Coming together

I started fitting the handles onto the Pooley daggers. I'm say tying to get excited about these now. They're starting to look like daggers! 

Onto finer things

Finally I am moving into fined grits of sand paper on the Pooley daggers. Looking good and I am am feeling a little less stress and capable of meeting deadline. Working like the devil to get guess down. Here a sneak peak at one blade. 

Ready for heat treat

Finally got all four blades sanded ro 100# for hardening and tempering. I'm looking forward to see how awesome these turn out

Pooley daggers

I have just started on an order of four daggers for a friend. I learned that one of the names for the blade shape "leaf shape". It will be made from 6mm N690 flat stock. It's looking good so far. 

File dagger

It's been a while since I've posted anything. My apologies, I tend to forget after Instagraming everything. So here we are, this is a file dagger that I forged for a friend. It's Made from a large round, wood working file and only partly sanded on the bevels to leave traces of the former tool. 

Knives for Forge Jewellery CO

All done now just to have some packaging made. 

Shaping handles

I'm am loving these woods. I realized the wenge does give a mild allergic reaction but I love this dark grain. 

More Pukko making

Slowly I am learning how to fit handles and quillions faster. Three knives are for FORGE jewellery CO and the other two are my start on knives for the Durban Easter knife show. Can't wait for the invite. So what we have below in this picture is handles of Teak, Kiaat, Walnut and Wenge/Panga panga/Patrich. 

A new platform

At design indaba earlier this year. I met a jeweller that will be opening up a new shop in Durban. He asked if I would be interested to stock their shop on consignment basis with some of my knives and jewellery. "Something for the gents to look at too...", he said. So I'm busy making a new stock of knives blades and waiting to hear their order.The the store is called FORGE JEWELLERY, look them up.

                                   

Ready to go

I have just finished stitching and burnishing the leather sheaths, also etching my logo onto the blades. now I need to get them to the shop. I'm so excited. 

Making some sheaths

I'm just about stitch these sheaths and burnish the leather. I must say, I learn more every time how to do this better and neater. I have an image in my mind of how I want it to look and in always chasing it. 

Shaping the handles

I've never seen such light grained teak before. I started shaping the two knives that had set, working with a twelve hour epoxy has its perks in that it gives you less stress while working with it. 

Coming together

I have only cleaned up and epoxied two of the three knives for my first consignment. Looking good so far, I'm excited to see them finished up. 

Heat treat

I just finished Heat treating all the blades now for clean up. Looking forwards to sculpting these handles. 

Knives for my first consignment

I got busy on some knives for a shop in pietermaritzburg. Three of the same knife just slight variation to make different price ranges. Looking good, I'm glad I have this opporunity.  

Push dagger

While busy on the knife for Mr. Davies, to maximize use of the gas I also simultaneously worked on a push dagger.   It is a work in progress.  

Flash back to design indaba

Throw back Thursday, this is a group shot we took all the emerging creatives at design indaba 2015. Nice people,posing for the #Amadla campaign one of the creatives was heading up. 

Knife for Mr. Davies

I've named this knife the CAMO CAMPIE temporarily, it has an EN 45 blade with dymond wood scales and a tooled leathe r sheath. It has a varied acid washed finish and the over all length is roughly 230mm. 

This bangle

Wrought steel bangle with decorative twist. 

Side riveted cuff

High top cuff with rivets in cross section 

Wrap over bangle

Over lapping bangle, with brass rivets. 

Heavy cuff

Cuff forged from mild steel, oil blackened

New people

I met so many new and interesting people. At the design indaba, not only the exibitors but the customers and buyers too. Durban was representing! These were some of our crazy crew. 

Media media

Cape Town and the organizers of the design indaba did a great job a marketing the design indaba and the exhibitors. And to top it all off during the expo we were all being interview at some point. Exciting 

Buyers day

The first day at the design indaba was a bit nerve wrecking but exciting and educational. Lots of interest and new connection and possible collaborations in the line. 

Walking to work

We were ideally situated to walk to and from the indaba. A refreshing walk every morning before the day started was good and a great view. 

Deaign indaba begins

The excitement leading to design indaba was immense. Now for set up

Normalizing hammer heads

I totally forgot to post further pictures of the hammer I forged last year.Preparing the hammer heads to be heat treated, I am doing what is known as normalizing. Normalizing relieves all tension in the steel and refines the grain size of the steel. hope you guys like them. this is my favorite picture

Bangles!

Forging up some iron bangles and sorts for the design indaba

Logo etched on

Three of the 5 logo etchings I'm happy with. I realized what made the first two blur. 1) too many drops of the electrolyte and 2) the felt strip on the applicator was old and finally 3) the stencil needed to be taped down. Here they are!

Last blade

I finally got the last blade done  for the Emma smith exhibition. The knife blade is EN45 spring steel with an acid wash finish and stabilized dymond wood scales. The overall length is 230mm.