TWO Ron Newton MS knives...

SharpByCoop

SharpByCoop

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Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
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In the Reno 'preview' thread Stephen F had posted the two of these with decent photos taken by Ron. I was fortunate enough to have Ron send these to me for final photography after Reno. (Both of them are sold. :))

Look closely at the amazing 'fleur-de-lis' persian-style bowie:

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Here is his description again:

11" forged L6 blade with a 1500 grit satin finish and long clip grind. Forged and carved nickel silver guard with deep relief scrolls and trailing beads. Fileworked nickel silver front ferrule. Black ebony persian ball handle with 31 hand sawn pearl inlays of white and gold lip pearl in the shape of fleur-de-lis. 15 inlays per side with one on the spine side of handle. Bass wood lined and leather covered silver tip and throat sheath. Ebony and white pearl fleur-de-lis inlay in the frog button. Silver tip has a matching formed clip to compliment blade. The back of the sheath has been sewn with a flush baseball stitch.
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Here is a second closeup again:

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Going further, he also had a VERY trick little folder. Apparently it has more than visuals comprising the makeup and mechanics.

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Here's Ron's description:

This knife is quite the mechanical gizmo. Probably the coolest of all mechanisms I've ever built. It has 5 independent springs to make the knife function 5 ways. Also the mechanisms are trick and hidden. The key shown in the photo can be placed along with one's car keys on a key ring. To mention 2 of the 5 functions, the key can be placed in a secret location to activate a manual knife operation mode. The key can be installed in another secret location to activate an assisted opening mode. Even if the key is ever lost there are two other secret ways to activate the knife in both manual and assisted opening modes. This will all be revealed to the purchaser of the knife.
Materials:
My own mosaic steel of W2/L6/1095/15n20 in the 3" blade and bolsters. Carved gold lip pearl. Coin edged and blue anodized Titanium liners. O1 toolsteel back spacer with Celtic knot engraving. Spring materials are O1, Titanium, 1095 music wire and 440c steel. Liner locking mechanism.
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I am pleased and always challenged to try to do my best work for Ron. His knives have a LOT of details that like to be shown. No matter what I show you, there is *always* more hidden treasure left to give you a smile... ;)

Thanks,

Coop

 
WOW,that is wonderful.That fleur de lis on the frog button is a fine touch.Lovely pictures.The previous pictures were nice but you(Coop) have really brought out the details.Looks like the ebony and pearl have been mated very nicely.That S-guard is great and very well done.Must have been a painstaking job.That wooden sheath is a work of art all by itself.Lovely bowie,lovely sheath and lovely pictures.Really do enjoy your fine pictures.
Coop how did the bowie feel to you.The grip,the balance,fit and finish,what is your take on it.
The folder is an amazing piece and great pictures of it as well.
 
Raj said:
Coop how did the bowie feel to you.The grip,the balance,fit and finish,what is your take on it.
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Raj, I handle them carefully and I must admit I don't swing them around enough to really give you an answer. The handle locked your hand in with that lower curve and the slab orientation makes sure it won't twist.

One thing that struck me upon first inspection was it's sound.... That's right. Like anyone who shouldn't, one of the first things I do is run my finger sideways over the edge to see how sharp and how much grip it has. You KNOW you do it, too. :p

The 'ZING!' that it emitted was the sound of a LONG hardened and thin blade. Very pronounced. This was no ordinary piece of blade steel.

Thanks guys. Ron thanks you more!

Coop
 
Coop,

Your image of Newton's Gizmo Folder may be the best you have ever taken!

It should go without saying that the knife itself is simply fabulous.:thumbup:

P
 
Nice shots, Coop! I got a good long look at both of those knives in Reno at the ABS show and they are both fabulous pieces. The 5-way auto is so slick (Ron demonstrated and then let me put it through it's paces - Wow!) and the Persian style bowie is compelling. One thing about the Persian style knife that Ron explained to me (not necessarily appreciated by some folks) is implied by Ron's words in the description - "hand sawn" pearl inlays. While they are very precise, comparable to machine cut inlay work - in doing it by hand the tips and points of the inlay cut-outs are worked by file to a just-so point, which a machine ultimately can't do because of the radius of the cutting tool itself. Of course one could cut these out by machine and then finish the tips and points off by hand with files. However, in Ron's case it's all done by hand. At the Reno show it was possible to actually compare how different bladesmiths accomplished this type of inlay. One could definitely see a difference. Whether this matters in the end is up to the individual to decide. It means a lot to me to know that Ron has done this work by hand and is proud of it too.

