Gabriel James Posted September 5, 2017 Share Posted September 5, 2017 (edited) Greetings fellas! In my continued attempt to get better, i present my 6th hidden tang knife in a row!!! If you know me thats impressive (i love full tang) I dont have alot of blocks, so this knife was a mortised construction, horse hoof style? 420/1084. Leather, vulcanized paper, suriname ironwood. My first successful SS san mai among a list of a few others. Admittedly I had a bit of help from Kyle Gahagan, hes been really helpful here lately getting me out of my slump! Edit: I pulled out all the stops, please point out any glaring areas that need improvement! Part of me wishes the ricasso was square, and the plunge meeting it at a 45 degree angle....pics arent very good either. Edited September 5, 2017 by Gabriel James 6 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Hewitt Posted September 5, 2017 Share Posted September 5, 2017 Love that San mai! I've tried doing that myself several times, as my scrap pile can verify! A great piece all round, lovely woodwork! one day... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffM Posted September 5, 2017 Share Posted September 5, 2017 Hi Gabriel Point of curiosity here for me...is there a purpose behind not having the brass guard snugged up tight against the back edge of the blade??? Overall I like the look of the wood and brass as the contrast each other and also how it matches up with the San Mai construction of the blade... Just curious about the guard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabriel James Posted September 5, 2017 Author Share Posted September 5, 2017 Funny you should ask me that Jeff. Besides myself, my worst critic is my best friend, and he "hates that roundy choil-ricasso bit" because "it serves zero purpose". He wants it to be a finger well for an alternative grip. Initially i was going to go a different route, but when my plunges came out absolutely perfectly symmetrical i didnt have the gusto to alter it. So to answer your question.... i dont really know. I do not make a lot of hunter/knives with guards or ricassos so this was my rendition of that i suppose. Be interesting to know if anyone else thinks it looks strange / out of place? Thanks guys for the comments! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jake cleland Posted September 5, 2017 Share Posted September 5, 2017 personally I love the interplay of the guard/choil/ricasso/plunges - I think the argument that it serves no purpose is a bit weird, tbh, as really it's having a cutting edge or solid hunk of ricasso there that would be redundant, so having that area removed fulfils the requirements of minimalism and practicality. That said, the two things that I would change would be to have the tine of the guard not extend past the line of the edge, which would improve both the functionality and aesthetics, and the main problem I have is with the line of the spine of the handle - the peaks and hollows seem too busy to my eye, with the upsweep at the butt being particularly jarring. I think the butt should be at the same level as the tip in most cases, and certainly should not be above the blade/handle junction without a very good reason... 2 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...
Gabriel James Posted September 5, 2017 Author Share Posted September 5, 2017 Thanks for that input Jake. I see what youre saying about the spine line, but being as how comfortable it feels and indexes currently, i would be afraid of losing some of that with a tweak. For future reference if i decide to do another handle similar to this, perhaps i could rid myself of the top swell in favor of better lines, and still maintain a solid grip. PLenty to work on for the next attempt! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dennis Mitchell Posted September 6, 2017 Share Posted September 6, 2017 Other what has been mentioned, I also like the way your San Mai came out, and the ironwood pattern is gorgeous. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
larsjacobsen Posted September 6, 2017 Share Posted September 6, 2017 That is a good looking knife .... 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gabriel James Posted September 8, 2017 Author Share Posted September 8, 2017 Thanks guys for the kind words! i wish i were brave enough to try and move the handle down a touch like everyone suggested, bahaha. It's at the laser engraver getting logo'd up Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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