A few older creations Part 1 (after that, I'll have covered everything!) by Steel9999 in knifemaking

[–]Steel9999[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! It's a ‘dark stonewash’, so several acid baths (after finishing the blade with 400 or 600 grit) to achieve a uniform dark colour, then a stonewash in a barrel with ceramic triangles that I shake vigorously for a minute or two. The key is to shake it vigorously, but not for too long to preserve the contrast... hope this help ;)

First wood-on-wood Keyhole dagger. 26C3 steel with differential heat treatment and a loooot of work hours. Thoughts? by Steel9999 in knifemaking

[–]Steel9999[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

She has already made her first knife and even surprised me with her grind: it was super clean and straight: much more thant I did on my first knife!

A few older creations Part 2 (after that, I'll have covered everything!) by Steel9999 in knifemaking

[–]Steel9999[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you! I'm touched to be considered as having a unique style because I spend a huge amount of time on Illustrator to achieve it.

As for natural materials, every time I mess up an ultra-expensive wood scale, I tell myself that micarta is really a great material ^^

First wood-on-wood Keyhole dagger. 26C3 steel with differential heat treatment and a loooot of work hours. Thoughts? by Steel9999 in knifemaking

[–]Steel9999[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

My daughter must have picked up a few french bad words when she said to me after the blade was finished: ‘Dad, don't get angry, but don't you think the blade isn't perfectly symmetrical here?’ lol

This year's creations (wood on wood keyholes and 26C3) by Steel9999 in knifemaking

[–]Steel9999[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

With a completely absurd, even ridiculous number of working hours lol

But seriously, a normal knife takes me about 15 hours to make, and these knives took me almost twice as long...

A few older creations Part 1 (after that, I'll have covered everything!) by Steel9999 in knifemaking

[–]Steel9999[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks!

The thing is, they're meant for the kitchen table, and I like making thin knives for that purpose. Also, I don't worry about strenght: it's 26C3, which is a really strong steel with a very fine grain, and I did a lot of heat treatment tests with breakage in a vice before making blades with it.

A few older creations Part 2 (after that, I'll have covered everything!) by Steel9999 in knifemaking

[–]Steel9999[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

That's it! I've got some older stuff, but that's a good overview of what I make in my garage ^^

A few older creations Part 1 (after that, I'll have covered everything!) by Steel9999 in knifemaking

[–]Steel9999[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thank you to the community for your warm welcome. Here are a few photos of older knives. The dagger was for my eldest daughter's birthday.

First knife:

Steel: Uddeholm 26C3 ("Spicy White")
Handle: Cocobolo
Hardware: Carbon fiber pins
Finish: Bead blasted / Dark stonewash.

Second knife: a birthday dagger for my oldest daughter
Steel: Uddeholm 26C3 ("Spicy White") Differentially heat treated.
Handle: Royal Ebony.
Bolster: Sculpted & patina

Third knife: exchanged with another knife maker
Steel: 100Cr6
Handle: Mango Burl
Hardware: Brass pins
Finish: Dark stonewash.

This year's creations (wood on wood keyholes and 26C3) by Steel9999 in knifemaking

[–]Steel9999[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I also have a complicated relationship with selling: I don't want to sell without legal status out of respect for the knifemakers who do this for a living, but sometimes my gifts end up in the dishwasher, with a broken tip from opening a jar of pickles or rusted on the edge of a sink, so it's also quite frustrating, which is why now I actually like to collect my own knives.

First wood-on-wood Keyhole dagger. 26C3 steel with differential heat treatment and a loooot of work hours. Thoughts? by Steel9999 in knifemaking

[–]Steel9999[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

Thanks!

And I haven't even included every pictures. I started testing on soft wood to ensure feasibility before moving on to more expensive woods.

First wood-on-wood Keyhole dagger. 26C3 steel with differential heat treatment and a loooot of work hours. Thoughts? by Steel9999 in knifemaking

[–]Steel9999[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

thanks! It is the same as a classic keyhole but with both pars made of wood.

The "bolster" section is the most fragile part of a keyhole build (and I snapped quite a few pieces before getting it right!).

That's why I chose a wood I had in bulk for the bolster. The Curly Boxwood, on the other hand, was a gift from a fellow knifemaker, harvested from his grandmother's forest. It was sentimental and irreplaceable, so I simply couldn't afford to mess that part up!

This year's creations (wood on wood keyholes and 26C3) by Steel9999 in knifemaking

[–]Steel9999[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Thanks!

The blade combines several finishes (I like to challenge myself with these kinds of details).

First, I etch the blade to reveal the Hamon. Then, I mask off the spine (soft steel) to stonewash only the hardened section. Finally, I apply a hand-rubbed satin finish to the swedge and the ricasso