New knifemaker needs critique please

raylaconico

raylaconico

Joined
Jan 30, 2004
Messages
4,030
Hi, I'm a fairly new knifemaker and I wanted to see what you guys think of this piece. I just got my "knifemaker" subscription and this is the first time I've posted a knife for people to see. This is also a test to see if I can figure out how to post pictures. the blade is 1095, 9.5" long and .25" thick. The handle is blesbok horn and maple. The sheath is wood wrapped in leather. Let me know what you guys think.
Thanks, Ray
 
Howdy Ray ! I like it ! Looks like a slight curve to the blade , nice. Funny how pics sometimes make a blade look way bigger than it really is , in the pic it looks about 18 inches to me.
Although it is friday and almost 5 so I'm a bit groggy hehe.
Hey i'm in Fresno , not too far away , out of curiosity where did you get your start ? self taught ? do you buy your materials online or locally ? I cant seem to find anything local except for the leather shop in Clovis.
Anyways , nice knife
:)
Todd
 
Todd, Thanks. I learned everything from the internet and mostly from these forums. I've been a lurker for about 5 years now. I've been using a 4x36 grinder and heat treat in a charcoal pit. I order materials online except for wood and leather which I get locally. Here's a pic of the knife in the sheath
 
Ray, that is really a beautiful knife.
My only critique would be that the top part of the bottom half (the lumps) stick out too far, and ruin the way it flows.
But for someone who is a pretty new knifemaker, it's really great work.
 
Very nice ray...............please feel free to grace us with more of your work.

Cerberus :cool:
 
It's not really my style of knife but it has obviously been made with care, attention to detail and a fair amount of good old skill. Well done.

I particularly liked the sheath, very nicely done. I look forward to seeing more of your work.
 
Thanks for all your comments. I was nervous about showing my work for the first time. I've shown my stuff to family and friends and they all say good things but family and friends usually say nice things anyway. I'm glad to hear nice things from people I don't personally know. Thanks again. I'll post another knife for more critique.
-Ray
 
Hi Ray, welcome to the forums!

I like the sheath and love the blade, but the handle just doesn't go with the blade very well. I held up a sheat of paper over your pic and blocked out the horn and it looked fantastic. I would have liked it better with all horn or all maple...with maple being the perfered material.

Looking good Ray, keep at it!!
 
Tom, I didn't like the handle very much either so I gave the knife away to my brother-in-law who liked it very much. I Really wanted to use that piece of horn but it wasn't long enough so I had to add the wood. It also had a very wavy temper line that I thought was ugly although it doesn't show in the pic. The only thing that I really liked was the sheath which I thought was perfect. Thanks for your input. I'll post another knife with a maple handle.
-Ray
 
Wel........if you are just giving them away, I want to be next on the list! :D :D :D

Cerberus
 
Great overall lines and nice design as well.
Here is my 2cents for the next one:
Use a 3/16" thick guard instead of 1/4" if that is what you did hard to be certain.
Try a contrasting material in front of the guard
IMO that would be really nicely offset with an solid Ironwood handle shaped to fit the palm. Help the flow and really make a very nice piece outstanding!

Sheath IMO is top knotch an outstanding piece of crafstmanship...Excellant!
Hope the suggestions help you out...Feel free to Email me if you have any questions.
Keep up the great work!
 
Nice sheath!

You did a great job with the blesbok - would have been nice if the spacer was smaller, or maybe you could have cut the horn at the top of the first ridge and mated the knife there....anyway, dang nice work and gutsy move using the blesbok.

That knife needs a maker's mark on it!
 
raylaconico, I'm not a maker, so these comments are coming from the perspective of someone who doesn't know art, but knows what he likes. I really love the blade shape and the the filework is outstanding, IMHO. As far as the handle goes I would have liked to see the blesbok go the whole length, but overall the craftsmanship appears outstanding, and this is definately a matter of taste, as opposed to a commentary on your workmanship. Definately a piece I'd be willing to lay out good money for, if I had it to spend. Keep up the good work.

Lagarto
 
Your a new maker? Looks like an old pro to me! Great work! .....R
 
Thanks for the kind words. I'm not really a new maker. What I mean is that I'm new to the knife community. This is the first time I've shown my work in public and I've never sold a knife before. In that way, I am new. However, I've been making knives for about 4 years now.
-Ray
 
As a whole, I like it. As others have said, the sheath is a masterpiece. And, as others have also stated, the handle doesn't flow well to me. The horn looks cool, but it looks upside-down; given the ridges, it almost appears to have finger grooves in the top-rear portion of the handle. I know this is not the case, but that's what I visually perceive. I'd definitely like to see what you could do with a full-size piece of that horn :eek: :)

Keep up the good work and keep on posting here. And, when I finally get a pic of my first knife up, please be gentle with teh comments :eek: ;)
 
Beautiful knife that will be a great user looks like to me.I echo everyone else's thoughts on the sheath.Keep it up and you'll be swamped with orders.Leatherbird.
 
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