Tag Archives: knife

Materials

Posted on by

Image

You may be asking yourself, “What exactly am I looking at?” Well, you are looking at the very first bladesmithing materials purchased for Maumasi Fire Arts!

Pictured are bars of 5160 high carbon steel, 1095 tool steel, 15N20 high carbon steel, and some copper screw rivets. My plan with the 5160 is to build some stock removal knives (stock removal literally meaning: removing material from the bar stock by drilling and grinding it away), and to use the other two to forge damascus steel for later use as a knife. The copper screw rivets that are used to hold the handle material in place while it’s being glued up. The rivets also add security and strength to the handle and knife for the duration of it’s life. Over time the copper will pick up a burnished appearance, which essentially means it’ll darken and have and antique or aged look over time and use.

I look forward to the time and work that will go into shaping and changing these individual pieces into a singular, harmonious work or craftsmanship.

Blue Crayons

Posted on by

A few years back as I was going through my things and packing boxes for yet another move, I came across an old progress book that was made when I was in kindergarden. It includes class activities, teacher reports, letter practice-sheets, and lots of art work. I’ve thumbed through this book on dozens of occasions over the years, but this occurrence offered a very different experience. One page in particular holds a prophetic self-portrait drawn in blue crayon. My hair sticking straight out away from my head as though one finger is knuckle deep in a light socket, no feet, a beak of a nose and a body with surprisingly accurate proportions. What struck me most was that I was holding a knife in one hand (or where one aught to have been). Initially this may be alarming for most to see in any 5yr old’s art work, and to be honest, it kind of gave me the willies, but for very different reasons than others’ I’m sure. At the time I was 2 years into my education as a Knifemaker, and looking at it makes me feel like one of those characters in the movies who’s destiny is predicted in some obscure ancient text. The difference being this is real and I’m the one drawing pictures of myself in 20 years, or as my kindergarden self would say, “Me when I grow up.” Here’s to childhood dreams!

5yr old Mareko depicting 25yr old Mareko.

5yr old Mareko depicting 25yr old Mareko.

“So, like a forgotten fire, a childhood can always flare up again within us.”                ~Gaston Bachelard

Always, your thoughts and comments are immensely appreciated.

-MFA