15 replies to this topic

[tsterling]

Since I haven't posted much lately, I thought I'd show you what I've been up to. After taking an intermediate engraving class last summer, I've been working towards improving my engraving. This is what I've ended up with so far, sort of a "graphic novel" approach, in the style of Northwest Native Americans.

 Puget_Sound_Dagger_50.jpg   54.4K   27 downloads

Below is the first step towards the new knife. I cut it out of the 1080 (3/16 inch thick) steel bar you see below the knife, filed the blade shape and flats, and cut out the middle to lighten it up. This is a full day's work so far, not including the design and planning.
 Puget_Sound_Dagger_1.jpg   21.67K   25 downloads

Here the blade is shaped and I've carved out and textured the area in front of where the handle scales will go.
 Puget_Sound_Dagger_2.jpg   14.79K   24 downloads

Finished shaping the stainless steel scales for the handle (to be engraved with a fish scene later), and two copper pins to help secure the scales (along with epoxy).
 Puget_Sound_Dagger_3.jpg   20.19K   23 downloads

The knife, clay tempered, and etched and polished. You can see the different colors between the hard edges and the soft, creamy nougat center. My first hamon, by the way...
 Puget_Sound_Dagger_8.jpg   8.03K   25 downloads

I thought I'd try something new and add a group of copper barnacles on each side to go with the engraved design. This is my practice piece to see if my crazy idea might work.
 Puget_Sound_Dagger_5.jpg   27.1K   23 downloads

Beginning to add barnacles to the knife - these are copper pins that go all the way through the knife body and handle scales, then get peened over and shaped with punches. There's a corresponding barnacle on each side of the knife. You can see some of the progress in the image below:
 Puget_Sound_Dagger_10.jpg   17.05K   27 downloads

Finished adding the copper pins that will be the barnacles. I used my little Lindsay Palm Control pneumatic engraver with two blunt punches to forge the square-topped copper pins into the little cones that will later be carved into barnacles. You can see the two punches in the second image, one fairly large and one small. You just keep using them until you beat the copper into submission.
 Puget_Sound_Dagger_14.jpg   12.38K   26 downloads
 Puget_Sound_Dagger_20.jpg   20.01K   24 downloads

Been carving on the copper barnacles. One side down, one to go.
 Puget_Sound_Dagger_23.jpg   12.48K   24 downloads
 Puget_Sound_Dagger_25.jpg   15.95K   27 downloads

Finished the barnacles on both sides, here they are inked to see how they'll look when the whole thing is done.
 Puget_Sound_Dagger_33.jpg   14.14K   23 downloads
 Puget_Sound_Dagger_35.jpg   17.85K   25 downloads

I took a break to work on another knife, while I took a stab (on paper) making the design for one side - several days of work for each side, just in the design phase - this one was just too nice to risk screwing up.

I finally finished the design to be engraved on one side of the knife. The first image is how the line engraving looks before inking, and the last image has been inked. I put in the tiny secondary elements - the little plankton doodads were shoehorned into the spaces left between the major design elements- easier to do that on the fly than to try and include them in the main plan.
 Puget_Sound_Dagger_36.jpg   20.42K   25 downloads
 Puget_Sound_Dagger_39.jpg   23.7K   25 downloads

Here I've removed and "scribble" textured the background and inked it (tiny carbide burr in my NSK micromotor grinder). This side is finished; then I had to make the design for the other side - another two days of fiddling on paper. No rest for the weary...
 Puget_Sound_Dagger_42.jpg   59.54K   24 downloads

Here's the other side with the lines cut and inked.
 Puget_Sound_Dagger_45.jpg   24.64K   26 downloads

Finished the background removal, and did the first inking. Then a little cleanup, the second inking, made a presentation box and then off to BladeGallery.
 Puget_Sound_Dagger_47.jpg   58.24K   23 downloads

You can see the knife at BladeGallery.com at this link - their photos are waaaaay better than mine!BladeGallery.com

Thanks for looking!

Edited by tsterling, 20 June 2011 - 12:38 AM.

[Serge Panchenko]

Tom, WOW!!! I really like this one, thanks so much for the step-by-step! The Starfishes legs sticking out beyong the borders was a great touch, and the use of copper is awesome.

[brian458666]

Beautiful work. Detailed but not too busy, not cluttered at all, and your copper work is fantastic. We don't see a lot of barnacles here in the desert but those look almost real, as I remember them.
Brian

[steve m]

Always way cool Tom. i love seeing your work. Thanks for posting

[jdsmith02115]

Man alive that is some kinda cool!

[WmHorus]

Gorgeous as always Tom, I've been meaning to come out and say Hi again at some point, I just keep forgetting and getting side tracked by life alot. Maybe once I get what I am working on straightened out and the filing finished.

[Adriaan Gerber]

Too cool. I am filled with envy and despair

[tsterling]

Thanks for the feedback, guys! I appreciate the kind words.

Don't despair, Adriaan - there's nothing here that can't be learned...

[richard sexstone]

Tom,
another treat... as usual..... thanks.

nice short and to the point tutorial also .. thanks for that too

Dick

[tsterling]

Tom,
another treat... as usual..... thanks.

nice short and to the point tutorial also .. thanks for that too

Dick

You're welcome, Richard! Glad you like it.

[Isaac Hoar]

wow!!! thats prety awesome!!!!

[tsterling]

Thanks, Isaac - glad you like it!

[MJDForge]

Tom, amazing work as always. I don't know whether or not it was intentional, but I assume it was, but i love the way that you made to blade look kind of like a shark tooth. My first thought upon seeing the blade was "wow, I'm glad someone has the patience to do that, because I certainly don't." Another beautiful piece, Tom.

[tsterling]

Thanks, Matthew. Glad you like it.

[MJDForge]

I always love your work, I get excited when your name is up there. The artists here like you make the rest of us amateurs look good. (either that, or you make us look bad... I'm not sure which. )

[tsterling]

I always love your work, I get excited when your name is up there. The artists here like you make the rest of us amateurs look good. (either that, or you make us look bad... I'm not sure which. )

Thanks!