Meteorite Bolsters

[ddushane]

Here's a picture of meteorite bolsters I just finished engraving for Johnny Stout. Like I had talked about before it had a lot of soft and hard spots, when I received it from Johnny it had been heat colored, not sure if that's why it had the soft & hard spots or not. Anyway, glad it's done, it gave me fits. Dwayne

 

[hmw]

Dwayne, thats an exceptional piece of work. You did very well with a hard to work material. Great art work, well balanced and very well cut. H.

 

[Andy]

Dwayne,
That looks really good. You're making exceptional progress. Keep it up.

 

[Sam]

Dwayne: I've never engraved meteorite, but I have a few pieces around here somewhere. It's not surprising that it has hard and soft spots. It's a nickel-iron composition that didn't come from a foundry, so the mix is pretty unpredictable I suppose. You handled the engraving well, and the contrast of bright scrolls against the grey borders is striking. Good work. It's a very attractive piece. / ~Sam

 

[jmcutting]

Dwayne,

Very impressive, I love the contrasts that you created. The scrollwork just pops out at you! Nicely done!

-justin

 

[Steve223]

Man thats pretty!!!!!

 

[ddushane]

Thanks guys for all of your comments, I really struggled even attempting this one because when I got it in the mail it was so beautiful, I thought how can you mess with perfection. And me being where I am in this engraving endeavor. I know I am a beginner and sometimes feel that some things ought to be left to the pro's if you know what I mean. I Do Not want to ruin something of value, something that could be treasured for generations to come. This was literally one of the most beautiful little knives I had ever held. I'd seen it in pictures on the True North website and it never caught my fancy. The photo's just didn't do it justice. Johnny had heat colored the bolsters and they came out the most beautiful gold color and the way the meteorite made the color look as you held it and rolled it around was outstanding and matched the color of the ivory, it was unbelievably beautiful. Anyway all of that being said I voice my concerns to Johnny and said the owner wanted it done so the rest is history. I'm really trying to take in all I read here and on Sam's tutorial pages. I really do appreciate all of the help from the online Mentors. I really believe you guys can't imagine how much help you really are and how much us new guys appreciate everything yall do. Thanks again for everything. Dwayne

 

[Weldon47]

Dwanye,

Looks great!

Weldon

 

[ddushane]

Thanks Weldon

 

[Peter E]

I think it looks good too. Nice layout and nicely engraved.

Peter

 

[D.DOUGLAS]

Dwayne, The cotrast with the blade is quite striking. Great job! Things of value are little scary for myself yet also. But you seem like the cofident type.

 

[jlseymour]

Dwayne,
Very nice, great layout and a beauty...
JL Seymour

 

[Joe Mason]

Dwayne, Great looking engraving. I have never cut on a meteorite, would think it would be quite difficult to deal with. Thanks for showing it.

Joe

 

[ddushane]

Thanks guys for the comments, Joe, Scott Pilkington said that he's cut it on several occasions and didn't have any trouble. I'm sure his skill level helps a bunch but someone else brought up the question about the bolsters being heat colored before I engraved them and that possibly being why there was a great deal of hard & soft spots. Anyway I was glad when it was over If I'm approached to do meteorite again I hope it won't be heat colored. Dwayne

 

[txtwang]

From a newbie that has not a clue. Meterorite? Actual meterorite? or is this somekind of metal alloy that is called meteroite?

Jerry

 

[ddushane]

It's actual Meteorite. Comes from far far away

 

[Ron Smith]

Nice job, very attractive Dwayne, but I don't think the heat coloring would make any difference. It is the alloys used and the mixtures thereof, and the heat treating. The gold heat coloring might indicate that it wasn't drawn to an annealed state, but you could draw it back to its softest potential and then heat color it. But the irregular hardness of the layers again would depend more on the alloys I think. The bolsters look like demascus to me and that is the nature of demascus, but that can vary considerably according to the alloys too.........Nice job! Your highlighted scrolls fit in nicely with the highlight of the demascus........Ron S

 

[ddushane]

Thanks for the comments Ron, I wish now that I'd thought to draw the bolsters back as much as possible before engraving, never thought about it. Hopefully I will next time.

Here's the write up on the knife before I got it, from True North Knives http://truenorthknives.com/

JOHNNY STOUT. A new model from Johnny. THE DRESS LE GRANDE. 2 5/8" Makers forged Nickel and 1084 Random Pattern Damascus Blade. Heat Colored Bronze METEORITE Bolsters with Gold trim. Cobalt Blue Jeweled and Anodized Titanium Liners. Exhibition Grade (smooth) Green Mammoth Ivory Scales. Heat Treated Stainless Thumbstud with a Mammoth Ivory Inlay. Fileworked Damascus Backspacer. Overall length 5 7/8". Closed 3 3/8". Zipper pouch. Outstanding Craftsmanship. Serial number 871.
Mr. Johnny Stout is a voting member of the Knifemakers Guild.
Blade Length: 2 5/8"
Overall Length: 5 7/8"
Closed Length: 3 3/8"
Blade Steel: Makers Nickel & 1084 Random Pattern Damascus
Handle Material: Exhibition Grade Green Mammoth Ivory
Bolster/Guard: Heat Colored Bronze METEORITE
Sheath Description: Zipper Pouch
Weight: 2.1 ounces / 58 grams
Warranty: The knives are guaranteed by the maker against flaws in the craftsmanship

 

[Ron Smith]

You couldn't do that on a finished knife Dwayne. the annealing would have to be done before the knife was assembled.............If you can work with the knife maker you can avoid some of this, but I understand that you had no choice in the matter really. Looks like a take down model however. You still did a wonderful job, never the less and it is behind you now..........live and learn....Ron S

 

[ddushane]

Ron, I could've annealed them, Johnny gave me the freedom to do what ever I wanted or needed to do. He had etched the meteorite pretty deep, so when I got the knife I took the bolsters off and sanded them down to take out the pattern of the meteorite. Had to do quite a bit of sanding on my belt sander but I tried to stay away from the gold and the way I laid the pattern out it wasn't going to matter if I left some of the deep etch of the meteorite back there, I just didn't want there to be noticeable difference in thickness on the bolsters from the sanding, or a hi-low if as we called it in the welding field, I sanded from just the outside edge of the gold towards the end of the bolsters to get the pattern out and the rest is history. Like you said, a lesson learned. And with every project, more lessons My biggest issue is remembering all that learn either out in my shop or from all of you guys that are always so gracious to us new guys. Anybody else have a problem retaining all of this ? You'd think I was a lot older than I am, 43. I must have destroyed alot more of my brain cells when I was building my testimony than I thought So for you guys still building one, slow down Dwayne