Friday, October 24, 2008

Roger has been busy

If you are here for Sky Watch shots, please scroll on down. I just couldn't wait any longer to post these.
They are two of my husband's latest creations. The one in the top two photos is for a good friend that he worked with for years. This friend has not even seen it yet. The friend did supply the deer antler for the handle. He has had both the knives shown finished for a few days, but did the sheath for the top one day before yesterday.
(Don't you just love those kitty paws in the photo above????)
This knife in the bottom two photos was given to the son of another very good friend. Roger made the sheath while he and his dad were here visiting this evening and sent it home with him. I didn't think to get a picture of the sheath but it was simple made like the one above.
I really need to start laying a ruler by the knives or something till an idea of their size can be had. The knife in the top photo is quite a bit bigger than the second knife. I also need to develop all the views I want to take of the knives. I tend to get a little bit excited about things and I end up forgetting something.

Such as I wish I had taken a picture looking down the 'spine' of this...not sure what the correct term is. Roger did some file work on the edge of the back of the blade--it was his first time trying that and it turned out rather well. Just a little bit of cosmetic work.

I know I am a little bit prejudiced, but all his friends tell him he should sell his knives...they offer to buy them. I think it is amazing that he takes a flat piece of metal and makes a knife from start to finish. He usually doodles and comes up with the shape of the knife on paper first. He cuts the metal to shape himself, and does all the heat treating in his gas forge which he built himself, does all the sanding and grinding and buffing, makes the handles from whatever material.

As I type this, I realize I know so little of the process itself...so I am going to have to start taking notes when he tells me stuff. And maybe at some later date try to give a more accurate description of how he makes his knives.

11 comments:

  1. Those knives look really good. I like them all and those kitty paws too.

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  2. From what I can see he does excellent work!
    Thanks for sharing Rose.
    I was looking at the one pic and then all of a sudden I said 'hmmm..that looks like kitty feet' - the color blended and because I was looking at the knife I almost missed the feet!

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  3. Wow - very impressive. i agree there is certainly a market for good quality hand-crafted tools!!!

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  4. Art and handcrafting together - that used to be a much more common combination in any kind of implement. These look so much nicer than what you see in the big-box hardware stores.

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  5. Impressive craftsmanship. I used to try to make them from old files but it was way more than I could handle.

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  6. Fine shots of these great looking knives. I admire anyone who can express themselves so well with craftsmanship that is genuinely impressive - as these do. Fine images.

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  7. Your DH does beautiful work! I can only imagine the effort that goes into producing the knives, and the sheaths. Thanks for sharing.

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  8. Amazing to look at, your hubby is very talented! If you had to put a time on any one knife how long does it take him? Now I know that each project is its own time, but WOW these are beautiful!

    As for the *kitty* feet, don't you love that the kitties just need to be where ever there is a project going on ~ in the middle of quilts or in the middle of a work table with your hubbies project LOL tooooo cute!

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  9. Wow...he is very talented! These are both beautiful and functional. I can't even imagine making something like this from start to finish. I'll have to show these to may husband, the engineer, because he will appreciate the workmanship involved even more that I do!

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  10. Those are some fine looking knives.

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  11. As for how long it takes to make a knife, I have no idea. It is quite a long process. There is a lot of actual work involved, then there are things that he has to do that is a waiting process...like the heat treatment of the metal, getting the handle sealed.

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