Input on bolster design

[vilts]

Kind people of forum,

I just finished an engraving design for a knife bolster. Please tell me what you think of it and how can I improve it.

At first I wanted to make it rather simple design, but I probably printed out the bolster contours too big, and well, you see what happened. Is it too messy, or... springy with all those thin stems all over the design?

Just in case I attached the 'victim' too, where the design will go.

Oh, and if you'd like to see a video how this knife was made, then it is available on Vimeo: http://www.vimeo.com/862212.

Viljo

 

[ddushane]

Viljo, I like the pattern, I think it will look really nice on the knife! Let us see it when you get finished, Dwayne

 

[Sam]

Viljo: It's a nice, flowing design that will lends itself well to fine shading (I see strong influences of Lindsay in the design). The proportions of design-to-background are good and should make an excellent engraving.

 

[Tim Wells]

Nice video.
I think you have a winner there in the design and we all realize this is just a rough sketch of an idea. Once you get that cut and all shaded in it will be beautiful and you will have every reason to hold pride in the job. Well done.

 

[Ranchman]

Viljo, Great design. Can't wait to see it on the knife. Good clear video. I enjoyed watching it.

Jeff

 

[nomentalgiant]

Vilts, as always your design looks very nice. I can't wait to see it when you are finished.
Your video is of the highest quality! It was beautifully shot and very informative. Thanks for taking the time to share it with all of us.

 

[JBrandvik]

Vilts, I like it a lot. The complexity of the multiple backbones off the single root of the scroll and the way you are reveiling portions of several leaves behind some of the tendrals will give this design a lot of depth. The positive and negative spaces are well balanced and the whole design flows well. There are several areas which will be difficult to get into with regard to the background removal, but I'm sure you are already aware of that. Can't wait to see it completed.

 

[sdcoxx]

Viljo,
I have never seen a knife being made and found the video very enlighting...
Your design is far superior to my capabilities.... I wish I could do half as well...
Thanks for sharing,
Stephen

 

[finn]

i really liked your Vidio!

and your scroll work looks very nice has a nice flow to it and will look wonderful on your hand made knife.

 

[KCSteve]

Looks pretty good to me too.

If you feel you have to take something out I'd take that one thin tendril - the one that's third up from the bottom at the right edge. But if you do that you'll probably want to elaborate the two leaves the co-occupy it's space a bit and really you'll wind up pretty much where you are now.

 

[Steve Weckel]

Vijio,
Thank you for sharing the video of you sculpting your knife and sheath. I'm sure the scroll work will be as beautiful as the knife and sheath and the production of the video.

 

[Andrew Biggs]

Hi Vilts

You have the basis for a very nice design. I’m going to be a bit more critical than the others………….these are only my suggestions and opinions so please don’t be offended.

You have 5 real problem areas that shading will not help you very much. These areas need better definition.

1. The large leaf coming off the bottom growth point. The top of the leaf goes under two leaves. The first looks fine. The second needs a point to the leaf or something to define it better. Some background in that area would define the leaf a lot better and seperate it from the overlapping top leaf.

2. Where this leaf grows out of the growth point needs to come around into the tight spiral. At the moment it is cut off.

3. The growth point at the bottom. This area is very bulky and needs better definition and more black background separating the various stems coming out of it. This will lighten it up quite a bit. Shading will not help you very much in this area.

4. Right hand side large leaf that curls back on itself over the top of a scroll. This area lacks definition. Try looping the leaf tendril under and over the scroll below it. This will give it a better defined sharp look.

5. Top right hand scroll with looping leaf tendril over the top. That whole scroll area needs better defining and more background space as it’s very bulky. Shading will not really help you there. The actual scroll also needs better definition. It doesn’t finish anywhere. Again maybe loop the overlapping leaf through the scroll work.

As I said…………these are my thoughts and others may disagree. We all look and see things differently and that's the way it should be.

Cheers
Andrew

 

[fjkratky]

Video

I enjoyed your video. Why do you soak the sheath in acetone instead of water for forming the sheath to the knife. I take it that the acetone does not hurt the leather?

 

[vilts]

Thank you all for your responses, especially Andrew and Steve for your comments on how to improve it. I never take any offense about a critique of my work and how could I improve it (I sort of know how bad I am ). As I don't have access to face-to-face tutoring, this kind of input is in very high regard!

Now that I look at what you said, I think you've spotted the problematic areas very well. Some areas of what you pointed out didn't come as easily as the others and I guess it shows . And of course some things I didn't notice until you pointed them out.

P.S. It always makes me wonder just how time consuming engraving process is. For this design I've already spent about 12 hrs and seems like more is to come , plus the actual engraving itself. Of course this is because I just don't have the experience or skills to do any better. BUT, it's the process I enjoy, time doesn't matter!

I enjoyed your video. Why do you soak the sheath in acetone instead of water for forming the sheath to the knife. I take it that the acetone does not hurt the leather?

Soaking in acetone serves 2 purposes - it softens the leather for forming and later, when it dries, it hardens. I haven't heard of any negative effects that acetone could do to a natural leather. But then again, this was our first try at making a sheath like this, who knows what comes out! All this info was from forums, so I didn't come up with it myself.

 

[vilts]

Viljo: It's a nice, flowing design that will lends itself well to fine shading (I see strong influences of Lindsay in the design).

Thanks Sam! You're absolutely right about the Lindsay influence. I absolutely love his style and try to imitate it. Try to see what it is that makes it just his style. Actually my main references for this design were Ron Smith's book and one photo of Lindsay engraved folder, which I have as desktop background on my computer.

Imitate, then innovate. I've got a long-long way to go both design- and skill-wise, but every journey must begin from somewhere. This for is just super-excellent learning resource.

 

[KCSteve]

I was thinking you used Acetone, rather than water, because of the faster drying time.

 

[Daniel Houwer]

Hy Viljo,

I love your video about making the knife and sheat!
Especially the sheat with its punch design I really like.

One question though, Do you usually weld on the tang? I thought this was mainly a last resort kind of thing. Now way meaning that my knive's look any where near as beutifull as yours Just a question.