"Emerald Dragon" Custom Gyuto WIP

[HHH Knives]

I thought it would be cool to share this..

Im working on a Custom Damascus Gyuto for one of our fellow KKF members.. The process of designing a custom knife is alot of fun and one of my favorite parts. Its the part of the build that not only makes a huge difference on the final outcome of the knife, But where the spirit of the blade is conceived.

This is a great example of this.. And as the ideas and expectations grow. the blade starts to take on a spirit of its own.. This one has been dubbed, The Emerald Dragon.. Its hard to explain, guess the best way I can do it is to say.. Your about to witness the birth of a Dragon!

Emerald Dragon
The SPECS.
244mm Electric Explosion pattern damascus blade.
2.7 to 3.0mm thick above the heel
55mm Heel height.
5 1/4 inch handle..
This puts the Overall length right around 15 inches.
Bolsters, Explosion damascus
Handle, mammoth tooth with stabilized birch burl.
full file work with inlayed leather sheath.

Heres the billet after Randy Jr. worked his magic.. Its 1095 and 15n20 steel and its just over 21" long. and 2 3/8" wide.

This is the same chunk of steel cleaned up and profiled to spec..
I can already start to feel the fire from this dragon. Can ya feel it? This one is gona be Smokin!!!

Thats it for tonight, Its well after midnight, so Im wrapping this up for the night. Ill try and update this one as soon as possible.

Thanks for checking out the post. Questions or comments welcomed.

 

[JohnnyChance]

Pictures work now. Looks good! Handle material sounds awesome.

 

[HHH Knives]

Thanks for letting me know Johnny.. I think I got them up and working now, my mistake. Im really excited about this project if ya cant tell!!

 

[Customfan]

Superb Randy! I have a feeling this will be your best yet!

_________________________________________________________

Emerald Dragon... may you be a:

Vanquisher of Venison...
Subduer of shiitake...
Terror of terrines...
Slayer of souffles...
Boss of brisket...
Guru of goulash...
Slicer of sauerkraut...
Protector of proteins...
Conquerer of cuttlefish...
Master of mozzarella...
Trampler of tilapia...
Advocate of arugula... and...
Subjugator of salmon...

how we anticipate thy creation!


:knight:

 

[HHH Knives]

Customfan, Thats the spirit I'm talking about!!!

Emerald Dragon... may you be a:

Vanquisher of Venison...
Subduer of shiitake...
Terror of terrines...
Slayer of souffles...
Boss of brisket...
Guru of goulash...
Slicer of sauerkraut...
Protector of proteins...
Conquerer of cuttlefish...
Master of mozzarella...
Trampler of tilapia...
Advocate of arugula... and...
Subjugator of salmon...

how we anticipate thy creation!

Thats just too cool, I love it! Thanks
Randy

 

[HHH Knives]

OK so I broke in the new HT oven on this blade! It came through the process perfect and Im super stoked. I didnt get any pics of the HT process. Because Im dealing with super high heat and a new tool. Also Jr was busy doing something else when it was time to quench.. So we missed the photo..

We finalized the handle materials for the Dragon! Its going to have damascus bolsters. :thumbsup:

Then Mammoth tooth. :cool2:

And finish it off with some stabilized birch burl. :eek2:
[IMG]http://i1101.photobucket.com/albums/g428/HHHKnives/BURL007.jpg

Ill be grinding the blade tomorrow and will try and get some pics posted B4 heading to the lake for the weekend!

Thanks for looking.
God Bless

 

[Lefty]

Randy, I can't wait to see this one! Gee, I wonder why!?! Haha.
(I should clarify, it's not mine, but I think i'd be happy if it was!)

 

[Customfan]

:jumping:WOW! Cant wait to see the finished Dragon!

The combination of materials should look fantastic Randy!....

Whoever the owner of that knife is should be very happy! I wonder who it is? hehehe! :ninja: :rofl: :tongue2:

 

[HHH Knives]

I made some progress today. Like I promised, here are some photos of the blade, Now ground and lightly etched to show off the damascus pattern. This is a similar pattern to the Suji WIP.

Im really pleased with the blade brinds. The ege is super thin. Each and every kitchen blade I grind is getting better and better. Thinner behind the cutting edge, and what I believe to be better geometry throughout the entire grind..:hoot:

Thanks for looking, any comments or critiques are welcomed.

 

[Eamon Burke]

Looks like you leave it pretty thick up by the bolster. That is really cool, because I hate when food gets stuck to the blade and starts running into my finger right there...seems like that would help deflect it!

Are you going to put a colored spacer between the mammoth tooth and the burl?

 

[obtuse]

Wow, I love that Damascus pattern! Can't wait to see it all together.

 

[Customfan]

:dance:

Ohhhh!! its looking soooooo cool!!

 

[RRLOVER]

That's a very cool looking pattern.I am curious how 1095 will perform in the kitchen knife arena.Great Job!

 

[99Limited]

That's a very cool looking pattern.I am curious how 1095 will perform in the kitchen knife arena.Great Job!