The third knife on Ron's table came home with me and it's a very classy piece of damascus work illustrating a prospector panning for gold in the desert. The pearl handle slabs are the finest I own in terms of depth, richness of refracted color etc.

It was quite a morning for me. I was the first visitor to Ron's table when the show opened, he had three knives, none of them pre-sold (you see two of them above) and I had plenty of time to chat with Ron, talk about the knives and how he viewed each one and how they impacted me. In the end the one that held a little more emotional connection for Ron turned out to be the one that spoke to me the most. Here it is - not to hijack the thread - but simply to have these three from the Reno show together again.

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Buddy, your photos are a welcome addition to the post, as it's the third of the Reno triplets.... ;)

I love the gold nugget in the prospector's pan. :thumbup:

Get more sidelighting and less overhead to *really* show that carving.... at the expense of the pearl's depth. Pearl is the VERY hardest to capture. As you know. You need my work like you need another fine knife... ;) .

Ron will be stopping by in a little while.

Peter: Glad that one speaks to you!

Coop
 
When it comes to compliments you guys are the greatest about making a guy feel good about his hard work. I made a group of knives for Reno that I hoped would be accepted and appreciated. You all have just reinforced the fact that they were. Thank you so much. I've been saying for the last 25 years I've been tinkering with knives that this is my best reward.....when collectors and peers give their approval and appreciation for what I have created. I'm thinking about changing that statement to the greatest reward is how Coop captures the knives on paper. He blows me away every time he shoots one of my knives. Thanks Coop.

Thanks to all who visited my table in Reno. I appreciate the friendships with all you guys more than anything. If you're coming to the Arkansas Custom knife show this weekend please stop by again.

Ron Newton
 
Anthony Lombardo said:
Clearly one of the best knifemakers in the world.
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Amen, brother! As much as I enjoyed - and drooled over - Ron's pics of these knives and I very grateful indeed that they have received Coop's magic touch. So much tremendous and intricate detail to admire. Thanks to Buddy as well for his pics of a terrific new addition to an outstanding collection. Ron, you the man!

Roger
 
Great pics, Coop, and amazing work, Ron!

Ron's work is without a doubt some of the most impressive that I've ever seen!
 
Oh man, that persian is just killing me, loved it the first time I saw it, but Coop brings it to life ........ all three are fantastic and Ron is as good as they get in all respects.

Stephen
 
When you look closely at these knives you realize to make them, Ron must be a master:
Forger
Carver
engraver
inlayer
sheathmaker
designer
jeweler

There is no one I can think of with the broad range of knifemaking talent that Ron has.

I am looking forward to the CNC'd tactical folder. :)
Thats one of the few things I haven't seen from him yet.
 
That is simply one of the finest bowies I have ever seen:eek:
Coop the quality of your pics at the res you are shooting them at is almost enough to make me weep,fantastic.
Thanks
 
Hey Coop,I agree with you that we like to run our fingers along the edge to see how sharp and gripping the edges are,sometimes with results we don't like:rolleyes: .That "ZING" you mention,I have got to learn how to do that when examining a blade:D :D .
Mr Lombardo ,you really hit it when mentioning all those different talents that Newton has.He also tests all his knives,even his fancy ones.So even though the high end artistic knives may not ever be used,they would cut,and cut very well.He, I believe, also uses the brass rod flex test on each and every blade of his.The big bowies are used to cut wooden boards,ropes etc and then the finer finishing is done.All his knives will cut very well and he has his heat treatment down pat.He is a very meticulous maker.He takes great pride in each and every knife he makes.And if you are thinking,this guy(myself) must like Newton's knives,you would be correct.
 
:eek: All three are drop dead gorgeous! That gold nugget is a great touch. It drew my eye but I didn't realize that's what it was at first. In relation to the size of the prospector it looks like he hit paydirt! I'll bet he'll be in town at least a week boozing and whoring before he gets back to work...:D
 
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