Lets not forget one of the most famous handmade knives of America the bowie knife, made by Jim Bowie.
Iron and Steel in Different Countries by Mitch Johnson
The progress in iron and steel gave new ideas of firearms where Samuel Colt the inventor of automatic revolver during the nineteenth century played an important part. The Italians and Germans were foremost in the making and decoration of Armour, allied crafts, ornamented caskets, strong boxes with locks and keys etc., the Japanese were widely appreciated for their swords and daggers. They also made things of iron inlaid with gold and silver in designs illustrating religious and other stories little known in Europe.
With the settlement of America there was a big demand for reliable firearms that could be made cheaply and in quantity. While all guns and pistols had been loaded from the muzzle, a practical breech-loader was invented in America in 1810. Samuel Colt, born at Hartford, played an important part in the development of firearms during the nineteenth century. Connecticut, in 1814. He invented, manufactured and continually improved an automatic revolver, and his name remains linked inseparably with such weapons throughout the world.
The Italians and Germans were foremost in the making and decoration of Armour, and allied crafts were the making of ornamented caskets and strongboxes with locks and keys in elaborate designs. While Continental guns were generally preeminent, with the development of the pistol English firearms were often as good as any others made in the eighteenth century.
Japanese Armour is not greatly appreciated outside its native land, but swords and daggers are collected widely. The Japanese metalworkers were amazingly skilful in tempering and watermarking blades during manufacture, and that of the men making handles and mounts matched their artistry. Many of the mounts (known as Tsuba) are of iron inlaid with gold and silver in designs illustrating religious and other stories little known in Europe. The handle (Kodzuka) of the short dagger is also frequently the subject of similar decoration.
The most popular use of cast-iron was for the fireplace, where its hardwearing qualities gave admirable service: as andirons, on which logs were supported: as fire backs to prevent the heat from damaging the building and to reflect it into the room; and in the form of grates to burn the coal which replaced wood. Much of this equipment for English homes from the fourteenth century onwards was made in Sussex, where ironworks prospered for as long as the forests of the county yielded wood for their furnaces.
In recent years attention has been given to nineteenth-century garden furniture made of iron, and for this purpose it seems admirably suited. The use of iron for furniture had several advocates in the 1830's, and many designs were published for chairs and tables in which it was used for the supports. The iron bedstead was introduced also at about that date, but did not become widely popular until twenty years later. In the words of a Victorian designer: 'where carved work, or much ornament, is to be executed in furniture, cast iron will always be found cheaper than wood. In spite of this, the public was not convinced of its merits and little iron indoor furniture survives. In Germany, in the beginning of the nineteenth century, a method was found of casting very delicate tracery in iron, and jewelry was made from the metal. Surprisingly close imitations of bronzes were made there also from iron.
Here we have seen that each country has their own sets of metals made from these iron and steel. They are unique in their own ways. Like the automatic revolver of America and the swords and Daggers of Japan. Then iron and steel furniture like garden chairs and tables, bedsteads were made as well. Many people were not convinced with the use of iron and steel furniture but it has survived the test pf times in terms of durability.
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A lot of the best handmade knives are sporting carved Ivory handles.
The Best Carvers of Ivory by Mitch Johnson
IVORY has been used for making works of art from Biblical times onwards. The comparative ease with which it can be manipulated and its durable nature has always attracted craftsmen of all nations, and the latter quality has led to the preservation of a surprisingly large number of ancient examples. While the principal pieces made prior to the seventeenth century are now in museums, occasional examples appear on the market and fetch high prices. They are usually pieces with religious significance: leaves of small folding altar-pieces (diptyches) carved finely with scenes from the life of Christ or with the history of a saint.
More within the reach of the collector are figures. If European they date mostly from the mid-seventeenth century, but are later when Oriental.
German carvers were prolific workers, and their output was rivaled only by that of Flanders where the sculptor Francois Duquesnoy (known as II Fiammingo) influenced many craftsmen. J. C. L. Luck made figures in ivory and also modeled in porcelain for the Meissen and other factories, and a number of porcelain groups and figures owe their origin to him and his fellow craftsmen in ivory.
The range of articles made from ivory is very wide: large tankards heavily carved with numerous mythological figures and set off with elaborate silver mounts, snuff-boxes, tobacco-rasps for grating the 'noxious weed' to make snuff, candlesticks, and both religious and secular figures and groups, to name only a few.
