My name is Bob, and I'm a knifemaker

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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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The kerf width was exactly what I was thinking. If tracing works well then I could also pull it into Illustrator and offset to adjust fit.

Bob

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Add two little half ovals on either side of the tracing and it will give you a thumb & finger cutout to be able to get it out easier.

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Beautiful craftsmanship! :clap:t3:

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Hi Bob!
Those knifes are beautiful!!

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You do Gorgeous work. Truly incredible. I went snooping around your site to see what it would take to obtain one of your knives, and it looks like patience is more important than money. Justifiably so, sir, you really are an artist.

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