Celtic knots on a knife blade

[Salvi]

My first project on celtic knots has been almost a nightmare. First, I didn't know how hard would be to engraving an Inox HSS440 knife blade so I spent most of my time resharpening the tip of a 120 Carbalt burin. Then I tried a copper inlay (my first ever) so I also noticed that the alloy was as soft as the copper strand I was using.
After watching the pictures the knife is not so bad to my eyes but now I am aware of the existence of what I would call an unconfortable 'engraving hell' for absolute beginers. I know we are bound to learning from mistakes and failures and this is the fall and rise life of a self-taugh and solitary engraver.

 

[monk]

looks good. look on the bright side-- at least now you've become efficient at sharpening.

 

[Artemiss]

Knife blades have a repuation for being hard as hell to cut. They are hardened, afterall.
Make life easy for yourself, and stick to engraving the blunt end.

Should you endeavour to engrave another similar to this, try to make the design sympathetic to the shape of the blade or handle. i.e. it flows with the shape, rather than starting and stopping abruptly in the middle of nowhere.

Jo

 

[Arnaud Van Tilburgh]

I'm with Jo; try to make the design sympathetic to the shape of the blade or handle. i.e. it flows with the shape, rather than starting and stopping abruptly in the middle of nowhere.

arnaud

 

[Salvi]

Thank you for the kind advice. I understand what you say. The design was initially different, running longer accros the blade with a certain meaningful end but 'desperation' brought me to modify the original instead that pathetic knot

 

[LVVP]

Looks good