July 28, 20196 yr I had promised myself more "development" time this year and have been playing with some patterns . One I really wanted to visit is the feather pattern...here is my take on it. Trying to make feather that looks like a feather (amoungst other stuff!) somthing a little bigger with silver ferrule and some offshutes ying tang feather! and a bit of zebra! its been fun!
July 29, 20196 yr All are awesome! I like how the handle on the silver ferrule matches the feather pattern.
July 29, 20196 yr Beautiful work. I'm curious though if these patterns would react if they were used to cut acidic stuff like tomatoes.
July 29, 20196 yr Probably a lot like how a US$50K carved, engraved and inlaid "hunting gun" reacts to actually taking it out in the field and shooting it. (Yes it can; but probably will not!)
July 30, 20196 yr Author 12 hours ago, rockstar.esq said: Beautiful work. I'm curious though if these patterns would react if they were used to cut acidic stuff like tomatoes. I use these knives in the kitchen as well as a lot of other carbon steel knives and some stainless steel clad and stainless steel knives and in use they are just fine. You have to clean them and dry them (imediatly) and an acasional wipe down with 10000 grit micro mesh brings the pattern back. I much prefer carbon steel kitchen knives and have tried some high end stainless steel ones and find they do not sharpen as easily or get as sharp as the carbon steel knives. but they do require no care and can be thrown in a dishwasher! With damascus kitchen knives the trick seems to be having a bolder pattern that is easier to clean back and get contrast so these fit the bill. the things that will not work in the kitchen so well are the 1000 layer knives with fine pattern. I get a lot of good feed back from customers and I think people like the relationship that comes with having to put a little attention and care into somthing.
July 30, 20196 yr If I could make such beautiful things I would probably use them in the kitchen as well, but since I can’t and still have one girl to put through college I can only look and wish. My pick would be the first, but with a silver ferrule.
July 30, 20196 yr 9 hours ago, basher said: but they do require no care and can be thrown in a dishwasher! Knives or possessions in general that require no care tend to train us to be careless where possessions that require care train us to be careful. There is little or no incentive on the important level (survival) to invest more time and effort than necessary. This tends to bite us in the behind when things are so plentiful, preferring disposable is a natural human behavior. Beautiful as always Owen, I love a bold high contrast pattern and fine finish. Frosty The Lucky.
August 3, 20196 yr Very nice, love your variations...consider these pics saved for future reference. (you haven't copyrighted the pattern, have you?) I will agree with Owen on kitchen knife use. All I use in the kitchen are my own damascus and san mai blades. With care and occasional maintenance (coffee bath works for me) the pattern stays bold.
August 7, 20196 yr This is one of the reasons I like to make kitchen knives. You can make an artistic piece like this, (ok, mine aren't that nice), and people will actually use it every day. If I make a hunting knife with a similar level of artistic flair, people tend to stick it in a desk drawer. All of the knives I use at home are ones I made, and all pattern welded. It is my test bed. Daily use with good care brings on a patina that I think helps the pattern. On the other hand, nobody else in my family gets to use the better ones because they do things like leave them in the sink and run them through the dishwasher. I have made a couple of san-mai beaters as an acid test that the rest of the family use every day. They look like crap now, but do still work well.
September 8, 20196 yr Those are gorgeous, Basher. I love to see Damascus................pretty much any pattern, but I really like that first one.
September 18, 20196 yr Basher This an extremely sexy pattern. When I become a real smith I want to make some of that pattern!! Nice work. Do you want to share any secrets on the making of the pattern? David
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