Two years of miniatures, from bad to better. - iKnife Collector2024-03-28T17:53:16Zhttps://iknifecollector.com/forum/topics/two-years-of-miniatures-from-bad-to-better?groupUrl=mini-knife-makers-and-collectors&commentId=3181080%3AComment%3A1238736&groupId=3181080%3AGroup%3A939991&feed=yes&xn_auth=noWow, thanks for the show, ver…tag:iknifecollector.com,2015-04-28:3181080:Comment:13082832015-04-28T19:50:14.526ZAlanhttps://iknifecollector.com/profile/alanpitcher
<p>Wow, thanks for the show, very nice. I love the details.</p>
<p>Wow, thanks for the show, very nice. I love the details.</p> Haven't talked with Larry in…tag:iknifecollector.com,2014-12-16:3181080:Comment:12392152014-12-16T11:41:40.707ZCarl Rechsteinerhttps://iknifecollector.com/profile/CarlRechsteiner
<p>Haven't talked with Larry in a while, I hope she's doing well and enjoying her tour of duty.</p>
<p>I imagine she stays pretty busy, but hoping she's finding time for the fun things in life. Of course, there are a lot of good young men in the service....might be a diversionary distraction from knifemaking. However she ought to be around some pretty sophisticated shop equipment now so you never know. Looking forward to finding out.</p>
<p>Haven't talked with Larry in a while, I hope she's doing well and enjoying her tour of duty.</p>
<p>I imagine she stays pretty busy, but hoping she's finding time for the fun things in life. Of course, there are a lot of good young men in the service....might be a diversionary distraction from knifemaking. However she ought to be around some pretty sophisticated shop equipment now so you never know. Looking forward to finding out.</p> Carl , to me its just fascina…tag:iknifecollector.com,2014-12-15:3181080:Comment:12390272014-12-15T18:52:27.136ZSteve Hannerhttps://iknifecollector.com/profile/HogHanner
<p>Carl , to me its just fascinating what folks can do in smaller sizes. I really give you credit, so much to consider, with relative proportions. But a fine series of progressions. Can't wait for Tamera to eventually finish her military duty and bring us up to dte on her work and hopefully she can provide some comments on yours.</p>
<p>Carl , to me its just fascinating what folks can do in smaller sizes. I really give you credit, so much to consider, with relative proportions. But a fine series of progressions. Can't wait for Tamera to eventually finish her military duty and bring us up to dte on her work and hopefully she can provide some comments on yours.</p> No problems with the full siz…tag:iknifecollector.com,2014-12-15:3181080:Comment:12388382014-12-15T12:37:17.668ZCarl Rechsteinerhttps://iknifecollector.com/profile/CarlRechsteiner
<p>No problems with the full size stuff either, just the little mini's. Don't hold their heat long.</p>
<p>Like do the minimal layered stuff now, 3-7 layer when just using hammer (gets a little tough on these aged arms and shoulders). Got a press for multi layered billets and liking it.</p>
<p>No problems with the full size stuff either, just the little mini's. Don't hold their heat long.</p>
<p>Like do the minimal layered stuff now, 3-7 layer when just using hammer (gets a little tough on these aged arms and shoulders). Got a press for multi layered billets and liking it.</p> Carl, I know all about the pr…tag:iknifecollector.com,2014-12-15:3181080:Comment:12388372014-12-15T12:27:02.187ZCharles Roddenberryhttps://iknifecollector.com/profile/CharlesRoddenberry
<p>Carl, I know all about the problem of Damascus when working in miniature. That's part of the reason I don't use it that often now, even though I've started forging my own. The solution for me was to forge weld up some GoMai on the last knife shown, which gave me a little more detail on the scale I wanted. And I admit, that I'll forge to a rough shape before profiling, but I find that the loss of heat hasn't been a real big issue for me. My speed has been increasing for work time from forge…</p>
<p>Carl, I know all about the problem of Damascus when working in miniature. That's part of the reason I don't use it that often now, even though I've started forging my own. The solution for me was to forge weld up some GoMai on the last knife shown, which gave me a little more detail on the scale I wanted. And I admit, that I'll forge to a rough shape before profiling, but I find that the loss of heat hasn't been a real big issue for me. My speed has been increasing for work time from forge to anvil, since I started doing laminates and Damascus.</p> Charles - yeah tried all kind…tag:iknifecollector.com,2014-12-15:3181080:Comment:12386232014-12-15T11:41:03.532ZCarl Rechsteinerhttps://iknifecollector.com/profile/CarlRechsteiner