Both the Chinese and Japanese were skilful carvers of ivory, and the former had two main centers of production: Pekin and Canton. At the latter were made many of the pieces, which have been described as being 'more distinguished for bizarre complexity of pattern than for artistic feeling'. To that category belong the familiar 'concentric balls'; those ingenious collections of balls, loosely one inside the other and all of them painstakingly carved and pierced from a single piece of ivory. The carvings made by the Japanese are well known for their meticulous detail, often carried to extremes. They vary in size from several inches in height to the miniature netsuke. The latter were used ceremonially to hold the inro (or small medicine box) suspended from the girdle of the kimono by a silk cord, and their design is infinitely varied. The finest are the work of men who specialized in making them and an exquisite finish matches the ingenuity of their design.
German carvers were prolific workers; Chinese and Japanese were skilful carvers of ivory. Silver mounts, snuffboxes, tobacco-rasps, candlesticks, and both religious and secular figures and groups are some of the articles that were carved out of the ivory.
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Todays handmade knives have inlay of everything from gold, to Ivory, to precious stones.
Things You should Know about Inlay Decoration by Mitch Johnson
Carving was the earliest ways of decorating the woods. This carving was done almost in all types of woods. It gave a new looks and a generated a new interest for furniture. And then you have inlay type of decoration, an alternative of carving.
At the same time as carving came into use, there was introduced an alternative type of decoration: inlay. This took many different forms over the years, varying from simple straight lines in wood of contrasting colour to the ground (called 'stringing'), to the elaboration of marquetry in which the inlay often covers a greater proportion of the surface than the ground.
This latter was in great demand shortly before 1700, when the form known as 'seaweed marquetry*, so complicated in pattern that the walnut ground could scarcely be seen at all, came into prominence. This fashion did not last for long after the start of the new century, but there was a revival of it in a weak: manner in about 1860. Many different woods were used in marquetry; some were dyed in bright colors and others darkened by scorching to enhance the effect. Pieces of bone, tortoiseshell and mother-of-pearl were also used sometimes.
A popular inlay on walnut furniture is known as 'herringbone', and consists of a band of two narrow strips of the same wood placed together with their grain meeting diagonally. The effect accounts for the name, which is alternatively 'feather-banding'. A further type of inlay is known as 'cross-banding'. It consists of a band of inlaid wood, often to be found at the edges of a table-top, in which the grain of the wood runs outwards.
Inlaying with a narrow strip of brass was done occasionally in the eighteenth century, but mostly in Regency times when more ambitious shapes, such as stars, were attempted also. It was very popular, and is looked on now as a feature of the period.
Moldings Moldings varied in shape with each period, and their study will help to identify the date of a piece of furniture. The narrow half-round molding found on the edges of many eighteenth-century drawers is known as cock beading'.
Lacquer Lacquering was practiced in the Far East for many centuries before it was introduced into Europe. Chinese and Japanese craftsmen decorated furniture by painting it carefully with many coatings of the sap of a locally grown tree, then after it had been well smoothed it was painted with designs in gold and colors. Some of this work was brought to England at the end of the seventeenth century, and became popular enough to be imitated as closely as possible by both professional and amateur artists, and much furniture made in England in the early 1700's was ornamented with this pseudo-oriental lacquer. In addition, pieces of English furniture were sent out to the East to be embellished in the authentic manner by local craftsmen, and quantities of cabinets and other furnishings of Far Eastern manufacture were sent to all countries of Europe.
In addition to the lacquer just described, in which the smoothed surface was painted upon, often with small areas raised to emphasize details of the pattern, there was another type in which the designs were cut and then colored. The finished article showed a smooth black panel into which were incised colored designs about one eighth of an inch deep. This was called 'Bantam' or 'Coromahdel lacquer, and was made often in the form of large folding screens. Some of them were of as many as twelve leaves, each about two feet wide and eight feet high. Occasionally, on arrival in Europe they were cut up regardless of their pattern to make cabinets or other pieces of furniture.
We have seen the various types of decorations that a wood can be give. The carving, inlay, moldings, and lacquer are the most common forms of wood decoration. These forms of woods decorations generated a lot of interest among the English in the eighteenth century. And many imitations of these kinds were produced to meet the demands.
