jake cleland Posted April 6, 2011 Share Posted April 6, 2011 this is a blade inspired by a few conversations with Peter Johnsson at Owen's last weekend. so far it's a pretty standeard broad sax style blade. its 16" long with an 8" tang. the spine is slightly hollow ground into a broad fuller, which will get defined with some scraped grooves, once ive polished the fuller. the idea is to give it a recognisably controlled hamon and full hybrid polish, and to mount it in a hybrid sax/jap style - fuchi/kashira, small tsuba, maybe a sculpted habaki, a leather sheathed handle with risers and probably some tooling. maybe thor's hammer menuki. i'll go for a proper design if i get it through the quench (2 secs water, into cold oil, trying to produce a nice hamon without distorting the shape). Jake Cleland - Skye Knives www.knifemaker.co.uk "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them." "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler." "Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe." Albert Einstein Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petr Florianek Posted April 6, 2011 Share Posted April 6, 2011 whaaaaaaaaa! the first one :-) no one is more fitted to make one than you, considered that these are your two main styles good luck and i think its gonna be great GULLINBURSTI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jake cleland Posted April 6, 2011 Author Share Posted April 6, 2011 Thank's Petr - and yeah, so it begins. i just had an idea - a norse interpretation of a japanese horimono (fuller carving) theme - a dragon coiled around a sword. do you know of any long, thin viking dragon carvings which could be adapted to this theme? Jake Cleland - Skye Knives www.knifemaker.co.uk "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them." "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler." "Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe." Albert Einstein Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petr Florianek Posted April 6, 2011 Share Posted April 6, 2011 what about this one GULLINBURSTI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jake cleland Posted April 6, 2011 Author Share Posted April 6, 2011 thanks Petr, that looks exactly like the type of thing i was imagining. Jake Cleland - Skye Knives www.knifemaker.co.uk "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them." "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler." "Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe." Albert Einstein Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff Pringle Posted April 6, 2011 Share Posted April 6, 2011 Excellent concept Jake! Norse + long & thin kinda sounds like Urnes style, but here are a couple sword hilt decorations in Jellinge style that look like they could work as horimono... Jomsvikingar Raða Ja! http://vikingswordsmith.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Petr Florianek Posted April 6, 2011 Share Posted April 6, 2011 thats even better! more horimono-ish i mean GULLINBURSTI Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Scott A. Roush Posted April 6, 2011 Share Posted April 6, 2011 very cool... I can't wait to see how this develops. I love the concept.... and it reminds me of what I'm currently finishing: a seaxchete but with a bowie/hmong twist. http://www.bigrockforge.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jake cleland Posted April 6, 2011 Author Share Posted April 6, 2011 (edited) i can't take credit for the concept - this idea grew out of a couple of blades that Peter and Jake made with Don Fogg 3 years ago at Owen's. i think that after this year the meme has taken hold, though... thank's for the pic, Jeff - that's a really cute design. i think maybe it would suit a more traditional narrow sax, though - for this i'm looking for something kinda representational, which would more closely mimic a dragon and ken horimono, but with a northern european sensibility. not gonna worry about it too much until i see if it survives h-t. here it is ground to 150 grit and clayed up, drying on the hotplate of my rayburn: Edited April 6, 2011 by jake cleland Jake Cleland - Skye Knives www.knifemaker.co.uk "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them." "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler." "Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe." Albert Einstein Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John N Posted April 6, 2011 Share Posted April 6, 2011 gonna be an intersting one Jake Hope your journey home on monday wasnt to painful & had plenty of 'rolley stops' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter johnsson Posted April 6, 2011 Share Posted April 6, 2011 Jake! This is not fair! You get to make your before I can complete my seaxisashi/wakisax! Joking aside, this will be a nice one, I think. It´ll be interesting to see your take on the theme. I forgot my sketch book at Owen´s, otherwise I´d scan some of the sketches I made on this theme. You saw them I guess, Jake? But this Seaxisashi/wakisax theme could be varied according to ones personal ideas, pretty much infinitely with the given japanese-germanic cross breeding. Perhaps this thread you started, Jake, could be dedicated to different takes on the theme. It seems to me there are others who are also inspired to make something along those lines. It would be fun to see the possible variations increase over time on the same thread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jake cleland Posted April 6, 2011 Author Share Posted April 6, 2011 Cheers John - it wasn't too bad, though there was about half an hour on the plane where i thought the pressure was going to explode my head... Peter, i've had a chance to start, yes, but it could still take years to finish. i haven't acually seen your sketches for that one - be sure to post them when you get your notebook back. i'd love it if others would post their ideas and work on this theme in this thread - when i started sketching this yesterday morning, i was really unsure of what blade style to start with, but it seemed that this would be the easiest shape to get the ball rolling without straying too far into one form or the other - there is an almost infinite variety of possible combinations. anyway, it survived the quench, hardly seems to have warped at all, no curvature (about 1" negative sori when it went into the oil - barely fitted in my quench tube) and the hamon follows the main bead of clay exactly, though i'm not sure how much the ashi took, so i'm pretty happy - i'll snap a pic when it comes out of the oven. Jake Cleland - Skye Knives www.knifemaker.co.uk "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them." "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler." "Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe." Albert Einstein Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jake cleland Posted April 6, 2011 Author Share Posted April 6, 2011 to get the ball rolling on other takes