A couple of firsts: Big Bowies and Hamons

John Wilson

Well-Known Member
These knives represent a couple of firsts for me. I had never done a big Bowie or a hamon, so why not swallow an elephant and try both at the same time? I can say that the hamon was certainly a learning experience. I'm okay with the results but I have a long list of lessons learned that I will improve upon in my future attempts. I cannot thank John Doyle enough for his patience and guidance in answering my questions and giving me honest feedback. Having done this process now, I have a much better understanding of it. It's a lot to take in and I see now that hamons are certainly a good example of a process where you improve over time as you gain experience. The hamon lines themselves aren't spectacular- I had no idea how best to lay out the refractory cement even after studying every video I could find. I decided to try a simple uneven line just to get an idea of how closely the line would follow the border of the cement. (answer: The line has much more to do with the thickness of the cement than the actual shape you give it.)

The knives themselves are 1075. Blades are 12 inches long, 3/8" at the ricasso with full distal taper. Handles are Koa. One is a curly Koa and the other is Pomelle (Blister) Koa.
 

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Thanks, guys! I really appreciate it!

I'll tell you something else - this project made me pull the trigger on a heat treat oven. For these knives I used my little Atlas Mini Forge. I had to cut the back off it so that I could pass these huge blades all the way through. The Atlas has a 2-1/2 inch diameter and these puppies are 2 inches. Over a 12 inch length, that's not a lot of room. I played hell trying to pass these blades in/out to get the heat even along the blade evenly and not knock off the refractory cement from the spine. I've been saying for a while now that it's about time to get an oven, and after this ordeal it became "time."
 
That’s awesome!!! Really beautiful work for sure. I have been having major trouble trying to figure out how to make that “Bowie style” handle with a full tang. The curve of the pommel area is difficult for me to draw for some reason. Again amazingly clean and beautiful work as always.
 
Very nice,you can only improve by jumping off the cliff, if you stand and look over the edge for to long you will talk yourself out of jumping and you gain nothing.Just jump and enjoy the ride and gain a ton of experience and knowledge that will enhance your skill.Great Job brother !!
 
That’s awesome!!! Really beautiful work for sure. I have been having major trouble trying to figure out how to make that “Bowie style” handle with a full tang. The curve of the pommel area is difficult for me to draw for some reason. Again amazingly clean and beautiful work as always.

The grain of the wood makes the geometry look more complex than it actually is. The handle is really just a hocky stick shape. The line of the blade's spine travels straight through the guard and continues into the handle. A little over halfway, the angle drops down. (hockey stick).

To get the curve, start with your typical 2" handle block (for example). Draw a semicircle from top to bottom where the radius of the semicircle touches the end the block.

Top line: Now draw your top line, equal to where the blade spine line will continue. Then draw your downward kick line (hockey stick). Where the straight line and the downward kick intersect, make a sweeping curve from that point to the top of the semicircle.

Now do the same for your bottom line. This is where you get to determine how much belly you want in the handle. The bottom line of the ricasso comes straight through the guard into the handle. This establishes the thickness (top to bottom) of your handle where it meets the guard. The difference is now you can let the line slope toward the bottom, unlike the top where you want the top of the handle in line with the blade spine. On the bottom, that line can can be a slope all the way to the bottom intersection of the semicircle. Now, put some curves in there. You can massage that bottom line however you like. Extend the bottom of the semicircle so that the circle continues upward some. This will give you that "hook" on the bottom of the handle.

Don't be a slave to your shapes. They are just layout lines for proportion. Once you have the basic geometric layout, go crazy. Flatten curves. Tighten them up. Move your intersections. Your eye will tell you where things go. Then on the grinder, your hand will guide you. Regardless of how it looks, it has to feel right. You know how a knife needs to feel.
 
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you can only improve by jumping off the cliff, if you stand and look over the edge for to long you will talk yourself out of jumping and you gain nothing.Just jump and enjoy the ride and gain a ton of experience and knowledge that will enhance your skill.

This needs to be written on the wall of every knife maker.
 
