Damascus rondel dagger

Krag · Post by **Krag** » Thu Dec 13, 2001 2:22 pm

Any interest here in a high end damascus rondel dagger? I will be finishing it this weekend and haven't decided whether to post to ebay or not. The rondels are currently being etched. It's about a 9" single edged blade, etched and pierceworked steel rondels, and a stained and polished sheep bone handle. I'll get pics up as it's completed.

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Krag von Berghen
KragAxe Armoury

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Pheylin Quinn · Post by **Pheylin Quinn** » Thu Dec 13, 2001 2:37 pm

I may be interested. Wil wait for pics.

Xanthier · Post by **Xanthier** » Thu Dec 13, 2001 2:53 pm

Same here

Krag · Post by **Krag** » Thu Dec 13, 2001 3:06 pm

Pics will be here:
http://www.100megsfree3.com/kragaxe/as/knives/Rondeldagger.html

Pics of the basic blade pattern are already up. I'll progressively add to it.

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Krag von Berghen
KragAxe Armoury

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Joe Skeesick · Post by **Joe Skeesick** » Thu Dec 13, 2001 3:58 pm

I would LOVE to be able to be seriously interested in that Krag. Alas, I'm unemployed and my wife would use it on me if I was to get it. Nice work so far. Can't wait to see the finished piece.

J

Pietro da San Tebaldo · Fri Dec 14, 2001 10:46 am

It sounds wonderful. Any idea your asking price?

*drool*

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"Or, a pall inverted surmounted by an orle Azure counterchanged"
mka: Sam Pearce

Krag · Post by **Krag** » Fri Dec 14, 2001 11:02 am

$175
It's already sold, pending final design. I'll be doing about one every two months this Spring. Varying styles ranging from seaxes to stillettos. All will be engraved/etched and ornate within the context of the desired time period of reference.

The sheep bone handle was stained to a mottled mahogany. The grain structure of the bone is still visible and the bone takes a mirror polish. The rondels are being made from 1095 steel and will be roped along the edges, have small templar style crosses pierced to either side of the blade mount and have a floral motive etched into the remaining areas. All the recessed areas will be darkened and the high points polished and enhanced using gravers and such. I did some test pieces last night and the etching is slow going due to the cold weather. I might have to borrow a hot pad/stirrer from one of my labs to speed things up a bit. If the etching won't produce what I want, the designs will be hand cut with gravers.
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Krag von Berghen
KragAxe Armoury

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[This message has been edited by Krag (edited 12-14-2001).]

Squatch · Post by **Squatch** » Fri Dec 14, 2001 3:19 pm

Great looking work Krag and a great price to match. I know it would depend on the size of the seax, but will they be running in about the same price range? (like $150-$250)
There are more people selling them, but dirks might be something else that might sell well. Though if you just stick with making what you like to make I am sure that they will sell just fine at those prices.
Something that may or may not be worth it to you to do, might be to set up a small mailing list for those interested in your work. That way you could just send out a notice when something is avaliable.

Keep up the good work.

Shane

Krag · Post by **Krag** » Fri Dec 14, 2001 3:31 pm

The seaxes will tend to run a hair cheaper since there isn't as much detail work put in the handles. However, I plan on etching/engraving a lot of the blades. Most of what I have planned for the ornate pieces will be in the 6-8" blade range. I'll be making a bunch of smaller ones over the break, but they are not really pattern welded, just a high carbon edge, low carbon spine...but I'll mess with the billet and make a zig-zaggy (is that a word?) weld line. After heat treating and etching the blades will have a bright silver line along the weld and black fading to dark grey on the high carbon side and shades of light grey on the low carbon side. These are aimed at the Regia group for thier "feastware/utility" blades and are all taken from dimensions off items in my personal collection of original blades.

I don't want to start taking commissions, but the mailing list is a good idea. I did one once before...but had problems since I kept moving/changing servers. Now that my blade quality and computer skills are both better, I might have to start another one up.

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Krag von Berghen
KragAxe Armoury

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Krag · Post by **Krag** » Sat Dec 22, 2001 8:27 pm

I put some more pics up of the final shaped blade. It's been heat treated and etched here as well. The pattern is pretty remarkable and I was quite pleased with it. This is the same pattern I'll be using on some helm parts (brows, nasals, etc) coming up. I have a steel section ready to be forge welded that will make about a 1" sqr x 18" long billet. Part of it will be used for destructive testing, the rest will be made into a couple knives. I'll probably be making seaxes from it in 6-8" blade lengths. I've decided to do a mail-list. Those that emailed me privately and posted here are already on it. I will send out monthly updates, or updates when I finish a piece(s) and y'all will get to look/offer before I post them for general auction. As a relatively new maker, my prices will remain much lower than most custom makers for the next year. If you're interested in pattern welded stuff, here's your chance to get some at lower prices (not cheap by any means...I'm not that nice

...but lower than everyone else! ).
Pics are at the same link as way up above in my second post. I'll eventually have a page dedicated to just pattern welded stuff on my site.

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Krag von Berghen
KragAxe Armoury

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[This message has been edited by Krag (edited 12-22-2001).]