Three Bones

[Wesley Alberson 138]

I have been playing too much Skyrim for the last few weeks, so naturally the idea for my blade has been heavily influenced by it. I want to incorporate my wedge tenon design on the knife, so I got to thinking. It would be cool to do some sort of design with dragon bones, and using a bone-shaped thing for the wedge would be pretty cool. While I'm at it, the dragon bones might as well make up the guard and butt plate, maybe even the handle, I'm not sure. The "bones" would be made of steel most likely. I'm leaning towards the less harshly curved version. With the bones being somewhat round, the wedge might be an issue to work into the design. Although there are these "dragon claws" in the game that are used as keys to different dungeons, and every dungeon requires a claw made of a different material (emerald, gold, sapphire, etc.). Fortunately there is an iron dragon claw, so maybe a smith broke the claw apart and turned it into a knife.

In Skyrim, the dragons have their own language with a cool-looking writing system that is made by their claws scratching stone. It could be cool to incorporate the symbols into it. I found out that "three bones" translates to "sed qeth," and looks something like this:

This is what the iron claw looks like, the three symbols need to be matched up on the door in order for the key to work. 

 

 

[Jonathan Silas 40]

Get to the cloud district often?

[Jeremy Blohm 458]

This looks like its going to be awesome. I really like the jamb knives you have made. The take down is cool as hell. I like the straight blade more but I'm sure what ever you make is going to be bad a#$

[Zeb Camper 747]

Awesome! Blessings of Talos to you!

I would've done Mehrune's razor, or the dragon bone dagger, or dragon preist's dagger, but I searched google, and it seems I'm not the only one who thought of those. 

[Wesley Alberson 138]

6 hours ago, Zeb Camper said:

Awesome! Blessings of Talos to you!

I would've done Mehrune's razor, or the dragon bone dagger, or dragon preist's dagger, but I searched google, and it seems I'm not the only one who thought of those. 

I was thinking of making a knife that was in-game, but decided against it for that reason. Many people have re-created the blades, I want something original. It might be interesting to give it some battle scars to make it really look like an ancient artifact.

[Zeb Camper 747]

Yeah I agree on the battle scars. I might do the same with mine. 

[Jonathan Silas 40]

4 hours ago, Zeb Camper said:

Yeah I agree on the battle scars. I might do the same with mine. 

That's what I'm going to start calling my belt slips! No longer shall I be the clumsy unskilled maker. That ding is where it deflected the lightning of an arch mage!!

Edited January 6, 2018 by Jonathan Silas
Of not if

[Wesley Alberson 138]

I have started on this knife, but I might still make the knife I had already planned on before. I forged out a seax blade for a Dwemer-inspired knife and made some fittings. The dwemer art style has a lot of square shapes, brass, and rivets.

I also tried out a guard making technique that looks very promising.  3 holes were drilled, the webbing was cut away with a cold chisel, then a punch was driven all the way through. The punch is then inserted 80% of the way and then hammered on the sides, focusing the blows towards the face of the guard. This closes up the face of the guard while leaving the rest oversized to the tang. This allows the guard to be fitted more easily because there is less material to deform when fitting. With iron or copper I could probably punch the hole, and because the bolster on the anvil side gets wider from the punching, it is the perfect side to hammer that excess back in.

[Zeb Camper 747]

That blade shape screams Skyrim! 

[Wesley Alberson 138]

Thanks! I really like the Dwemer art style. In lore the race had mysteriously disappeared, but there is still plenty of concept art. They are kind of steampunk, but still refined because the Dwemer were mixing science and magic.

[Alan Longmire 2,241]

Just so you know, if you didn't, that is, that word was ripped off from Tolkein, who stole it from Anglo-Saxon, but he didn't change the spelling.  "Dwimor" means dark magic (and also haunted) in both Tolkein's Rohanese and Mercian Anglo-Saxon. Yeah, I'm that big a nerd...

[Wesley Alberson 138]

I made a bit of progress on the fittings, elongated hexagonal shapes that have been slightly rounded over. I'm glad that I was able to grind the face of the bolster flat and still have a great fit, I'm definitely using this guard making method from now on. I wanted to have a whitesmith style to the blade and fittings with file texture. I love the look of some of the historical artifacts that Peter Ross has in his shop, and I wanted to make something that looks like it. It is crisp in shape, yet the file texture is still there, and it has been etched to artificially age the steel. I will heat up the fittings to darken them with oxides, then brighten the high spots.

[Alex Middleton 379]

Looking good.  It's coming together nicely!

[Zeb Camper 747]

Lookin' good! 

[Ben Hoover 15]

Nice. Wife paused her ESO to admire it.

[Wesley Alberson 138]

The blade is nearly completed! I just need to give it a few finishing touches. I riveted the brass and steel together on the butt plate for the wedge tenon on the end. I will name the blade Spelunkir, a blade owned by a famous Nord explorer who was fascinated with the dwemer ruins. He fashioned a knife out of a blade that his blacksmith friend made for him, and used some Dwemer scrap metal for the fittings, and an old battle axe handle from a busted up Dwemer battle axe. The Nord went missing in the labyrinth of Mzinchaleft, but his knife was unearthed by a search party, next to a door blocked by large stones that fell from a cave-in. 

 

[Wesley Alberson 138]

I have Spelunkr pretty much finished except for a sheath. The carved handle adds character and fills empty space. It also makes it a bit more grippy. Even though the knife balances on the index finger it is still a really good chopper, sharp too. I really like this filed and aged look, I might do this to more knives. It makes the knife feel like a relic or an heirloom that is still sharp and usable, and it begs to be used. Since this knife is kind of out of the box, it was the perfect opportunity to make a YouTube video of the process. I'll post the video in this thread once I finish and upload it.

[Wesley Alberson 138]

 

[Alex Middleton 379]

I like it Wes.  Different from the norm, yet pretty wicked looking in its own right.

[Zeb Camper 747]

I like the video. I watched it in the work truck. It's refreshing to see so much hotwork and hand tools used. Everything fits up perfect. Well executed. 

The blade looks very "Skyrim". 

[Alex Middleton 379]

I just got done unwrapping Spelunkr and it is awesome!  The patina fits the knife perfectly, and the fit and finish is excellent.  Overall it's an outstanding blade!  You're right Wes, this knife just seems like it wants to be cutting and chopping something.  Thanks for the little extra as well, it's a cool idea and is surprisingly comfortable to wear.

[Wesley Alberson 138]

I'm glad you like it! I really like blades with a long sweeping belly, I think that it is the optimal way to make a blade that cuts well and is easy to sharpen.

[Bruno 80]

That's a really cool looking knife.   I'd carry that around, cut my apples with it for sure.