Dave Stephens Posted April 2, 2017 Share Posted April 2, 2017 Hello Everyone: I have been shamefully absent from both the craft and this forum since Arctic Fire this last Summer. Here is the first piece I've completed since then. It is based on a sketch by my good friend, Petr Florianek. I really liked the lines and asked if he would be okay with me basing my build on his sketch. He generously agreed. As you can see from the attached original sketch, I departed pretty radically from the theme of the piece, but stole the lines. Standard 1095/15n20 mix on the pattern weld. African Blackwood grip. Cast silicon bronze guard. And yes, the artistic piercing is a result of accidentally grinding through the fuller and then deciding to run with it. It's not a bug, it's a feature! Grins, Dave 5 -----------------------------------------------"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly." -- Theodore Roosevelthttp://stephensforge.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard van Dijk Posted April 2, 2017 Share Posted April 2, 2017 (edited) Fantastic stuff Dave and yes that design change is really a feature. Richard Edited April 2, 2017 by Richard van Dijk 1 Richard van Dijk My link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Karim Posted April 2, 2017 Share Posted April 2, 2017 Beautiful knife, especially those handle curvatures . 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Colwell Posted April 2, 2017 Share Posted April 2, 2017 (edited) Dave - good to see your work again. I like the lines a lot. Pretty radical fuller. The bolster is my favorite part, though. Edited April 2, 2017 by Kevin (The Professor) 1 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...
Salem Straub Posted April 2, 2017 Share Posted April 2, 2017 Damn that's nice! I like the carving on the blackwood particularly. Please come and waste some otherwise perfectly good time, looking at my knives! www.prometheanknives.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Stephens Posted April 2, 2017 Author Share Posted April 2, 2017 Thanks guys! -----------------------------------------------"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly." -- Theodore Roosevelthttp://stephensforge.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshua States Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 Freaking brilliant Dave, and yes it is good to see you back at it. Your work always inspires. I love the look of this one. I can't quite explain it, but it screams "high adventure" to me. “So I'm lightin' out for the territory, ahead of the scared and the weak and the mean spirited, because Aunt Sally is fixin’ to adopt me and civilize me, and I can't stand it. I've been there before.” The only bad experience is the one from which you learn nothing. Josh http://www.dosgatosdesignsllc.com/#! https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCdJMFMqnbLYqv965xd64vYg J.States Bladesmith | Facebook https://www.facebook.com/dos.gatos.71 https://www.etsy.com/shop/JStatesBladesmith Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris C-S Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 Yeah, this is great. When i look at a piece like this and then at my work, mine appear more like prison shivs. Great work. ~ !!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wes Detrick Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 What the professor said, it is good to see your work again. Your stuff always has a strong voice, I could tell it yours right away. And it's beautiful. Wonderful work! Was it a challenge to pick the blade and continue with it after you ground through the fuller? “In the midst of winter, I found there was, within me, an invincible summer." -Albert Camus http://www.krakenforge.net/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Stephens Posted April 3, 2017 Author Share Posted April 3, 2017 Thanks everyone!y Wes -- It was one of those: "Aw crap!" then about five minutes later . . . "Hmm. That doesn't look too bad, actually" things. 1 -----------------------------------------------"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly." -- Theodore Roosevelthttp://stephensforge.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Longmire Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 Sweet! I can't help thinking about a little wire inlay to accentuate that subtle little scroll carving at the heel of the grip, though... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter johnsson Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 He! It is brave to go forward with the fuller like this. The knife came together well. The hole in the fuller makes me think about pierced blades of the renaissance. Perhaps you could add a few more holes and do some firework next time? I know I want to make one of these blades!!! (I have some plans already actually, but that should not come as a surprise... ;-) ) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Stephens Posted April 3, 2017 Author Share Posted April 3, 2017 2 hours ago, Alan Longmire said: Sweet! I can't help thinking about a little wire inlay to accentuate that subtle little scroll carving at the heel of the grip, though... I'd love to try my hand at wire inlay, but I was under the impression that it was done on relatively soft woods like maple. Would it work on a hardwood like blackwood? -----------------------------------------------"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly." -- Theodore Roosevelthttp://stephensforge.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Stephens Posted April 3, 2017 Author Share Posted April 3, 2017 3 minutes ago, peter johnsson said: He! It is brave to go forward with the fuller lie this. The life came together well. The hole in the fuller makes me think about pierced blades of the renaissance. Perhaps you could add a few more holes and do some firework next time? Aha! There it is! Evidence that I'm not winging it, but imitating old masters! (Although, I'm totally winging it . . .). Good idea, Peter. Although I think next time I'll try to not grind through the fuller. Grins, Dave 1 -----------------------------------------------"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly." -- Theodore Roosevelthttp://stephensforge.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Salem Straub Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 I thought of those type of pierced fuller right away, too. Swords like the one pictured are super cool! I can just see a series of three or four grinds through the fuller of decreasing length out to the tip, to give a kind of rhythm. Please come and waste some otherwise perfectly good time, looking at my knives! www.prometheanknives.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Longmire Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 51 minutes ago, Dave Stephens said: I'd love to try my hand at wire inlay, but I was under the impression that it was done on relatively soft woods like maple. Would it work on a hardwood like blackwood? Yep! It's easier in maple, but it can be done in almost anything, even metal and stone. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Colwell Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 the hole-in-the-fuller technique was done in Turkish and Chinese sabers, too. I don't have any pics handy, but they did it. Fewer and larger, with less intricate patterns than the Renaissance rapier masters. Those guys were even more nuts than we are, actually (or they had good patrons). 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...
