Handy Dandy Two

One

Banned
Here’s a new little EDC,… hot off the bench. It has a somewhat similar blade profile as my original “Handy Dandy“ integral knife, but a different more lightweight construction.

Overall length- 6-5/8 inches.
Blade- 2-¾ inches, 1095 steel.
Handle- Maple.
Fittings- Copper.

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Very nice looking knife. I'd rather put it on display than carry it every day. I'm afraid it would get messed up and then I couldnt live with myself. Very nice!
 
Thanks guys.

I guess it looks like I spent more time on the finish than I actually did.

The copper is just forged to shape, a black patina was added, then hand buffed with polishing pads and steel wool followed by some rubbing with MAAS polishing crème and a cloth.

I worked out a new way to do a quick hand rubbed high luster finish on the blade. First I sanded it to 220 grit at various intersecting angles, then rubbed it with extra fine steel wool with some silicon carbide powder and WD40 on it. Then rubbed with the steel wool and MAAS polishing crème, followed by rubbing with MAAS crème and a cloth. If you look at it real close and catch it in the light just right you can see the scratches from the 220 grit, but the soft backed abrasives polished over the top of them and down into them to some degree. From a slight distance it has the same general appearance and luster of a true mirror polish, but with a bit more character up close. It goes well with the finish on the copper. I’m guessing that the finish on the blade was done in under and hour, probably closer to 20-30 minutes, though I didn’t look at the clock. Since it’s a new finish, I’ll probably experiment a bit more and I’ll probably do an article on it for my new blog (TAI GOO STUDIO) next time… I can’t believe how aggressive it was with the MAAS crème on the steel wool. I’d say it was even faster than a power buffing wheel, and it looks better than that type of polish.

I sanded the handle on the lathe to 320 grit and then just hit it with some extra fine steel wool while still on the lathe. The staining is a combination of “ebonization“, and conventional wood stain, then a final paste wax finish.

… It looks "neo-tribalish" up close. ;)
 
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Thanks R. It's a solution of steel wool dissolved in vinegar. It reacts with the tannins in the wood. It's like a "patina" for wood. It will turn some wood black, but it just darkened the maple.
 
Tai - I missed this because I have been paying some serious dues trying to make and not screw up a chinese sword.

this is beautiful, man. I love the color scheme. That maple looks great, and I am always a sucker for copper.

I have used MAAS polish on the back of blades with hamons and found it works great on some. I never understand how some look best with this treatment and some look best with 2000 grit worn paper. Still, I use the stuff a lot. Got the idea from Walter Sorrells's video.

let us know of any other experiences you have with thinks like powder or cream polishe with steel wool. I recently read a swordsmith who is pretty respected describe his process and it was very similar. What is different about the way the abrasives work when applied using oil and steel wool as opposed to backed with paper?

nice one.
kc
 
I think there's a secondary burnishing effect with the steel wool and MAAS and powders. Also, the soft backings give a different appearance than with paper and a hard backing… I want to say it's more “natural” looking.

It seems that the conventional view of finishing or polishing revolves around “scratches”, or more specifically, the lack thereof. Like scratches are bad/wrong or something? However,… sanding, finishing and polishing are by nature done through scratching the steel’s surface. There’s no way to get around scratching the steel, though it may get smaller and finer...

So, since that way of thinking can be frustrating due to the contradictory paradox and nature of it,… I’ve been trying to think of it and see it more as about how the surface of the steel reflects light and/or optics, "diffraction gratings" etc. Scratches still do play a role, but it’s secondary. It’s using scratches (and sometimes etching) to play the light off the surface of the steel for different effects... scratches of different grits running at different angles and over lapping, burnishing, etching etc.

Anyway,... that's my thinking on these types of NT experimental finishes.

Here's a close up. You can see how the angle of the light only catches the scratches that run in that one certain direction, and all the rest just disappear. It catches the light in an orderly fashion because that series of scratches run parallel to each other and are of the same grit. It accents the form of the blade from that angle, in that light. If you change and move the angle, it has a flashy "flickering" effect.

The “eye” gets confused and doesn’t know how to read it.

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Tai - the things you are saying about viewing polishing as a way to control or at least influence how the steel reflects light is exactly how I have been approaching the issue of hamons. I think of them like a little mountain range, and then do what I can to accentuate the topography. This is also why the lighting for hamons has to come from one end to get the best. I think I got some of the ideas that set me in this direction from you at some point.
kc
 
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