This needs to be written on the wall of every knife maker.
Yep...along with, "Your eye will tell you where things go."

That intuitive feel when you say...sumpin' just ain't right...and you play with it for a bit and go, "there...THAT'S it!" Lol...we've all been there.
 
So true. I don't know about you guys, but nothing that looks good on paper ever feels just right. I have to massage it as I'm making it to get it where it needs to be. Maybe one day I'll be able to lay something out on paper that is right to begin with.
 
The grain of the wood makes the geometry look more complex that it actually is. The handle is really just a hocky stick shape. The line of the blade's spine travels straight through the guard and continues into the handle. A little over halfway, the angle drops down. (hockey stick).

To get the curve, start with your typical 2" handle block (for example). Draw a semicircle from top to bottom where the radius of the semicircle touches the end the block.

Top line: Now draw your top line, equal to where the blade spine line will continue. Then draw your downward kick line (hockey stick). Where the straight line and the downward kick intersect, make a sweeping curve from that point to the top of the semicircle.

Now do the same for your bottom line. This is where you get to determine how much belly you want in the handle. The bottom line of the ricasso comes straight through the guard into the handle. This establishes the thickness (top to bottom) of your handle where it meets the guard. The difference is now you can let the line slope toward the bottom, unlike the top where you want the top of the handle in line with the blade spine. On the bottom, that line can can be a slope all the way to the bottom intersection of the semicircle. Now, put some curves in there. You can massage that bottom line however you like. Extend the bottom of the semicircle so that the circle continues upward some. This will give you that "hook" on the bottom of the handle.

Don't be a slave to your shapes. They are just layout lines for proportion. Once you have the basic geometric layout, go crazy. Flatten curves. Tighten them up. Move your intersections. Your eye will tell you where things go. Then on the grinder, your hand will guide you. Regardless of how it looks, it has to feel right. You know how a knife needs to feel.
WOW!!!! This is exactly what I meant a while back. I really “get” your directions. Which is honestly why I brought up the design question here. I knew you would hit it on the head. Which by the way, thank you very much! I also want to give knifedogs props here because without this community, how would I even be able to pose such a question? Thanks again John!
 
So true. I don't know about you guys, but nothing that looks good on paper ever feels just right. I have to massage it as I'm making it to get it where it needs to be. Maybe one day I'll be able to lay something out on paper that is right to begin with.
Yes...paper is so one dimensional...Almost nothing I do on paper turns out like my mind was seeing it. I do not know how to change that except to just realize that design is an iterative process...draw it, make a model if possible, change it, lather, rinse, repeat...
 
WOW!!!! This is exactly what I meant a while back. I really “get” your directions. Which is honestly why I brought up the design question here. I knew you would hit it on the head. Which by the way, thank you very much! I also want to give knifedogs props here because without this community, how would I even be able to pose such a question? Thanks again John!

Thanks Kevin. I tried to draw up a simple sketch and post it but can't get my computer to cooperate. I know it's tough to visualize written words, so I'm very happy you were able to get something useful from what I wrote.
 
Yes...paper is so one dimensional...Almost nothing I do on paper turns out like my mind was seeing it. I do not know how to change that except to just realize that design is an iterative process...draw it, make a model if possible, change it, lather, rinse, repeat...

Same here. Someone once said that a good knife design evolves bit by bit. I know that is one hundred percent true in my experience. I start off with a design I like and by the time it's made it's gone through a number of subtle changes. After all, it has to feel right in the hand. Then each time I make that design I fix some little thing I didn't really care for on the last one. The design eventually becomes what you always wanted, you just didn't know it at the time.

I had the hardest time in the beginning with handle dimensions. Length, thickness- you name it. What looks perfectly proportional on paper always feels just a tiny bit too short in my hand. It only took about a hundred knives, but now I know how long I want my handles. In fact, each knife begins with the handle and the blade grows out of it, which is totally backwards from how I started drawing knives in the beginning.
 
Those are beautiful, John! And thank you for the explanation of how you did the handle. It was very helpful and filed away for future use
 
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