About the Author
Mitch Johnson is a regular writer for
kitchen-plans-n-designs.com ,
hubforcollectables.info ,
bathroomaccessoriesmadeeasy.info
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In the making of handmade knives silver is widely used for guards, and bolsters, to inlays.
History, Uses and Value of Silver by Mitch Johnson
The noble metal as the silver is known has been used in many ways as coins or jewelry. To protect from fraud a system of Hallmarking was first done in London as long ago in the year 1300. Many changes had taken place in the marking history of silver.
SILVER IS a so-called 'noble' metal, both its appearance and its uses have earned it this title. It has been employed for many centuries for coinage, jewelry and for making useful and ornamental articles. The pure metal is too soft to withstand normal wear and tear, and therefore it has to be mixed with small proportions of others to make an alloy strong enough to retain its shape and thickness.
Without complicated tests it is not possible to tell just how much actual silver is contained in any given quantity of the alloy, and a clear field is left for fraud. To safeguard the purchaser a system of testing and marking, known as 'Hall-marking' because it was first carried out at Goldsmith's Hall in London, was instituted as long ago as the year 1300.
From then onwards a number of statutes directed that silverware should be marked with a lion passant to denote it was up to sterling standard, then with a further mark indicating the maker; and another, a letter of the alphabet, standing for the year in which the marking was done.
Additional modifications included a figure of Britannia stamped on pieces with a higher percentage of pure silver than the normal; a mark showing the town where the assay was made: a leopard's head for London, an anchor for Birmingham, a crown for Sheffield, etc.; and the head of the sovereign from 1784 until 1890 denoting that Excise Duty on the article had been paid. The marks can be checked against published tables, which are obtainable easily, and from them can be learned the exact year in which a piece was marked.
It is also possible in most instances to trace the name of the maker. Although silver is valued by weight it is offered for sale usually by the piece, and the more an article is in demand the higher is the price per ounce. It should be remembered that silversmiths use Troy weight:
1 pound = 12 ounces 1 ounce = 20 pennyweights (dwts.) 1 dwt. = 24 grains
Pieces of old silver often have the weight engraved on the underside. The same weights are used for gold, and the quality of the metal is given in carats; which refer to the proportion of pure gold present out of a total of twenty-four parts. Thus, the expression 18-carat gold means that a piece is made from metal composed of eighteen parts of pure gold with six of alloy; 9-carat has nine parts of gold and fifteen of alloy, and so forth.
There are severe penalties for forging marks and for selling unmarked or false silver, but occasional fakes are found. In the nineteenth century it was fashionable to take plain pieces of earlier period and ornament them with embossing and engraving.
This work was sometimes accompanied by a 'slight' alteration to the piece; for instance, tankards were turned into jugs by the addition of a spout, and chamber pots into loving-cups by soldering on an extra handle. Embellishments and alterations of these kinds affect both the appearance and the value of a piece, and it is as well for the beginner to be suspicious of anything offered at a bargain price. As with other antiques of value, a reputable dealer who understands his goods will guide the purchaser soundly.
Due to the higher possibilities of fraud and faking the contents of the real silver, there have been many changes in the marking system of the silver wares. This marking was first done in London in the fourteenth century. There have been many faking instances, which invite different shorts of penalties. And this silver metal has been mixed with many other metals to make different items.
About the Author
Mitch Johnson is a regular writer for
kitchen-plans-n-designs.com ,
hubforcollectables.info ,
bathroomaccessoriesmadeeasy.info
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Many of todays handmade knives are based on the Japanese knives, and swords.
Japanese Samurai Swords Buying Guide by: John Gottshall
When it comes to samurai swords, there is quite a bit of terminology for the new collector to understand. But we want to make it easy for anyone to find a good quality samurai sword that will last a lifetime, no matter if you’re looking for one of the very sought after Paul Chen Katana swords for battle or just a quality sword to hang over the mantle.
The first thing to consider for your new samurai sword is the type and quality of the blade. If you’re looking for a you want to be sure and choose a full tang blade, which all of our authentic samurai swords feature as well as all of our battle ready swords. The term “full tang” means that the blade and the part of the sword under the Tsuka (handle) is one long piece of steel. If you get a sword that is not full tang then you’re basically buying it to hang on the wall and nothing more.
