Tiaan Burger 40 Posted March 6, 2015 (edited) After damaging my right hand in October 2014 I stayed away from the forge for a while. In the beginning of February I picked up the hammer again to rebuilt my strength, it was slow going, working for an hour a day. The first thing I forged was a rough folding knife handle: It sat on my bench for a couple of weeks while I worked on orders. After writing up all my job cards on a year planner I realised that I have to make time for my own work else I will never have anything in stock. I decided to make one object per month to keep the insanity at bay. The search for a theme for this knife ended as soon as I read the tale of the "Hare of Inaba" on wikipedia. I found a photo of a kozuka made with this theme and used that as original to work from. I guess one can call this knife an "utsushi" of sorts. I had to make three more dot inlay punches, as the dots are of different sizes, and some are oval. Carving and inlays on the front done: Inlay with my mei on the back. It reads "Furuki", meaning "Ancient tree" The finished knife: Specs:Mild steel handle, with silver inlays. Bronze pivot pin San mai blade. (Wrought iron with a random pattern damascus core) The handle is sealed with three coats of urushi lacquer Edited March 6, 2015 by Tiaan Burger Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
JDWare 6 Posted March 6, 2015 beautiful knife, Tiaan. J JDWARE KNIVES Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
James Higson 79 Posted March 6, 2015 Amazing work, I love every bit of it. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
C Craft 162 Posted March 6, 2015 Wow, when this thread first started I wasn't exactly sure where it was headed but the finished product is awesome. Your talent as a knife maker is greatly enhanced by your talent at engraving! Great knife, two thumbs up!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Orien M 4 Posted March 6, 2015 Gorgeous...amazing engraving/inlay. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Alan Longmire 2,211 Posted March 6, 2015 Beautiful! Glad the hand is healing well. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Theodore An. 19 Posted March 7, 2015 Amazing work!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
John Page 52 Posted March 7, 2015 Quite the welcome back project! Great work, and I'm glad to hear you are finding good health John Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jess Yeigh 0 Posted March 7, 2015 Very we'll done. The theme and execution . Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
C Craft 162 Posted March 7, 2015 You know I looked at this thread yesterday and could not find the appropriate words to say what I wanted to say and still not sure this is going to convey my thoughts! The tittle of the piece, struck me as whimsical and not sure what I expected when I opened. However by the time I got to the bottom of the text and pics. I am sure my mouth was hanging open in awe of the transformation I just watched this piece of steel make. I have always liked friction folders and this one took me to a different place and I learned some things along the way! My friend your talents are awesome, I will be watching for anything you post from now on! A very well done piece !!!! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tiaan Burger 40 Posted March 7, 2015 Thank you all for the positive feedback.I did some heavy forging this week, and besides some stiffness the hand and wrist coped very well. @ CCraft - I posted one of the in-progress photos on FB, one of my friends' comments was "Fluffy bunny!" so the name stuck. The story is also a bit whimsical: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hare_of_Inaba A children's tale used as theme on sword fittings is something only the Japanese would do. I have seen the same theme used on tsuba.I love working with scrap metal, bits of off-cuts turned into treasures. Besides the occasional bit of silver which I buy from a dealer most of my materials come from junk yards and from off-cut bins. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Sean Finlayson 0 Posted March 7, 2015 What a great knife. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Kevin Colwell 134 Posted March 8, 2015 I have been more and more aware lately of the importance of having a vision in your head, and with understanding the stages that a piece goes through before completion. In the past, I have felt discouraged when what I had in front of me was so far from a finished piece, and I would doubt in my ability to go from point A to the finish line (to mix a metaphor). This piece you made really exemplifies the issue. It starts in a fairly humble manner, but gathered steam quickly to become a really cool end product. Forgive the rambling, please. I like the knife a lot, and it was great to see it evolve from beginning to end. thanks for sharing. kc Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tiaan Burger 40 Posted March 8, 2015 Thank you Sean and Kevin.I received the good photos from Tiaan van Niekerk (fellow bladesmith and excellent photographer): Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Jim Kelso 55 Posted March 8, 2015 Nicely done Tiaan... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tiaan 0 Posted March 9, 2015 Great work Mr. Burger. It was a privilege to be part of the process and to see this vision come to life. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Michal Plezia 58 Posted March 9, 2015 (edited) From this: into this: Magic! Edited March 9, 2015 by Michal Plezia Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
GEzell 135 Posted March 10, 2015 This is an extraordinary piece of work.... magic indeed..... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Dave. C. 3 Posted March 10, 2015 Absolutely stunning, love the colouring. The raised inlay on the rabbit is excellent. Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Tiaan Burger 40 Posted March 10, 2015 Thank you. Yes, it does seem like magic. I got the knife back from Tiaan van Niekerk today, unwrapping it was like opening a present all over again. He brought me the large photo files, I'll try to attach one for a closer view. The horrible bits become very visible! Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
Scott A. Roush 18 Posted March 11, 2015 love the carving theme and overall look and feel of the handle.... Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
