- Joined
- Oct 20, 2008
- Messages
- 5,547
Ive been working on this knife for a while, among other projects. This was the artsy piece of the bunch, that proved the most challenging by far.
The blade and fittings are forged from one piece of W2 tool steel, and the handle pieces are African blackwood.
The handle is held together with two micarta pins and two hidden stainless pins.
There are a number of aspects of this knife that were new features for me to attempt. The deep fuller, the 2 hollow grinds, a hamon on this type of double edged grind, the integral quillons and pommel, the opposed tang with trickier inletting for the scales, the inside corners on the fittings machined and then carved/polished Im happy to have gotten through all of it to the other side.
I dont always name knives, just when something comes to me as Im working on one so I named this knife Vandimion. Thats in reference to a character in a dark fantasy series Im reading, a young woman named Farnese Vandimion. She leads an army called the Knights of the Holy Iron Chain- who roam the land, prosecuting and burning witches in the service of the Pope. Shes a very dark yet beautiful character who later finds redemption, becoming a witch herself and fighting heroically against the true forces of evil.
That is to say, I tried to combine a sort of femininity, a bit of darkness, a medieval aspect, and the flame of the hamon to represent the pyre (the series is by a Japanese author as well.) There also seems to be a touch of Art Deco, which crept in without me realizing it (although I have in the last year worked occasionally with a master artist blacksmith who does wonderful work in the Art Deco style )
I went with a dark style hamon and mattin finish blade at 1000 grit as I wanted the boldness of that, and the fittings and tang are sanded all over to 600 grit and oiled. The blackwood was finished with coats of teak oil.
Specs:
12 blade length
16-5/16 overall length
1-1/8 max blade with
4-3/16 quillons, tip to tip
.220 blade width at ricasso
9.5 oz. total weight
I am asking $1000 for this knife. NOW SOLD PENDING FUNDS., which includes insured shipping to anywhere in the 50 US states. For international rates, please inquire.
Ok ok, enough yakking, here are the pics finally! Theres a vid too, at the bottom. Enjoy!
Video to come later, when I get to a better internet connection
I make knives to the best of my ability and knowledge. I research to find the best materials and methods to use, in order to provide the very best product, in terms of value, durability, performance, and aesthetics. Should you find a knife you have bought from me to be lacking in any of these respects, you may ship it back to me at my expense for a full money-back return.
Should a knife purchased from me fail in materials or workmanship, please ship it back to me at my own expense for your money back in full, or repairs at no cost. Its your choice.
I will sharpen any of my knives at no cost; however I do ask that you pay for shipping costs for this service.
I am always pleased to hear from any of my customers, past, repeat, potential, or otherwise. Please go to my web site, see "Contact Me" and give me a call. If you have any questions regarding these policies, I'd like to hear them
I am not currently accepting orders, except for chef knives on a limited basis. Contact me if youd like to talk about kitchen cutlery.
Salem Straub
The blade and fittings are forged from one piece of W2 tool steel, and the handle pieces are African blackwood.
The handle is held together with two micarta pins and two hidden stainless pins.
There are a number of aspects of this knife that were new features for me to attempt. The deep fuller, the 2 hollow grinds, a hamon on this type of double edged grind, the integral quillons and pommel, the opposed tang with trickier inletting for the scales, the inside corners on the fittings machined and then carved/polished Im happy to have gotten through all of it to the other side.
I dont always name knives, just when something comes to me as Im working on one so I named this knife Vandimion. Thats in reference to a character in a dark fantasy series Im reading, a young woman named Farnese Vandimion. She leads an army called the Knights of the Holy Iron Chain- who roam the land, prosecuting and burning witches in the service of the Pope. Shes a very dark yet beautiful character who later finds redemption, becoming a witch herself and fighting heroically against the true forces of evil.
That is to say, I tried to combine a sort of femininity, a bit of darkness, a medieval aspect, and the flame of the hamon to represent the pyre (the series is by a Japanese author as well.) There also seems to be a touch of Art Deco, which crept in without me realizing it (although I have in the last year worked occasionally with a master artist blacksmith who does wonderful work in the Art Deco style )
I went with a dark style hamon and mattin finish blade at 1000 grit as I wanted the boldness of that, and the fittings and tang are sanded all over to 600 grit and oiled. The blackwood was finished with coats of teak oil.
Specs:
12 blade length
16-5/16 overall length
1-1/8 max blade with
4-3/16 quillons, tip to tip
.220 blade width at ricasso
9.5 oz. total weight
I am asking $1000 for this knife. NOW SOLD PENDING FUNDS., which includes insured shipping to anywhere in the 50 US states. For international rates, please inquire.
Ok ok, enough yakking, here are the pics finally! Theres a vid too, at the bottom. Enjoy!
Video to come later, when I get to a better internet connection
I make knives to the best of my ability and knowledge. I research to find the best materials and methods to use, in order to provide the very best product, in terms of value, durability, performance, and aesthetics. Should you find a knife you have bought from me to be lacking in any of these respects, you may ship it back to me at my expense for a full money-back return.
Should a knife purchased from me fail in materials or workmanship, please ship it back to me at my own expense for your money back in full, or repairs at no cost. Its your choice.
I will sharpen any of my knives at no cost; however I do ask that you pay for shipping costs for this service.
I am always pleased to hear from any of my customers, past, repeat, potential, or otherwise. Please go to my web site, see "Contact Me" and give me a call. If you have any questions regarding these policies, I'd like to hear them
I am not currently accepting orders, except for chef knives on a limited basis. Contact me if youd like to talk about kitchen cutlery.
Salem Straub
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