# GIP - Paring



## jessf (Dec 9, 2016)

I wanted to do something special for a collegue at my office. What better than i knife I ask you? There is nothing better and you're silly for even thinking there might be.

Working on my forge finish and this was a lot of fun. About 4" blade it took a couple of hours to bang it out and add my touch mark. I used the mokume i salvaged from my "Not a Gyuto" thread. I did all the cross sectional shaping with the hammer and anvil. I polished the spine as well as the edge. Handle is a piece of scrap bubinga. The box is make from carboard kept from an ikea table as it's super thin and appropriate for the scale of the knife. I have half a pig worth of leather so it made sense to cut out a strop and package some polishing compound. The burlap wrap came from a gift bag a consultant used to deliver a gift basket to my office. Everyone fights over the chocolate, all i wanted was the burlap. Fewer calories. 

I brought my barn board to the office and took these shots in the parking lot at before anyone got there.


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## Godslayer (Dec 9, 2016)

Very billip esque. Which i think you know is a compliment.


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## jessf (Dec 9, 2016)

I didnt capture much in progress except this photo after the hammering and grinder profiling.


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## jessf (Dec 9, 2016)

Three times now ive made western handles with Mokume. The last two times ive made the handle completely separate and glued the blade in last. I think it gives me greater control over the handle finish cause once connected to the blade finishing some angles becomes difficult or impossible in the bolster area.


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## pleue (Dec 10, 2016)

Beautiful. You do all the box making and such too?


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## jessf (Dec 10, 2016)

Yeah i make it all. Finding the right cardboard is the hard part.


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## Mrmnms (Dec 10, 2016)

This came out so well! What steel did you use?


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## Framingchisel (Dec 11, 2016)

Very elegant and a wonderful gift.


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## jessf (Dec 11, 2016)

It's 1084 and thanks.


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## milkbaby (Dec 11, 2016)

Very cool gift!


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## merlijny2k (Dec 11, 2016)

Wow you are really getting to pro levels man. Are you sure you shouldn't have put the strop to some wood too to be sure it doesn't go unused. Super gift though.


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## jessf (Dec 11, 2016)

I printed instructions on the inside of the brown paper used to wrap the stropping compound. It insturcts them to glue the leather to a firm backing like a large piece of hardwood.


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## Lawman (Dec 11, 2016)

Jessf
Your work is amazing.
I literally joined this form to follow your post.

Great job once again


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## jessf (Dec 11, 2016)

You're the fella from London. I'm like 1 hour away if you ever wanted to see this stuff in person. Also, i read somewhere that you make knives. Is this so?


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## camperman (Dec 12, 2016)

Very nice package.
The recipient must have been over the moon.


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## Lawman (Dec 12, 2016)

I am as amateur as it gets.
I have been putting together some kits for about a year and have made 3 of my own blades so far.
Trying to get better, having rookie problems.
Kitchen knives seem to peak my interests the most.

I would love to stop by sometime when you aren't busy.
If you get some free time, I'll bring the beer. Lol


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## jessf (Dec 12, 2016)

camperman said:


> Very nice package.
> The recipient must have been over the moon.



I think the effort is appreciated even if not fully understood. The virtues of a carbon steel knife are easy to explain to someone outside this community but it really takes them using one before they realize what sharp is and how long it can actually last. Sometimes we don't know what we don't know. I bet most of us here experience the same thing when explaining why we spent $600 on a dirty looking piece of steel. The guy i gave this to believs in legacy and wants to pass items on to his kids. Mostly i do this for me, but giving it away is an excuse to make more and better.


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## merlijny2k (Dec 13, 2016)

Totally agree. There is only so much knife you can have and regularly use. I also gave away my second project and the third one is in progress and also destined to be a gift.


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## Matus (Dec 13, 2016)

Very nice Jessf, it would seem that there is no project you would not dare to pursue.


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