My name is Bob, and I'm a knifemaker

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I was just looking at your prices. 3 or 4 years might be how long it takes me to convince my wife. :stuck_out_tongue_winking_eye:

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Wow, so impressed.

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Beeeeauuuutiful! Nice work, Bob!

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Most excellent!

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Wow. Incredible work…
Some of those are sick looking!
Excuse the slang but the adjective seemed appropriate :slight_smile:

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You’d be a perfect asset in our steel conversation.

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Those are some sexy ass knives. Nice work!

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Bob, thank you for posting. Beautiful work. Amazing craft skills. Looking forward to seeing what you do with a Glowforge.

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Awesome display of talent!

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Wow, beautiful craftsmanship. Thank you for sharing!

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I appreciate your dedication to completely hand made. I am familiar with painting clay slip in layers to selectively insulate the quench. The ancient metallurgist had really elevated the craft hadn’t they?
I know of another knife craftsman by the name of Hibben, who’s work reminds me of yours. No doubt you have seen his work-as yours is of the same caliber.

I would like to work the iron - nickel of a meteorite sometime. The crystalline structure of the metal when etched is striking, adding to the allure of it’s nature and origin.

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Wow, amazing work! Simply beautiful.

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Gorgeous work, the detail and finish is exquisite. I can see why you are backlogged :smile:

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It was in that conversation he was prompted to make this post :stuck_out_tongue:

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NICE WORK Bob!

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Thanks for all the compliments everyone. So, now I have a question about a potential application. I currently ship all my knives to their new owners in a fleece lined zippered pouch. It’s nice enough and I will probably continue to use them on some knives but, I bought a case of small Pelican waterproof cases a while back and want to start shipping some of my knives with them.

2016-08-16_07-19-59 by Bob, on Flickr

The problem I’m having is foam inserts. The cases don’t come with foam and I want to make custom foam inserts that fit my knives snugly. I am currently thinking I would cut three layers of foam. The bottom layer would be 3/8" solid, the middle would be 3/4" with a cutout of the knife shape, and the top layer would be solid and fit into the lid.

So, what type foam would work best in this application? I know there are some serious issues with using the wrong foam in a laser cutter. Any foam I use would need to be of sufficient density to offer real protection for the knife and have some long term durability.

Also, would it be reasonable for me to assume I could use the Glowforge built in camera to accurately trace a knife to obtain a good profile shape? Honestly, super accuracy is not necessary in foam cutouts but, it is a nice touch that customers would appreciate.

And one last question. Pelican cases are made of Polypropylene copolymer, can this material be engraved in the Glowforge?

Thanks,

Bob

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I have looked into foam for toolbox inserts and most people seem to recommend polyethylene (PE) or ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA). You can buy EVA in the form of interlocking floor mats pretty cheap at Harbor Freight that should work for testing.

From what I have read about the camera trace feature, I think you should be able to get reasonably accurate traces. It it’s too perfect of a trace, it might be too tight of a fit.

I did a quick search on polypropylene copolymer and it appears to be OK for laser engraving but others on this forum know a lot more about that kind of stuff.

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If the knife profile was problematic to scan in the Glowforge, you could use a fine tip sharpie and trace the profile on a piece of paper and scan that for sure.

Those small pelican cases are a nice touch of class, befitting your craftsmanship.

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I looked up the two foams you mention and EVA seems like it might be a good match for my purpose. McMaster-Carr has it in solid black, closed cell of various thicknesses and prices are pretty reasonable. Thanks!

I am hoping that the camera trace feature will work well. I can certainly do accurate tracings if necessary but it would be much simpler if I can just drop the knife into the machine and hit go.

Bob

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