W2 Shira Saya Tanto here boys. (New Maker)

PaulDiStefano

PaulDiStefano

Joined
Nov 14, 2016
Messages
636
Hello everybody, my name is Paul DiStefano, I'm a bladesmith from Staten Island New York and I have been making knives for under a year now. I have made a few on here that I sold in the exchange. I finally feel like i'm good enough to show my work off to everyone. I'm trying to get my name out there and i'd love to be an active member of the knife community. I sent in an application for next years bladeshow but don't know if i'm in yet. At any rate, here's a piece I just completed.

The blade is w2 with a hamon( I forgot to add ashi and cool stuff for some reason)
habaki is brass(dont mind the dirt, Just finished it and didnt clean it off yet.
Wood curly maple and african blackwood lacquered
overall length 16 inches
blade 9 inches

Please send me some feedback, I would really love to hear what you guys think of it.

IMG_0872.JPG
IMG_0873.JPG
IMG_0875.JPG
IMG_0876.JPG
 
It blows. Haha, that is to say, it blows away most knives made by makers with less than a year of experience. Fine work. Keep posting.
 
nice work Paul. That's quite a flamboyant hamon. If you don't mind me saying...there's too much curvature in the spine for a blade that size. It looks more like a persian with so much curve. Curvature/sori is definitely the way to go for tantos but a little too much may change the concept entirely.
 
Spyken thanks for your constructive criticism. You could not be more right. When I forged it I knew I had to add some curve in because I was going to oil quench it. Then after I carved out the wood and shaped it. I was like hmmm this feels a little weird. It is curved so much that I feel if i was to try and slash with it, it wouldn't reach the target haha. I like to think it's good for stabbing an enemy right in the gut because it will curve up the ribs right into their organs. But that's just me trying to make this big flaw bug me a little less haha.
 
That's a beauty, man. It reminds me of a show piece. I don't think I'd have the heart to use it too roughly, haha.
 
Haha that's exactly how I am. I'll do all my pre handsand testing and then once its all polished up, I never want to use it or cut with it.
 
Looks fantastic, great choice of materials to complement the blade, too. Absolutely spot-on fit and finish. Love it!!!
 
Thanks Matt, it means a lot. I'm a big fan of your work as well. Japanese style/influenced knives are a ton of fun to make.
 
Thanks bike4fun. Now that I have the basics down, they'll only get more complex and interesting from here on out :)
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top