Next is a wootz hunting sword I finished out for blade last year, I started this piece in 2019, and it keep getting shifted to the back burner. getting this finished and complete was little bit like I was getting past the last few years. The original intent of this sword was to have some thing to make the scabbard for as I had signed up for a class with Peter Johnson at Zach Jonas Shop in NH, the class ended up being only a few weeks before lockdown,   the scabbard core and finished the wrap was made in the class then languished. I finally got the chance to fabricate the silver fittings for the scabbard and get the rest of the parts finished out polished and etched in time for Blade show.  

 MP

The third knife this year is Maui Strong. This is a further extension of the pictorial idea, there is a tread on here where I talk about the inspiration for the design (as well as in my column in Knife magazine)  the challenge of intentionally making a image of a real place through pattern welding.. that gets it on this list. silver bolster, butt cap, and pins, Koa handle (of course!!)

Love the Maui Strong Blade. The pattern is stunning, and it amazes me what smiths are able to do.  

Here’s my favourite from the year. Was a commissioned anniversary gift, that really pushed my limits.  First blade I’ve done over 10”.  Final was 10.25” cutting edge.  First time using stone in the handle and first time using cholla cactus.  Spent a ton of time on the handle to make sure the initial grind didn’t pull any of the stones out, plus then making sure the handle with all the different materials didn’t have raised edges in any of the transitions.   Lots of little things I’d do differently I think, but was really happy with the end result. Biggest thing for me was this blade really taught me to keep the spine thin.  It was a beast after forging with spine thickness close to .175” after initial flat grinding.  Final spine thickness was down to .115 after a lot of work and not being happy with how it felt for weight.  

Close up of handle

Matt, I don't remember seeing that huntig sword before. Really top notch work sir!
Ryan, that is a beauty. What made you think of using cholla? That stuff is lying all over the place around me.

Anyway, I hit my goal of six finished knives this year. Two hunters, three kitchen knives and a dagger. I also had a comission to make 6 patternwelded blades for a group in Latvia who will make the sheaths and handles.

The dagger commission was completed early in August.

The second best was one of my successful attempts at making steel using the Brescian method. This little hunter has an edge hardness of 58 HRC, which is perfect for this type IMO.

Thanks Joshua.   Saw some cholla scales from a couple vendors I follow, and a fellow local maker who stabilizes his own stuff happened to have some from a trip he took to Arizona.  The client wanted light blue, and so took a bit of a chance by having some turquoise stone embedded.  Mixed up some metal flake epoxy for the front part of the scales to match the colour of the raw stones, and that was about it.  Also had a custom etched other side to the blade with their names and anniversary date.   
was a fun build, but definitely took a long time. All in was about 15 hours.  Also been requested from a few others now about cholla with different colours.  If you’ve got a ton, maybe I should come down for a visit.  Not so much of it around these parts….

I love the dagger, and been following along with your threads to make your own steel and variants.  Very cool stuff.  I’m hoping to try a dagger soon.  Need a lot more work though on grinding precise bevels first before I try to get that kind of symmetry.  

Ryan

Beautiful work and congratulations!  This type of work is amazing and inspiring.

Posted by: Matthew Parkinson

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What's you favorite, best, or most important work from the last year? show us a photo!

I don't have anything to post this year that's comparable to what ya'll have shared, but here's one that fits into my "most important work".  Looking forward to building a presentation set during 2024.

Matt K Kirby,

Hey congratulations Sir. That's a great accomplishment and I can't wait to see your future work.

Congratulations Matt,

huge accomplishment and definitely something to be very proud of.  

My best work was a set of matching "Tanto" blades for a father and son as a graduation present.  240 layer damascus CuMai.  The biggest challenge was trying to match the two blades.  It was the first time I had tried tanto tip and getting clean lines that bevel to the point is harder than it looks.  Next was trying to make the two match.  I did write an article on how I made them at https://www.solarstorm.ca/articles (2 parts)

Well, I don't necessarily have a "best" knife of 2023. I didn't focus on any elaborate cutlery creation, Rather, I spent my time improving a few specific areas with a bit of success.

I've been working for just short of three years on a final procedure to reveal the Damascus pattern with 100% pristine nickel steel, and full on undisturbed black/BLACK tool steel. The important part is that it must be PERMANENT. I see a lot of ways that guys finish off their Damascus that is sort of contrasty, yet they have what I call "dirty" 15N20 and the somewhat dark or maybe black background can be rubbed off with not much effort.

I can take mine to the buffer with compound and make it shiny, or I can use some fine abrasive and make it satin.

And if I want it off - I'd have to grind it off.

I even made some rather bold patterns specifically to illustrate this.

The other areas I'm working on include lock back folders.

If there is a "best" knife of 2023 it's the first one - a laddered Ws frame handle Bowie:

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I would follow that with a Dagger where I spent some time figuring out fittings:

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And this is the Damascus reveal I refer to. Note that it is satin and the previous 2 are glossy:

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And I'm truly enjoying my Pantagraph and doing inlays:

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Thanks for the comments!  Beautiful work ya'll have posted here.

Some very nice work Gentlemen. Here are my three. First is a Wakizashi brisket slicer for an order, it's blade is over 14 inches(longest yet) of Go mai construction with a 52100 core, copper accents and carved cherry blossoms and a bog oak handle. It came out pretty comfortable to hold I had the customer show me how he holds his slicer. I made the Habaki two times and hard soldered the cherry blossoms on the wrought iron Tsuba. I learned some things and was very happy with the finished knife.

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