i have roughly 12 hours of labor in it.

joeshredd said
In fact, with a minor change or two, I'd be honored to add it to my collection!
Click to expand...

what kinda minor changes are we talking about here? what would make it better? i take any help i can get.

thanks so much for the imput!
~Chris
 
Hmmm, let's see -- $20 for parts, $10/hr for labor comes out to... $140. I'll take it!!!!!!

Heh.

The only change I would prefer is to have the blade finish match the copper finish (it might just be a problem with the photos).

BTW, I also love the necker. Oh, and thanks for fixing the link.
 
I would say $300 US for some similar pieces I have seen, especially if you get a good quality wooden/traditional sheath with it.

Video link worked great for me, impressive!
 
i just finished the sheath today... it is sooooooo nice. wow... i made it the traditional way with chisels and all hand tools and all.. it is made out of the same red ebony as the handle. it is REALLLY heavy and solid. i;'ll be posting pictures tommorow
thanks!
~Chris
 
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