Top-grade customs and engraving

SharpByCoop

SharpByCoop

Enjoying the discussions
Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Oct 8, 2001
Messages
12,330
If you haven't noticed, I really enjoy working with great folks in the knifeworld. ;) Here's why...

These jobs just finished this week. Each one as good as can be.

First up is engraving by Tim Adlam, who did an extremely fine job with a beautiful folder by Alex Daniels. Tim's work was to be commisioned with no gold inlays--so it is 'somewhat' simple. But that is relative. The engaging scroll work is amazingly mirrored on each side, and has more than enough drama in it to satisfy the needs of the knife. And there's LOTS of it! Hat's off to you Tim! Look at this one closely:



Next up are two VERY distinct knives. Both have been crafted by the reknowned Jot Singh Khalsa from MA. Jot has earned his place in the custom knife world for ages, and has also contracted the very best engraving artists to collaborate on his work. His style is unmistakable and breathtaking, as are the two engravers' work.

First is one finished by Rick Eaton, and the next is engraved by his steady collaborate, Julie Warenski:



(The above knife by Julie had tied for Best Folding Knife in the Las Vegas show a few weeks back. Jot and Bill Ruple had to toss a coin to determine one winner. As Jot relates, he lost the toss and even Bill was VERY unhappy that they couldn't share the award. That's the way it goes sometimes. Now you know the scoop. :))

Three engravers and two knifemakers. Forget the knives for a moment. I enjoy the dialog with the makers and engravers as much as anything. There is a LOT of soul, craftsmanship, and YEARS of experience combining to create these works of art. Having an opportunity to talk to each one of them on occasion is the icing on the cake. It's a priviledge.

But for you folks, here's three BIG slices of cake. Each one of them delicious...! ;)

Coop
 
I just contracted with Tim to put the finishing touches on a Don Cowles abalone handled knife. I can't wait to see what he does with my ideas. One of the thrills in working with someone like this is how much further they can take one of my ideas and make it into a thing of real beauty.
 
Unbelievable, is about the only word that comes to mind. :eek:


Coop. . .adopt me. I like cake too ! :p ;) :D
 
Those are amazing Jim.

This being said, for some reason I just don't get into engraving much. I like wire inlay, and I like scrimshaw a lot, but even for those, I must say that I'm less taken by an engraved knife than one that is complete without any embellishment.
 
Just what I needed...could you email me contact info for those guys? I have some knives that need engraving/carving...thanks!
 
I am a big fan of engraving and those are real nice. I really don't care for the lines on Jot's knives but he always gets excellent engraving. I like ordering a knife the way I want it and then giving it to an engraver to hammer on. My choice lately has been Julie Warenski, awesome scroll!!

If I wasn't a total loser at posting I'd show a couple that Coop just shot for me. Hmmm! maybe he'll show off.

Win
 
jewelw said:
Thankyou Win.....I'm so flattered!!!!
Click to expand...

Folks, I don't know if you caught this note, but lets welcome Julie Warenski to BladeForums! Hello Julie! You can't hide behind that cryptic username.. ;)

Coop
 
These next three are all from Win Heger's collection. He'll talk about them in a moment... :)

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Coop
 
Those are OUTSTANDING Win! :eek: The very definition of elegance. I just love black lip pearl on a gent's folder.

Cheers,

Roger

PS - Welcome Julie - fabulous work!!
 
Thanks to Coop for helping me out. Everybody gets to show off here!! Just a
couple of brief descriptions:

First is a Scott Sawby "Skimmer", outstanding engraving by Julie.
Second Is Bill Pease's Model 4, great Pearl and Julie, of course.
The third one is Bill's Model 19, this time engraved by C. Meyer. Chris does great animals.

Thanks for the compliment Roger, I do love Blacklip on a gents knife.
Great to see you here, Julie.

Win
 
Blade747 said:
Folks, I don't know if you caught this note, but lets welcome Julie Warenski to BladeForums! Hello Julie! You can't hide behind that cryptic username.. ;)

Coop
Click to expand...
I'm not sure how to do this page.....but thankyou so much for the warm welcome....
Julie
 
I have seen a lot of fixed blade and folding knives with engraving on the bolsters, which never really caught my attention in the past. As time goes by, I appreciate that part of the art more. When l look for a "user", I generally avoid high polishes and other embellishments but, times and tastes change. I have been contemplating getting a couple of my nicer knives engraved lately for dressy occasions or, perhaps buying a new folder with all the bells and whistles on it.

I am curious what sort of price I should expect to pay for engraving. Does a guide exist for general pricing and patterns? Where would I go to educate myself on the artistry and costs of engraving? I know that this is an open ended question so, any help or guidance you can provide would be appreciated.
 
Sid,

I won't go into pricing but good engravers are not inexpensive. But neither are good knives and that is where you want to start. I choose knives by the more famouse makers so the money spent on engraving is more likely to add to the overall value.
Picking an engraver is a matter of personal choice and research pays off. There are some sites on engraving and one of the other forums has a sub- forum on embellishment. Ask your favorite maker who he likes. That is how I found Chris Meyer, recommended by Bill Pease. My good friend Ricardo Velarde
introduced me to Julie. I met Simon Lytton at a show, liked his work and he's done several for me.
I like to turn over my collection and keep knives on order with several makers. I then send the knife to the engraver. Very time consuming but one of the best rewards in knife collecting, when it comes home!
I trusted one knife to an unknown engraver and it was a mess. Bill Pease saw the knife and asked "what is that on these bolsters?" It was oak leaves and akorns, at least thats what it was supposed to be. Lesson learned I stick with well known artists.

Win
 
Thanks Win. Being a novice, I have very little understanding of the time involved in engraving. I also have very little reference for what to expect price wise. Your suggestion about speaking with the maker is a good one along with avoiding unknown engravers, especially when I am looking at one for a keeper and a personal user.
 
Sid,

The other thing to keep in mind, IMHO, is to match well the value of the engraving with the value of the knife. If you "overdress" a middle of the road knife (even one which is otherwise perfectly nice) with top-of-the-line engraving, you might find it difficult to recoup your investment. There are exeptions to everything of course, but I think that you should keep that in mind.
 
Engraving artists have VERY distinct styles, too. I can spot Julie's work from a distance, and can identify probably 5-7 engraving artists work simply by their styles.

Joyce Minnick's work is very simple and with taste, Julie has those 3D gold borders and scrolls down, Chris Meyer and Ray Cover do crazy bulino work (dotted pictures), Ron Nott does great deep relief engraving, Darren Reeves has a fantastic 'Western' style, Jim Small has patterns that need a microscope in detail, and Tim Herman uses color and pictures wonderfully, etc.

That said, look around. Whose work appeals to YOU?

Coop
 
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