Hey everybody!
I passed my journeyman smith performance test at the Mid-America hammer-in this year, so now I'm starting in practicing for my presentation knives. I had brought a knife for critique there, and Kevin Cashen gave me some points to improve on. This knife is the improved version. Still, there are some things I want to do better on the next one.
Things I was hoping to improve (based on Kevin's critique; I solved what I could before giving the knife away):
-There was a gap between the blade shoulders and guard
-The handle wasn't symmetrical on the end
-The guard wasn't symmetrical
-The plunges were washed out
-The plunges weren't even
-The blade had a Scotchbrite finish
-The handle wood was checking on the end
-The handle pin hole blew out the side of the handle when drilled
-The handle wood wasn't very pretty
-The blade had a very round tip (almost coming to 90 degrees from the straight of the blade)
-The ricasso was too short
-The guard was proud of the handle in some spots
-No distal taper
-Uneven handle taper
-Gap around the rim of the guard
This knife corrects most of the points above.
Things I want to do better next time (and how I plan to do it):
-Get the plunges the same depth (Mark a centerline? Switch sides more often on initial grinding?)
-Blend the bevel into the main grind more (Grind more before heat treatment; I was worried about burning the edge)
-Get the handle taper the same on both sides (square up the handle and guard material to each other and the blade prior to shaping)
-Get the ricasso sides flatter/more symmetrical (it sticks out on one side, and the leading corners are somewhat rounded; fixed by putting my file guide in the right place to begin with!)
All that being said, this is still probably the best knife I've made so far.
Blade: Through-hardened 5160 (trying something new with the through-hardening; there are some scratches I plan to take out once I test it a bit more)
Handle: Stabilized black ash burl
Guard: 304 stainless
Pin: 416 stainless
Please feel free to leave tips on the things I'd like to improve on, or if you see anything else I should work on.
Probably the best advice I can offer is what I always try to drive home to my students.... when you grind, whether it be the blade or the guard/handle, LOOK, twice as much as you grind. Look at things from all directions, and if you see inconsistencies, think about how to correct those before you go back to grinding. It's not uncommon for me to spend twice the amount of time at the grinder "looking" things over during finishing, then I spend grinding a blade.
Next, think about your choices of materials, particularly guard material. Nickel Silver is FAR easier to tightly fit, work, and finish then any of the stainless materials. Think about what you're making the knife/knives for.... in this case the JS presentation test. Choose those materials that offer you the best chances for success.
I just finished teaching a class last week, and when it came to finishing, my student wanted to argue with me about covering the blade when he was grinding/finishing the guard/handle..... I NEVER cover a blade when finishing out guards/handles....covering blades prevents you from having a clear picture of alignments......I warned my student that if he insisted on covering (taping) the blade during finishing, the blade/handle would come out misaligned.... he insisted, and it did.
I also highly encourage you to complete ALL of your JS presentation knives as early as possible, in order to get them to as many MS for inspection as possible. Over the years I have often seen individuals put themselves in a jam by not allotting enough time to complete their presentation knives. It's generally a situation where the person makes 2-3 very good knives, realizes they are in a time crunch, and then either the last one or two bites them. Remember, during the presentation judging, if any one knife fails, then all do.
Finally, and this might sound dumb, but it's a consistent reason for folks failing..... read, and re-read ALL the testing rules, then read them again. And if you have ANY questions about what the rules say, ASK! I am always astounded at how many people bring knives for their presentation test, and have done something that obviously shows they either did not read, or understand the testing rules.
Ed Caffrey, ABS MS
"The Montana Bladesmith"
www.CaffreyKnives.net
Congratulations on passing your performance test.
It looks like both Ed and Kevin have shared some valuable information for you to consider as you build a set of presentation knives for judging. Since I'm still enjoying my apprenticeship, skill development, and training my eye to notice details I don't provide any technical advice yet.
One thing I've done in addition to spending time looking at presentation knives and visiting with a MS on the topic, is to have purchased the DVD "ABS Judging Standards" to get more insight on judging criteria. I found it to be informative and worth the $25 if you haven't already seen it.
Good luck and keep sharing the journey!
