pearl raised gold knife...

[Steve Lindsay]

This is an older project that I may have posted before...
The gold are inlays (pockets with undercuts and hooks) but the gold is thicker and left raised above the surface. The background is the original stainless surface of the knife that I only stippled and then blackened.

[Vanknife]

Stunning work as always Steve, How much thicker gold did you use? Because as I have it, it must be punched down to set/lock in your groove and still leave enough gold on top to sculpt
Thanks

Cheers

"VAN"

[jlseymour]

Yea how much did you leave the gold raised???
Beautiful work, impressed...
Jerry

[Daren]

...So the only thing holding the gold is the hooks? It looks like you removed any trace of a pocket.

Also I noticed the pearl looks to be at the same level as the background. Which came first the gold or the pearl?

[Steve Lindsay]

The gold sheet was around .040" thick.

This isn't done like an overlay but they are inlays. Cut the pockets like normal flush inlay and undercut them... Out in the middle of the larger pockets I raised teeth to keep the gold from springing up in the middle. It is the same method as flush inlay but hammer in thicker gold. Unlike flush inlaying though just be more careful not to squish the heck out the gold when hammering it so there is something left raised to work with. I take an ink-print of the outline engraving before cutting away pockets for the gold. After the gold is in and the top of it is sanded I transfer the ink print outlines back on top of the gold and cut it... this gives a head start in shaping the gold after the gold is in.

[ron]

hi Steve .. thanks for posting that knife , it is a great study piece in how to engrave that type of leaf .. ron p

[jetta77]

Stunning, absolutely gorgeous stuff steve...
JEff

[D.DOUGLAS]

Steve, I always wondered how you did that knife. Very nice! For anyone wondering .040" = 1.02 mm or 18 guage Doug

[Gail]

I don't see how it could ever be better than this!

[plat955]

Dude! That's just insane!

[Roger Bleile]

One of the most exquisitely designed and crafted knives in existance

[rod]

Steve,

This knife is mouthwatering great! A total inspiration. Your photos give us a very clear window to appreciate the details. Thank you for posting this beauty. Where the gold is darkened to give depth, is that done only with fine shading cuts?

Who is the lucky owner?

Best

Rod

[Mike Bissell]

Very nice knife Steve!!!!!!!

Mike

[ChrisB]

Hi Steve,
Was the Scale edges also Inlayed,?

Thanks Amazing Work, But what else to be expected from a Master??

[Steve Lindsay]

Thanks for the nice comments.

Originally Posted by rod

Where the gold is darkened to give depth, is that done only with fine shading cuts?

Who is the lucky owner?

Rod, First, thank you for sending the cd for Karla. She says thank you too and she hasn't gotten to listen to it yet but she plans to.

I engraved the knife around 1985. I don't remember who the collector was anymore. After the top of the gold was filed and sanded the outline was cut and then I used a flat graver to lower the vines where they went under leaves. I didn't round the vines like sculpturing but only lowered them and kept them flat. The black shading you're seeing on the vines is ink that doesn't get rubbed off since they are lowered. I have cut some contour shade lines there too to help catch some ink and give the effect too.

Originally Posted by ChrisB

Hi Steve,
Was the Scale edges also Inlayed,?

Thanks Chris, Yes, the edges of the knife are inlayed too. It was an all stainless knife to start with. No stainless left showing though.

[Chas]

Now--would a video tutorial of this kind of inlay be a screamer!! Absolutely beautiful, Steve.

[Cassie]

Beautiful work. Am I correct in assuming you used 24k? And if you did how did you get the gold to that color?
cassie

[Daniel Houwer]

This is the most beautifull pocket knife I ever saw not ment to have in your pocket along with small change

[jlseymour]

Steve, as I keep looking at this knife, it's an inspiration to keep trying to engrave at a higher level...
Are you from this planet or what solar system did you come from???
You showed so many engraving you have done when you were in training pants you must be from the Starship Enterprise...
Thanks for all you have shared with us...
Seeya at The Blade and Scott's engrave-in...
Jerry

[Fred Carter]

Steve - Thank you for showing and sharing this wonderful knife and technique. My question about it is how did you make the impression or outline of the inlay pockets in order to reposition and transfer them to the gold after inlay in order to recut the outlines. Also did you cut several pieces for the inlay or were they sawn out and inlaid as one piece. Thanks Fred

[Cassie]

Steve, I copy down certain things that I come across that strike me in some way.

This knife brings back one particular quote that seems to fit in some way:
". . . the terror of failure and exposure inherent in virtuosity . . ."

Virtuosity is certainly there in all your work. Your work urges us all on further with its excellence.
cassie

[WVEngraver]

Hi Steve. Plat's "insane" comment is spot on. It truly is.

I'd like to thank you for telling us how you accomplished this wonderful work.

Because the gold is raised .... did you have any concerns about wear? Is this 24K or 22K?



Chris

[Steve Lindsay]

Originally Posted by Chris Malouf

Because the gold is raised .... did you have any concerns about wear? Is this 24K or 22K?


Chris

I tell the collectors that purchase the work that it if they want to keep the engraving looking like like new and unscratched then don't touch it.
The gold is 24k and soft. This wouldn't be the knife keep in your pocket with loose change.