<p>Charles - yeah tried all kinds of things as well, do use a ring vise on occasion, just seems to get lost a lot on the bench. One of the toughest issues I have is when I am re-working a sliver of Damascus to get the pattern reduced to match the scale of the knife, then forging the blade to shape. Have to preheat the bench anvil just to keep the steel hot enough to forge properly. Try to do the old jap style of holding right above the anvil surface before strike, but it's a tricky maneuver to…</p>
<p>Charles - yeah tried all kinds of things as well, do use a ring vise on occasion, just seems to get lost a lot on the bench. One of the toughest issues I have is when I am re-working a sliver of Damascus to get the pattern reduced to match the scale of the knife, then forging the blade to shape. Have to preheat the bench anvil just to keep the steel hot enough to forge properly. Try to do the old jap style of holding right above the anvil surface before strike, but it's a tricky maneuver to say the least.</p>
<p>Chris - Not many knifemakers large or small that can charge by the hour. To even use time to any major extent in the calculation of pricing usually just makes us cry (I'm sure you know).</p>
<p>No, I'd never consider trying to make a living with the mini's, but they are an addictive side. Being an old school hippie recycler/repurposer, I just can't stand to see good material leave the shop as waste. So....anything that leaves is in the shopvac bag if it's not cutlery.</p>
<p>Jeremy - "someday" won't come unless you grit your teeth and just do it.</p> My Miniatures aren't priced b…tag:iknifecollector.com,2014-12-15:3181080:Comment:12386812014-12-15T05:17:12.601ZChris Sieverthttps://iknifecollector.com/profile/ChristopherSievert
<p>My Miniatures aren't priced by the time involved.... some I've spent 100+ hours of hand work on them... Can't really see trying to get over $1000 for them. But I don't make them to feed a family which is good I'm too much of a perfectionist.</p>
<p>My Miniatures aren't priced by the time involved.... some I've spent 100+ hours of hand work on them... Can't really see trying to get over $1000 for them. But I don't make them to feed a family which is good I'm too much of a perfectionist.</p> Thanks everyone.
Carl, I end…tag:iknifecollector.com,2014-12-15:3181080:Comment:12386782014-12-15T02:52:50.210ZCharles Roddenberryhttps://iknifecollector.com/profile/CharlesRoddenberry
<p>Thanks everyone.</p>
<p></p>
<p>Carl, I end up making a special jig for each of the daggers and puukkos, but for the full tang minis and Bowies, my go to tool is an adjustable ring vise. It's saved my fingers from cramping quite a few times .</p>
<p>Thanks everyone.</p>
<p></p>
<p>Carl, I end up making a special jig for each of the daggers and puukkos, but for the full tang minis and Bowies, my go to tool is an adjustable ring vise. It's saved my fingers from cramping quite a few times .</p> Great looking mini's Charles.…tag:iknifecollector.com,2014-12-15:3181080:Comment:12385172014-12-15T01:40:10.424ZJeremy B. Buchananhttps://iknifecollector.com/profile/JeremyBBuchanan
<p>Great looking mini's Charles. I also love the mini's. Someday I hope to be able to try my own hand at making a few. In the mean time, I will just enjoy looking at yours, Tamera's and all the mini knife makers. Thanks for sharing!</p>
<p>Great looking mini's Charles. I also love the mini's. Someday I hope to be able to try my own hand at making a few. In the mean time, I will just enjoy looking at yours, Tamera's and all the mini knife makers. Thanks for sharing!</p> Very nice Charles. The progre…tag:iknifecollector.com,2014-12-15:3181080:Comment:12387362014-12-15T00:57:41.119ZCarl Rechsteinerhttps://iknifecollector.com/profile/CarlRechsteiner
<p>Very nice Charles. The progression is obvious of course. It appears that once you got comfortable with the proportional scale issue you really started focusing on the details and finish more.....all natural part of the learning curve.</p>
<p>Yeah, I can make a full size bowie in two thirds the time I can make the scaled down 1.25" version. Just the way it is. Your average person has no clue what goes into a well made miniature. Pricing is really difficult.</p>
<p>How many "universal" jigs…</p>
<p>Very nice Charles. The progression is obvious of course. It appears that once you got comfortable with the proportional scale issue you really started focusing on the details and finish more.....all natural part of the learning curve.</p>
<p>Yeah, I can make a full size bowie in two thirds the time I can make the scaled down 1.25" version. Just the way it is. Your average person has no clue what goes into a well made miniature. Pricing is really difficult.</p>
<p>How many "universal" jigs have you made so far? I got a drawer full of them.</p>
<p>Thanks for sharing.</p>