7th Dragon Knifeworks San Mike blade.
Jul 9, 2017 5:44:55 GMT
Post by Adrian Jordan on Jul 9, 2017 5:44:55 GMT
Introduction:
Howdy. Today I'd like to share a blade that I commissioned from 7th Dragon Knifeworks, www.facebook.com/7thdragonknifeworks/?fref=ts. The blade was made by Michael Kerley, aka mikeeman, who has been a member of the forum for quite some time now. He had been giving away unfinished, flawed blades(not this one) quite a while ago, and so I asked for one and liked it quite a bit. He's been going on a tear for a while making folded and laminated blades, and so I decided to grab one. I sent him some vague parameters and he was able to put together a pretty nice blade.
Full Disclosure:
I have known Michael for quite some time. He is a fellow moderator on the SBG Facebook page. I think he has a crush on me, so that may have affected the price. I cannot blame him.
The reason that this knife has no scales is not that it is unfinished, it's that that is how I ordered it. Also, I am playing around with etching, so it is not in it's final state. I'll share how it turns out in the end...well, in the end.
I've have this knife for a while now. Images are not 100% true representative of its out of box condition.
Specifications:
Blade Length: 3 and 3/4"
Handle Length: 4 and 1/2"
Weight: 4.5oz
POB: 1 and 1/4" into handle.
First Impression:
Pretty sweet.
Blade:
The blade is 3 and 3/4" and is a full flat grind. It is laminated in a San Mike(a really old, played out private joke, sorry) construction with 1045 jacket over a 1095 core. The plunge lines are clean, though not perfectly centered at the base. The spine starts out at 3/16" and gradually tapers to a very fine point. The edge came paper cutting sharp out of the box, though it wasn't 100% consistent, with a couple small areas where the edge caught. It's very near a zero grind edge. There are no flaws in the lamination between jacket and core. With a quick five minute etch in some lemon juice and a light buffing with some Metal Glo you can see the lamination lines. You can actually see them when it isn't etched, but I ingeniously forgot to snap a few shots when it was polished pre-etch. I'm still tinkering with it, and will probably re-polish and etch it. I'll grab a photo of the polished blade and post it if I do.
Handle:
4 and 1/2" and with a finger swell about midway down. Edges have been slightly rounded for comfort. No scales.
Handling:
Point of balance is about 1 and 1/4 into the handle. No scales or guard to move the POB up. I wanted a fairly nimble knife, and that's what I got.
Sheath:
Sheath is currently a folded over piece of blue shop towel. I didn't ask for one.
Final Thoughts:
Well, maybe not final final thoughts, but my thoughts up to this point. It's a nifty little utility knife. Even after some polishing and an etch the edge is still serviceably sharp. The edge also held up well through some light testing(paper, cardboard, little bit of pseudo-whittling). Working with Michael is pretty easy, and his prices are affordable.
I paid $70 shipped for this one. Based on my experiences with Michael I do plan on more purchases from him in the future. To order a blade from him he can be contacted via his member profile page here on the forum, sbg-sword-forum.forums.net/user/5388, or via his 7thdragon Knifeworks Facebook page, www.facebook.com/7thdragonknifeworks/.
I'll try to keep up with what I am doing with the knife as I do it.
Thanks for reading.
Howdy. Today I'd like to share a blade that I commissioned from 7th Dragon Knifeworks, www.facebook.com/7thdragonknifeworks/?fref=ts. The blade was made by Michael Kerley, aka mikeeman, who has been a member of the forum for quite some time now. He had been giving away unfinished, flawed blades(not this one) quite a while ago, and so I asked for one and liked it quite a bit. He's been going on a tear for a while making folded and laminated blades, and so I decided to grab one. I sent him some vague parameters and he was able to put together a pretty nice blade.
Full Disclosure:
I have known Michael for quite some time. He is a fellow moderator on the SBG Facebook page. I think he has a crush on me, so that may have affected the price. I cannot blame him.
The reason that this knife has no scales is not that it is unfinished, it's that that is how I ordered it. Also, I am playing around with etching, so it is not in it's final state. I'll share how it turns out in the end...well, in the end.
I've have this knife for a while now. Images are not 100% true representative of its out of box condition.
Specifications:
Blade Length: 3 and 3/4"
Handle Length: 4 and 1/2"
Weight: 4.5oz
POB: 1 and 1/4" into handle.
First Impression:
Pretty sweet.
Blade:
The blade is 3 and 3/4" and is a full flat grind. It is laminated in a San Mike(a really old, played out private joke, sorry) construction with 1045 jacket over a 1095 core. The plunge lines are clean, though not perfectly centered at the base. The spine starts out at 3/16" and gradually tapers to a very fine point. The edge came paper cutting sharp out of the box, though it wasn't 100% consistent, with a couple small areas where the edge caught. It's very near a zero grind edge. There are no flaws in the lamination between jacket and core. With a quick five minute etch in some lemon juice and a light buffing with some Metal Glo you can see the lamination lines. You can actually see them when it isn't etched, but I ingeniously forgot to snap a few shots when it was polished pre-etch. I'm still tinkering with it, and will probably re-polish and etch it. I'll grab a photo of the polished blade and post it if I do.
Handle:
4 and 1/2" and with a finger swell about midway down. Edges have been slightly rounded for comfort. No scales.
Handling:
Point of balance is about 1 and 1/4 into the handle. No scales or guard to move the POB up. I wanted a fairly nimble knife, and that's what I got.
Sheath:
Sheath is currently a folded over piece of blue shop towel. I didn't ask for one.
Final Thoughts:
Well, maybe not final final thoughts, but my thoughts up to this point. It's a nifty little utility knife. Even after some polishing and an etch the edge is still serviceably sharp. The edge also held up well through some light testing(paper, cardboard, little bit of pseudo-whittling). Working with Michael is pretty easy, and his prices are affordable.
I paid $70 shipped for this one. Based on my experiences with Michael I do plan on more purchases from him in the future. To order a blade from him he can be contacted via his member profile page here on the forum, sbg-sword-forum.forums.net/user/5388, or via his 7thdragon Knifeworks Facebook page, www.facebook.com/7thdragonknifeworks/.
I'll try to keep up with what I am doing with the knife as I do it.
Thanks for reading.