W1 and Spalted Maple

Karl B. Andersen

Karl B. Andersen

Joined
Jul 27, 2003
Messages
5,667
Here's a 12 inch Bowie style cutter with Spalted Maple handle material. The W1 blade is fully hardened, and the entire package is of the Take-down variety!
The mild steel fittings are fluted and jeweled with selective polishing on the facets and flutes. Flats on all pieces are satin.
The blade is 7 inches to the face of the guard.
In the second photo, I did a little "thing"!
As I shaped the handle with my files, the details from one side to the next became increasingly identical! The spalting runs exactly horizontally through the handle. I took a picture of each side individually, and then with my photo program "flipped" one side so they are both going the same direction to show how similar one side is to the next.
I thought that was worth a picture of its own!
This piece of handle material is the most solid and flawless piece of material I have ever used.
I hope you enjoy it as well.

mmm2-2.jpg


mirror-1.jpg
 
Remarkable--both knife and photos. Dark fittings really go well with the blade steel and the dark lines in the wood. As a wood-freak, this is one of the most notable pieces of wood I've ever seen. Knife is clean and flows elegantly. Wish my stock was rising as fast as the quality of your work.

Ken
 
wow, that's some gorgeous spalted maple. I always end up with random spalting in the centers of blocks of wood that turn up at bad times >_< Never when i want it =)
 
That is beautiful grain in the spalted maple. Is it stabilized? I have some pieces of it and it is very light in weight and doen't seem that it would be very solid.

Peter
 
peterinct said:
That is beautiful grain in the spalted maple. Is it stabilized? I have some pieces of it and it is very light in weight and doen't seem that it would be very solid.

Peter
Click to expand...
This was COMPLETELY solid and HEAVY! The most dense piece of wood I've ever used outside of Blackwood or Ebony.
I just got off the phone with Larry Bailey, who I bought it from, and he said it is a cross-grain cut, hence the mirror image from side to side. Also, as a result of the cross grain cut, the acrylic monomer travels horizontally THROUGH the piece from side to side - with the grain - and only has an inch or so to go to accomplish 100% saturation.
(I've got some more on order!)
 
Thanks for the explanation Karl. The wood I have is NOT stabilized, hence it is very light. Spalting of wood is a stage of it rotting from what I have read. It sure makes for some fine grain patterns.

Peter
 
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