Skie_M
Member
I just spent a little while expanding my edification and came across this gem ...
A blade of ancient Finnish design, called a "Sheath Knife".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLnqr6IGVgs
The handle is what interests me .... they take layers of birch bark, much like how you would take layers of leather for a hammer grip (in some really nice top end hammers) and it gets sandwiched in place for the handle. Then, they take thin strips of metal (silver or brass) and make patterns of them to hammer directly into the birch bark .... they want to penetrate at least 4 to 5 millimeters to ensure it won't just fall out ... the excess is then filed off.
They apparently like to stain or enamel or lacquer the birch bark as the background, and file the metal inlay to bring it through the color... the results are quite gorgeous.
Has anybody attempted to make a PEN using such techniques?
I mean, seriously ... take a bunch of birch bark or leather or even colored (black!!)cow leather, sandwich it on a brass barrel, put it on a mandrel and turn it down (or TBC), and then inlay metal strips into it of whatever desired design?
Lacquer could then be applied, or you could leave it natural (or whatever color the leather was) and then finish to preserve and protect the metal as well as the natural material from the wear and tear of everyday use.
A blade of ancient Finnish design, called a "Sheath Knife".
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BLnqr6IGVgs
The handle is what interests me .... they take layers of birch bark, much like how you would take layers of leather for a hammer grip (in some really nice top end hammers) and it gets sandwiched in place for the handle. Then, they take thin strips of metal (silver or brass) and make patterns of them to hammer directly into the birch bark .... they want to penetrate at least 4 to 5 millimeters to ensure it won't just fall out ... the excess is then filed off.
They apparently like to stain or enamel or lacquer the birch bark as the background, and file the metal inlay to bring it through the color... the results are quite gorgeous.
Has anybody attempted to make a PEN using such techniques?
I mean, seriously ... take a bunch of birch bark or leather or even colored (black!!)cow leather, sandwich it on a brass barrel, put it on a mandrel and turn it down (or TBC), and then inlay metal strips into it of whatever desired design?
Lacquer could then be applied, or you could leave it natural (or whatever color the leather was) and then finish to preserve and protect the metal as well as the natural material from the wear and tear of everyday use.
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