Steampunk Knives- show us what you have!

Closest I've got.

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Pro-Tech Godson, pre production prototype, #18 of 100.

Not my picture, but this is it. Not much for an EDC, but it's just too bad ass not to keep around.
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Theres defintley a difference between just slapping some gears on something and actually thinking/designing a piece from the ground up with Steampunk. unfortunately gluing a cpl gears on something tends to prevail
 
ponykid said:
Theres defintley a difference between just slapping some gears on something and actually thinking/designing a piece from the ground up with Steampunk. unfortunately gluing a cpl gears on something tends to prevail
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So, beyond "slapping some gears on something," how would one think/design a piece the ground up with steampunk?
 
SpySmasher said:
Steam-powered assisted opening.
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lol. That's what I am wondering. As far as a knife goes, "steampunk" is merely a decorative thing. Steampunk is really envisioning "modern" technology inspired by 19th-century industrial steam powered machinery.

Since a knife is not really modern technology you cant really reimagine it from the ground up using 19th-century industrial steam powered machinery.

I mean you could build a steampunk WorkSharp from the ground up, but not really a knife.

So I am curious as to what our friend is talking about.
 
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I got those scales from a Russian maker on Ebay. I don't even know if they ae being mada anymore. definitely different that's for sure...
 
marcinek said:
lol. That's what I am wondering. As far as a knife goes, "steampunk" is merely a decorative thing. Steampunk is really envisioning "modern" technology inspired by 19th-century industrial steam powered machinery.

Since a knife is not really modern technology you cant really reimagine it from the ground up using 19th-century industrial steam powered machinery.

I mean you could build a steampunk WorkSharp from the ground up, but not really a knife.

So I am curious as to what our friend is talking about.
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Gluing gears on is the prevailing expression of "steampunk". But it's not the "best" example.

Ideally, it's not about the gears or the ornamentation, it's about working within the constraints of what a craftsman of the time would have had. Industrial automation was nonexistent, so any metal article was "bespoke". A steampunk knife does not have to be elaborate, and in fact probably would not be: slipjoint or friction folder, brass liners, Oak or Mahogany scales, with the more expensive carbon steel saved for the blade and spring. The spring would be jeweled or burnished, and the blade would either be satin finished or highly polished. Pins would most likely be brass, although the pivot might be steel.

If you want to add gears and other shxt, they should at least be part of a novel opening or locking mechanism. The problem is, this is much harder, and much less profitable, than just tacking some gears on it.

Bottom line: "steampunk" is the use of period materials and methods, to create functional art. The amount of fancy is up to you. It would be nice if the pieces are there for a purpose, but there's no council that determines what is and isn't steampunk. So, everybody is going to be able to appreciate the skill required to make some of it (even if the aesthetic doesn't do anything for them), and some of it is going to be a clear attempt to cash in on a trend.
 
Shorttime said:
Bottom line: "steampunk" is the use of period materials and methods, to create functional art. The amount of fancy is up to you.
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No it's not. It's entirely fanciful and completely imaginary. It's an aesthetic that relies wholly on anachronism. It's nearly the opposite of period-functional. It's ornamental.
 
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SpySmasher said:
No it's not. It's entirely fanciful and completely imaginary. It's an aesthetic that relies wholly on anachronism. It's nearly the opposite of period-functional. It's ornamental.
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Yeah some of Serge Pachenko’s stuff is pretty steampunky. Darriel Caston who designed the Spyderco squarehead has some pretty steampunky knives too.

Here’s some videos of those knives Marci posted.



There’s also this guy:
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Some of the GG Hawk knives seem a little steam punky too me too.
 
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