A little late for Christmas but have a look

[mtgraver]

Hi all, here is a last minute thought for a Christmas gift to my sweetheart, I know it's a little off in timing but it's the thought that counts, right? So for everyone's comments and critique's here is a knife with the blade forged from an old file, slab side handles of ebony overlaid with silver, ivory ovals inset into the silver. This is my first attempt at doing portraits and the first at trying a pointillist style of scrimshaw. Not sure if I captured the faces correctly.
Now when ya'll are done beating on me the real test will be when she gets to see it up close. It's a good thing I'm balding or a may be getting scalped!
Wish me luck..........enjoy,
Mark
wwwMarkThomas-graver.com

[Daniel Houwer]

Good luck Mark!

I don't think she would mind very much that this litle beauty is given now instead of last years's chrismas.

Thanks for showing.

Daniel

[WVEngraver]

Fantastic Mark - completely hand forged "ye olde fashioned" way!!

I enjoy admiring your craftsmanship.

Chris

[mtgraver]

Thanks guys for taking the time to comment. I reckon know one wants to knock my design.........ya'll are to kind.
Yes Daniel, she has enjoyed seeing it in progress, one side was complete but the other was not. I was hoping to do a better interpretation of her sons portraits. The next ones should be better but I don't have a project like that in my mind.
Chris, I also am inspired by your diversity. Always like to see something different, I reckon that's why I draw my own stuff.........be it good or bad..........it's the journey to be better through the eyes of the hardest critic I know..........Me!
Happy chips,
Mark

www.MarkThomas-graver.com

[Ddbltrbl]

Mark,
As a beginner at engraving (and knife making) all my posts seem to keep repeating the the same thing, "Wow, that's nice!" So, I initially didn't comment on your knife, but here goes... "Wow, that's nice!"

I like the old-time feel to your design and I especially like how you used the scroll on the blade to give additional reason for the shape demanded by functionality. I can't see the detail of the scrim or the scrolls well enough to really make any intelligent comment, but it looks nice to my inexperienced eyes.

But, I do have a question for you. You said that you inlayed the ivory scrim pieces in the silver, which was overlayed on the ebony handle slabs. That got me wondering how thick the silver was? Obviously, it had to be thick enough to engrave. And, how did you attach the silver to the ebony; glue or pins? Is it just a flat sheet layered on, or does it actual cap over the ebony?

My curiosity comes from an old knife (supposedly early Meiji period) I inherited from my wife's father. It has a butt-cap of some kind of fairly thin nickle-silver alloy, that was hand engraved. It has no real historical or intrinsic value (only sentimental) and has a lot of wear and tear, so I have been thinking of different things I could do with it to restore it to something presentable.

[mtgraver]

Thanks Ddbltrbl, I did get a good chuckle..........it's very hard on this forum to NOT say "nice job", but then again thanks.
The silver is .060" thick, the ebony is approx. the same (I eyeballed the thickness while hand filing), the silver and ebony slabs are pinned through the tang. The ivory is not glued/pinned, I purposing work to never use glue when proper technique is superior, besides one must test their skills at all times,right? The ivory is the same thickness as the silver, the hole is sawed out and ivory fit with a slight taper on the side (thicker at the bottom than top), used a universal point and cut a groove around the edge of the mortise, burnished the edge over to trap the ivory mechanically. I guess it's kind of a bezel set, just flush mounted. Does that help?
Mark

[mtgraver]

Here ya go Ddbltrbl,
These are a little closer, thank goodness I'm not a photgrapher.
Thanks again,
Mark

www.MarkThomas-graver.com