Davis Bros. Custom Hand Made Collectible #5 A NW Style Woodcarving Crooked Knife

Description

Hello friends,
This is a new Davis Brothers knife, a Traditional Wood Carving  #5 A bend ( slight bend on front half) Crook Knife. The #5 Crook knife is the longest and slimmest blade of our regular sized knives, and just the right size for a lot of carvers. I made this one a little thinner and narrower for extra fine work, and a tad longer for more reach. That i
nfinite variety is
one of the benefits of custom work. The curvature (crook) in the blade allows the handle to stay clear and above the work in a way that a straight knife cannot.
Crook knives are a specialty in the Pacific Northwest and are usually pretty hard to find, mostly made only by custom knife-makers.  I'm pretty sure you won't find many, if any, others readily available.
Davis Bros., well known for high quality hand forged NW Coast style woodcarving tools, will make a limited number of some favorites. We make a wide selection of Crook knives (or Crooked knives), Detail knives and Hook knives, as well as Chip Carving and Whittling knives. This crook knife is based on designs used by carvers for hundreds of years. Crook knives  are extremely versatile and will perform a multitude of tasks well.
WORKMANSHIP:  Each knife is unique and hand crafted, with no automated processes used in the more than 30 machining, forging and woodworking tasks for each one.  Some tool marks may be visible on the knives. I do not attain absolute machine-like perfection, but strive to combine art,  beauty and utility.  The look and feel of this tool when held is beautiful, smooth, and inspires the work at hand.
BLADE:  It was made using 1095 high carbon blade steel, ground to shape then forged, bent, refined and hardened.  It  was then tempered to keep a durable, keen edge and is extremely sharp.
HANDLE:
The handle is White Oak, with a warm blonde color and distinctive mottled and iridescent grain markings. Oak was one of the first trees transplanted here by the pioneers because of it's toughness and strength. The handle shape allows plenty of force to be used while still maintaining control, and is very comfortable in the hand. It is finished with hand rubbed natural Shellac and Carnauba Wax to highlight the grain markings.
CONSTRUCTION:  This knife is 7" overall, with a 2 1/8"” long blade that tapers from 1/4" over the length of the blade before coming to a point. The blade is set with epoxy and further secured with two bronze pins.
CARVING CHARACTERISTICS:   It is sized for smaller scale work, and can be used with a wide variety of woods and carving styles. The A bend is slightly bent over the front half of the blade.  It excels at shaving, texturing and stock removal, and is meant for use on masks, spoons and small sculpture as well as general hobby use. It is great for relief carving and creating or finishing detail areas even on larger projects
as it comes to a fine point
. It performs especially well in tight corners and deep recesses, where other knives will seldom reach.
With a single bevel edge all the way around, this knife can be used with either hand, and cuts well either pushing or pulling.
The blade has plenty of strength for those tasks, but is rather delicate and should not be used for prying. Be careful to preserve the fine tip.  For best performance, when sharpening this tool it is important to leave the back side absolutely flat (no bevel on back side).
SHARPENING CROOK KNIVES: Having been asked many times, I will share some suggestions.  In general if you have the implements to strop and hone gouges the same will work for crooked knives.  These knives hold an edge well and should go through many many stroppings before needing to be honed.
Stropping the curved edge of a crook knife requires a curved strop. I use a couple that work great and are easy to make:
1) A closet dowel 1 1/4" diameter and about 1 1" long covered with smooth leather carefully glued in place.
2) A smaller, 3/4" dowel, covered with denim cloth ( which holds compound well) glued on.
I use white polishing or buffing compound on both (available in hardware stores or online). You may already have a preference for a particular compound, if so, use it instead.
Strop away from the edge, not towards it, and repeat 10 or 20 times or until the keen edge is restored. Strop only the top side ( the beveled side) to maintain the flat bottom side of the blade. If the bottom of the blade needs stropped eventually, then use leather on a flat surface.
Hone the blade only when absolutely necessary, if stropping no longer restores the edge. Use only very fine or ultra fine abrasives. As before, they must be rounded or curved. I use ceramic files, diamond hones, natural Arkansas slipstones and waterstones. All work, but keep them very fine to avoid scratches on the edge. Once again, touch up the flat bottom of the blade only enough to remove a wire edge if it forms when honing. Follow up any honing with a stropping to polish the edge.
SAFETY FIRST! : This blade is extremely sharp. Always be aware of where  you are cutting, and do not put hands, fingers or other parts of your body in the path of the blade.  Always wear a cut-resistant carving glove on the hand not holding the knife.  And please keep this knife safely away from children.
SHIPPING AND CUSTOMER SERVICE: I have several auctions running this week , and will gladly combine shipping to save you money. Wait for the combined invoice if you have multiple purchases/wins. I offer a 30 day return policy and will personally work to resolve any issues.  I strive for Quality and Customer Satisfaction