Collin Miller Posted April 3, 2017 Share Posted April 3, 2017 Nice! Very strong 'fantasy fighting knife' vibes coming from this one. It's great to see you going outside of the box once again. Are you going to craft a matching sheath or scabbard for it as well? “If you trust in yourself. . . believe in your dreams. . . and follow your star. . . you will still get beaten by the people who have spent their time working hard and learning things, the people who weren't so lazy.” ~ Terry Pratchett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
peter johnsson Posted April 4, 2017 Share Posted April 4, 2017 9 hours ago, Kevin (The Professor) said: ... Those guys were even more nuts than we are, actually (or they had good patrons). Yep. :-) Both! :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nflanders Posted April 4, 2017 Share Posted April 4, 2017 If you are intersted in trying inlay I would take a look at one kind of chisel to use, I used some made from exacto knives that worked great on mahogany, then self destructed when I tested them on purple heart wood... I know that some people shape hacksaw blades as well, but there are a bunch of options. Not very pretty, but if you look around you can get some flat copper wire to practice with since its significantly cheaper than the silver. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alan Longmire Posted April 4, 2017 Share Posted April 4, 2017 I use reground hacksaw blade for chisels on wood. The secret to flat wire is to start with thin sheet and shear off what you need with tinsnips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian Dougherty Posted April 4, 2017 Share Posted April 4, 2017 22 hours ago, Kevin (The Professor) said: the hole-in-the-fuller technique was done in Turkish and Chinese sabers, too. I don't have any pics handy, but they did it. Fewer and larger, with less intricate patterns than the Renaissance rapier masters. Those guys were even more nuts than we are, actually (or they had good patrons). I bet the first guy to do it had his own "Aw crap!" moment as he accidentally scraped too far into a fuller. Then he called it a feature that everyone else followed (Ok, I have no evidence for this, it is just wishful thinking, Bravo Dave! That is a wicked dark-elfish looking knife. Beautiful none the less! -Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles dP Posted April 4, 2017 Share Posted April 4, 2017 (edited) On 03/04/2017 at 6:28 PM, Dave Stephens said: On 03/04/2017 at 3:47 PM, Alan Longmire said: I'd love to try my hand at wire inlay, but I was under the impression that it was done on relatively soft woods like maple. Would it work on a hardwood like blackwood? Found this link using site:bladesmithsforum.com wire inlay https://shardsofthedarkage.blogspot.co.uk/2016/09/engraved-wire-inlay.html it is on Edited April 4, 2017 by Charles du Preez "The way we win matters" (Ender Wiggins) Orson Scott Card Nos, qui libertate donati sumus, nes cimus quid constet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Austin_Lyles Posted April 5, 2017 Share Posted April 5, 2017 Hell yes, Dave. Good save on the fuller, as I assumed it was intentional and added to the piece! Beautiful carving and steel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dave Stephens Posted April 5, 2017 Author Share Posted April 5, 2017 Thanks, Austin! -----------------------------------------------"It is not the critic who counts; not the man who points out how the strong man stumbles, or where the doer of deeds could have done them better. The credit belongs to the man who is actually in the arena, whose face is marred by dust and sweat and blood, who strives valiantly; who errs and comes short again and again; because there is not effort without error and shortcomings; but who does actually strive to do the deed; who knows the great enthusiasm, the great devotion, who spends himself in a worthy cause, who at the best knows in the end the triumph of high achievement and who at the worst, if he fails, at least he fails while daring greatly." -- Theodore Roosevelthttp://stephensforge.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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