A knife with a bit of a story to it.
The handle material is Maple Burl. Given to me by a guitar maker and accomplished musician who is one of my close neighbors. Once a husband of a well known Nashville female star now living the quite life along a remote river in northern Minnesota. On one of his escapades to locate some material for a new guitar build, he came across a maple burl. He gave it to me last year and I cut it up and had some of it stabilized.
The eyes of the burl are on top.
I made the guard from the first billet I've ever heard of from this material - wrought iron and 15N20 mix. I wanted to add some character to the wrought and just give it a different look.
Which, by the way, is more dramatic in the real world.
The blade was forged from a 1 1/8" round bar of W1 and given a differential hardening with clay, resulting in the hamon.
(http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c247/kbaknife/Trad%20Gang/SMPKaa-2_zpsa6af161e.jpg) (http://s28.photobucket.com/user/kbaknife/media/Trad%20Gang/SMPKaa-2_zpsa6af161e.jpg.html)
(http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c247/kbaknife/Trad%20Gang/SMPKbb-2_zps09f003bc.jpg) (http://s28.photobucket.com/user/kbaknife/media/Trad%20Gang/SMPKbb-2_zps09f003bc.jpg.html)
Notice my little "guest" at the top of the hamon. I was literally taking these photos outside amongst a SWARM!! of mosquitoes. Bad enough that I almost quit trying to get photos.
(http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c247/kbaknife/Trad%20Gang/SMPKcc-2_zps8279ee10.jpg) (http://s28.photobucket.com/user/kbaknife/media/Trad%20Gang/SMPKcc-2_zps8279ee10.jpg.html)
(http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c247/kbaknife/Trad%20Gang/SMPKff-2_zpse0c8a3c2.jpg) (http://s28.photobucket.com/user/kbaknife/media/Trad%20Gang/SMPKff-2_zpse0c8a3c2.jpg.html)
(http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c247/kbaknife/Trad%20Gang/SMPKgg-2_zps68b19c89.jpg) (http://s28.photobucket.com/user/kbaknife/media/Trad%20Gang/SMPKgg-2_zps68b19c89.jpg.html)
(http://i28.photobucket.com/albums/c247/kbaknife/Trad%20Gang/SMPKhh-2_zpsfd5b8303.jpg) (http://s28.photobucket.com/user/kbaknife/media/Trad%20Gang/SMPKhh-2_zpsfd5b8303.jpg.html)
Beautiful knife. I really like the handle shape, great hamon and the maple is just WAY beyond the norm. That mosquito's gotta die, though.
I got nailed three times walking up to my shop and it's only about 20 yards. I do have a bit of a vendetta going now :mad:
Very nice all the way around buddy. No skeeters here yet, hope it stays that way...
Nice knife Karl, as usual. :thumbsup:
How was the wrought and 15n20 mix to weld and draw?......obviously it worked for you, but I would have guessed they'd want to move differently under the hammer.
Doug, I can send some skeeters down for you if you want.......we have LOTS!
Darcy :campfire:
Darcy, they seemed to get along just fine. It added a nice new dimension to the wrought, but in truth, wrought is so cool by itself I may not do it again.
Maybe.
Not sure if it's worth the trouble.
I'm thinking that in a bar of twist wrought iron, it may add some integrity to it and hold it together a bit longer while twisting.
And it's not that the twisted wrought falls apart, it's just that the ends of the bar deform and round over making it difficult to grasp the bar to twist.
Some 15N20 in there may alleviate that.
Unfortunate double post. :cool:
Dang thats pretty!
Sweeeeet