Davis Bros. Collectible Hand Made Sm. #10 Wood Carving Hooked Detail Knife

Description

Hello friends,
This is a new Davis Brothers knife, a Small  # 10  wood carving moderately hooked detail knife. It is about 20% smaller than our usual #10s, thus making it more useful for smaller and more delicate work.
The blade is moderately hooked, so maintains it's usefulness as a detail knife, while benefiting from the hooked entry.
This is a really pretty knife, made with an elegant  handle, and fits nicely into your hand for intricate use. This knife was hand forged by a carver, for carvers, right here on the Pacific Northwest Coast.  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 or Crooked knives, Detail knives and Hook knives, as well as Chip Carving and Whittling knives.  Detail knives  are used in accompaniment with crook knives, as well as chip carving and other  stock removal knives.
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 very fine 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, refined and hardened.  It  was then tempered to keep a durable, keen edge and is extremely sharp. The blade is a smaller version of the larger #10. It is 1 5/8" long, and tapers  from 5/16" over the length of the blade. The blade profile has a concave curved cutting edge and finely curved tip.
HANDLE:
The handle is Wenge, from Africa, with  a beautiful dark brown color, with striking almost black grain markings. The overall effect is a nearly black handle, but with character. This handle is robust and sturdy, but provides a comfortable grip allowing it to be directed with precision. It is finished with hand rubbed natural Shellac and Carnauba wax, a benign and very durable finish.
CONSTRUCTION:  This knife is 7 1/4" overall, with a 1 5/8" long blade that is  5/16" wide before tapering to a point.  The cutting edge is concave curved and has a
curved
tip.  The blade is set with epoxy and further secured with two bronze rivets.
CARVING CHARACTERISTICS:
The curved edge is sharpened with a fine bevel on both sides. The moderate hook aids in scribing and incising, as the point enters the wood at a steeper angle than with a straight blade, enabling more force to comfortably be applied. This is a relatively small blade, making it handy for cleaning up corners and intersections. Because of the curvature towards the tip, this knife will neatly scribe curved lines. This is a good little all around whittling and hobby knife, and will wind up in your hand often. The blade has plenty of strength for these tasks, but should not be used for prying. Preserve the fine tip by avoiding twisting and tilting while the blade is in the wood.
SHARPENING HOOK KNIVES:  In general if you have the implements to strop and hone gouges the same will work for hook knives.  These knives hold an edge well and should go through many many stroppings before needing to be honed. (Please see photo for examples of implements)
Stropping the curved edge of a hook 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. Since a bevel is on both sides of the blade, both sides should be stropped.
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.  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.