on this theme, here's a piece of Don's from december 09: which seems to fit, and sets a hell of a bench mark... Jake Cleland - Skye Knives www.knifemaker.co.uk "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them." "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler." "Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe." Albert Einstein Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Howard Clark Posted April 6, 2011 Share Posted April 6, 2011 Cool, can I play too, even though I wasn't there ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sam Salvati Posted April 6, 2011 Share Posted April 6, 2011 you guys are making Toshi Schwarzenegger proud! Let not the swords of good and free men be reforged into plowshares, but may they rest in a place of honor; ready, well oiled and God willing unused. For if the price of peace becomes licking the boots of tyrants, then "To Arms!" I say, and may the fortunes of war smile upon patriots Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jake cleland Posted April 6, 2011 Author Share Posted April 6, 2011 (edited) Howard, please do join in - i'd a feeling you might appreciate the spirit of this... out of the oven and given a quick clean up on the grinder: it seems to have taken a touch more down-curve in the tempering (2x 1hr at 200C)and i think i like it - gives it a hungry, lupine aspect - maybe a fenris theme? Edited April 6, 2011 by jake cleland Jake Cleland - Skye Knives www.knifemaker.co.uk "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them." "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler." "Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe." Albert Einstein Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter johnsson Posted April 6, 2011 Share Posted April 6, 2011 to get the ball rolling on other takes on this theme, here's a piece of Don's from december 09: which seems to fit, and sets a hell of a bench mark... Oh, yes. Hard to top that one... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Sheffield Posted April 6, 2011 Share Posted April 6, 2011 Howard, please do join in - i'd a feeling you might appreciate the spirit of this... out of the oven and given a quick clean up on the grinder: it seems to have taken a touch more down-curve in the tempering (2x 1hr at 200C)and i think i like it - gives it a hungry, lupine aspect - maybe a fenris theme? YES! I like where you are going with that idea! My life is like shaving with a razor sharp machete. It's a bit awkward and I feel a sting every now and then, but in the end I'm happy with the results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Colwell Posted April 6, 2011 Share Posted April 6, 2011 (edited) Great idea - I am starting a seax with pattern welded spine (twisted) and plain 1075 edge with full hamon. I decided to do this after I posted the polished pics of the dao. I need to make something pweld, but shorter. No full-sized swords for at least a month. I was even planning to hollow-grind eht back like you did to play with my new 4" and 3" contact wheels. Sort of a simillar idea, but I am not going the full Japanese fittings on a seax (and couldn't even if I wanted to.) I may do a patinated brass or copper tsuba, or blued steel. Probably patina. I will be really interested in how you carve the smaller grooves into the steel. I think this will be really cool. FUN! thanks for sharing. I really look forward to seeing this. I love the stuff you make and really learn a lot from reading your topics and comments. thanks, Kevin Edited April 6, 2011 by Kevin (The Professor) please visit my website http://www.professorsforge.com/ “Years ago I recognized my kinship with all living things, and I made up my mind that I was not one bit better than the meanest on the earth. I said then and I say now, that while there is a lower class, I am in it; while there is a criminal element, I am of it; while there is a soul in prison, I am not free.” E. V. Debs Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hÿllyn Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 Sounds fun. Looking forward to the hybrid (no not the Pious) Grey hair and alopecia are signs of age, not of wisdom... Rósta að, maðr! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Longmire Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 Darn it Jake, I just got home at 10 PM last night and you already got a !@#$$# blade ready? Looks like I'm not even gonna have time to start for the next week or two, but I like the direction you're going with that. Mine's planned to be a bit closer to Don's, but not nearly as well made. Not that I wouldn't like it to be, of course, but it just won't. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeroen Zuiderwijk Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 Some really go fast indeed I have a pretty cool design for this in my head. But I have to choose between a wakisax, or a real sax (or finishing one of the dozens of bronze swords or.. or..). Choices! Jeroen Zuiderwijk Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/barbarianmetalworking Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Sheffield Posted April 7, 2011 Share Posted April 7, 2011 With the Fenrir idea you could use the classic Byakko horimono as good reference...just with a wolf instead of a tiger...and more viking like. My life is like shaving with a razor sharp machete. It's a bit awkward and I feel a sting every now and then, but in the end I'm happy with the results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jake cleland Posted April 9, 2011 Author Share Posted April 9, 2011 i've just done a quick sketch of a wolf horimono. haven't worked out the knots, just wanted to see if i could get the idea just using incised lines, and i think it could work... Mike, do you have a pic of a Byakko horimono? google images isn't turning up anything useful... Jake Cleland - Skye Knives www.knifemaker.co.uk "We can't solve problems by using the same kind of thinking we used when we created them." "Everything should be made as simple as possible, but not simpler." "Two things are infinite: the universe and human stupidity; and I'm not sure about the the universe." Albert Einstein Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mike Sheffield Posted April 10, 2011 Share Posted April 10, 2011 I think you already accomplished what I had in mind, but better. The only one I seem to find anymore is the one on page 98 in The Craft of the Japanese Sword. I used to have a background for my computer that was from a painting on the four gods. The byakko (tiger) looked just like the horimono. Sadly it was on my last computer and I can't find it anywhere. Sorry I was no help. Like I said though looks like you have it covered. My life is like shaving with a razor sharp machete. It's a bit awkward and I feel a sting every now and then, but in the end I'm happy with the results. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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