What's happening in the David Mary Custom shop?

Early hours, computer work on the new design, based on my WhatsApp consultation with the customer last night. The design will have hidden tang construction and look roughly like this, barring additional changes from the customer. I'm excited to bring this one to fruition.

Bert Warrior Knife Profile.jpg

Warrior Spine view forum.jpg
 
Started planning the build for the Warrior. You will notice the handle is shaped differently, with a slant for thumb capping in reverse grip, and the blade is pointier. Design dial-in requests by the customer.

IMG_0289.JPG

Profiled blanks today for this and a few other orders, as well as a few exchange knives. Also got two of the blanks rough ground, the filet blank, and the lemon knife for my mom (top left). That one will have pink and (insert color) scales and yellow liners. I have creative license on this, aside from the requirement of pink, but have not decided on the other color(s) yet, other than probably yellow liners. I am trying to think of whether orange will go with it as well?? Pink, orange and yellow??? :confused:

We've also got a mini Bowie, a hidden tang slicer/utility, a couple of EDCs (a wharncliffe and upside down wharncliffe ;) ), and a new design, the TacMuk, aka tactical nessmuck. I was once asked to make a semi-skinner, and this is what I came up with. The customer declined that design, and had me do something different, but then pleasantly surprised me one day by asking to make this one next.

IMG_0298.JPG

I think the hidden tang will make an exceptional EDC when it gets finished. It'll be zero ground, and super lightweight, with a 3 1/4" cutting edge.

HXIP6843.jpg

I'll do colored G10 tubes and matching tang housing with probably textured black canvas micarta scales.

Oh and my AEB-L Barax is done. It's hard to take good photos of these big blades when they hardly fit inside my light box!

IMG_0299.JPG
IMG_0300.JPG
IMG_0303.JPG
IMG_0301.JPG
IMG_0302.JPG
IMG_0305.JPG

I sort of messed up on the sheath. You can see that I drilled one of the holes a bit too close to the edge, and it wouldn't have left enough clearance. So I had to put a new hole in and leave the one without an eyelet. I also experimented with how far forward I can grind the opening of the sheath, and still have good retention. Short answer: Not as far as I did this sheath. Of course, this type of knife is carried vertically, anyway. So I will probably never let this one see the exchange. Spend another hour to make a sheath and sell it for $300+? Naw, I'll keep it. Doesn't take much to convince me to keep these Baraxes for myself, does it? ;)

ETA: https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/barax-machete-in-action.1784732/
 
Last edited:
Love watching your progression David, the warrior has some nice refinements!:) How much are you asking for that EDC? Pm me. Being so light it would be a great walk around carry.
 
Good evening friends. The Barax was not as done as I thought. I decided to checker the handle in addition to the existing contouring, and I'm glad I did. I can't wait to get this out in the woods.

IMG_0359.JPG
IMG_0358.JPG

I finished another Finesse Filet for a gentleman.

IMG_0360.JPG


I finished my mom's lemon knife:

IMG_0331.JPG
IMG_0338.JPG

And my brother was in town just for today, and brought the knife I made him so I could snap a few pics.

IMG_0350.JPG
IMG_0351.JPG
IMG_0352.JPG
IMG_0353.JPG
IMG_0348.JPG
 
I gave the chef knife a slightly thicker geometry than I normally would on a chef, because my brother told me that where he works it is not uncommon to break apart lots of chickens. He said that normally it takes three chickens before a knife's edge starts catching on everything. He did 15-25 chickens with his new knife and told me that he has done nothing but steel it. When I attempted to slice paper, it did so as cleanly as when I had first finished it. And despite that I made it a little thicker than I normally would for robustness, he says it is still better than every other knife in the kitchen on onions. The knife is AEB-L at RC 63, and I believe I left it about .012" behind the edge.
 
Hey @davidmary , hope all is going well in the shop. I tried PM'ing you and i got an error msg that you were not accepting PMs.

Is your inbox full maybe? Anyhow, please let me know best way to communicate when you get a chance.
 
Last edited:
I've been silent this week. But I have things happening in the shop. Will post more later, possible next week. But some exciting things coming down the pipe, including a run of MagnaCut.
 
Alright, so the Warrior inspired knife is done. I mean, I still have a little bit of cleaning up to do, but that'll be a few minutes before I box it up. Handle a bit shorter than originally planed, per customer's request. Also the grind is more blended than the concept image would have suggested. It's light, and fast, and laser sharp.

IMG_0529.JPG
IMG_0530.JPG
IMG_0536.JPG
IMG_0535.JPG
IMG_0534.JPG
IMG_0533.JPG
IMG_0532.JPG
IMG_0531.JPG
IMG_0537.JPG
IMG_0538.JPG
 
And here's what's in progress:

IMG_0519.JPG

My brother has been bitten by the custom knife bug. The one at top left is a boning knife for him, with matching materials with his chef I made a couple weeks ago.

The poor natural canvas kiridashi is still waiting for some love.

My mom has been bitten by the custom knife bug, too! Hahahaha. She wants another lemon knife. No need to tell you which one that is.

I was asked to make another spear point ringer, and this one will have green wood scales, thick orange G10 liners, and orange pins. An orange sheath, too, of course.

The business card in the pic is Jarod Todd's. He sends one with each batch he heat treats for me. It's a beautiful card, with a great slogan.

IMG_0520.JPG

These in the pic above are my putter projects, i.e. the stuff that I putter around with when I have free time waiting for glue to cure, etc. I think last time I showed these, the blades had been rough ground to 36 grit, well now they are satin finished, and ready for handle. I have started pairing them with materials, but those plans are always subject to change depending on orders that come in.

The plan for now, though, is first and foremost, I really want to clothe that Prevail in Python Micarta. The tanto will get black and red layered G10 with translucent neon yellow liners. The bowie and utility knife next to it will get blue and black layered G10, textured in a new and experimental way that I have yet to decide. I got a flex shaft for my dremel, so I fell like I will have greater creative freedom when hand texturing going forward. The hidden tang will have a white G10 tang housing, 1/4" diameter white G10 pins, and outer scales yet TBD. And the pikal-esque wharncliffe will get textured blue G10 scales with black liners and a police blue sheath. Again, since these are my Knife Maker's Market pieces, all is subject to change.

One of those is not a putter project, though. It is the one at the top right.

IMG_0515.JPG

Another commission, designed by the customer. I think it's a great looking design. He wants natural canvas Micarta, and I am awaiting word back on whether he wants liners.

Thanks for taking a look!
 
Hurrul said:
The Warrior turned out well.
Click to expand...

Thank you!

Hurrul said:
was the handle time consuming to form, with multiple finger grips?
Click to expand...

Yep!!! But I am getting better and faster at it. The real time eater on it was the relatively complex handle build as far as all the layers, and making sure the tang fit inside the red G10 housing snugly.

And I forgot to mention the outer layer is "Suretouch" so the black layers are not actually G10, but rubber. Super grippy, and added shock resistance, with all the strength and durability of G10.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top