Need some design help

[Geoff Keyes]

I just need some brains to bounce ideas off of.  I have this piece, it's damascus (with a big band of 1080 running down the middle).  Though it's hard to catch in pics, it's bi-faced, like a dagger.  The top edge is not sharp, but it is beveled.  The surface is really giving me fits, I can't get the camera to see it very well.

 

I have an interesting piece of bamboo which I've been intending to use as a handle.  That swings the piece into an asian/fantasy direction.  OR  I could go with a more conventional fighter kind of mount for it, which takes it off in another direction.

 

If I fit up the bamboo and I don't like it, I may not be able to use it at all for anything else.

What do the folk think?

 

 

I didn't notice in the piece, but the pics make the steel look like it's got faces

 

g

[Alan Longmire]

Maybe Persian?

[Joshua States]

Can you show us the bamboo handle material?

There are some traditional single-edge blades from India that are really pointy like that with a wide variety of handle designs and materials. You could do something similar to a Kard or Pesh Kabz.

[Gerhard Gerber]

Show us your bamboo! 

 

Looking at the blade again today I thought it needs a D-guard.......

[Geoff Keyes]

Ask, and I'll get around to it .  I would have done this last night, but the skeeters were fierce after dark and there was a bear prowling about, so it seemed reasonable to wait.

 

One idea I'm toying with is a Moghul style like this

 

But in buffalo horn with some accent spacers (maybe ivory).

Another direction is ivory with black buffalo horn spacer and end cap, more Japanese decorative tanto style

 

I've got a fair bit of the Mastodon bark, plus some nice cracked ice pieces of the same.

Then there is this.  This is golden bamboo pieces that have been in the stash for 10+ years.  It grows this way just above the root for a foot or so, then it opens up into long straight sections between the nodes.  It's about 1.25" diameter.  It never gets much bigger around than that, but it does grow 20 ft tall.

 

 

Or I could go with a more conventional bowie style, in which case I'd probably go with Sonoran Ironwood.  I've got lots of that.  I generally like to put lower key handles with damascus blades so that they don't fight visually.  I know, low key, like 10K year old mastodon tusk 

G

[Alan Longmire]

I was thinking that exact Indo-Persian jade handle shape!  It would look great in black horn.  But that bamboo speaks to me as well...  maybe with a horn buttcap?  Thin, not enough to add visual weight, just to seal the pith and add contrast.  

[Geoff Keyes]

I've got other pieces that the bamboo will work for, and some larger pieces that would work for a scabbard.  That sort of takes them in the direction of some of Don Fogg's asian pieces.  I'm not comparing my work to Don's, but I take inspiration from his work.

I'm thinking that piece of horn is perfect

 

 

g 

[Joshua States]

5 hours ago, Geoff Keyes said:

One idea I'm toying with is a Moghul style like this

My vote. I'm with Alan on this

 

[Doug Lester]

It looks like you have at least 3 votes for the Moghul style.

 

Doug

[Charles dP]

4 

[Joshua States]

Doooo eeet!