TheoRockNazz Posted April 3, 2019 Share Posted April 3, 2019 A chopper I forged sporting my new procedural guard and pommel system. 80CrV2 blade with hamon, dyed and stabilized buckeye burl, and cast bronze fittings. Had a lot of fun figuring out the design for the fittings; with all the fun color options we get for handle materials these days I wanted to find a way to add some to the fittings too. 16.5" OAL, 10.5" blade. Let me know what yall think! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted April 3, 2019 Share Posted April 3, 2019 Theo: I don't understand what you mean by "procedural" guard and pommel, I think I can see what you did but don't know the significance of the term. The burl took the dye beautifully, it's gorgeous. I can't see a hamon though, the lights are reflecting into the camera glaring out details. I'm no fan of the "primitive(?)" look I don't like hammer marks and scale on a "finished" blade. That's a matter of taste not a comment on craftsmanship. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pnut Posted April 6, 2019 Share Posted April 6, 2019 Ditto on the burl. The colors are gorgeous. I'm not clear on the term procedural guard and pommel either. Does it refer to a multi step procedure. I'm just curious. I like picking up new terms whenever possible. It's almost like collecting stamps just more practical. If you can find time could you elaborate a little. Thanks, and your knives are works of art. I hope to one day elevate my skills to this level. Pnut (Mike) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheoRockNazz Posted April 6, 2019 Author Share Posted April 6, 2019 Thank you guys! So the procedural guards are made up of four interlocking components that cinch around the tang, and can adapt to most sized forged tangs. There is a little leftover empty space inside the guard that I pour G-flex into from the underside, which flows around the interlocking tabs securing the components in their position. The accuracy of the 3D printing and casting process nowadays is so on point that I nip off the sprues, gently file the insides of the interlocking slots/tabs, and they come together with gentle tapping (sorta a friction fit). This way I get to leave the stepping from the printing process on the bronze, of which I love the look and texture. The "lines" of color are where the individual components interlock/overlap - I use resin dye with the G flex to come back after assembly and add those bit in. I like to call the finish on the blade Brut-de-forge... really just a softer way of saying primitive lol. I draw a lot of inspiration from Lin Rhea MS (literally just texted him pics of the guard), and he has given me some good feedback over the years... still waiting to hear what he thinks of this guard design though haha. His take on the all-metal blacksmiths knife really helped me find my style and what speaks to me - as it turns out, I like seeing that the blade was forged 90% to shape with the only cleanup being on the bevels. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Frosty Posted April 6, 2019 Share Posted April 6, 2019 May we see some assembly pics of a procedural guard and hilt please? I hear and understand what you say but my dented brain isn't getting a handle on it. . . so to speak. Frosty The Lucky. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lou L Posted April 6, 2019 Share Posted April 6, 2019 Agreed, a little photo walkthrough on this style of guard construction would be really informative. It might transfer over into other uses as well. I love the knife, Theo. I like brute de forge of knives like this. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Donal Harris Posted April 6, 2019 Share Posted April 6, 2019 (edited) I agree with Lou. Would like to see a walkthrough on the guard construction. Edited to add: Why leave the gap there? Edited April 6, 2019 by DHarris Added question and pic Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheoRockNazz Posted April 7, 2019 Author Share Posted April 7, 2019 3 hours ago, DHarris said: Why leave the gap there? Honestly... purely aesthetics, thought it looked cool, and matched the rest of the guard better that way Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chuck_Steak Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 So my personal taste says the blue fill looks outta place as does the break in the guards. I like the guard color, like the burl color. I'd love to see the guards with tight seams rather than the gaps. Again, Just my opinion. I like the blade, overall shape, I like the tasteful as forged surface. Altogether a very nice piece. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris C Posted June 19, 2019 Share Posted June 19, 2019 Well, TheoRockNazz, if you're asking for honest critique............................................... I like the handle with the colored burl a lot. I'm okay with the "unfinished" blade. But the pommel and guard don't seem to compliment the knife at all. All this, of course, is just my humble opinion. And you know what they say about opinions.......................................... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheoRockNazz Posted June 28, 2019 Author Share Posted June 28, 2019 Thank you guys, I always appreciate honesty Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
billyO Posted July 3, 2019 Share Posted July 3, 2019 You've been doing some pretty interesting things with 3d printing these past couple of years, Theo. Out of curiosity, have you done any serious destruction testing to see how well these interlocking and epoxied guards hold up? Let's not forget, our knives will probably outlive all of us and we can't dictate how they are used in the future. Which is partly why I focus my efforts on kitchen knives. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheoRockNazz Posted July 4, 2019 Author Share Posted July 4, 2019 It's pretty interesting, they have a lot of bounce because the internal cavities are filled with G-Flex. After a couple really good bashes with a hammer I started to see some gapping between the guard and handle material, but nothing moved. More bashing and I wasn't able to get the guard off but it was wiggling and the handle material destroyed in the process. In the case of the above blade, the burl is going to come apart way before the guard does. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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