jameswood 1 Posted January 6, 2013 (edited) just scribbled this out, it will be as a thank you to another maker, but a bit of a surprise :)/> about 10" over all. it will have random damascus blade, guard and spacer and brass 'washers' undecided on the wood, i have some ebony, some stunning Ash and some Koa that i've got in mind :)/> im not sure about the raised clip, it was an after thought but not a good one i dont think.. what do you recon? Edited January 6, 2013 by jameswood Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sam Salvati 71 Posted January 6, 2013 I LIKE IT! Even though I hate bowies that get thinner width wise towards the tip usually. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
John Page 52 Posted January 6, 2013 I like it too, although this might be my least favourite style of knife (ducking for cover ) The raised clip doesn't look bad IMO. The only thing I might change is moving the guard a little closer to the trailing corner of the blade. John Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
R. Yates 1 Posted January 6, 2013 Well done now make a copy and color it to you desired design I.E. A color design it will help you vision your finished knife and give you a design to follow . However it is just a guide the Knife is close to what you want yet may not be 100% to the drawing . many of my customers like the drawing and materials listed as a certificate by me the maker . just remember to make a cope of it for your files as a reference . many buyers like one of a kind knives . Sam PS I look forward to seeing your work . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jake cleland 296 Posted January 6, 2013 it's a good start, but i don't think it's quite there yet. I love the lines of the handle, the guard, the ricasso, and the heel of the blade, but the rest of the blade doesn't sit right to me. If i were designing this, i would work off the handle, formalising those relationships and establishing some guidelines from them - for example, i would establish a centre line for the whole piece ( a line a right angles to the guard, running through the centre point of the ricasso), another from the top of the butt of the handle through the top of the ricasso, and a third from the bottom of the butt through the heel of the blade. my guess would be that the most aesthetically pleasing design would have the tip pretty close to that centre line, and the rest of the blade not coming past the other two lines, or at least not by much. one thing i find helpful when designing clip points in particular is to sketch in the line the spine would take if the clip was not present, just a smooth curve from the start of the clip to the point - a clip is basically an interrupted line, and our brains naturally fill in and extend broken or interrupted lines, so if the blade looks unbalanced without a clip, it will with one too. obviously none of these are hard and fast rules, but they may provide a short-cut to achieving a nice visual balance. equally obviously, this is all just personal opinion, and all your knives that i've seen have an amazing sense of line and balance, so feel free to completely disregard everything i've said, but remember that paper is cheap, and time spent at the drawing board is never wasted... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jameswood 1 Posted January 6, 2013 (edited) that is very interesting what you say about removing the clip and replacing with a smooth line, or vise versa! Sam, i dont like doing drawings on the computer, though thank you for the idea Other Sam, thanks! but dont most knives get narrower toward the tip i lost its bum in the scan! im not sure how it is oriented for you, on Photobucket it is horizontal but i see it here as being vertical Edited January 6, 2013 by jameswood Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Doug Lester 202 Posted January 6, 2013 Actually, I sort of like the one with the swage on the spine a bit better, for what it's worth. The lines of the handle look great to me. Both designs are good. Doug Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Geoff Hardy 16 Posted January 6, 2013 I would get rid of the slight nose dive. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jake cleland 296 Posted January 6, 2013 well, that revised design looks much improved to my eye - very nice... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jameswood 1 Posted January 8, 2013 started to prepare the billet today! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Luke Shearer 15 Posted January 9, 2013 Lookin' forward to it! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stewart Light 0 Posted January 10, 2013 I prefer the second sketch to the first, though I bet if you raised the clip higher on the first it would better. Are you going clipless now? You could always add a raised clip then remove it if you weren't keen later.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stewart Light 0 Posted January 11, 2013 that is very interesting what you say about removing the clip and replacing with a smooth line, or vise versa! Sam, i dont like doing drawings on the computer, though thank you for the idea :)/> Other Sam, thanks! but dont most knives get narrower toward the tip :P/> i lost its bum in the scan! im not sure how it is oriented for you, on Photobucket it is horizontal but i see it here as being vertical I just added two lines to your doodle.... See what I mean about just being able to remove it later if you decided it wasn't right. Personally I think that it would give some interesting detail in the steel pattern. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Richie Reynolds 0 Posted January 11, 2013 For me the first design is better , looks meaner but it's your design and knife so go with what feels right. You won't go far wrong. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jameswood 1 Posted January 19, 2013 i like what you've done there Stew, as you say it can be lopped off if i dont like it... the first billet attempt was a dismal failure, just about everything went wrong another attempt at another time, im considering copping out and doing wrought san mai, i think this billet it a bit larger than i can handle, i could make it in two parts i suppose... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jameswood 1 Posted March 9, 2013 didnt have enough meat to make the clip! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Luke Shearer 15 Posted March 9, 2013 Lookin good! Nice, clean work. Is it pattern weld? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jameswood 1 Posted March 10, 2013 thanks and yes, about 1000 layers of random, its very subtle, i etched it at 180 belt finish and you struggle to see anything, i hope its clearer at 1500 grit! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
David Dickhut 0 Posted March 10, 2013 Looking very good there. I'm excited for this one. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Stewart Light 0 Posted February 2, 2014 Been browsing around some boooooowie pics this morning and remembered about this one. Did you get it finished James? Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
jameswood 1 Posted February 3, 2014 having a bad time trying to etch it, cant get a clean etch thats clear, pulling my hair out! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Luke Shearer 15 Posted February 3, 2014 Well...what grit are you at? In my experience, 400 is optimum most of the time. Any higher and it seems you lose too much surface area for the acid to bite correctly. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GEzell 134 Posted February 3, 2014 I agree with Luke, 400 to 600 grit seems to etch best, IMO. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kevin (The Professor) 114 Posted February 5, 2014 heat treated? I missed that part - they just don't show up right until after heat treatment... nice design. kc Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
B. Norris 9 Posted February 22, 2014 The blade has to be clean, any little bit of oil, hard water stain, anything on the surface will cause issues. Try making a fresh batch of acid up, oil tends to accumulate on the surface of the acid and can spot the blade when you put it in. The container you put the acid in must be clean too. As Kevin noted, hardened steel has better contrast than unhardened. The strength of the acid solution has, I think, something to do with what grit you can take it too. No point putting a mirror polished blade into an acid solution that will give the equivalent of a 400 grit finish. Finer finishes, in general, do better with a weaker solution and more cycles. However, you must remove the black oxide that accumulates after every cycle and get the blade clean each time. Very fine pumice powder, Flitz, or some other fine abrasive works well for this step. ~Bruce~ Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
