W2 Tanto, Choji Hamon

Knifemaker87

Knifemaker87

Joined
Jan 2, 2006
Messages
1,073
hey everybody!
here is something i just finished etching tonight..
took it to 2000 grit before etching in FC acid.
polished with 600 grit free abrasives and WD40 gonna finish it up.. but i had to call it quits for the night.
comments appreciated, this is my first sucessful choji (i think thats what it is) there is alot of sori activity
this blade will be up for sale eventually.

DSC03173.jpg

DSC03179.jpg

DSC03177.jpg

DSC03183.jpg

DSC03182.jpg


thanks so much!
~chris
 
Thanks so much!
i was going to put it on semi traditional mouts if i finish it. i had thought about selling it as a blade. i almost got what i wanted with this hamon, but i want to try it again while it is still fresh. so if i do finish it, it will be a semi traditional mount. soft of like what Tonn does. maybe a wrought iron tsuba, and i still have some amboyna... so we will see
but thanks guys!
~Chris
 
Amazing activity, Chris... really looks like you've made the most of Walter's dvds! How much did it show previous to etching?

I meant to ask you this before - where are you getting your free abrasives?
 
Very nice hamon. I usually go to about 1200 before the etch, then go to 2000 after the etch. Sometimes I just polish with a cloth and a tiny bit of flitz. Those subtle hamons get washed away so easilly....can't wait to see this one done!
 
Matt,
the top picture is the knife before etching, and the hamon did show a good bit before the etch. the photo doesnt do it justice, and i actually got my free-abrasive off ebay.. it was from a jewelry supply company. mine is "600" grit.. but it is a heck of a lot finer than that. then i use it on a cloth with some WD40

David, i actually had a question about the real subtle stuff. i dont know if you can pick it out in the pictures, but there is ALOT of activity above the hamon line. i think the proper name is "utsuri" but it never comes out with the hamon. it is very.. very...elusive. is there a way to show that more? and i will have pictures up today. of the finished blade.

sem23tex
when you say snag.. are you intrested in the blade, or the completed knife?
thanks so much!
~Chris
 
I've found the best way to get Hamons is to use an indirect bright light (or sunlight), then position a piece of something black above the blade in the "reflection," then to take the picture at an angle where the light hits the blade, but the blade reflects the dark material. Heres a link to the kind of action you can reveal:
http://www.schottknives.com/clay/hamon3.jpg
 
SWEET!
i will have to try it! i got some activity that looks like leopard/tiger patterning... but i think i might have polished most of it out.. still working on it.
i will try the lgiht thing.. though i have found flourecent lights reveal the hamon the best.
thanks!
~Chris
 
Chris, try natural light. Not direct sunlight, but instead direct shade or just before sunset. All my best pics were taken outside in the right lighting :)
 
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