Dagger Project

Right now I'm working on a once in a lifetime opportunity with sculptor and knife designer David Brunetta. So engrossed am I in the process of this project I've hardly taken time to write anything down.

About ten years ago I won a knife blade in an S.C.A. raffle by a knifemaker named Oso. And I told my boyfriend I wanted to be the one that made a handle for it. A pretty lofty dream considering I have zero experience in doing such a thing. I didn't even know what type of handle would fit with a dagger of that type. I think men take that stuff for granted. They usually take metal shop and wood shop somewhere along the road, or learn it at their father's side.

So I'd about given up on it. I left the blade nestled in it's cloth wrapper and tried to remember where I put it with each move.

Then one day David Brunetta showed up at one of our archery meetings. Being an expert sculptor and knifemaker, it was a few months before I could even get near him, as every man in the place wanted "David time". Then one day David invited my boyfriend to tour his workspace in Laguna Beach, CA and I went along for the ride. During a casual conversation I mentioned about the blade and my long desire to make a handle. I really wasn't hinting, just trying to add about what little I could relating to his interests. It turns out David knew Oso's teacher. So one thing led to another and next thing I know David is designing the handle and getting all excited about helping me make it.

What I didn't realize until I was deep into it was the design he picked was not a simple design like I thought I could pull off myself, but a complicated design with fluting and twisted wires and metal parts and a stone cabachon and bluing and whew! So much to do and so many people involved.

So I will add the photos to the article of where I am so far, and as things progress I'll talk more on it.

For color choices I pretty much leaned to black, silver, and blue. So first I carved a handle from rosewood for practice. As soon as I could tell where it was going, we switched to ebony and started the carving process all over again. I worked 2 days solid on the carving in David's shop and let me tell you, my hands were sore for a week. I've about got the flutes carved down as well as the grooves for the twisted wire.

After the final sanding we need to insert the wire into the channels.

At this point I have to send the labradorite cabachon to Spikestoneworks to get it cut to size. David is going to finish up the metal pieces. He and or I are going to make a leather sheath lined with velvet. He wants to treat the wire so it will be blue. I think he said titanium. Then the whole unit has to be attached together. So I'll keep you posted.