The next thing to consider when choosing a sword is the type of steel that the blade is made of. There are basically 3 types of steel, 420 J2 (Stainless steel), High Carbon, and Folded steel. If you are looking for a battle ready sword you’ll want to stay away from the 420 J2 Stainless. High carbon steel is very high quality steel; however folded steel is the strongest. Actually it’s not that the folded steel is a different type of steel, but how the blade is forged.
A folded steel blade is typically made from high carbon steel. The difference is that a folded steel blade is just like it says; the steel is folded over and over again until the smith believes that it is adequate.
Some people say that a good high carbon steel blade can be just as strong as a folded steel blade. The smiths for the Thaitsuki Nihonto Swords claim to have mastered a form of forging high carbon steel blades that is just as strong if not stronger than many of the folded steel blades.
When choosing a sword samurai sword there are basically 3 different styles to consider, the katana sword, the Wakizashi sword and the Tanto sword. The Japanese Katana Sword is the most popular among collectors and martial arts students alike.
The katana sword was the first and is still the most popular of all samurai swords. The blade is typically 29” long with an overall length around 40”
The Wakizashi sword is the shorter companion blade of the katana sword. We first see the Wakizashi sword during the Muromachi period (1568-1603). The Wakizashi was about 18” long and only allowed to be carried by a samurai. Carrying both the katana and the Wakizashi was popular for the next few hundred years.
The smallest samurai sword would be the tanto sword or dagger. Originally tanto swords were 12” in length or less but it’s not out of the ordinary to come across a Tanto that is 15” long.
Samurai sword collecting is a very popular past time for many Americans. Something that is becoming even more popular is martial arts that make use of samurai sword for fighting and cutting exercises. The most popular and affordable authentic samurai swords are the Paul Chen Swords. You can find a decent Paul Chen Practical Katana Sword for under $200. However for less than a hundred more you can get yourself a Paul Chen Practical Plus Katana. If you’re looking for something a little more pricy the Paul Chen Bushido Katana or the Orchid Katana will last a lifetime and can take quite a beating. The Orchid and Bushido also come in a Wakizashi and Tanto.
In conclusion, the most important thing when buying your sword is that you know what kind of blade you're getting. If you want a functional sword be sure that you're not getting one that's only made to hang on the wall. If it's not clearly stated on the page for the sword, don't hesitate to contact the store to ask any questions you might have.
About The Author
John Gottshall
At Japanese Swords 4 Samurai we have a samurai sword expert waiting to answer any questions you might have. Want to own a real Japanese Samurai Sword come and check out our store. You can find us online at
japaneseswords4samurai.com
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Todays handmade knives are an Art form. With all types of Art forms being used to create custom knives.
Understanding Art by: Redi Zartey
Art is anything that people add to their 'output' which is not functionally necessary and is other than the default properties of that output. The word "art" has been derived from the Latin word 'ars', which, loosely translated, means "arrangement" or "to arrange". This is the only universal definition of art, that whatever it is was at some point arranged in some way. There are many other colloquial uses of the word, all with some relation to its etymological roots. This word comes from the Greek technic meaning art.
Art and science are usually treated diagonally opposite to each other. While science means some phenomenon resulting in truth, which is universal and objective in nature. In other words, science findings can be repeated under the same set of circumstances anywhere in the world at any given point of time. Same cannot be said of art. Art, on the other hand is purely subjective in nature. Take for example, a painting - while one calls it a masterpiece, same feelings cannot be expected from other individual.
Art can roughly be divided into two, namely philosophical art and aesthetic art. The philosophical type of art involves human figures for some purposive actions. In other words, philosophical art depicts human condition or it is the conceptual frame of mind of the artist.
Aesthetic art, on the other hand, shows the perceived frame of mind. Two examples will help illustrate these two points of view - a Mona Lisa painting is philosophical art, while a demon being killed by a super human is aesthetic. These two categories are also called classical and modern art respectively.
There are other ways of classifying art - major among them being architecture, design, painting, music, drawing, literature, performing art, etc. While these have been (and still are) traditional forms of art performed by human kind, newer forms of art have emerged with the advent of technology. Some of the later era art forms are games, animation, movie, computer art, shooting, etc.
