MastaStan

Jeeee wizzzicles. Amazed!

Stainless with English oak handle scales. It went from a paper template, that mocked me for weeks to something I'm pretty proud of. Its not perfect but I think its going to be a bit of a prototype for improvements, not only on design, but also on materials .

It has a very nice weight and feel to it. I went for a bushcraft look and feel. First bushcraft/scandi I've done so let me know what you think.

3 hours ago, ThomasPowers said:

memo to self: do NOT invite MastaStan over to look at blades.......

It was a play on a British saying; "I'd snap your hand off for that". Meaning you really like it. Most Americans wouldn't understand it.

Really nice knife. If I was the guy, I would have chopped your hand off for it.

Really pleasing to the eye! I love the blade.

Very nice.# Inspired

Thank you for the kind comments.

2 hours ago, ThomasPowers said:

Straw may be a bit brittle for a file knife depending on its intended use,

How are you determining which videos are bogus and which ones are good?

They range wildly and some of the ones with the best production values have the most bogus information.  As I tell folks who depend on the net for information: "Give me half an hour and I can have a website up that claims you are the lovechild of Margaret Thatcher and Elvis Presley!" (Many American's don't seem to get the reference...)

I thought the lovechild of Margaret Thatcher and Elvis would be a coal burger!

Thanks for the input on tempering, i intend on using more files. The knife will probably not get much use. Maybe for fishing, feels nice in the hand for gutting.

I watched a lot of Walter sorrels videos on YouTube for basics and making with hand tools. The knife was essentially to get used to the basics knife making. Very simple and came out quite well, IMHO.

Thanks for comments.

This is the first knife I made and it really gave me the bug to start getting some better kit and start progressing.

Made from an old file blade and mahogany scales. Hardened by heating to cherry red +non magnetic and quenching in water. Then a stint in the kitchen over until straw coloured.

I designed it based on an old folding knife that I use for fishing, but made the handle much longer and ergonomic.

Entirely made only using hand tools. Files, rasps, sandpaper etc. I had no power tools when I made this knife! The hardest part I found was forming the angles of the blade and ricasso using files. Its a lot of work but teaches you a lot also. I had been watching loads if YouTube bids and doing a lot of research beforehand.

Thanks for looking.

54 minutes ago, Will W. said:

Nice. The pattern is very interesting, but those scales! Wow! I'm a fan. Did you do the initial heat treatment on it before having it cryogenically treated?

Thanks. All the heat treatment was done by a small UK company called shingcrafts. Usually do my own heat treatment but stainless Damascus/cryogenics is a bit (very far) out of my league.

Damascus neck knife with spalted ash handle scales.

The Damascus was given to me by my Father and I had the blade hardened, cryogenically by a local company.

This is the 6th knife that I've finished mainly by stock removal, although I'm moving into forging also.

It took me a while to finish the knife, now I need to work on a buffalo leather sheath.

Wow, that's absolutely amazing! Very intricate.