Chad,

I like the knife, especially the blade. It looks like there might be some alloy banding going on, which is no problem. I find it interesting. Really nice blade shape. A couple of small things to consider. First, I believe a single pin looks best when located about 1/3 the handle length back from the guard. Also, I think the palm swell is too big, but it's your hand and you may like it that way.

Good job.

Thanks Lin, you're one of my favorite makers by the way, I love this steel, it really performs well, and for the pin I always go center just my liking but thank you so much for the input, and yes the palm swell fits me really well, I think I have average hands so I try to go by what fits me. Once again thanks

Chad

I am with Lin. I like the blade shape, but the handle looks too big for the blade, if you get my meaning. The knife looks unbalanced. I also would have a smaller palm swell and the pin placement. Is that bois d'arc for the handle also known as osage orange? I like that wood. Can be plain, but boy is it tough. Looks like nice work Chad.

Brion

Overall nice work! I have to agree that the handle looks a bit "chubby" from the side profile. Maybe just take the palm swell down a bit. Don't get too excited about that comment....often times .010-.020" can make a world of difference.

|quoted:

I am with Lin. I like the blade shape, but the handle looks too big for the blade, if you get my meaning. The knife looks unbalanced. I also would have a smaller palm swell and the pin placement. Is that bois d'arc for the handle also known as osage orange? I like that wood. Can be plain, but boy is it tough. Looks like nice work Chad.

Brion

Yes its osage orange but we call it hedge apple around here, its very hard but really sparkles in the light, the knife is perfectly balanced at the guard, sometimes I sacrifice a look for feel,its just my taste, and trying to be different enough to have a recognizable style, thanks so much for the comments and your time, hopefully I can afford to make it to a blade show soon and see some mastersmiths work, as I've never been to a show or a hammer in. Soley self taught I'm learning from scratch so I am getting the benefits of failures and success by testing my blades I started 7 years ago and I know I still have ways to go and I think the ABS is clearly the way .

Thank you all

Chad,

I recommend that you attend some hammer ins and other events. By all means, take the JS critiquing class that usually are held. All the points that Ed, Brion, and I have mentioned are discussed there as well as maker's style. Set a goal to attend. This is as important as buying equipment. The money and time will be well spent. If you do, think where you'll be i in one year as far as your knife making.

Chad, I like the knife as well with appropriate nods to the comments already offered on the handle. I would agree with Lin that the banding issue at the level you have it in your blade is not a problem, it is quite subtle. However this is not to say that banding itself cannot be a problem if it gets out of hand. While many makers find it an interesting visual effect and some even intentionally induce it, it is worth noting that industry does everything it can to eliminate the problem. The segregated condition can lead to many inconsistencies in several key properties; strength, toughness, and even abrasion resistance can be effected if banding becomes too pronounced. This is not to say that some knifemakers couldn't use the condition to accentuate highly specialized properties in a narrowly focused application, for example a highly segregated edge will were in a very irregular and ragged fashion causing a blade to saw and tear through soft fibrous materials more aggressively that a fine edge, but of course there are trade offs in wider varieties of cutting applications. If the banding is carbide based there will also be heavy segregation of constituents necessary for properly hardening the steel, making it quite a bit tougher to maximize the hardening operation. Good homogenizing heats are just the thing to eliminate this segregated condition, higher initial normalizing heats will put it all into solution, and steady soaks at 1500F before quenching will eliminate it in 1080.

On banding are you talking about the soft upper half? Cause I dont see anything on the hardened part,,I thought it was just from the 500 grit scratch lines being etched deeper. It was forged from a 2.5 inch piece of 5/8" hex bar that I was told was 1080 that came from an old machine shop, I have had some bad alloy banding happen with other steels before and i scrapped the blades. I would love to attend some events but living in central Indiana with four young children and a sorry job as I my last employer of 10 years went out of business i cant afford travel or out of town stay, so I'm kinda left with internet schooling from you guys. I mean no disrespect in any way I appreciate the comments and will consider them on next projects. I sell 2-3 knives per month on word of mouth and the occasional craft show. Once again thanks

I have to agree with the rest of the guys as to how the hanle "Looks". That being said, I've know some guys that complain about most knife handles being too small for them to use. They all have hands the size of baseball gloves and a normal handle is just too small for them to use comfortably. A knife should flow and look balanced, but it should also fit the hand of the person that is going to use it. Just my thoughts anyway.

Dale

Well after all the same comments I would probably shave some handle off,,,,,if I still had the knife. Next time I will step back and take a look through a different eye. Thanks

I had a hard time resizing so I just deleted two photos hope that is just as good

|quoted:

On banding are you talking about the soft upper half? Cause I dont see anything on the hardened part,,I thought it was just from the 500 grit scratch lines being etched deeper. It was forged from a 2.5 inch piece of 5/8" hex bar that I was told was 1080 that came from an old machine shop, I have had some bad alloy banding happen with other steels before and i scrapped the blades. I would love to attend some events but living in central Indiana with four young children and a sorry job as I my last employer of 10 years went out of business i cant afford travel or out of town stay, so I'm kinda left with internet schooling from you guys. I mean no disrespect in any way I appreciate the comments and will consider them on next projects. I sell 2-3 knives per month on word of mouth and the occasional craft show. Once again thanks

I think it is more the proportions than the size of the handle, I like the shape and the design but the width vs. the length of the swell is what is drawing my attention, causing the handle to look too short or the swell to be too wide. But I would rather dwell in the positives, and there are many here, I am a big fan of ergonomic downward curves on handles and you got that going on real fine here.

The banding is subtle so not a concern. It often is heaviest in the soft portions of differentially hardened blades since the carbon is in proper solution in the hardened area and not able to contribute to the segregation. We can band things out by staying low in normalizing but we need to maintain a certain degree of heat in hardening and so many times sublte banding is obliterated by that operation.

I like osage orange, I use it on a lot of my tool handles around the shop, I would use it on more knife handles if I felt confident that there were greater numbers of collectors who really dig yellow that much. <img src=' http://www.americanbladesmith.com/ipboard/public/style_emoticons//wink.gi f' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=';)' />

Chad

We want you to post your knife photos in this area and as you can see you are receiving some excellent advice from some outstanding ABS bladesmiths that have many years of experience.

I helped you with your remaining photo today and re-sized it for you within the size rules of the ABS Website. We want all ABS members to share photos of their work on the ABS Forum and in the Gallery but we must all follow the Forum Rules and Guidelines. Images must be sized to no larger than 640x480 with a file size no larger than 50k.

Forum Moderator Steve Culver has prepared a very useful tutorial that will assist you in re-sizing your photos not only for the ABS Forum but also for other websites and this is the link to his article, Click: Photo Editing

The Forum Moderators and I are always available to help you and all ABS members with not only their photos but any other technical issue on the ABS Forum that they need help with. I want all ABS members to be able to make full use of the services that are available. Once you learn to use the free software that we have made available as many of our other members have, you will be able to easily re-size and upload photos. Let us know when you need help.

I just have to say that it is really rewarding to see so many Master Smiths, Journeyman Smiths, and Apprentices willing to give their time, advice, and guidance to fellow ABS members through the ABS Forum. They are truly fullfilling the educational mission of the American Bladesmith Society.

,over the next 10 years I would like to do this full time

Could someone explain the difference between alloy banding and a hamon?

Thanks,

Jim