With Randy's HT it makes a pretty tough, durable edge. For me, I've found that you don't need to sharpen the edge beyond a 4k stone. I bought Randy's first gyuto offering here and he put a really fine, razor sharp edge on for me. The problem was that the edge would skid across tomato skins and bell peppers, cut from the skin side up, was more like breaking through thin ice rather than slicing. I put a new edge on it finishing with Jon's G4k and I've been very happy with the knife ever since.

 

[JohnnyChance]

I bought Randy's first gyuto offering here and he put a really fine, razor sharp edge on for me. The problem was that the edge would skid across tomato skins and bell peppers, cut from the skin side up, was more like breaking through thin ice rather than slicing.

Had it been stropped with green stuff/chromium oxide?

 

[HHH Knives]

Good morning, I hope you all had a great weekend.

Thanks for the comments on the blade and progress so far.

RRLOVER, 1095 makes a awesome knife.. In the kitchen.. I have found it to be very reactive to foods, yet I have not forund it to have any bad odors, or leave any food discolored.. It builds a patina quickly and beautifully.. And takes and holds a good working edge. Mix it with 15n20 and its edge retention and cutting ability IMO actually increases. With proper heat treating it makes a very serviceable kitchen knife.

99Limited, Glad to hear that the blade is preforming well. Thanks for all your input and help.

Johnny, Now I am curious? I did strop with white then green. Why? whats the deal with green? lol

 

[oivind_dahle]

I love your damscus! Great work on the patterns

 

[JohnnyChance]

Johnny, Now I am curious? I did strop with white then green. Why? whats the deal with green? lol

It has round particles so while it will polish your edge bevel and refine your edge, it can also smooth and round it slightly. It still feels great cutting paper or other things, but tasks like tomatoes and peppers with a tough skin, the edge doesn't have enough bite to grab and cut through the skin. Do you use the 3 finger test? Often my knives go from passing the 3 finger, then a strop on green and I can slide my fingers up and down the edge no problem.

 

[macmiddlebrooks]

Johnny, I'm having the skid across the skin issue when I strop with Chromium oxide loaded leather. Any tips on how to get that toothy edge for veg prep at work? I also have a Dickoron polished steel that works ok but not great (It is a new hone for me).
Feel free to PM me as to not hijack this fine thread.

 

[HHH Knives]

Thats exactly what happened.. The knife would push cut paper effortlessly, yet didnt want to slice a tomato!! lol So after talking with 99 he added a toothier edge.. he said it cuts as it should through everything as it should.. I wont be using the green any more! Thanks for the tip Johnny..

 

[HHH Knives]

I love your damscus! Great work on the patterns

"Ohhhh!! its looking soooooo cool!!"

Thank you very much for the comments. I made a little progress on this one today. should have some new photos tomorrow.

Thanks for looking.

 

[JohnnyChance]

I use cubic boron nitride and silicon carbide. Diamond is also supposed to be nice and toothy, but I don't have any yet. I also like stuff in the 1-2 micron range. Everything sub 1 micron is too refined for my taste.

 

[HHH Knives]

Johnny. Thanks for the info. This place is awesome!!! Im learning so much.

 

[Mike Davis]

Looking great Randy!!! As far as 1095 goes, it is pretty similar to White #1, obviously there are some small differences, but not too dissimilar. Plus with Randy's intimacy with the steel, i am sure it will rock!

 

[HHH Knives]

Thanks for sayin so Mike! I have been working all week on this one and finally have it done!

Here are some finished photos!

The Dragon is a fierce beast. 14 7/8 inches of cutting fury!

Specs.
HHH Damascus Explosion pattern Forged by Randy Jr.
Blade measures 247.6mm tip to heel. Thickness at the spine above heel is 2.6mm tapering to about 1.30mm a inch behind the tip.
Heel height is 51mm The grind is a flat with blended convex. from the edge to the spine. I measured above the cutting edge and this one is a average of .048 above the bevels.
Handle is 5 1/4 from front of bolster to butt. and is made up of explosion damascus bolsters with mammoth tooth and stabilized birch burl.

With Mosaic pins full 360* filework and a amazing custom leather sheath.. This baby is one amazing cutter!

Thanks to my new friend Victor. This was a really fun knife to make, from designing it with you, to making and finishing. I enjoyed working with you on this project. I also wanted to say thanks for everyone's input and encouragement. This place ROCKS!

Enough Talk, Here are the pics.
Randy

 

[WildBoar]

Holy crap, that is one cool-looking knife!

Do you work with malicite at all for handle accents? (I think there is a reconstituted powder form that some makers have used).

 

[Eamon Burke]

oooo nice! I'm exhausted just looking at it.

 

[HHH Knives]

Hello, Yes I have used it. Its a reconstituted material and is pretty soft.. I have used it as scales on a folder without any problem. and also as spacers on a hunter and it looked pretty cool! I do have a couple of pieces of natural malicite I have been meaning to use on a project.

Thanks for the complement on the knife. I appreciate it!
God Bless

 

[WildBoar]

I do have a couple of pieces of natural malicite I have been meaning to use on a project.

Oh no -- I was hoping you would say "heck no!". :sad0:

Now I'm gonna get in trouble... :scared4:

I will move this to a PM conversation this weekend :censored::help4:

 

[HHH Knives]

:ntmy: Sounds good, I look forward to hearing from you.

Let the games begin! :muahaha: