What's going on in your shop? Show us whats going on, and talk a bit about your work!

[PEU]

Starry Night. This time I just did the handle for a friend. Stabilized Spalted Maple + blue dyed Burl

Pablo

 

[fitzo]

My engraving bench. I'm having major issues trying to re-start. My spine has developed kyphosis (curvature, stooping) and I am getting some hellacious pains trying to sit at the scope. I may investigate Zeiss Keplerian optics as an alternative, as these old eyes can't see squat without good magnification!

 

[Storm W]

The GRS school in Kansas is a great way to learn engraving. In the past, GRS has held a weeklong class session at the ABS Moran School of Bladesmithing.

Engraving is a skill that requires frequent practice. Your brain/eyse/hands have to work in sync. If you take a long break, it means a new learning curve. I engraved a lot in the 60's and 70's, mostly with hand gravers, then with an ancient GraverMeister that sounded like a jack hammer. I didn't do much again until around 2000 when I got back into knifemaking heavily. I decided to get new equipment and got the modern GraverMeister with dozens of carbide cutters and quick change handpieces, a monster GraverMax ball, engraving microscope, etc.. It is a lot smoother and way easier to change cutters, but just fancy equipment won't make you an engraver. It took me a good while just to be able to run a clean line again. Having taken a break again while building the new shop and Covid, I suspect I'll need a couple hundred hours practice before I can engrave anything worthwhile again.

I have boxes of hand gravers and other tools I am going to get rid of soon.
One set I won't get rid of is the engraving tools of the man who did some of the plates for the large currency. in the 1920's. His family gave the boxes of gravers to an engraver friend of mine, and when that friend passed away, I got them. I never found out the name of the original owner.

I wonder if gold backed notes are easier to make as say a hobby than modern $20's. Just looking at it it seems like my kinda thing. I loved the challenge of welding the thinnest metals. Pop cans are just a stunts and it's fun to do the real thing. I could find it interesting. I'm dealing with some health problems and for the first time in my life I am thinking that I might have to try to make money off if knives and am looking for something that maybe I could have some transferible skills. Hopefully that won't be something that I have to do. Everything is a lot more fun when your mortgage isn't tied to it. You should show off more if your jewelry. I would love to see it. I have a friend here who is a jeweler and now that I am vaccinated I'm hoping to learn something fun about it. Or do you have a place to see your work?

 

[Storm W]

Now to ponder anodizing this weekend...

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View attachment 1589025

I love that detail. I doubt I could ever make money off of something like that but I sure would like to do it for myself. I would take that over Damascus any day as far as bling on a knife.

 

[Scaniaman]

Small things that simplify. A cam switch for the grinders that share VFD. No more shifting plugs.

 

[Lorien]

I'm just about to finish my first actual 'knife for money' knife. Pretty excited to get this the hell out of my shop. Been kicking around for years n years!

 

[Kevin Kf knives]

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Good Lord dude.

 

[kevinc]

Good Lord dude.

 

[WValtakis]

Debating this color scheme...gonna have to redo it anyway since I colored a bit outside the lines

 

[TheEdge01]

A customer contacted me the other day and requested 2 knife picks with lanyard holes. Before then, I didn’t know there was such a thing. He is a wood carver and wanted something to assist with continuous knife opening.

 

[Scaniaman]

Paring knife. 14c28n and linen micarta.

 

[FredyCro]

Saved this piece of olive from becoming fire wood. Hope there is some nice scales in there, I will have to maneuver around some cracks. For anyone with experience, should I expect some figure from the small burls?

Edit: forgot the pic

 

[Ron Raducanu]

It's been so dang hot, I can't get into my workshop to do anything. About 120F in my garage. Yucky.

 

[Hengelo_77]

Saved this piece of olive from becoming fire wood. Hope there is some nice scales in there, I will have to maneuver around some cracks. For anyone with experience, should I expect some figure from the small burls?

Edit: forgot the pic

All I know is that olive cracks a lot.
Just have fun

 

[DeadboxHero]

CPM 15v Gyuto Complete and Sold.

9" blade, Custom HT to 66rc

 

[FredyCro]

All I know is that olive cracks a lot.
Just have fun

It does have some cracks, but it was in very tense climate (dry/humid and very hot) and it seems like its been lying around for couple of years already. We will see. I will post the results.

 

[Scaniaman]

CPM 15v Gyuto Complete and Sold.

9" blade, Custom HT to 66rc

Insane looking stuff right there! What micarta is that btw?

 

[HSC ///]

Some new tools and 2 new ones finished up. Both multi layer Suminagashi with white core. Forged in Arizona by a helper traineeand finished in France

 

[DeadboxHero]

Insane looking stuff right there! What micarta is that btw?

Bone Paper Micarta

 

[Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith]

Saved this piece of olive from becoming fire wood. Hope there is some nice scales in there, I will have to maneuver around some cracks. For anyone with experience, should I expect some figure from the small burls?

Edit: forgot the pic

Olive needs years to dry right. 5-10 years is not uncommon, and 20 isn't crazy. Once dried, you have to cut down the cracks to get pieces that are clean. I think you'll get curved lines around those burls.

Paint the ends with house paint and just set aside for 2025.