Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Built a knife for a friend.

A very important figure from my life retired a while ago.  This was the man that taught me to hunt, taught me to shoot, and taught me how to be a good person and father.  While he was not blood kin, he definitely was kith- which roughly translates to 'family that you choose'.

A while ago, I was on their ranch, and we were helping split wood from a tree that had fallen years ago.  I snuck a chunk of that wood into my car, and also 'borrowed' a small length of copper wire that came from his work life.  I started working on a gift-

It's log, it's log...
After much cutting, sawing, sanding, and work, I ended up with this corkscrew:

This is the copper wire- turned into an inlay
Burned brand
Since I had a little bit more time to create something, I built a true 'working' knife for him to use on the ranch.  A Russell "Green River" Carbon Steel Blade, paired with handle scales made from "horse stall mat" rubber and brass pins made this:



This turned out really nice.  The knife is light, the handle is 'grippy', and it will work great on the ranch.  I thought this would be a great way to say "Happy Retirement" and hopefully show some of the appreciation for everything he has taught me.

6 comments:

  1. The man who receives a gift made by hand and from the heart is a lucky soul indeed. I'd say he did a fine job of helping you find a solid track in live. What beautiful gifts!

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  2. Very nice. Source for the 5/32 pins?

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  3. He will be so grateful for these. You definitely need to tell him where the copper and wood came from. I won't spoil the surprise by linking from my blog, but when you present it I do want him to read this. Thanks so much for doing this.

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  4. eia- Thank you. You are correct that built gifts mean a lot more.

    Mike- That's actually brass brazing rod from home depot. Best source I found for small pins.

    45er- I plan on giving him the rest of the log back as well. Just because.

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  5. What beautiful work...you are a very talented man. He'll love 'em.

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  6. Coolest gift ever!! What a wonderful tribute to someone who had an amazing impact on your life.

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