WIP Fishing Knife- advice/critique needed

[Willie71]

Well, it seems I bit off a bit more than I could chew initially. I came back to this knife after practicing on some simpler designs, but I need some advice as it is missing something esthetically. The blade is a hidden tang O1 1/8" thick. The frame handle is scrap 1/8" stainless. It is a 300 series from the cutoff bin at the local steel supply. The scales are Brazillian Tigerwood. Guard/bolsters are brass, as is the pin. The scales have hidden pins to mount to the stainless frame. This is my second attempt at filework. My question is, what would you do (other than scrap it and start over) to blend the lines of the reverse guthook to the main area of the blade? My uncle wants the reverse guthook for his gutting technique. Would scalloping the grind in toward the handle make it look better, or should I just chalk this up to ANOTHER learning experience? I am not happy with the guard- I didn't prep the brass well enough and when gluing the liner, it came out uneven. There is also about .001-.002" gap at the front of the guard.

 

[jawilder]

Not sure about the guard but I think the scotch tape finish is a nice touch on the handle.

 

[Willie71]

Its not quite ready for final assembly A little (a lot) more detail work is needed before gluing the frame together.

 

[Keith Willis]

Can't tell a lot from the pics.And as far as the design??? if that is what you were after,I think it looks good.I would remove the handle
and the bolsters,and do some hand sanding,do some finish work on the bolsters,and reasemble the bolsters and handle,and hand finish
them....I think it will look ok?...Good luck,show us the finished product.

God bless,
Keith

 

[Willie71]

Thank you. I guess I didn't clarify well. The knife is just rough shaped at this point. I have not done any of the finish work beyond shaping with course grits to get a sense of the profile and how it feels in the hand. I wanted to see if there was any advice on the grind before I went through the time to progressively sand prior to heat treat. I did the shape for my Uncle, who is 80, and wanted this type of blade to gut his fish. I know guthooks are generally looked down upon, but this is likely the last fishing season for him, as his cancer has returned. I think based on how it turned out, it would have made more sense to use less even distal taper, as the tip is quite thin, once the gut hook was cut out. A dagger grind would have likely been more effective.

The design is loosely based on this one (designed by my 14 year old nepphew) and was the first knife I made. My uncle wanted a "matching" knife.

To me this is a much more useful design: