Marcus sent me a piece of stabilized maple burl last year. It wasn’t very big, not enough for my usual chunky knife handles, but it was big enough for two badger knives, so I used it for the last two blades in the current batch.
I did not do the brass bolsters and pommels very well, I am afraid. The pins refused to blend in – they do so so seamlessly in aluminum and stainless steel, but so far I did not have any luck with brass. And since this blade is stainless steel, some artificial extreme patina would not look proper. I tried to make the heads rounded this time, but I did not like the look of it at all, especially because I did not position them correctly for that kind of look. Nevertheless, the extremely beautiful wood from Marcus, when polished with beeswax, does redeem the knives a little. And when I saw how pretty the wood is, I have decided to make better and nicer sheaths for these knives too.
© Charly, all rights reserved. Click for full size.
© Charly, all rights reserved. Click for full size.
This is the better of the pair. Making the silver maple leaves was real fun, and I have managed to get the colors very close to what I have originaly designed in Photoshop.
It looks pretty, but silver maple is not native here so for the second one I have used a different design and color palette – yellow small-leaved linden leafs.
© Charly, all rights reserved. Click for full size.
© Charly, all rights reserved. Click for full size.
The small-leaved linden tree is pretty common here and it is also Czech national tree, so I have been intentionally a bit patriotic with this one. Unfortunately, I run out of the medium thickness leather so I had to use the thicker one and it was just a tad too thick for this small knife design. It is not a functional problem, only the leather could not be formed so snugly around the knife, because the knife would not get out.
I think my leatherwork is improving and I like these leafs-designs. I shall definitively use them more, even though they are a bit labor-intensive, especially since I do not intend to use the same design twice. I might use the outline, but I will always at least mix up the colors differently.
You’re right -- it’s not the size of the wood, it’s what you do with it that counts!
The carvings are really good and a very cool idea.
Charly, these are beautiful! I love how the one with the linden leaves on the sheath has a lighter, yellower color in the wooden handle, and how the maple leaf one is redder in the handle. Really nice how that matches up so well. Even though thicker leather does not mold as well to the knife, it does carve up beautifully. I agree your leather work is really looking terrific!
Charly they are gorgeous, I think you are seeing ‘faults’ that no one else would be likely to notice.
Charly, your leatherwork is definitely getting a lot better.
The first knives you made, handle and sheaths were mostly functional. Now they are artful accessories.
That is gorgeous leatherwork indeed. The visible pins in the bolsters and pommels don’t bother me, they are fine.
Of course, with a peened stick tang and a more cup-like bolster and pommel (puukko style), pins wouldn’t be required, but you seem to have been more of a full-width tang maker lately.