Critique Request First knife

WSammut · Dec 9, 2016

Just finished my first knife engraving. Used 120 graver, diamond stippler and silver black oxidizer. Took about 30 hours. Any critiques, suggestions about pricing, advice would be very appreciated.
Thanks all

speeedy6 · Dec 10, 2016

W, what do you see as the good and the bad in it ? What these guys say repeatedly about drawing is spot on. I'm still working on ADVANCED DRAWING OF SCROLLS by Ron Smith. Whew, it's like going back to school but my designs have improved very much. Nice pics. Thanks for posting, Mark

gcmeleak · Dec 10, 2016

keep up the good work,
Skill comes from diligence.

Flashmo · Dec 12, 2016

30 hours...$1500.00 plus the cost of the knife +20% markup on the knife.

Critique: This is not 30 hours worth of engraving work, value wise. Worth about $150 to $300 tops. I REALLY like the overall design, love it. Watch the weird shape of the scroll, flat spots in the scroll, and obvious mistakes in the scroll (some could have been shaved down with a recut to blend and disguise).

Don't know if you also did the scales...really good fit on the scales, but the pins are proud and domed inconsistently (which makes it look "home made" instead of "handmade").

To the naked eye, it is probably pretty good and I personally would carry it because, like I said, I really like the design.

Dani Girl · Dec 12, 2016

Your border is neater than some of mine.

Is it a bit tricky to get close to the scrolls with the diamond stipple. I find tungsten carbide pretty good too. I use a scribe handle to sharpen them and use them in my tool... RIO GRANDE sells them.

I would suggest Sam Alfano's scroll drawing dvd and just spend several hours watching that and drawing heaps of scrolls.

It is overall pretty good and your borders are neater than some of mine.

The shading is not bad. What tools did you use to drop the background down? Chisels or burs? Do you have a rotary handpiece, what kind...

WSammut · Dec 13, 2016

Thank you. I ground the diamond stipler down to a sharper point up to the diamond tip so I can see a bit better as well as get closer to the scroll, I'll have to look into the tungsten, I had been using an old but ground to a point and wasn't happy with it as it would instantly round the tip even on the softest of metals. For the background removal I first used my 120 graver to try to remove the majority and get a consistent swap that (not always successful with my inexperience) and then took the smallest size bud but. I love bud bits for grinding background because the tip lets me get in the tightest corners while the side lets me remove lots of metal in an open area. I use a flex shaft (can't think of brand off hand) with a quick change hand piece. Thanks for the help

WSammut · Dec 13, 2016

Thank you. I agree that it is not 30 hours price wise as this is my first knife and I am still relatively new to engraving. Not sure what you mean by scales and as far as the rivets, this is a stock buck knife. I figured for my first knife I'd get something decent yet relatively inexpensive to get a few under my belt. Thanks for the help

Flashmo · Dec 15, 2016

WSammut said:
Thank you. I agree that it is not 30 hours price wise as this is my first knife and I am still relatively new to engraving. Not sure what you mean by scales and as far as the rivets, this is a stock buck knife. I figured for my first knife I'd get something decent yet relatively inexpensive to get a few under my belt. Thanks for the help

The scales are the sides of the knife, wood in this case.

If you look at the pins, they are domed, and look a little inconsistent. Most knives will have those pins sanded flush to the scales. Inexpensive explains the pin work.

Like I said before, I really like your design for it. The execution will come along quick.

In my first trade, I was taught "the difference between an apprentice and a journeyman, is that the journeyman knows how to fix his mistakes". Every time so somehing does not go as planned, try to fix it so others won't see it. It doesn't always work out, but you figure out what works with the effort.

Critique Request First knife

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