While my last visit in a German winter, 7 years ago, I forged the blade blank on a power hammer of a friend.

I remember my face got toasted and my butt freezed off.

Since then I worked on it when the time allowed. It took 7 years to complete, so to speak.

It has approximately 100 layers and it contains 50% of W2 and 25% of O2 and 15N20 (75Ni8) each.

It is not that high contrast mixture because the W2 appears grey which makes together with the bright nickel tool steel the main colors.

But it is a heck of a tough blade and it holds an edge quite good which to me is the most important thing....but I love how the colors came out, less dominant

and not so distracting from the actual knife.

The fittings are embossed copper and the handle and the sheath is made from Burmese Padouk root.

It measures 310 mm on the blade and 465 mm overall length.

Cheers

 

TH, As usual, lovely, lovely work.  I am as impressed by the fittings of the handle and the sheath as I am with the pattern welded blade.  You are an inspiration to us all.

"By hammer and hand all arts do stand."

Beautiful work as always. Damascus bush devil has a nice ring to it as well.. One might say the devil is in the details!

I love the piece of wood you chose.

Thanks for sharing.

You have a very distinct style, which I admire greatly.

Very nice indeed. 

Another gorgeous blade! I don't see anything I don't love, except maybe being too far away to hold myself. 

Thank you for making me drool all over my keyboard . . . AGAIN!

Frosty The Lucky.

A beautiful  blade & wood, almost too beautiful to use in the bush.

Templehound, another beautiful example of your work, well worth the seven year wait 

Gentlemen!....those are beautiful comments, much appreciated, Thank You very much!

 

I keep expecting to see heads of state from that region formally dressed in sarongs with your work tucked into their waistbands!

Nothing's a-wrong with that.

On 3/26/2022 at 12:31 AM, ThomasPowers said:

I keep expecting to see heads of state from that region formally dressed in sarongs with your work tucked into their waistbands!

Unfortunately such folks expect to be worked for them for free since they are far above a blade smith in the hierarchy.

Everybody who has to work hard and get the hands dirty is low ranked.....as it is in most Asian countries....(maybe Japan makes the exception here)

20 years ago I once gifted a knife to somebody high ranked and I didn't even get thanks...but that was a learning and teaching experience.

 

Interesting point about social hierarchy. Now I'm wondering if the Japanese respect for traditional craft extends either to the social standing of the actual craftsperson or to non-traditional crafts and craftspeople as well.

JHCC, I know Japan reveres some older crafts people as national treasures.

 

Yes, a number of countries have similar programs (e.g., France, South Korea, Philippines), and part of the 2003 UNESCO Convention on the Safeguarding of Intangible Cultural Heritage includes Living Human Treasures. That's not quite what I'm talking about, though: a government or an organization can honor an individual, but whether or not that changes their position in the social hierarchy is a separate question. This also doesn't address what happens when their craft is not considered "intangible cultural heritage".

(On a slight tangent, this reminds me of a scene from the movie "My Favorite Year", when the movie star Alan Swann (played brilliantly by Peter O'Toole) is hanging off the side of a building from a fire hose while two members of New York upper class society are on a balcony somewhat higher up. One of the bluebloods looks over the edge, sees Swann swinging at the end of the hose, and says to his companion, "Alan Swann is below us!" The companion replies, "Of course he's below us! He's an actor!")

I always made sure that I had business cards when making international trips for those cultural reasons.  People with their own business cards were considered to be socially superior to people without them in several of the countries I visited---with a business card you were an Engineer, without you were a Technician, same degree(s), same job(s).