A knife for my brother

[SamHarper]

Last August, bbs383ci posted this beautiful Damascus skinning knife with a snakewood handle.

http://discussions.texasbowhunter.com/forums/showthread.php?t=396768

I thought it was absosmurfly beautiful, and I couldn't stop looking at it, so I downloaded a picture of it and used it as a template to make one. Actually, I was going to make two of them--one for an old friend and one for my brother. I had a little trouble with heat treating and broke one of them. This is the one that survived.

It's made of 1095 steel. The handle is stabilized walnut. I used Curtis Seebeck's cactus juice to stabilize it. It worked pretty well because it was really hard to sand out all the tool marks after I shaped it.

This is my fourth knife so far and the most successful so far, too. My first two didn't get hard when I heat treated them. I'm not sure about the third one. This one worked out well, though.

I used superglue to put a finish on the handle. Oh, and I also made that pin mosaic!

bbs383ci, I hope you don't mind me copying your knife. Remember that imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. :-) I promise I'm not going to sell it. I'm just going to give it to my brother.

I'm posting two pictures in different light conditions because I'm a terrible photographer.

[bps3040]

Nice!

[meshmover67]

looks great

[Draco]

That looks great Sam.

[thorshammer]

I really like the profile. Very nice sir.

[McWebb93]

Pattern on the handle is super cool, good job.

[paintman]

Sam that is very very nice. awesome work!!

[swgreen]

Very nice good work

[fjmsniper]

good looking knife

[bladesmith]

Good job.

[bbs383ci]

Been a while since I've been on here. Sam that knife with the snakewood handles was a premade blank. So it doesn't bother me even if you used a pattern I came up with if you like one and can replicate it, use it. Good looking blade by the way.

[Kills-myth]

Beautiful work. The handle is beautiful. I used thin ca on a balsa topwater I made a few years back. It's tough and lays on like glass. Never thought of using it on a knife handle but looks awesome.

[SamHarper]

bbs, thanks. That makes me feel much better. :-) It was just too pretty for me not to make one. I'm making another one right now out of a rasp.

[SamHarper]

Here's another picture of my brother's knife with an ugly sheath I made for it. I took a class on leather carving last weekend, though, and I'm taking a class on leather stamping this Saturday. Hopefully soon I can start making prettier sheaths.

[Wood Man]

That is beautiful work.