Well, Here's My BIG SUPRISE! :-)

ddavelarsen

ddavelarsen

Joined
Dec 7, 2000
Messages
5,179
Some people are very lucky and I guess once in a while that bleeds over onto me. :) Since long before Raymond Richard joined us here I've been drooling over his beautiful knives, so I was very pleased when he found Shop Talk. A more knowledgeable and helpful maker you won't find very often, so he fit right in with this bunch. Then one day he asked me - me! - if I'd like to do a collaboration. Oh man, would I!

Took me a while but eventually I got started building a handle for Ray's fantastic blade. I have to thank Michael Burch and Nick Wheeler too - Michael for asking a question I didn't know I needed to ask, and Nick for having the answer I really needed. Because Ray's blade was so fine, and because I wanted to do something special with it, I knew that I wanted to include heat colored steel fittings. I knew I'd have to keep them aligned while I was working on the knife but I didn't know how hard that would have been without Nick's indirect guidance. Had I attempted to make this handle the way I'd intended, it wouldn't have worked at all and I'd have felt totally incompetent. So thanks Michael! Thanks for saving me from my own ignorance. :D

Anyway, here's the knife. Some specs:

Overall Length - 13"
Blade Length - 7 3/8"
Handle - Tasmanian Myrtle from my buddy Reg Ellery in Australia
Fittings - Heat colored O1

Hope you like it. My photography suffers and I wasn't able to get all the color that the fittings have, it looks brighter in person. But you'll get the idea I hope. Thanks for looking.

BFCollaboration.jpg
 
Done Good :D :D :D Me Like :thumbup: :thumbup: :thumbup:
PS: Since the Mug shots I can see the resembles to you and the Avatar. :eek: HEHEHEHEE!!!
 
That is a reall honey of a knife! The heat-colored fittings and the tasmanian give it a real classy look. Well done! :thumbup: :thumbup:
 
Wow! I bet Ray's happy he asked you to collaborate on that ;)

I didn't realize that you could heat color 01 to those colors. Have to remember that... :D
 
Dave,that is a very beautiful Handle & fittings. Awesome Blade Raymond! I was wondering if the heat coloring lends any corrosion resistance to the O-1 ? Sure looks like the purple you get when anodizing Ti doesn't it ? Very cool !! Who's leather work ?
 
WOW! I'm not a bit surprised seeing such great work from you two. The heat colored 01 is really great, and the fittings really enhance the whole package, candy on candy!
 
Dave/Ray, that is one sweet knife. I really like the heat colored finnints Dave. That handle is beautiful too. Ray that is a beautiful blade. Great job guys! Thanks for sharing.
Ed
 
I'm Speechless :eek:

She is a very beautiful and classy Lady..

The two of you have created a master piece and work of art.

Great job,
Bruce
 
Thanks for the kind words guys. You would not believe how beautiful Ray's blade is. I tried to get pics of the hamon but every one had a hot spot from the lights and I couldn't get one good enough to include. The distal taper is beautiful, going from a little less than 3/16 at the ricasso to zero at the point; just perfect.

Because of all the metal in the handle it's a little handle heavy but somehow that gives it a solid feeling that's easy to take. I didn't get the exact colors I was going for because I hadn't done any experimenting before I heated these. If I had the big parts would have been "bluer" than they are purple now. But actually I think I like it this way better.

David, I made the sheath. It's nothing special though it is the first lined sheath I've made. It has a suede leather lining that gives the sheath some heft and the knife some comfort when it's home. ;)

Perhaps the happiest moment of all for this project (aside from the "admirin stage" when I first put it together) was Ray saying that when he gets his shop put back together he'd like to do another collaboration. Oh man, that made my day!

Thanks all,
 
Nice combination of work going on here. I love Ray's sine-wave profiles and hamons. Daves part of the package is second to none. BTW Dave, did you HT the 01 in a knifemaking oven? Those colors look to be about 500+. There's not a thing I can see wrong with that sheath, it looks really nice. I think it's commendable Ray that you're able to product work like this after what happened to you. I hope the new shop is right on target. I don't recall hearing, but was your new press salvageable?
Again Dave, this is a great effort between you guys.
 
Dave, You did all the work. The amount of time I had into the blade was minamal. I gave it the soul so to speak but you brought it to life and I know it just didn't happen at the snap of your fingers. You did an excellent job finishing off the knife and doing the sheath which I had no doubt you would. You took the knife in a different direction than what I've been doing plus it also gives me more ideas. I really like how you finished it off and its got none stop flow! Here's one of the blades that I made at the sametime as the one I sent you. Two totally different approches.
 

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cool......... :)


mitch

Dave; link to a BIGGER picture of the knife and scabbard together please... (center pic.)
 
rhrocker said:
I think it's commendable Ray that you're able to product work like this after what happened to you.
Click to expand...
Robert, I'm embarrassed to say, I've had this blade for months... You guys all know how slow a worker I am but Ray had no idea what he was getting into when he sent this blade to me. He's been very patient with me getting this done, to the point he must be very surprised I actually did eventually complete it. :o :)

Mitch I'll get a larger version of that center pic and post it here as soon as I get access to my regular computer.

I'm working from my birthday present from my brother, an IBM Thinkpad that he's hooked into the home wireless network he set up for me. What than means is that I can still get online even when my wife's daughter is sitting at my desk IMing who knows who... It's amazing, between her and my son it's a wonder I ever get to use my computer. Now I have this one to preempt them. :D Well, I guess they preempt me - I'm just sidestepping them. Good enough for me. But I don't get to use my photo editing software from this machine and I haven't figured out how to access that drive from here yet. I will though...

Anyway thanks again guys for the kind words. And Ray thanks for your confidence!
 
Mitch here's a bigger version of that pic in the middle. You can see Ray's beautiful hamon better at least but it still has the hot spot on the point. I really gotta work on my lighting...

BFCollaborationFull.jpg
 
Dang Dave.... You and Ray work well together :)

I can't believe that handle is wood, I looks like oosic or bone! Great colors and textures in the whole piece!

Look'n fine guys :D
-Nick-
 
It sure is great when it all comes out right. Just a real stylish piece dudes. Fred
 
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