Crook Knife Case

Update - 1st January

I decided to go ahead and oil the crook knife holder/case with linseed oil and try my hand at kolrosing for a second time.

I've finished my fifth wood carving project, not a utensil but a case for my crook knife, a tool which is used for carving bowls in spoons.

Here are a few work in progress photos and the final shot.

I took an off cut of wood and sized it down with a saw and knife. I purchased a dowel rod, which was cut in half, and a metal skewer. I then took said metal skewer and heated it over a log fire in the house until red hot. I then shaped the metal by eye to fit the profile of the crook blade. That was tricky. I eventually went to the gas cooker and used that as it was faster at heating the metal. With the help of my brother and after two hours or so the metal had made its way through the wood. The problem was that it wasn't a strong metal and it was very susceptible to bending so we had to be careful. It eventually got down to where it needed to be. I then shaped the wood case and lid to a sort of hexagonal or angular design. The lid was made by tracing the shape of the case, then hexagonal, to a bit of mdf board and cutting it out. The lid was a bit thick so I split it down the middle. I then drilled a hole in the main case block. When sanding I decided to just make the case and lid round as it was more aesthetically pleasing. I then super glued the dowel rod to the lid and it all came together.

Although this was another wood carving project and it was on a smaller scale than the utensils, this was an interesting experience because it was the first time I've ever heated and shaped metal. It's really nice to have created my first craft project with multiple components.

I now have to decide what I'm going to make next. I think I might try creating a birch bark tray, give wood working a rest, perhaps.

Thanks for reading.