Joshua States Posted December 6, 2022 Author Share Posted December 6, 2022 5 hours ago, Brian Dougherty said: I really like that you rounded the face of the scales a bit. I think that flows much better than a slab-sided coffin handle would have. It's funny that you mentioned that. I have been seriously considering flattening them a bit. Right now this handle is over .80" thick. I'd like to get it down to .65" “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...
Brian Dougherty Posted December 6, 2022 Share Posted December 6, 2022 1 hour ago, Joshua States said: It's funny that you mentioned that. I have been seriously considering flattening them a bit. Right now this handle is over .80" thick. I'd like to get it down to .65" It wouldn't hurt it visually to have a bit of a facet on each face but still leave the edges rounded. You could take 0.075" of each face that way. 1 -Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshua States Posted December 8, 2022 Author Share Posted December 8, 2022 The guard is shaped, etched and blued. Front side Back side 4 “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...
Pieter-Paul Derks Posted December 9, 2022 Share Posted December 9, 2022 Very nice, I'll always love twist damascus 1 http://mefecit.nl/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshua States Posted December 11, 2022 Author Share Posted December 11, 2022 On 12/9/2022 at 6:19 AM, Pieter-Paul Derks said: Very nice, I'll always love twist damascus I am liking those bold, low-layer twists more and more. “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...
Joshua States Posted December 17, 2022 Author Share Posted December 17, 2022 This is one of those builds that Hancock used to “there’s 1000 ways it can go wrong” well, way 950 and something later… the pommel nut just won’t etch. 1 “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...
Joshua States Posted January 1 Author Share Posted January 1 (edited) This started out as a commission for someone who passed away before I could start on the handle. Then it morphed into an experiment in trying to forge a ring hilt from a single piece of steel. Then I got asked to donate a knife to the ABS annual auction as the Journeyman donor. That was when any idea of experimenting went out the window and I tried to focus on things I already knew how to do well. (with a couple of things I didn't know really well!) Stats: All PW steel is 1095 & 15N20. non-ferrous hardware is .04" nickel-silver. Handle scales are desert ironwood. Blade length is 277 mm, width at base is 27,5 mm. OAL is414 mm, guard width is 143 mm. Weight is 422 g. This is now done. Here are a few pics of the finished project. Right before final assembly. This is take-down and can be dismantled mostly. The 5-piece spacer can come apart. The 6-piece handle is held together with 8 domed pins and cannot come apart. Edited January 1 by Joshua States 6 “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...
Alan Longmire Posted January 1 Share Posted January 1 Nice! I imagine you're happy to see the back of this one, given all it's put you through. That said, it looks nice enough to be your MS quillon dagger... Good on you to donate it. 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charles dP Posted January 1 Share Posted January 1 I’m really liking this dagger Joshua. Into the inspiration folder it’s gone. 1 "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...
Joshua States Posted January 1 Author Share Posted January 1 1 hour ago, Alan Longmire said: it looks nice enough to be your MS quillon dagger. Thanks Alan, but it's missing the mandatory flutes and twisted wire inlays...details featils. 1 hour ago, Charles dP said: I’m really liking this dagger Joshua. Into the inspiration folder it’s gone. Thanks Charles. I have never showed the process to produce this particular pattern (I call it Turbulence) anywhere but here. Feel free to give it a whirl. “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...
Joshua States Posted January 1 Author Share Posted January 1 2 hours ago, Alan Longmire said: Good on you to donate it. BTW- It's not a completely altruistic decision. These two knives (one JS and one MS donation) will be auctioned off at a special meeting of some of the biggest collectors in the world. There is also a write-up coming in Blade magazine. I am doing this for the exposure as I refuse to apply to FIF..... 2 1 2 “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...
Gary LT Posted January 1 Share Posted January 1 Whew, Joshua, this one screams with balance and proportions! Great work! I have no inclination how it may feel or maneuver in hand but I really like it. ( Damn another something to try on my bucket list!) Thank you for all the hard work posting this project! Gaty LT 1 "I Never Met A Knife I Didn't Like", (Will Rogers) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gilbert McCann Posted January 2 Share Posted January 2 @Joshua StatesThat came out great. Good on you for the generous donation purely altruistic or not. I think you would have gotten a smile out of Tim for this one. Sheath time 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshua States Posted January 2 Author Share Posted January 2 Thanks everyone. I will be trying the ring hilt again on a different project and will post the process when I get there. 16 hours ago, Gary LT said: this one screams with balance and proportions! Great work! I have no inclination how it may feel or maneuver in hand This feels very fast and light to me. At less than 15 oz, this is not a heavy tool. The physical balance point is just forward of the guard, maybe by 1/4". 24 minutes ago, Gilbert McCann said: I think you would have gotten a smile out of Tim for this one. I think so too. He would have smiled and then written a list of everything that was "wrong" with it, and I would have been forever gratefull for his insight. As it stands, my personal list is only 6 items, but I have already asked Brion Tomberlin to give it a hard critique once he has it in his hand. So I am hopeful that he will point out something I missed. “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...
Joël Mercier Posted January 2 Share Posted January 2 Beautiful work! 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pieter-Paul Derks Posted January 2 Share Posted January 2 I really like this one, loved seeing it come together on social media as well. This is one of the few knives I like with all damascus hardware, often it is just too busy for my taste, but you struck the perfect balance. I also love wide guards on daggers, very elegant. 1 http://mefecit.nl/ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joshua States Posted January 2 Author Share Posted January 2 (edited) On 1/2/2023 at 11:02 AM, Pieter-Paul Derks said: often it is just too busy for my taste, I feel the same way. IMNSHO, any Damascus blade should be the focal point of the knife. Any additional patterned hardware should compliment, but not distract. For instance, I could have used a piece of the blade bar and made the guard from it. and the same with the frames. That would be way too much for me. That's why I chose bold, low-layer for the fittings and traditional twist for the frame. Edited January 4 by Joshua States 1 “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...
Brian Dougherty Posted January 4 Share Posted January 4 Nice work Joshua! I'm just catching up after my annual 2-week break from anything social media related, but my first thought was much like Alan's - that was a great warm-up for your master dagger. 1 -Brian Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Richard van Dijk Posted January 11 Share Posted January 11 That turned out great, very nice work. 1 Richard van Dijk My link Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kreg Whitehead Posted January 11 Share Posted January 11 That is really a work of art.....I dont know if I would be able to part with it. lol 1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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