D. Martell #1 is Done - FINALLY!!

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Dave Martell

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After many many many problems and a lot of learning curve and even more hard knocks I've finally got knife #1 finished and ready to go. Is it exactly the way I want it though? No - not quite - but it's as best as I can do for my first attempt at making a knife.

A few of the issues....

1. Bolsters

I wanted to go with mokume bolsters but this just isn't going to happen. I'll use mokume in the future for sure but it's too great of a loss to keep experimenting with at the moment.

On the plus side I've made my standard option (linen micarta) work just fine and is giving me just the look I wanted. This is what I had planned to use after the first 12 were done in mokume.

I'm not so certain that I love the silver pin in the bolster though, any thoughts on this?



2. Edge Length

It started out as a 240mm but I snapped off a good bit of heal by mistake and had to shorten the blade as a result. It's now 233mm.


3. Choil/Bolster spacing

Due to the length shortening I had to adjust this area as well. Normally I would prefer a western bolster to be closer to the choil.


4. Logo/Markings

They didn't come out nearly as nice as I had hoped for. I did some practice runs which I really screwed up on so this is a huge improvement but still they're light. I guess not bad for a first though.



5. Tang

The tang is a little too thick for my liking, it brings the weight back into the handle a bit too much. Fortunately the switch from mokume to micarta brought the balance point back out to 1" in from of the bolster - phew!

Knife #2 can't be corrected for this either (scales are already on) but the rest will have thinned tangs from then on out.


So what do you think? :)

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Well done Dave! I like the logo and the underlining, reminds me of 1950's logos and advertising.

The silver pin through the black linen looks okay, maybe a mosiac might look better?
 
Very cool! And that logo looks great!
 
Thanks for the kind words guys. :)

It's funny about the logo as I anguished over this decision for ages and finally went with this design pretty much for the reason that Jonnychance noted why he liked it. Doing the logo design and actually marking the knife has been the hardest mental part for me by far.

So what about the silver pin in the bolster? I have some micarta pins on the way which will blend in better but I'm wondering if anyone likes the silver or if it's just a matter of that's OK....what's your preference? John mentioned a mosaic pin which I considered but didn't do on this one because the center handle pin is mosaic.
 
i think the pin in the bolster is just fine. if the bolster is going to have a pin, i would prefer that it be silver. having it stand out makes it stand out less, if that makes sense.
 
Dave, that looks great! :thumbsup:

I personally like the pin in the bolster, but think it could be smaller. Maybe just an 3/16.

Overall, very impressive.
 
I hope I didnt offend you Dave.

I have no clue why you underline the logo, its so.....eh....1990.
Underlining is almost not used anymore. If you want to draw attention we in 2010 use bold to show the importance. But if you feel like underlining is the way to go you should do that. But as I think the font already draws attention, I have no idea why you underline things. Things can get to much, yet simple style is still the best. See Bill Burke and Devin :)
 
I would prefer that the bolster is all black without the silver pin. Just MHO.

Otherwise, it looks great! :thumbsup:

How did you end up grinding the knives?
 
Not bad :) I like te pin but also would likle to see a slightly smaller version and then decide. Mosaic pin would be too much. In a less busy handle, I can also see red liners and a red pin.

Stefan
 
I don't like the pin in the bolster and the micarta doesn't compliment the wood very well. Why not try a pinned stainless bolster?
 
I don't like the pin in the bolster and the micarta doesn't compliment the wood very well. Why not try a pinned stainless bolster?

I think stainless or something similar would look better as well.

Dave, any chance that by, say, knife #19 you'll be able to offer mokume bolsters as an option? :)
 
I also tend to prefer no pin. I don't know, the pin just makes the bolster look smaller ... or is it just me. Anyway, I viewed the below and your pic side by side and think I prefer the below.

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Stefan I also thought red as well for liners but not the pins. I was also picturing copper liners and pins.
 
I also tend to prefer no pin. I don't know, the pin just makes the bolster look smaller ... or is it just me. Anyway, I viewed the below and your pic side by side and think I prefer the below.

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Nice photoshop Ben, I think I prefer this too.
 
How did you end up grinding the knives?


The knives are triple beveled up the sides in what I can only find words to describe as "modified convex". They're damn near almost flat with the slightest of bevels ground and then blended. The bevels on the side of the blade are done very much like the Japanese grind their knives using only applied pressure to set the bevels. When I run my fingers down the blade I feel a slight convex but when using a straight edge (spine to edge) I see the bevels clearly.
 
Oh I almost forgot - the best part is how sharp this thing is and how easy it sharpened - VERY nice on both counts. :bliss:
 
Well you now have my opinion. I would like a more personal logo. Martell is for me a cognac...

I would like "Dave" or "Dave Martell"

I like the font, but not the glowing. Cool D
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Love the logo. Keep it as is. The knife looks great, too. Well done!!
 
The knives are triple beveled up the sides in what I can only find words to describe as "modified convex". They're damn near almost flat with the slightest of bevels ground and then blended. The bevels on the side of the blade are done very much like the Japanese grind their knives using only applied pressure to set the bevels. When I run my fingers down the blade I feel a slight convex but when using a straight edge (spine to edge) I see the bevels clearly.

How do you suggest folks sharpen? Is it possible to reproduce the three bevels, or do you suspect most folks will cut right through that and leave a typical bevel(s)? Or would you suggest convexing?
 
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