The Yeager Knife

Knife of meteorite and Damascus by Loyd McConnell
Engraving and gold inlay by Scott Pilkington

photography by Point Seven

What a beautiful work Scott!
I can not imaging how many surprises you may have in your many hats!
Best regards,
Leonardo

What a stunning knife, and marvelous inlay and engraving!!
When I was very young (1949-1950) and a toddler, my dad was stationed in SoCal. I toddled off of our 2nd story balcony and the Officer downstairs picked me up and carried me back up stairs. It was Chuck Yeager. I wish I remembered that, but it is only through my Fathers stories that I know that.

I look at the items engraved by you, and Mr's Coggin, Hunt, Alfano et al, and can only aspire to reach such lofty realms. I am resigned to engraving commercially viable items, in a retail enviroment, where the dollar sign is king. My wife told me just yesterday, that she looks forward to the time when our store is on firm footing, and I can work on such wonderous Art Pieces. Until then, I can only dream, and thank you for the inspiration.

Will

Scott,

Extraordinarily CLASSY!! Commissioned? I love it.

Gen. Yeager attends the Dallas Safari club show every year. I't a special thing to see a man who was involved in so much history.

Nice job Scott!

How did the meteorite cut?

.... and Chuck is from West Virginia. I wonder if he knows his knife was engraved by a "Volunteer" LOL (just funnin')!!



Hey Scott .... you spelled "50th" wrong ... other than that totally AWESOME!!

wonderful ,thank for showing

O.M.G.! what a fitting set of scales for that guy. this one is just "out of the park", scott ! not much else to say.

Sure love the metals in the knife.

Scott,
That is very inspiring to the rest of us "beginners".
Thanks for sharing.
Boris

Wonderful inlays and overall design Scott! Was this knife for Chuck or for another customer? I assume you did this years ago since the 50th anniversary was 13 years ago!

By the way, when you see that the scales were "meteorite", does that really mean the metal came for an actual meteorite? Or is it a special alloy? I didn't think there were enough large meteorite samples to go around forging them into scales.

Scott,

This is a fine piece of work, and thank you allowing us to share with your excellent photos!

Beautiful gold work. I wonder if the meteor and the gold came from the same supernova explosion in antiquity that allowed us the building blocks of life...ref.. my reflective paragraph at the end of the thread:

http://www.igraver.com/forum/showthread.php?t=8496

I have a 7mm thick, by one inch, by about 4 inches, slab of a meteor, and had been wondering about a knife. I know it would not be good for the blade, but seeing your engraving on this knife lets me rethink it on a knife handle.

By the way, regarding Reno, work up the words to "Pancho and Lefty", and we will sing it together?

best

Rod

Thanks folks. Questions answered, yes, it was a commission from a friend of his, done through Mac (the knifemaker) I had a invite to go out for the presentation on the 50th anniversary, I’m not sure why now, but did’nt attend. Some years later I read his biography and was disappointed that I had not made it before. . I did get to meet him finally early this year in Reno, and was pleased to get this shot with my daughter.
He said he was real pleased with knife and we discussed the WVU Rifle hat he had on his head, since WVU is a customer of mine, and likewise I was a supporter and helper to restablish the team when the University Chancellor shut the team down several years ago. This despite the fact the rifle team had been NCAA Champions numerous times in its history and the only sport to ever do so. The public outcry was so large that eventually the state leglislature mandate its return and gave the team funding.


Leaonardo, I do seem to wear a lot of hats in my business world, engraver, Olympic gunsmith, airgun salesman, tour operator, author, photographer, tractor repairman. Maybe that’s why I collect and wear so many crazy hats.

Chris M is fiftieth Chris spelled wrong by WV English standards? LOL .


The meteorite cuts like Damascus, hard soft hard soft hard soft as you hit the different layers. You have to go back and trim or “shade” the edges of your lines or inlay cuts because the soft areas tend cut deeper/wider and leave ragged look if you don’t. Doc M, meteorite is not uncommon apparently just a little pricey.. But they are’nt forged, just sliced straight from the stone. .

As anybody who knows me, I am very big on inherent design features, and for this the meteorite was a big part of the overall concept as you can imagine. I could not cover the meteorite with engraving or it would loose its effect. So I did the signature and the X-1 in gold, and then it still needed a border, and I did;nt want to finely detailed a border, lest it detract from the central portions. So I opted for something simpler with the gold ribbons cutting across it. I think it turned out real nice. Thanks for the all the compliments

Rod, you betcha... oh can you learn to play Kansas City Star so I don't have to sing it acapella?

Hi Scott,

Amazing piece of work. Everything harmonizes into one beautiful masterpiece. My question is about the meteorite, I know the crystaline pattern (widmanstatten pattern)does not show unless the meteorite iron is etched with acid. Was the etching done before or after the engraving and inlay? It seems like it must have been after but it does not show on the engraving... Was the engraving masked off for the etch?

Thanks,

Daniel Isdell
Creator of the Celtic Knot Font
http://www.clanbadge.com

Daniel, good question. The etching was done after the engraving, and yes, the scrolls and the border were masked off from the etch so that they would appear as one solid color, to all but the closest inspection.