Salem Straub 168 Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 I know it can be taken as pretentious to name a knife, but I felt like this one deserved it. I held it and looked at it, and what came to mind was “Antonina.” That’s the dark, beautiful and vampiric seductress from Tanith Lee’s “The Book of the Damned.” You don’t have to keep the name, but try the book!It’s a kukri/bowie fusion with a slim aesthetic and a lean forward chopping feel to it.The blade is forged from W2 steel and clay hardened. It features an integral bolster and “keyhole” handle type. That’s African blackwood pressed into the bolster steel. The block has been pinned in vertically for added strength with a stainless rivet that’s been ground flush.Here are the specs in a nutshell:18” overall. 13” tip to bolster front. 13.5 oz. weight. Handle ½” thick. Blade 1-5/8” wide at heel and widest point of swell. Blade thickness is .204 at thickest point where the grinds meet, and .180 at the ricasso/bolster junction. The clip is 10-1/4” long and is sharp for 7-1/2” of that length.The blade has a base finish of 1000 grit hand-rubbed, with a subsequent selective polish to bring out the hamon. The bolster and handle overall are sanded to 600 grit and lightly buffed. The wood has been teak oil finished.I am asking $800 plus shipping for this knife. I have not made a sheath to go with it, as if it gets one I’d like to see it put in top shelf clothes, but I’d be willing to make a good serviceable scabbard at added cost upon request.I found this knife very difficult to photograph- the best lighting was outdoors but I still had to take a bunch of shots to try to capture as many aspects from different angles as I could. The blade has got some well defined utsuri, of a gunome-type shape. I took the pics at the end just to pick that out better. Pay particular attention to the photo of the maker's mark- it's reasonable but could have come out with more even depth.For those who like that sort of thing, this knife comes with a WIP thread of its build… Link to post Share on other sites
dragoncutlery 45 Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 wow Link to post Share on other sites
DFogg 9 Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 That is nice work, beautiful piece! Link to post Share on other sites
Dave Stephens 414 Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 Wow! That's a beauty. Great lines. Neat concept w/ the keyhole integral bolster too! Link to post Share on other sites
Simon W 3 Posted March 4, 2014 Share Posted March 4, 2014 That is something else! Link to post Share on other sites
Salem Straub 168 Posted March 4, 2014 Author Share Posted March 4, 2014 Thank you guys! Holy %$, thanks Don! Link to post Share on other sites
Wes Detrick 487 Posted March 5, 2014 Share Posted March 5, 2014 Good lord Salem. You should paste a few pictures in Show and Tell, as I think that subforum gets more traffic, and more people need to see this. Link to post Share on other sites
Salem Straub 168 Posted March 5, 2014 Author Share Posted March 5, 2014 Wes, I'll be showing this knife around the forums a bit more once I get it sold, for sure. Link to post Share on other sites
Salem Straub 168 Posted March 6, 2014 Author Share Posted March 6, 2014 I am dropping the asking price to $700. Not because I don't think it's worth $800, I have more work than that into it- I just need to sell this. Thanks! Link to post Share on other sites
Dave Stephens 414 Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 FYI: I think very few sales happen on this site. This is mostly a forum for bladesmiths that make their own. We have a few collector members, but not many. Just thought I'd set expectations correctly. Again, great work. It will be a lucky buyer that gets it. Dave Link to post Share on other sites
GEzell 136 Posted March 6, 2014 Share Posted March 6, 2014 I'd buy that in a heart beat if I had the cash... brilliant work man! Link to post Share on other sites
Salem Straub 168 Posted March 6, 2014 Author Share Posted March 6, 2014 Thanks Dave, for the input. I have actually had it posted elsewhere longer, just showing it here to hedge my bets. Since I price dropped elsewhere, figured I'd better do it here, too! Thanks George! Link to post Share on other sites
Salem Straub 168 Posted March 17, 2014 Author Share Posted March 17, 2014 This darn post editor always hassles me over images somehow, so I can't edit the original thread. But, this knife has now SOLD so thank you all for checking it out and please keep an eye out for new pieces! Link to post Share on other sites
Alan Longmire 2,632 Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 When you edit, always click on the "use full editor" button in the first edit window, then make your changes. Dunno why, the light version does hate photos and html for some reason... Link to post Share on other sites
Salem Straub 168 Posted March 17, 2014 Author Share Posted March 17, 2014 Thanks! I'll try that. Link to post Share on other sites
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