Originally Posted by Fred Carter

Steve - Thank you for showing and sharing this wonderful knife and technique. My question about it is how did you make the impression or outline of the inlay pockets in order to reposition and transfer them to the gold after inlay in order to recut the outlines. Also did you cut several pieces for the inlay or were they sawn out and inlaid as one piece. Thanks Fred

Hi Fred, I made a bunch of inkprints of the outline off the stainless right after cutting the outline and before cutting away pockets. These were used to transfer to the gold after it was inlayed in order to then cut the outline on top of the gold and to begin shaping it. The gold was sawn from one sheet... at least the parts that could be done that way were.

Originally Posted by Cassie

Beautiful work. Am I correct in assuming you used 24k? And if you did how did you get the gold to that color?
cassie

Hi Cassie, Yes it is 24k. The black and gray shading is from flat black paint in the background and ink in the upper area of the gold as well as shading cuts.

Originally Posted by jlseymour

Are you from this planet or what solar system did you come from?
Jerry

If you ask Karla this I'll bet she would have fun with answers. Next time we talk on the phone I'll put Karla on.

[Fred Carter]

Steve - just one last question when you make your ink prints do you just rub printers ink into the cuts and then print them on paper or some other material such as frosted milar. Thanks Fred

[Steve Lindsay]

Originally Posted by Fred Carter

Steve - just one last question when you make your ink prints do you just rub printers ink into the cuts and then print them on paper or some other material such as frosted milar. Thanks Fred

Neither....I just stick the corner of the tape on the wall or cupboard edge to keep for when it will later be used. In this case it was probably several weeks before they were used. I make several pulls in case the transfer doesn't work well the first try. The ink is oil based and will still transfers weeks later.

I just read your question again and see you were asking something different... I'll leave my first wrong answer above though.
I rub ink into the cuts and then use frosted scotch tape to make the pulls.

[Knifeologist]

An amazingly beautiful piece of work. found this drooling smiley, seems appropriate.

Mark
www.knifeology.com

[Tom McArdle]

Steve,

That is still my favorite of all your works.

Few engravings equal it. I haven't seen any surpass it.



Take care,

Tom

[mvkblue]

that is one of the best designs and pieces of craftsmanship in the world. It is one of my all time favorite pieces

[Shy Shadow]

That looks as though it was an interesting challange, some day I'll have to try to accomplish this. It is beautiful Steve.
Debbie

[M.S.G~Engraving]

Excellent...

[Cassie]

Steve I keep coming back to this gold overlay. I just have to try it. The process that is; I'll try something very simple.
I think I understand the steps of the process you use. The one thing that is a bit foggy is where the overlay meets the base. After you've inlayed the gold what kind of tool (graver) do you use to clean up that meeting of the gold and , in your case, the stainless?
My plan is to make a pin (brooch) as in jewelry with 24K and 14 K Palladium white gold.
cassie

[Cassie]

"After the gold is in and the top of it is sanded I transfer the ink print outlines back on top of the gold and cut it... "
Do you have some sort of registration marks to align the transfer?
Thanks again.
cassie
near the Sangre de Christo mtns (northern NM) where the snow runoff is filling the acequeias

[Steve Lindsay]

Originally Posted by Cassie

Steve I keep coming back to this gold overlay. I just have to try it. The process that is; I'll try something very simple.
I think I understand the steps of the process you use. The one thing that is a bit foggy is where the overlay meets the base. After you've inlayed the gold what kind of tool (graver) do you use to clean up that meeting of the gold and , in your case, the stainless?
My plan is to make a pin (brooch) as in jewelry with 24K and 14 K Palladium white gold.
cassie

Hi Cassie, I used a 90 degree bulino type point without a heel to clean up deep along the edges of the gold. First transfer the original ink-print outline to the gold, cut the outline and now clean up the edges of the gold by chipping/scraping by hand with the side of the bulino graver until you are up to the outline cuts. The 70 degree bulino point would also be good for this or Carl's deep line graver that is narrower yet.

Originally Posted by Cassie

"After the gold is in and the top of it is sanded I transfer the ink print outlines back on top of the gold and cut it... "
Do you have some sort of registration marks to align the transfer?
Thanks again.
cassie
near the Sangre de Christo mtns (northern NM) where the snow runoff is filling the acequeias

No not really, it is a bit of guessing where the original outlines where. There usually are places in the design that will help give you a pretty close guess. You know you want to make sure the ink-print outlines is at least on the gold, so if their parts of the design hanging off you know that isn't the right spot.

[Cassie]

Thanks Steve for those last details.
Now it's up to me.
cassie

[Lucie Bandikova]

Some years ago I was visiting my friend Bertil Aasland. We did some knives for one knife dealer and he bought this knife and wanted Bertil to put some more black on places where it was missing. We had a great evening watching this beatiful knife under the microscope. It really was unforgettable.
Steve it is an amaizing piece, hard to imagine just how much work was puting into that knife. Thanks for posting.
Lucie

[ddushane]

Steve, I've always loved this knife, I've been admiring it and showing people for years. I'm fairly new at the engraving but have been playing with it and working at it for the past few years, just don't have a great deal of time to do it, I work as a 911 dispatcher and always around deputies and police officers that love guns & knives. Several of them have bought a few knives from me. They always want to see what I'm working on and brag about my work, that's when I try to convince them how much of a beginner I am and show them real knives & real engraving I always go to Sam Alfano's Web site & yours to show them what I hope to one day do. Thanks for all you guys do and show.

Dwayne

[Bill D]

Steve,
This is my first reply. I saw this knife a few years ago, and was so impressed I cut it out, had it printed out and the had it framed in my shop.

Even today, I am still impressed with the look it has.

I hope you are doing well.

Bill D