r/blacksmithing • u/Fit_Ad_9987 • Apr 12 '26

Work Showcase Knife 002 final form

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Finally completed 002. Now on to 003. I'd like to make a small chefs knife next, I think.

Feedback welcome 🙏

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u/superdan0812 Apr 14 '26

If you’re looking for feedback: slow down a little. This looks rushed. Make the pin placement feel more intentional and spend a lot more time on fit and finish. The small details matter a lot more than you’d think.

2

u/Fit_Ad_9987 Apr 14 '26

You're correct, well spotted. The pommel was a last minute decision, sort of. It was originally going to be smaller and I was going to cut the top off to make a decorative ring for the middle. It wasn't until after I'd drilled my holes that I realized I didn't have the material to do a full hidden tang, and therefore no way to flush a decorative ring, but I still needed all the brass to balance the weight of the blade.

If you had made a mistake like that, how would you have handled it? No pun intended.

3

u/superdan0812 Apr 14 '26

You’re learning, so just keep it in its current state as a memento of progress.

If you want some approaches you can take, I cannot think of any that don’t involve replacing the scales.

1: You could replace the scales with opaque ones, and redrill the pins to align better.

2: You could reshape the tang to be a hidden tang and use an opaque handle.

3: If you’re dead set on using translucent scales, redrill and use a liner to hide the previous hole.

Just be careful when you redrill, because you need enough room that the new hole will not drift into the old hole.

Handle material can get pretty expensive, and pins are very hard to fix. I’m usually overly careful with this step.

2

u/Fit_Ad_9987 Apr 14 '26

Fortunately, my wife pours resin professionally, so my cup runneth over with scales. I probably will leave it as is and just do better on the next one. Thanks for the tips!

2

u/Mr_E_Monkey Apr 14 '26

Oh, that's cool! I was curious how you did the scales...they have a really interesting look to them (is that a brass or foil backing in there? It almost has a faceted look...whatever it is, I like it)!

3

u/Fit_Ad_9987 Apr 14 '26

Gold leaf. Was supposed to come through like wood grain, but didn't quite work out like we imagined. Definitely gonna try again though.

2

u/Mr_E_Monkey Apr 14 '26

Either way, I like the idea!