Thursday, March 19, 2009

Where the Expo Money Went

I'd been to the Sewing Expo for five years in a row when My Sweet Baboo got the opportunity to go to a class taught by a master craftsman who makes knives and tomahawks for collectors and re-enactors. We couldn't handle both expenses in such a short period, so, since I've been the last five years, it seemed only fair that I stay home this year and let him go.

He really enjoyed it (for a point of comparison, it would've been more like spending a weekend in a small group with, say, Cynthia Guffey than going to the Expo) and came home with a knife that he's been told by People Who Know These Things is worth twice the class fee.

He actually only did the finish work on it...the forging of the knife blank had already been done before the class started. It's Damascus steel, folded something like 260 times. The picture doesn't do it justice:


The problem is, we have two sons. He needs to do it again to have a knife to leave to each of them.... ;)

6 comments:

  1. Lovely...looks like it was worth your sacrifice! Does it have a specific purpose? The blade looks very long and thin.
    Laura

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  2. I don't believe it has a purpose...I asked if I could use it in the kitchen and got a quick 'No!'

    Just one of those guy collectibles. ;)

    The blade isn't really thin; he's got some notch mark trim (he said it's called 'vining') on the blunt side. Looks pretty cool.

    The pattern in the knife is from an acid etch and it shows the different layers of steel.

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  3. Wow! I'm glad I read the comments... I thought the pattern in the steel was just wiggly overhead lights or something. An etched wave pattern... so cool!
    And I had wondered about possible kitchen use too... heh.

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  4. Or--it could be a very cool stitch ripper!

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  5. Oh, no, I couldn't handle it as a seam ripper! It'd be good for slicing tomatoes, though... ;)

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