Hi Ed -- Well done! Sounds like you're really pushing your skill development. Well done on that score too! -- Phil

Ed, I like it. Good shape for a hunter. I also like the dovetailed bolsters, those are a lot of fun. I agree with Phil, well done on stretching your skills. Good looking knife.

Also good job on the sheath.

One question. Is one of the bolster pins on the left side not quite flush or is it a reflection? Also just curious on the mosaic pin in the bolster, was that a design opportunity? Okay two questions.

Good work.

Brion

Thank you for the kind words Phil and Brion.

Brion,

The one bolster pin is actually flush and you would be hard pressed to see the flaw in person, but the camera showed it up like nobody's business! Under magnification I found that there is a space between the bolster hole and the pin. As for the mosaic pin, if by "design opportunity" you mean am I turning a flaw into a feature, then Yes <img src=' http://www.americanbladesmith.com/ipboard/public/style_emoticons//wink.gi f' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=';)' /> . I had no idea how big to flare out the bolster pin holes and I made them too big. The one pin crumbled a little and became an "opportunity" to add a mosaic pin, the other pin I thought had worked just fine until I saw the picture. Needless to say I am now the proud owner of a tapered reamer to prevent this.

Here's some more: The wood started to wash out by the tang and the pins. I saw this happening and had to sand down the tang and pins to even things up. The tang is tapered, but I tapered it from top to bottom, not front to back. It looks pretty nice and appears intentional, but it wasn't. This is the knife I posted in another thread that I had forged too thin. I took the advice I was given here on the forum and it worked great, so thanks to those who advised me on that.

Thank you for the time you all spend on this forum helping people like me out.

I was wondering if you had tapered the tang from top to bottom. Good idea and problem solving. Yes that is exactly what I meant by design opportunity. They are not mistakes just design opportunities. I have a knife I am working on now that has a double taper on the tang, top to bottom and front to back. Talk about headaches, but that is another story.

I am glad that the information presented in the forum helped, that is what we are here for. Keep up the good work Ed.

Brion

|quoted:

I was wondering if you had tapered the tang from top to bottom. Good idea and problem solving. Yes that is exactly what I meant by design opportunity. They are not mistakes just design opportunities. I have a knife I am working on now that has a double taper on the tang, top to bottom and front to back. Talk about headaches, but that is another story.

I am glad that the information presented in the forum helped, that is what we are here for. Keep up the good work Ed.

Brion

Gonna have to remember that. <img src=' http://www.americanbladesmith.com/ipboard/public/style_emoticons//wink.gi f' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=';)' /> Might save me some stress.

Ed, the knife looks great. Were all the "firsts" planned on for this knife or did they happen to come about? I admit, I would be stressed out to try so many "firsts" on one project.

Cheyenne,

Thanks very much. I didn't plan for the "firsts", I just saw what I wanted to make in my head, sketched it out, made an aluminum template, & went to work. I also made several necessary tools along the way...

Ed Clarke

Nice knife!

Other than what has been said already, I observe three things that I might have done differently:

First:

It may just be the light, but it looks like you've rolled the edge of the ricasso/choil area. This is usually a product of using an abrasive surface backed by something soft, rather than something stiff. It also occurs to me that you may have done so intentionally, in order to make that area more comfortable for your index finger. If so I'd say that's a good idea--but I suspect it has been rounded farther up the ricasso than is necessary. Another way to achieve this would be to make the blade thicker at that area (0.20" maybe), and round the under-side of that and then just knock the corners off ever so slightly. That configuration seems quite comfortable.

Second:

The area where your ricasso hits the plunge cut and then the blade strikes me as just a little risky. In a skinning operation, if you're cutting away at some game, your hand is going to be wet, and the handle will be a little slick. If your hand was to slip forward just a little bit, your index finger might roll over that sharp corner and open you up a bit. To avoid that, you can just push your plunge forward a tiny bit. Doesn't seem like much, but 1/16" would probably be enough for your brain to register that your hand has slipped and save yourself from a painful and unsanitary cut.

Third:

Nicely done on the dovetailed bolsters. That's a great technique to know. One way to dress that knife up even further would be to taper the tang as well--just mirror (almost) the way the blade is tapered from the ricasso to the tip. You can bring the butt down just about as thin as you can get it. It makes drilling and constructing the knife a little trickier, but it looks GREAT, and it serves two practical functions: improved center-balance and better stress-relief when the blade is torqued. Getting it done right is also a little tricky, but it's pretty clear you like challenging yourself to learn new techniques.

Zack

Zack,

You are correct, I did roll the underside of the ricasso a bit & it was intentionally done for comfort. This knife was forged thinner than I wanted & by the time It was ground it was really too thin in my opinion, which made it necessary to really get it round to be comfortable.

Good thoughts for the future on the plunge cut. I was concerned about the user getting cut as well. I'll avoid it in the future.

The tang is tapered, but from top to bottom not front to back. This blade was already pretty thin and I thought I should keep the strength along the spline. The balance point on this knife is at the back edge of the bolster. The guy that took the pictures (me) didn't get a pic of the end of the tang (sorry).

Thank you Zack, and everyone, for the great feedback.