On the bench and need advice

Gahagan

Well-Known Member
Ok here is one I have been working on. The blade has a hamon, the guard and spacer are wrought iron and the handle is snakeskin sycamore. I still have some work to do but before I go any please tell me if this looks disproportional to anyone. Does the handle need to be bigger?
 
Can it be? You can only make it longer really, which would probably be a bit better if it felt right. I say finish it as is, and make the next one with a wider ricasso. Or you could start over on the handle and guard and make it all a little taller so that the finger notch you have there isn't narrower than the ricasso. But with as much work as you've done on that guard, I'd stick with option A.

I love the blade.
 
It is all about how it feels in the hand. If it feels right then it's right. If it feels awkward then it is wrong.
 
Exactly what rmbonham said. The handle should be made to fit the hand, and for its designed purpose. A paring knife needs a smaller handle, not for aesthetic reasons, but because the way a paring knife is used requires more dexterity than a firm grip. Big choppers have bigger handles because they are easier to hold onto when chopping, not because they look better with bigger handles. If that handle feels good for what the knife is intended to do, then its the right size. If it feels like it needs to be bigger, then it probably does. Same goes with smaller. I would handle the knife quite a bit with my eyes closed, and then do some testing to see how it performs before deciding one way or the other.

I'm a big fan of that handle design, and the knife looks great overall to me. That wood looks really nice, and the guard looks great, too. I cant wait to see it finished! are you gonna put a deep etch on the wrought?
 
Not sure a pic in your hand would help, I like it the way it sits but that's my 2 cents.
 
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