Alveprins

I like the fluting on that handle.. nice!

I took this picture right before gluing the front bolster pieces on to the full tang blade: The glueing was successfull, and I have now also glued the bog-oak wood scales that goes between the front and rear bolsters. I am currently experiementing with the resin casting. Seems my test-stone sinks in the resin, so I've cast 2,44mm of resin now, and will do a 2nd pour once that resin is hard enough to carry the weight of the stone... sometimes it is truly better to run tests rather than try to do it for the first time on the actual piece.. I'll post a pic of the test-cast once its ready.

Hi everyone, this is perhaps not the most glamorous update - but an update non the less... It is no secret that my skills with leather arent really that good, so I thought I'd go in a different direction with this one. The frame around the sheath is in railroad steel, the metal tips are in 15n20 nickel steel. The wood is stabilized Danish bog oak, and the pins are in bronze. I've kept wood and metal separate using black vulcanized fiber. The inside lining which protects the blade from the hard wood and steel frame is very soft brown leather. I will bevel the sides of the sheath a little later, but now I continue work on the handle. chiao everyone!

Very clean execution, nicely done!

That is very kind of you to say Sir! If you just improve one thing at a time - and always challenge yourself - eventually after a while when you look back at your previous work; you'll realize you've come along far! Just got to keep going at it.

Hi everyone, I put some final touches on side B of this blade yesterday, and thought I'd share the result: Perhaps some of you recognize the ship... I've now begun working on the sheath scales, as well as test-scales for the handle. I need to drill a big hole through the handle, and I am not risking 260 hours of work without a test, so I am preparing a replica of the handle with the exact same materials as the actual piece in order to see with 100% certainty how it will go. fingers crossed! Have a nice weekend folks!

I've finally managed to finish sculpting and texturizing some of the surfaces.. oh, and put in a 0,03ct yellow diamond near the tip as well... A bit more proper picture. I really like the activity in the meteorite iron. Beautiful stuff. Have a good sunday everyone!

Haha, yeah... it does get tiresome after a while. It all comes down to having a plan, and following it without deviation, and without compromise. It can be exhausting at times, but in the end - you're better off for it.

Hi everyone, Another little status update. Currently 234 hours into the project, and I've just etched the blade. there is still some work left to be done on side A and B in regards to sculpting and texturing, but I'm getting pretty close. there is also a bit of stonesetting left. All details are in 24kt gold and copper. I will be adding a yellow 0,03ct natural diamond on each side close to the tip (that little black dot on the blade after the writing), and there will be one white diamond on each side of the tang (where the ricasso meets the little notch near the edge). Slowly but surely getting there.... Bit of a closer-up on side A to see alloy patterns: The blade is in a san-mai lamination. The outer layer on both sides is pure meteorite iron. A real pain to forge, but beautiful to look at. Have a nice week everyone!

Lindsay Airgraver.

Just finished outlining the mathematical formula... I was surprised it took 1h 37 minutes... Super tiny lines tho....

Alright, some progress... Managed to finish up all the outlines, as well as the border on side A: I think I need to outline the mathematical formula as well, but it is so small I am worried I'll F it up... I suppose I'll re-sharpen my graver point to a very small one and do it carefully. The planks on the boat need to be sculpted, but this will be done after I finish side B - which is completely blank. I also decided to re-do the edge.. There was originally a secondary bevel, however the angle was too blunt to produce a sharp edge - so I brought it down as much as I could. I think I might just run out of gold on this one.. Time to order more..

Hi everyone, I just started engraving and doing inlay on side A of the blade. finished inlay of gold and copper in the longboat, and currently doing inlay of the lettering. I think this is the smallest inlay I've done to date... Have a nice week everyone! :)

It looks as if it has a nice hefty weight to it relative to it's size. Lovely.

Here's a little peek at a test-assembly I did yesterday: The screws are temporary just to keep things in place. there will be bronze pins going through all of those holes. Now I need to put an edge on the blade while it can still be clamped in a knife sharpening jig without damaging any engravings, then I will proceed to engraving outlines of designs that will go on the blade... It is a step-by-step process.

Here's another test-plate.. finished yesterday. I find these non-organic shapes more difficult... Keeping those lines clean is really hard when sculpting at different levels. I wanted to test whether or not I could hide 3 bronze pins beneath some diamonds, and it appears I can. These diamonds are fake though, factory made - and for testing purposes only. the figure is sculpted on three different height levels. I think I might need to lower the arm a bit so that is is even closer to the background...

I've been working on another test-plate for an engraving that will go directly on the blade. This is side A - a viking longboat - here in copper. On the blade it will be gold and copper. I decided to sculpt the individual planks and shape them as they would be on a klinker-buildt longboat. The trick is making it looks nice - which is currently my biggest concern. I will let it mature in my mind while I continue with other test plates...

I will make an improvement to the existing one and see how it turns out.

Very artful, and wonderful! I especially love the organic flow of the piece.

Ok, here is attempt number two! To the left - first attempt. To the right - second attempt. I tried not to be afraid to remove material on the 2nd try, and hollowed the cheeks a bit. I suppose I might improve the nostril a bit, making it less sharp, as well as improving the ear a bit. I should have let the earlobe fade out near the jawbone but.. this is what happens when you stare yourself blind through the microscope... Anyhow, enough test-plates now... the next one will have to go straight on the knife, with no room for error....

Hi everyone... I've currently put down 34 hours into a project I've started - which I hope to have ready at this time next year. It has been a while since I've done a WIP thread, so I thought I might start one, and update it every once in a while. I don't want to give away the theme of the knife just yet, but as we progress I suppose it will become increasingly apparent... Anyhow, here's a couple of pics to get started: Now, this will be the first time I sculpt something remotely resembling a living beeing. The above image is my first test-plate. I have since made some adjustments and corrections, and will continue working on the next test-plate today. I've watched an instructional video by Sam Alfano on deep relief sculpting, but that has been based on sculpting acanthus leafs, so this is a bit different taking into consideration that certain parts of the face are higher in terms of topography than others. Unfortunately I've yet to find any instructional videos on sculpting relief figures such as this one. the only videos relevant are those of wood carving, and marble carving - since in both instances we remove material without being able to add new (as in wax or clay carving). Anyhow, I wish you all a wonderful week!

I snapped some macros for a potential customer. Slightly better than the two I took earlier: And that's about it!

Thanks. I've been wanting to experiment with gold backgrounding for some time, and decided to make something with a few different angles as well as an obstacle (diamond). I think I have what I need to proceed with the technique. Usually people do this with flat wire. I did it with 0,54mm thick round wire - squishing it flat. But I think I can get more out of the gold by flattening it beforehand. Used about 0,7 grams for this one.

Alright guys, new month, new pendant! Introducing Stjarnaljós - Starlight - a lantern to shine the way in the darkness! Forged out of old iron from Kongsberg Silver Mines, which has been made from bog ore dug out of the surrounding area. The pendant has been engraved in a deep relief, with 3x 0,03ct natural white diamonds set on a bed of 24kt gold. Stats: Length: 40,49 mm Width: 8,37 mm Weight: 14 gram Hole Ø: 3 mm And with that Gentlemen, I wish you all a wonderful week starting Monday, and a hopefully equally wonderful month of June! sincerely, Alveprins.

Very tight fit with the copper bolster! good job!