Young, O'Brien - Well known, little known.

SharpByCoop

SharpByCoop

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Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Oct 8, 2001
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John Young from Utah never ceases to impress. His work is uber-clean and is only available through a fair lottery at shows, or a multi-year wait. :)

Here's one that will be in Chicago in two weeks:

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Mike J. O'Brien hails from San Antonio Texas. No Computer. No digital files. No internet. Just doing things his way, nice and clean.

I wish I knew more about Mike and his history, but he certainly knows how to make a stunning delicate dagger! :eek: :D (Texas makers fill us in..??!)

Camel Bone
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Macassar Ebony
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Contact me if you want to get a hold of Mike. He's not even listed in the Annual. :(

Coop
 
Ohhhhhhh Myyyyyyy ....... oh my, oh my :thumbup: :thumbup:

Unbelievably clean work ! Beautiful knives !! I love the John Young Fighter but those O'Brian Daggers are beyond beautiful. The lines are something to behold. The shape of the blades, the guards and shape of the handles all compliment each other amazingly well. The finest examples of flow I've seen !

Definitely, something for me to work towards as far as knifemaking skills go.

Thanks a bunch for those beautiful pics Coop :thumbup:
 
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That's what I call a tapered tang (on the John Young)!!!

The first dagger has incredible lines, wish i knew more about him too...
 
“Mike J. O'Brien hails from San Antonio Texas. No Computer. No digital files.”

That’s amazing because the knives / pictures look like something computer generated. Almost unreal looking.

Coop- how long do you handle the knives before shooting them? Do you take time to handle / get acquainted with them to get a feel for their “personalities”? Your pictures though similar seem to convey a unique personality for each knife.


Mitch
 
braillediver said:
“Mike J. O'Brien hails from San Antonio Texas. No Computer. No digital files.”

That’s amazing because the knives / pictures look like something computer generated. Almost unreal looking.
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These pieces are that clean and crisp. I have done a couple of others for Mike last summer, and I love his style. They are about 11" long. (Other photos: (this one and this one)
braillediver said:
Coop- how long do you handle the knives before shooting them? Do you take time to handle / get acquainted with them to get a feel for their “personalities”? Your pictures though similar seem to convey a unique personality for each knife.
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Mitch, thanks for that compliment. I am glad they appeal to you, too.

It's always a 'hit or miss' scenario with lighting and backgrounds. As my style has matured, I try to vision what look the particular knife needs. I have a fair bit of mastery in lighting now, and a decent collection of backgrounds that also help me. Portrait photos are dramatic, but not web-friendly. Landscape is the mainstay of all the knife world.

On the Young Knife, I have done a gazillion triple images of his work, and I wanted something less involved, but still showing the good stuff closely. Dark backgrounds are tricky, but this one has some extra reflections that I capitalized on, giving it a vignetting effect.

I laid the Ebony dagger out and shot it about 12-15 times adjusting the lighting till it was just right. Then in close inspection on my 19" monitor which I tether to my camera, I moved the background paper so the darker area surrounded the guard (It was up in the whiter area). Those little things separate the good shots from the great shots, and it has taken me years to 'see' this type of thing.

Anyway, back to the knives, and enough about me.. :rolleyes:

Coop
 
In regards to the links you provided for the other O'Brian Dagger pics you took Coop ?

WOW ! Just simply WOW !!
 
Blades look great, can't say that the handle materials on any of them are appealing to me, and the handle SHAPES on the O'Brien's are simply off-putting.....sometimes, artistic expression narrows the appeal a little TOO much.

Photos are superb, as always.

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
I want to say something about these knives, but David pretty much said everything I would have said.:)
 
Outstanding photos as usual.
I'm not a great fan of the O'Brien handles either, though I appreciate their uniqueness and artsy flair.
 
Well I'm from Texas But I haven't met the fellow, but I can tell you this. From what I can see in the pix. This fellow can grind! A very Strong Cronk Influence.

Put off or no put off. Fine work.

The Young is typical Young. That is to say superb!
 
I know Mike and he's a Gentleman & all around nice guy. I have had the privilege of hold some of Mikes knives in the past and his work is as clean as you'll find. Some of his designs are different but always executed to the toughest standards. I have never seen one of Mikes knives that wasn't beautiful. These two included. I myself love knives and though I don't make daggers or at least haven't yet, or Bowie's much I still love to look at them and can appreciate fine work. Thanks Coop as always for taking Awesome photo's and sharing them with us. Dwayne
 
Every Young knife i've seen pictures of looks exceptionally clean and finely finished.

In looking at the daggers by Mike O'Brien, I also think his grinding skills are more impressive than the choice of handle design and finishing details.

Peter
 
Lovet is right , very strong Cronk influence,

AND for the Young one, it is sublime as usual.



Alain
 
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