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Today I spent a couple of hours practicing Vine Filework. I Have a set of fittings that I am going to put this on and haven't done this one in a while. So I decided to practice it before I totally screw up a perfectly good knife. I thought I'd share this with folks in case anyone is interested. Most filework patterns have about 4-6 steps (other than layout), and can be reduced down to 4, when you consider that some steps are identical to one another, just on opposite sides of the work piece. I use a method Duane Dushane has in his video with a 2" square piece of 1/8" thick brass bar and number the sides 1-4. Then each side gets step 1, sides 2,3,4 get step 2, side 3 & 4 get step 3 and 4 is when you finish. You can keep this handy thing around to help you remember the process, or you can finish all the sides as a practice piece. If it doesn't work out well, simply grind the faces down and start over. Step 1 is cutting the lobes in on each side. Step 2 is cutting the thorns in. Step 3 is starting to remove the excess and create the curves. Step 4 is smoothing out the curves, sharpening up the thorns and generally cleaning up the shape. After a sanding to 600 and buff (red & green) I blacken the whole thing and lightly scrape the top with 9 micron paper to see where I am at. This still needs a little work on a couple of thorns and some curves.

This knife has been raised out of the Graveyard of Broken Dreams, and returned to life! (yeah, I know. Another bloody Bowie knife) Stats: 8-7/8" 1095 blade, NS guard, frame and center spacer. O-1 blued spacers. 410 SS with black fiber liners. The finial is made from a ball bearing. Handle scales are stabilized black ash. 1/16" NS pins, domed and polished. You can see the Hamon (only got a pic of one side) in I Want to See Your Hamon.

I started off wanting a rope pattern down the entire length of the spine, however at cut #3 I got the spacing all wrong - and it got all screwed up. Now, I read someone's signature here on the forum saying "a mistake is also a pattern, if repeated" - or something along those lines - so I filed my mistake down square, and repeated that until I had filed 3 flat and "boxy" grooves into the spine. I then started making rope pattern inside of those. My question though, is as following: Does this look unfinished to you guys? I mean - at this point I am considering keeping those "raised" flats as they are, with the rope filework in the lower regions only. then again - perhaps I should make some other, or the same but oposing pattern on the higher flat ridges? Pics: Any thoughts? I am quite eager to get this one hardened so I can start working on the handle. There is a change it will come out all cracked after the hardening - seeing as another knife made from the same billet did. Needless to say, I am not too eager to put an extensive amount of time into the filework. Any input is as always greatly apreciated! Sincerely, Alveprins.