The Latest Work by Barry Lee Hands debuting at Ed Wormser's Chicago Knife Expo

[Barry Lee Hands]

Ed has got a really great event coming up at which I will be debuting my latest work, a Ron Lake folding Dagger with Gilded pearl, and burnished blade technique, along with inductive layout designed Handstyle arabesque with five color virgin gold relieved inlay, and a diamond studded screwdriver(in case you need to repair your eyeglasses).
The 2010 Chicago Custom Knife Show will be held on Friday and Saturday, September 10-11, 2010, at the Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza. Rooms are $149 per night.
Here is a link:
http://www.chicagocustomknifeshow.com/

Holiday Inn Chicago Mart Plaza
350 West Mart Center Drive
Chicago, Illinois 60654
(312)-836-5000
Reservations 800-315-2621

Show presenter
Ed Wormser
edw11@aol.com

Admission

$15 One day pass
$20 Two day pass
$30 VIP pass/Early admission

We look forward to your joining us!

Here is a peek at some of what I will be exhibiting:

 

[Hora]

Barry,

Design, cutting, inlay, presentation, colors . . . your knife is mind blowing!

 

[jetta77]

Very clean work Barry.:thumbs up:

 

[Kevin P.]

"virgin gold relieved inlay"
Does this mean the gold has never been inlayed before?
Kevin P.

 

[Andrew Biggs]

Beautiful work as always Barry.

It's always so crisp and clear.......just beautiful!!!

Cheers
Andrew

 

[Tira]

Very cool. Love the blade and your signature (symbol).

 

[fegarex]

Nice Barry!
That is a nice show too.
Rex

 

[Barry Lee Hands]

Thanks folks, Kevin, "Virgin gold relieved inlay" means the gold has not been remelted since refined, or when I alloyed it.
This is not so important on a bolster, but if done on a blade or a gun part that is going to heat treat, if you remelt the alloyed gold once or twice, it removes any deoxidizer that may be in the gold, such as zinc, silicon,boron, phosphorus, calcium, aluminum, magnesium, and or lithium.
If the piece then is applied and goes through heat treat, you may get blisters forming in the gold, when dissolved oxygen and hydrogen combine in the heat to create- you guessed it, H2O, which then bursts into steam and forms blisters on the surface.
You don't want to know how I found this out.
Hence, I use "virgin gold" whenever possible.
Thanks again and I hope to see some people from the forums in Chicago....

 

[ddushane]

Outstanding job Barry! I love looking at your work. Thanks for all the different views.

Dwayne

 

[Jane]

Theres just so many wonderful aspects to look at here....I love it!!

 

[Kevin P.]

Thanks Barry for that brief on metallurgy.
I didn't know any of that.
I'll try to benefit from your experience.
Fine work as always.
Kevin P.

 

[KCSteve]

Keeping that bar way up there Barry!

That is a beauty.

 

[eastslope]

Very cool! I love it and thanks for the gold tip.

 

[Hot Knobs]

Lake Knife

Berry, your knife enbellishment is outstanding, thsnks for the great pictures. Deane

 

[Hora]

. . . the gold has not been remelted since refined, or when I alloyed it. . . . if you remelt the alloyed gold once or twice, it removes any deoxidizer that may be in the gold, such as zinc, silicon,boron, phosphorus, calcium, aluminum, magnesium, and or lithium.
. . . I use "virgin gold" whenever possible.

Barry,

Do you blend your own Gold melds with these deoxidizers? If so, can you describe - explain in general the process i.e. during the process when do you add these extras? Do you cool the newly pored ingot in water or just in air? And then of course how much do you add of what?
It would help to know as I blend my own gold.

 

[Barry Lee Hands]

I don't usually add anything, I rely on the product from the mill, and start with fine gold, fine silver, pure copper, zinc, etc.
However, I have noticed a little carbon seems to help, any thing that burns off to keep out the oxygen.
I never seem to have any trouble on first melt, but if I try again and again, I get probs, I suppose from burning off any anti-oxidant, and picking up contaminants.
You can see any probs if you roll it out, and aneal, the blisters will appear.

Zinc may be the most common antioxident, as it forms an oxide so easily, Zinc is in most casting grain, and works, but seems to make it a little harder, and if you have too much in your green gold, for instance, it may form an oxide, and tarnish a little grey.

I usually have the most problems with green, because from the mill it will often tarnish, and if you remelt to adjust the karat, and therefore color, the zinc and whatever else burns off and it blisters. Once it starts to blister, I have not found a sure way to stop it.

Sorry I really can't provide any hard rules.

When I was about ten I was taught to mix gold for casting in San Miguel De Allende, and then I worked at a foundry for a couple of years when I was in my thirties and have just got a feel for it I guess.

 

[John B.]

Killer piece of art, Barry.
That should go over big time at the show.
Thanks for giving we stay-at-homes a preview.
Best.

 

[Christopher Malouf]

I'll second what John just said. Besides, you're one of something like three engravers in the world who can still sell a knife in this market :big grin:


Multi-colored inlay certainly keeps you ahead of your own game.

Hmmmm ... Is that a gold border I see? You can't go back "in the box" now Barry. Hint hint .. haha!!

 

[BrianPowley]

Barry, your work is always worth looking at and to look forward to.

 

[Hora]

Barry,

Thanks for your reply on my questions.

I know what you mean with remelting of the gold. It is changed and very hard to work. What I normally use with melting is a gold purifier. This helps in some cases and you have to work fast with heating, melting and poring. The carbon is certainly a solution. But as I have to use a open flame torch, covering the melt under charcoal is not an option.
I know that heat treatment and melting in an inert kiln is the best way to preserve characteristics of materials as they will not be effected by oxygen.

For the green gold my book (Goud Zilver Edelstenen of Ing. J. Hammes, Dutch) gives a recipe for 14cr - 585 Gold + 355 silver + 60 coper, and for 18cr. 750 gold + 125 silver + 125 Cadmium.

Normally when I have scrap gold I hand it in with my supplier and buy new in return in shapes I need to avoid the fight.