Davis Bros. Custom Hand Made Collectible Long #2 C Woodcarving Crooked Knife

Description

Hello friends,
This is a new Davis Brothers knife, a Traditional Wood Carving  Long # 2 C bend (deep bend on front half) Crook Knife. The Long #2 Crook knife has one of our longer blades in this size range, and the extra length is intended for reaching those difficult areas deep in a carving.
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 like this readily available.
This knife was hand forged by a carver, for carvers, right here on the Pacific Northwest Coast.  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.
AUCTION DETAILS: I make 5-7 knives each week and put them up for auction on Saturday evening starting at 5:00 PM. Pacific time. The auctions are staggered, with one every 10 minutes, to allow customers to view each one in sequence. The previous week's auctions are ending at the same time, with 10 minutes between to allow last minute bidding on each one. In addition to the auctions, each knife has a "Buy It Now" price to allow immediate purchase. The "Buy It Now" option ends for each knife when a bid is placed on it.
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 Holly, a piece I harvested from my mother's yard about 30 years ago. I use a piece now and then and always have some great memories as I work.  This unusual piece has darker grain intrusions, with a mellow creamy background and subtle grain patterns.  Holly is tough and hard combined with beauty, and takes a velvety finish.  This shape is robust, yet comfortable, allowing plenty of force to be used while still maintaining control.
It is finished with hand rubbed  natural Shellac and Carnauba wax, a very durable finish  that highlights the beauty of the wood.
CONSTRUCTION:  This knife is  8 5/8" overall, with a 2” long blade that tapers from 9/16" 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 medium to larger scale work, and can be used with a wide variety of woods and carving styles.  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 C bend is deeply bent over the front half of the blade, and works well at hollowing and stock removal or roughing out.  It is meant for use on masks, bowls, spoons and platters  as well as sculptural and general carving use. It is great for relief carving and creating or finishing detail areas on larger projects. This Long version is especially useful in reaching into hollows, recesses and corners.  It can also be used for detail work, as it comes to a tapered point. The blade has plenty of strength for those tasks, but is rather delicate and should not be used for prying.  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 charge only what the Postal Service fee is on an average shipment for that weight, with no additional handling fees. I have several auctions running each 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.