Doc Mark
~ Elite 1000 Member ~
I've been having a heck of a time with this knife over the past couple of weeks. As you know by all my past questions concerning the care and feeding of Damascus, this is my first foray into working with this metal. All your input greatly helped me along the way. I finally got the etchent timing worked out and the client is happy with the results. Those of you who mentioned the "hard...soft" feel when cutting were right! I didn't notice it much when cutting the gold channels but when I started doing the fine outlines around the gold....wow, what a pain in the butt. No matter what graver geometry I used, it was a struggle to keep the tip from either "skating or plunging". As it turned out, all that frustration was for naught, as the lines disappeared after etching!
The design open for any critiques. I was trying for a "Art Nouveau..ish" look, to go with the rather odd shape to the knife. The bloody screw holes were a bit of pain, so I did what so many gun engravers have done throughout history, I ignored them!
There is a crap load (yes, that is the correct technical term) of gold in this puppy, most of it was done in flat strips cut from my own freshly rolled sheet. The fit and finish on this knife frankly doesn't warrant the amount of gold (and time) that was ultimately spent. But, the client wanted it done, so that's all that matters. By the way, the center section with the "butterfly wings" is not gold, but rather a brass insert which was part of the original knife design.
Your comments and critiques are always welcome.
The design open for any critiques. I was trying for a "Art Nouveau..ish" look, to go with the rather odd shape to the knife. The bloody screw holes were a bit of pain, so I did what so many gun engravers have done throughout history, I ignored them!
There is a crap load (yes, that is the correct technical term) of gold in this puppy, most of it was done in flat strips cut from my own freshly rolled sheet. The fit and finish on this knife frankly doesn't warrant the amount of gold (and time) that was ultimately spent. But, the client wanted it done, so that's all that matters. By the way, the center section with the "butterfly wings" is not gold, but rather a brass insert which was part of the original knife design.
Your comments and critiques are always welcome.
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