New guy from Cornwall.....

D

DustyMagnets

Member
Hello to everyone. My name is Ben and I live in a lovely corner of Cornwall, England. I am a welder fabricator by trade, trained in the Dockyard in Devonport. I decided one day to go tour in a rock band, so I left my job there... one job led to another and hey presto I am now (rather shamefully) an insurance broker. It pays the bills and is a damn sight warmer in the winter sitting behind a desk, but I was missing the creation of something tangible, real. I've always loved the outdoors, I owned and cherished a copy of the SAS survival guide at the age of ten and took every opportunity to explore the rugged Cornish landscape. I was also obsessed with knives, not in a freaky 'stabby' sense like a lot of inner city kids these days but in a 'wow, these things are very useful' kind of way. So after getting back into camping last year I decided to handle a knife and build a sheath for it, one day late last summer. Thanks to many of you all over the world, I managed to scoop plenty of sensible advice together to make it happen. I decided to buy the blades for my first knives as I didn't know if I would be any good at it, at this stage I get so much enjoyment out of it I don't really care if I'm not.... my next step, and the reason for my joining Knife Dogs is to start forging my blades, so I'll thank you in advance for the sensible advice and guidance I know I'll get from a bunch of diamonds like you all. I'll bear all and post my first knife, which was made with simple tools, a lot of research and hard work. The blade is a lauri, about 170mm long stainless and 3mm thick on the spine, Scandi grind with a brass bolster and black and white horn behind. The handle is supposedly quarter sawn maple but I got it on ebay and it could have been anything(!) A large knot appeared as I sanded it down so I added a spalted Beech inlay to get rid of it. The sheath is 3.5mm veg tanned leather with some messy stampingIMG_0349.jpg! It's as close to the traditional Pukko style as I could get, the handle is parallel and simplistic but it feels good in the hand, if a little 'tip high'. As a mark of respect to my Dad I gave it to him (he was guilty of buying my first real tool kit when I was 8, which I used to saw the leg off the kitchen table) for setting me off on the path of craft. One which, quite recently, I have strayed back onto. I hope I don't get ridiculed too much as a lot of you guys are making wonderful art but I need to start somewhere!IMG_0349.jpg
 
My wife keeps horses and so I found another excuse to dissappear into my shed to practice, and this was the outcome. Small Scandi style knife with large brass finger gaurd, handle made from the bottom of a hardwood door so probably mahogany. Hand made and stamped sheath and a torch on the side. I think I fluked this one. Oh, and it has a heart..... My wife loved that (yes I was going for brownie points)1546464937119.jpg
 
So here's number three.... it's a Helle blade with quarter sawn spalted Beech with Ebony and white and black horn on the back end and I made the sheath from 3.5mm tooling leather...1535049591437.jpg
 
Welcome to KD! Wonderful work so far!

Far and away the greatest part of knifemaking is having the ability to make a knife that is perfect for your own tastes and the manner in which you personally use the knife. I like that you are willing to take chances on your handle shapes and to deviate from the norm. When a person knows what he likes, it shows in his design.
 
And my latest one which is a Polish made blade and the same kind of set up as above just with some kind of resin based ivory substitute that I can't remember the name of and a nice looking slice of rosewood. Really got my head around how I'd like the sheaths to be now and the handle shape feels good.. just gotta keep practicing.20181218_200012.jpg
 
John Wilson said:
Welcome to KD! Wonderful work so far!

Far and away the greatest part of knifemaking is having the ability to make a knife that is perfect for your own tastes and the manner in which you personally use the knife. I like that you are willing to take chances on your handle shapes and to deviate from the norm. When a person knows what he likes, it shows in his design.
Click to expand...

Thanks John. I see these first few as nice gifts for friends and family, and also experiments in what I can and can't get away with in terms of the materials I use and the limitations of my tool kit! The next step is to build a forge and make the blades. Can't wait!
 
DustyMagnets said:
Hello to everyone. My name is Ben and I live in a lovely corner of Cornwall, England. I am a welder fabricator by trade, trained in the Dockyard in Devonport. I decided one day to go tour in a rock band, so I left my job there... one job led to another and hey presto I am now (rather shamefully) an insurance broker. It pays the bills and is a damn sight warmer in the winter sitting behind a desk, but I was missing the creation of something tangible, real. I've always loved the outdoors, I owned and cherished a copy of the SAS survival guide at the age of ten and took every opportunity to explore the rugged Cornish landscape. I was also obsessed with knives, not in a freaky 'stabby' sense like a lot of inner city kids these days but in a 'wow, these things are very useful' kind of way. So after getting back into camping last year I decided to handle a knife and build a sheath for it, one day late last summer. Thanks to many of you all over the world, I managed to scoop plenty of sensible advice together to make it happen. I decided to buy the blades for my first knives as I didn't know if I would be any good at it, at this stage I get so much enjoyment out of it I don't really care if I'm not.... my next step, and the reason for my joining Knife Dogs is to start forging my blades, so I'll thank you in advance for the sensible advice and guidance I know I'll get from a bunch of diamonds like you all. I'll bear all and post my first knife, which was made with simple tools, a lot of research and hard work. The blade is a lauri, about 170mm long stainless and 3mm thick on the spine, Scandi grind with a brass bolster and black and white horn behind. The handle is supposedly quarter sawn maple but I got it on ebay and it could have been anything(!) A large knot appeared as I sanded it down so I added a spalted Beech inlay to get rid of it. The sheath is 3.5mm veg tanned leather with some messy stampingView attachment 66842! It's as close to the traditional Pukko style as I could get, the handle is parallel and simplistic but it feels good in the hand, if a little 'tip high'. As a mark of respect to my Dad I gave it to him (he was guilty of buying my first real tool kit when I was 8, which I used to saw the leg off the kitchen table) for setting me off on the path of craft. One which, quite recently, I have strayed back onto. I hope I don't get ridiculed too much as a lot of you guys are making wonderful art but I need to start somewhere!View attachment 66842
Click to expand...

WELL DONE, LIKE IT,

Which bevel angle have you chosen?
 
Robert66 said:
WELL DONE, LIKE IT,

Which bevel angle have you chosen?
Click to expand...
Hi Rob, sorry I might not have been clear but I have been buying the blades so far just to see if it was something I could do, I have two more blades to handle and sheath and then I'll be making a forge and making some blades which is why I have joined KD
 
DustyMagnets said:
Hi Rob, sorry I might not have been clear but I have been buying the blades so far just to see if it was something I could do, I have two more blades to handle and sheath and then I'll be making a forge and making some blades which is why I have joined KD
Click to expand...

Re-handling blades is a fantastic way to get into knifemaking. Aside from mastering the handle shaping and finishing process (which is far more valuable than many new makers realize), you get to see how other makers/companies make their tangs and affix their handles.
 
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