Two of the most researched areas of interest to artists, critiques and archeologists has been the art movement (or art history) and art school.
An art movement is a typical style or tendency in art with a specific common philosophy, followed by a group of artists during a restricted period of time (ranging from a few months to years or decades). Art school is any educational institute offering education to its students on various forms of art.
Birth of art gave rise to another group of individuals - art critics. Art critics study and evaluate a piece of art. Its main purpose is to rationalize the evaluation of art, and ridding of any personal opinion affecting the work of art. Art criticism today deploys systematic and formal methods to evaluate the piece of art.
Museums are known to nurture and store work of arts across the world. Early era museums were patronized by the then kings and emperors. Today these are maintained by governments or private trusts with or without public money. Three major museum institutes are British Museum, Museum of Modern Art, New York and Galerie des Offices in France.
Understanding art in its totality is almost an impossible task for a human being. There are over 3,600 terms in art to be understood. And these are not definitive in nature. Art is when you are free to redefine these.
About The Author
Redi Zartey is the owner of Art Diz which is a premier resource for art information.
For more information, go to
http://www.artdiz.com
redi@artdiz.com
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Todays handmade knives have some of the best leather sheaths ever made.
Working With Leather by: Francis Burdett-Mills
This can be as simple & basic Or advanced & professional.
There are many books, booklets, pamphlets, reprints, even articles describing how to assemble a simple article cut from a basic design which is purchased as a kit from a supplier. There are even sets of instructions available on the internet.
This is fine for the person who just wants to enjoy making some simple article for themselves or a youngster wanting to make a present for their favourite Aunt.
Should however you wish to make something more complicated, earn an income, make a living at a Craft, become a Craftsman/Artisan, Make & design you own range of Quality Leathergoods, then the above brief explanations are not going to help you.
There used to be some advanced college courses available on the subject. The best of these was offered in the UK by Cordwainers College & students came from all over the World for the 2 year Leathergoods Craft Courses & took the City & Guilds Leather Goods examinations.
Sadly those excellent Craft Courses are now defunct due to lack of Government funding for the college & inability of UK students to obtain grants.
The contents of that course provided the entrants with skills comparable with the excellent Craftsmen employed (& taught) by 'Hermes' in France.
So what was on offer that is not available in the simple instructions readily available? Well how to make your own designs, Produce your own patterns, Cut economically from a skin or hide, estimate & cost the amount of leather used, how to hand sew with two needles & a diamond awl (as a professional leather worker or saddler does). using a 'Harness' Iron' Pare leather & make turnovers, Understand & make use of all construction methods, to name just a few of the more advanced techniques.
The old courses have gone but the skills & technology is now available in my Leather Instruction Manuals of which the first 3 are written & available from my site as e-books. There are however 4 more still to write.
So what makes me different & to be more precise capable of providing this high level of knowledge & skills. I worked in the top UK London Companies as a young man just after the war when the UK leathergoods industry was the best in the world, I made leathergoods for top London Stores, Royalty, Film Stars, Heads of State, Worked my way up from a Craftsman to Works Director. Finishing my career as HOD of the college mentioned earlier & was the City & Guilds Moderator for their 470 Leathergoods course.
To read more about all this & view fuller details of the contents of these manuals & the opportunity to acquire these never before published skills & techniques (Some of them were not even available on the college course), then visit my site.
While you are there take advantage of the free downloads also available & feel free to use the massive research & reference section of the site covering every aspect of this diverse subject.
You can find: Leather Suppliers, Museums, Other Leather Books, Leather Organisations, Manufacturers of Finished Leathergoods, Leather Shops Stores & Malls, Leather Importers & Exporters, & Much, Much More.
Treatment of leather is also dealt with & products are available to enable you to care for those expensive leather items you own as well as advice from experts in this field.
The History of Leathergoods is explored for those who are fascinated by past events. I hope this article & a visit to my site will prove useful & enlightening & I am happy to answer any genuine emails on this very ancient craft.
Regards Francis Burdett-Mills MCIPD.
info@theleatherconnection.com
URL http://www.theleatherconnection.com
Blog http://hidebound.blogspot.com
About The Author
Retired Master Designer Craftsman & Trainer,Leacturer, College H.O.D & City & Guilds Moderator for UK Leathergoods Courses.
info@theleatherconnection.com
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