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I place mine by the "rule" of thirds and fourths. I find it more pleasing to the eye.

One pin - 1/3 the length from guard to but.

Two pins - 1/4 and 3/4 placement.

A very good rule. It's exactly the kind of information sharing between makers that starts younger makers thinking about design aspects that they may not have ever considered. I use a similar rule (more of a guideline really) for the single pin. It is either 1/3 or 1/4 the distance from face of guard to handle heel. This is 1/4 the distance.

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May just be slight lens distortion combined with looking at it on my phone but, the spine has a slight ‘swayback’ (from point to handle pommel end) look to it. As I said though, could lens angle.

Not the lens angle. This is a very perceptive comment. Again another design aspect that newer makers may overlook.

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Is the blade heat-treated? If you stamp your name it should be dark.

The blade is Heat Treated and finished to 600 grit. My mark is electro etched, not stamped. If I want it to be black, I can either reverse the polarity of the etch, or blacken the mark using a patina, like Birchwood Casey's brass black. (Kyle Royer does the latter)

There is no "rule" that your mark must be black. Some folks prefer one over the other. I have no preference and make it black whenever I feel the desire.

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Is the top of the guard higher than the spine of the blade?

Yes it is. Good catch. I do tend to leave this style of guard/spacer package a little "proud" of the top/blade spine, but this one is a little too high.

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for me the handle is a bit big for the size of the blade. I like slender handles though.. it is hard to tell from the angle of the photo but It looks like the line of the in side of the handle is a little lower than the top. making it appear a little bit off center again could just be the angle of the photo. Last thing and again could just be the pic but the spine of the knife and the back of the handle appear to be slightly off from each other canting the blade up from the handle.

personally I am not a fan of the pin placement, I think I would have centered it on the swell in the handle. That is a matter choice and opinion your placement seems intentional and works fine.

MP

This is the most comprehensive critique that matches what I am seeing as I look at this knife before I glue it up. My attention was first called to the defect, by the front finger pocket. I like the top of that pocket to match the bottom line of the ricasso. This one is about 1/16" below that line and it throws the whole visual effect of the knife off. I look at it and immediately get a sense that it is NOT "right". So I started looking more at it and thought to myself "what a great opportunity for me to engage my fellow makers and have them tell me what they see."

This is my point: This kind of discussion and feedback, (all of what has been posted) is what makes a forum work. This interplay between makers of all levels makes all of us better at what we do. It makes the forum alive.

Sharing your perceptions and opinions about other's work and asking for honest critique of your own work, should be standard fare for this forum. Just remember to give your opinion honestly and respectfully, and also be able to take criticism and not get offended when someone says they "don't like" this or that.

Thanks for all the feedback. More is always welcome. I will get back to "fixing" this one and will post the finished product after making the needed changes.

Good thread.

Next time I have one like that I'll post it.

It reminds me of some advice I got when i was working on my JS submission knives. One was a small bowie, I couldn't decide if I wanted to add a swage to the clip. the design called for it and it looked off without it, but I was hesitating because of the difficulty of getting it centered and symmetrical. I didn't want to give the judges something to fail me on.

I was over Mace Vitale shop and his advice was "Make it right, if you think it needs something it does". It was and is good advice.

MP

I've enjoyed reading the others' posts and learning. I was surprised to learn that you and others see the 1-pin location to be ~1/3 of the way from the guard to the handle butt. I've been placing the pin 2/3 of the distance from face of guard to butt. I'll rethink my practice. Thanks for the puzzler post. Good idea.

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Not the lens angle. This is a very perceptive comment. Again another design aspect that newer makers may overlook.

Matthew put it a little better worded. That is something that really has to be watched for unless a body just really enjoys face palm moments!

Joshua your spacer package doesn't bother my eye. This has been a good exercise. I find a good portion of my mistakes looking at in progress photos.

I took a good look at this today and got out a roll of blue painter's tape. I started playing around with using the tape to define what needs to be removed to make the proportions right.

A little off the top, belly, and heel.

Much better! Handle still looks a little long to me but sometimes aesthetics must be au to function.

MP

Good thread Joshua. It always surprises me how much difference a little change in design can make.

Brion

Thanks guys. Matthew, it does look a little long still. I could take some more off the heel, but I would loose the bird head. I could take some more off the front, but that would move the pin placement forward, and loose that aesthetic. I could make a larger blade and put it in this handle, or I could take this blade and make a new handle. Decisions decisions.

I reworked the handle shape.

I finished this today. O-1 flat ground drop point 3.5". Stabilized box elder handle Guard and primary spacer is red bronze. Minor spacer and pin are nickel-silver