For the Oregon Show, a special grain structure

Hello Mr. Fowler.

I met you at the Oregon show and was fortunate to be albe to hold and admire this incredible knife. I would also like to know if you have any further information on it. thank you.

take care

Eddie Baca
 
pendentive said:
If not, would you be wiling to make a cropped image for me? One of the ricasso area, one of the belly at its fullest. (same dpi, smaller pic)
Click to expand...

You've got mail!
 
Thanks Phil.

Do you mind if I post them here?

Dan
 
I don't mind and I doubt very much if Ed would either.

Kind of fascinating huh?
 
pics......

ef_belly2.jpg




ef_ricasso1.jpg
 
What I'd like to know is can those lil' "sparkles" in the steel be felt? (or only seen)
 
Many folks got to visit her, one man spent about an hour with her. She was well received, at least that was what I was told. Most did not understnad what they were looking at and I spent a lot of time explaining. I had her photographed by Dan O'Malley's crew, they did a good job, I haven't received the disc yet, but when I do I will send a copy to Phil and let him work on it for these forms. Dan is going to post the photo with my other blades and I intend to write some information on what I think she is.

The performance testing I did with her indicated she was truly exceptional. 20 edge flexes, no chips. I choped old dried and hard bone with no chips.
She did over 1,000 cuts and would still shave hair and was easy to sharpen. All in all she is what I have been working to develop for over 30 years.

I really hated to sell her, I would have kept her forever, but Angie and I are splitting up and I needed some cash. She went to a good home, a gentleman and true friend who has a standing order for any knives I consider exceptional asked for her when I first told him about her. She is truly loved, but not available for all to see. The photos are of excellent quality and will provide fodder for dreamers, at least dreamers of what can be.

I have a bar of steel that I have been working on for several months hoping to reproduce her, or maybe come close then we will do some laboratory work on future blades. After Blade Show I plan to do a lot of experimenting, it is all coming together.

Thanks for remembering and asking.

Take Care
 
Again and again you bring knives to a higher level. You continue to push things further and further and for that I thank you. I've learned many things from you and you writing over the years and look forward to much more in the continuing goal of the HPK. I also hope to meet you at the Blade show this year. Tess and I (and Danny) look forward to it. Thanks Ed.
 
Dang Ed :(
I'm sure sad to hear you and Angie are splitting
times like these are not good...my good wishes are with you both..
 
I'm sure sad to hear you and Angie are splitting

I would like to echo Dan's sentiments!
 
Thank you for the kind thoughts, I love Angie dearly, but the Willow Bow is my home, my knives and writing are my life. Angie seeks something different. Like my beloved grandmother always said, "Everything that happens is for the best!" She was never wrong.
 
Ed, I have far too much respect for you and Angie both to know that this is not a decision that you came to lightly. I wish you both an easy and friendly seperation and mcuh happiness in the future.

Of course I've been hoping for some years that we could all see each other again at either Blade or the NYCKS.
 
I talked to the owner, he is afraid to ship it to the blade show, doesn't want to take a chance on loosing her in transit. He said he slept with her the first night, and every now and then since receiving her. I don't blame him, his wife asked him why he brought her to bed with them and he explained her presence. I think she knows he likes her!

I showed her around in Eugene, some studied her and had some relavent thoughts. Are the dots Iron carbides? From the metalurgist (Rex) who has been working with me on the steel, probably not. Are they aggreages of chromium carbides, maybe, but not quite that simple. Possibly some influence similar to the wootz blades, banding maybe? We do know that at one time we had developed the record for fine grain structure in blades from the same billet, What we see in this blade some visable structures that follow. I did not flex the blade to 90 degrees or more, but 20 edge flexes showed no chips and she cut the rope like I have never seen before, sharpened easily and chopped old dried bone with no chips.

I am going to try to duplicate her, have been working on a billet of steel for several months and feel she is ready to start forging blades. Hopefully after Blade Show will have time to explore areas we feel show promice. When another is developed she will go the the lab for thorough analysis.

Thanks to Phil for making the photos available.

I am not trying to be cryptic, or hold back information, it is kind of like one of the mountain men, Jim Bridger, he was asked of he was ever lost in the wilderness, he replied "No, but I was confused for a few weeks one time".
 
Ed, my friend, I am really saddened to hear this and I believe you both know I wish you both nothing but the best.
 
I could have sworn I posted a picture of the finished knife, but I sure don't see it now. I must be losing my mind.

Well let's try it again.
54311503.jpg
 
Ed,

Sorry I didn't get a chance to stop by and introduce myself... well, okay, you were way too busy every time I did swing by to interrupt! LOL!!

So, I'm sorry I didn't get a chance to see her... but...

Talk with Nick Wheeler if you get a chance... I've posted a pic of the one I commissioned Nick to do that won at the NWKC show in Puyallup last year - in it you can see a little of the grain structures in and around the hamon. In fact, I think Nick achieved the ghosts of the Hamon both below and above - something I've been told the old Japanese swordsmiths strived for but found somewhat elusive. But beyond that (unfortunately, my pics don't show much at all!) Nick has different forms of grain structure all through the blade.

From what little I have read or heard, the process you have found achieves what the great swordsmiths of the past were able to do - you are learning to control the grain structure across the whole width and depth of the blade... and subsequently you are mastering the medium... And when you have done that, you'll have earned a place up there with Elmer Kieth and a slew of others who have mastered their mediums and then contributed right back to everyone else...

Good luck, sir...
 
Thanks Phil, for posting a picture for everyone. It really looks exceptional! The visible grain structure really sparks the imagination..

Congratulations Ed, I hope your future experiments with this will show to be successful. No one deserves it more. You are a great pioneer and mentor.

Look forward to seeing you all at Blade.

David
 
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