Cape Buffalo knife now REALLY done!

Drum roll please...

And now featuring engraving and inlay on the bolsters and rivets by one of my absolute favorite people, Michael Dubber!  I had to jump up and down and do the happy dance when I saw how COOL this turned out.  YOWZA!!!  Click on the pics to see these a little bit bigger!

Cape Buffalo Knife finished!

Whew!  A "black" animal that used 12 different colors of ink!  And three colors on the back.

This knife will be going off for engraving soon (I'm not doing that!) so I'll post pics of the WHOLE knife after that is done.  For now, you can see my scrimshaw.

"Chancellor Cape Buffalo Knife"

multicolor scrimshaw on pre-ban elephant ivory
by Katherine Plumer, 2013

ivory scales are 4-3/8 inches long

sold, custom

 

 

March 3 work in progress

What color is a Cape Buffalo?  Black, right?  With black horns?  Well, sorta grayish black.  No maybe sorta brownish grayish black with some yellowy undertones and a hint of blue?  I'm doing this image in full color (because I was asked to, but I would have wanted to do anyway, if for no other reason that coming up with the right way to do the colors is a HUGE challenge).  And when you stare at an image long enough, even something that at first glance you might think is pretty much black and gray, you start to realize there are a LOT of colors that make it look that way.  Or maybe I'm just nuts, but whatever, I think it's coming along rather well.  ;-)  Horns are pretty much done.  Six colors.  Face will be next, and then background.

February 28 work in progress

I'm just going to tease you a little with a closeup, because the whole thing is in kind of an awkward stopping point.  I've been working on this for a while, I did a monogram on the back.  More pics as it progresses along.

And since someone will probably ask, yes the ivory is cracked.  It came to me that way, and I'm doing my best to cover and blend the lines into the design.

December 18 work in progress

Ohhh yeah!  :-)  This side is done!

December 17 work in progress

Not done, but getting closer!

December 13 work in progress

This is another big knife I'm working on.  Actually, there are two very similar big knives for the same client, this is the first one I'm doing, it's a Dozier.  This is the back, with my client's monogram.

I didn't know anything about monograms until I got into this engraving stuff.  I used to think "why so much emphasis on the middle initial?"  Ah, but in a monogram, the last name's initial is moved to the middle, and is often bigger than the other two!  Nifty, eh?

Anyway, stay tuned, much much much more to come...