Tuesday, July 20, 2010

FIRST AND LAST

It has been a while since I posted so thought I would compare  my first forged item and my last and look at how my efforts in knife making have changed over the years. I went to visit my step-mom recently and she gave me one of my late dad's knives. It turned out to be one I made and gave to him. It was the first knife I ever made and I was really proud of it at the time. I made it from a piece of scrap metal I salvaged from a farm implement, I have forgotten what exactly.

 I am surprised at how much I still like it in spite of it's flaws. I love the handle shape and size, the guard and the overall length and shape. It is very comfortable to hold and use. I hate that I heat treated it with a torch and quenched it in old motor oil but never tested the heat treat. The geometry of the edge is terrible and that made it impossible to sharpen properly. I spent an incredible number of hours filing, sanding, and buffing. Now I see that it looks good but it is lacking in function and what is a knife for but function. It is not a bad first effort but it completely ignores the one thing I prize most in any tool, FUNCTION.

 The other photo shows two pieces I recently forged for my grandson. He is a budding pyromaniac and has been hounding me to make him a flint and steel kit for fire making. My daughter had a lot of imput in what he could have( he is ten years old). Consequently his knife has no point. It will open an artery through five layers of clothing but at least he won't stab himself. These implements do not look good but they are extremely functional. The knife looks like a butter knife but it will cut. It takes a good edge, holds it through a lot of use, and the edge won't chip or roll. The flint striker is from the other end of the file I made the knife out of. It throws a good shower of sparks but is as ugly as home made sin.

I can see that my priorities have chaged completely, I went from fancy and looks good to don't care how it looks as long as it perfoms. I need to work back to the middle position. I think I over reacted when I relized my knives were pure crap. Since then I have concentrated solely on function. My wife thinks that I intentionally make them ugly. Possible, but I do not consciously go for ugly.

 It is time to take some new direction and try to incorporate a little style with the function. I admire several of the bladesmiths that I have met or studied. They have mastered both form and function, some are true artists.  I have purchased several of thier knives and most of the ones I like are also very functional. A few, however,  have not lived up to my expectations. Those are strictly lookers, they don't work well. I won't mentions the makers that disapointed me but I will single out one maker that has gained a lot of admiration. His name is Orien MacDonald. I have been watching his work for a while and have purchased three pieces he made. They are orginal and quite striking. I would call them art but the important thing to me is they are really great knives. They are  great to look at or use. I hope to do better in that respect in the future. I don't kid myself about becoming an artist but I believe I can make a better looking knife and stil make a functional one as well.

I am in the process of moving and my shop is in boxes and stored . I hate it when I decide to do something and then can't. I need a heavy metal fix soon. I may have to set the barn on fire and beat on anything that gets hot enough to glow.

2 comments:

  1. Nice little reflection, Ross! I agree, the middle ground is the place to be...the perfect blend of form and function. Hope you can set up shop soon. How about some pics of the Orien pieces? I'd like to see them.

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  2. This is the only one that I have that is not packed. I carry it full time so it is not in a box. The blade is bedframe steel, the handle is sheet metal from an electrical juntion box with etched designs. It is sharp and so far has only been touched up on a steel (I have opened a ton of cardboard boxes with it as well as everyday use). I would consider this to be a prime example of functional folk art. It is a good user, nice to look at, and it is unique. I can't post the photo in the comment so I will add it to the original posting.

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