Richard van Dijk

Hi all Pig Hunter, 318 layer pattern welded blade. New Zealand Bog Rata, brass guard and pins Total length 32 cm, blade 17 cm

Nice work, it is amazing how much work this carving is it not.

Thanks for your comments guys. Richard

Hi Robert, they were taken out of circulation some years ago, they were too expensive to produce and somehow I collected a heap of them, now our smallest currency is a miserable copper plated steel 10 cents piece. I am quite happy to send you a few but I would not have enough to send you $5 worth.

Hi All This knife was made for a presentation unfortunately due to Covid it was postponed to a later date. It had to have a New Zealand flavour The handle is made from New Zealand Native Pohutukawa and fittings are made from sterling silver and coin bronze, (NZ one and two cents coins) The pommel is set with a New Zealand Greenstone The total length of the knife is, 27.5 cm. the blade measures 14 cm.

Hi Gary Thanks for the compliment. It is really not that complicated to make those fittings, but then it helps having over 35 years experience as a gold smith. Thanks for the compliments guys. Richard

Very nice work Gilbert, I really like the bowie.

My latest Sgian Dubh, Pattern welded blade approx. 450 layers, bone handle capped with Sterling Silver fittings and pins and set with a New Zealand Greenstone (Nephrite) Total length 20 cm, Blade 10.5 cm. Scabbard leather and Sterling Silver. With special thanks to Maisie who cleaned up the bones.

What a fantastic job, congrats.

That is a real beauty Jake.

Hi Kevin, A lot of cheaper stuff keeps me busy these days and I don't really like posting it, yes I melt the coins and poor them into a mold, than I can forge it to required thickness or until my jewellery rolling mill can take it so I can roll it to about 1.5 mm and manufacture the fittings.

Thank you, the wood is a New Zealand native and it is related to the olive.

Alan and Chris, yes I like the bronze, it is much easier to cast into a plate mold then copper and over time it gets a beautiful patina.

I have not posted anything for a while but here is one I just finished, Pattern welded blade (sorry lost count of the layers), New Zealand Black Maire handle capped with coin bronze ferrule and guard, the pommel has a 1 cent coin inlaid (out of circulation) the fittings are made out of the same bronze.Total length 25.5 cm Blade to guard 13 cm. Richard

Pattern welded 3 bar Bowie Centre bar Jelly roll mosaic cutting edge 318 layer. Spine and guard mild steel and nickel, Sterling silver fittings and Ringed Gidgee handle.Total length 38 cm, blade 25 cm