Would Like Some Input...

JayDee70

JayDee70

Gold Membership
Made these two knives recently more or less at the customers direction but now want to make one for myself but really have no idea what I want. In making the Beast I found a de-lamination defect in the Damascus blade;

Look to the right just above the ricosso, I could catch a finger nail on the edges.
IMG_1863.jpg

Call my vendor and they replaced the blade without question so now I have an extra blade that would be suitable for personal use but not for a customer.

I am thinking of doing something like this as a handle for it. The first pic is a current 'as-is', the second one is a photo-shop version of what I am thinking of doing. The guard and pummel shown would be from brass strapping, the colored lines would be vulcanized spacer material. I know that the curve of the guard goes against most of what I see but I wanted to give it a little curve and also keep the natural finger guard on the antler.
IMG_2074.jpgIMG_2071b.jpg


What do you think? Would appreciate any and all input. I don't know a lot about knives, yes I can put things together good but that doesn't necessarily need a lot of "knife know-how". If you suggest an idea I would appreciate some input on the why and even the how.

Thanks for looking, reading, and hopefully posting your thoughts.
 
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The first one has a better flow of lines across the spine of the blade to the top of the handle. The photo shopped picture would have the edge of the tang coming out of the bottom of the handle. It would need to go more up tothe middle line of the antler. On both the antler would take some finishing to make it look less crude.

Be aware that the de-lamination at the ricasso will cause a structural weakness in the blade that could cause a failure in hard use.

Doug
 
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Doug Lester said:
The first one has a better flow of lines across the spine of the blade to the top of the handle. The photo shopped picture would have the edge of the tang coming out of the bottom of the handle. It would need to go more up tothe middle line of the antler. On both the antler would take some finishing to make it look less crude.

Be aware that the de-lamination at the ricasso will cause a structural weakness in the blade that could cause a failure in hard use.

Doug
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Thanks for the comments Doug but based on your comments I guess I should have been clearer in mine. The first "as-is" photo just shows the initial fabrication of the tang hole in the antler. The flow of lines is identical(except for the brass additions and PS changes) in both pics. They are just at slightly different photo angles. There has not been any attempt to clean/polish/or finish the antler at this point because there will be cutting/trimming and grinding operations performed on it. The tang is currently slip fitted into the hole for depth gauging. I am sure the bottom of the tang is pretty close to the bottom of the antler but it did not come through although the tang hole does exit the top of the pommel end at about 3/4" from the pommel end of the antler, that is one reason that it will have a pommel. I will be trimming the antler to just behind that exit hole and add a pommel of some sort.

Given the above additional info do you have any other thoughts. Again thanks for your comments, they addressed exactly what I was hoping for I just did not provide enough info.

As for the potential safety concerns of the de-lamination, I will basically be using this knife for show and tell for potential customers. The de-lamination will be an example of quality concerns "I look for".
 
Since you asked for feedback, please take it as constructive criticism.


The antler handle looks backwards to me for two reasons. Firstly, the antler as shown (and also in the photoshop version) is fatter at the guard than at the butt. It looks backwards and it causes the blade to look too small. The end result looks odd. Flip the photoshop antler around and the knife looks a lot more balanced. All it would need then is to correct the angle of the guard. Secondly, that huge and thick guard serves no purpose. You had to make it that big and thick because the antler is backwards. It looks like the blade is sticking out of the crown. Having that tine act as a guard in the as-is pic doesn't work which I'm sure you realize because you attempted to correct it in the drawing.

Rules are meant to be broken, and style is subjective. However, some things work better than others and more people will find them pleasing- that's how a thing becomes a rule of thumb you should consider. For example, it looks a lot better when the handle at the guard end is just about the same height as the the ricasso as it enters the guard from the other side. That way the lines of the blade flow *through* the guard and continue uninterrupted, becoming the lines of the handle. The guard should not look like a transition. Again, just a rule of thumb- but a really good one. Another is that if the handle is tapered, it looks way better if the butt is the fat end of the taper. A handle is more ergonomic that way, too. Another plus is that functionally the skinny end of the taper goes into the sheath better than a big, bulbous guard.
 
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John Wilson said:
Since you asked for feedback, please take it as constructive criticism.
The antler handle looks backwards to me for two reasons. Firstly, the antler as shown (and also in the photoshop version) is fatter at the guard than at the butt. It looks backwards and it causes the blade to look too small. The end result looks odd. Flip the photoshop antler around and the knife looks a lot more balanced. All it would need then is to correct the angle of the guard. Secondly, that huge and thick guard serves no purpose. You had to make it that big and thick because the antler is backwards. It looks like the blade is sticking out of the crown. Having that tine act as a guard in the as-is pic doesn't work which I'm sure you realize because you attempted to correct it in the drawing.

Rules are meant to be broken, and style is subjective. However, some things work better than others and more people will find them pleasing- that's how a thing becomes a rule of thumb you should consider. For example, it looks a lot better when the handle at the guard end is just about the same height as the the ricasso as it enters the guard from the other side. That way the lines of the blade flow *through* the guard and continue uninterrupted, becoming the lines of the handle. The guard should not look like a transition. Again, just a rule of thumb- but a really good one. Another is that if the handle is tapered, it looks way better if the butt is the fat end of the taper. A handle is more ergonomic that way, too. Another plus is that functionally the skinny end of the taper goes into the sheath better than a big, bulbous guard.
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Thanks John, that is perfect constructive criticism as far as I am concerned. I didn't know anything about the aesthetics of knives when I started on the first one but I continue to learn, your comments are exactly what I am looking for. Even thought the tang(or is it tine) hole is already in place I think I can, with a little adjustment of the hole size, turn the antler end for end and then use what I was referring to as a 'natural finger guard' on the antler as a rear quillion. I'll do some photo editing and see what that will look like. Thanks again.
 
John Wilson said:
Since you asked for feedback, please take it as constructive criticism.....
Click to expand...
John, is this anything like what you are saying? I flipped it around and cut down on the size of the resulting pommel, should probably be even a little smaller. The two tan lines through the length of the antler are, the light tan- original/current tang hole, the darker would be a new tang hole. I do have another similar piece of antler that I can drill for the new tang hole location. I have to agree that this looks much better then my original idea. Couldn't see past using the natural curve of the antler as a finger guard.:34:What do you(and others) think.
IMG_2071c.jpg
 
YES!!

That looks fantastic! The hole is no biggie. You'll cover it with the end cap anyway. Heck, a hole all the way through will help you get the epoxy in there a lot easier, too.




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Antler can be a difficult medium because it's so hard to find one that has the size and shape you have in mind. Whitetail antler especially because it usually begins to twist just upward of the crown. If you have antler you like, just make it a feature instead of fighting it. Turn it in your hand- there will usually be a comfortable position.


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