Humming Bird bracelet

Oh the joys of color ! Here I have had the pleasure of working with titanium for this bracelet featuring a hummingbird and some of my signature five petal flowers which wrap around each side.
 When the engraving was complete the mono tone grey of the shiny titanium seemed like it needed something more to make it pop.
 So with careful licks of my torch flame I brought out the colors . Being careful not to heat it too much otherwise it turn back to grey.
 After this I carefully polished the borders and flowers. In doing this I was satisfied that it takes quite a bit to rub the color off , yours to enjoy for a long time!


Commercial Grade 2 Titanium Bracelet
Engraved and designed by Ray oak Hyder 2013 copyright all rights reserved.

 Photo by Ray Hyder

Tools of the trade. Acheivement unlocked! Flat belt grinder

New flat grinding attachment I recently fabricated. Such a useful tool my belt grinder and this part really brings out the potential for creativity . As well as speeding up my production , hopefully enough to help me catch up with the backlog of work on my bench!

Happy Halloween!

Happy Halloween everyone!

Testing a new knife by carving a jack o' lantern .

Shop news, A busy summer and a New belt grinder

Tracking control..

2"x72" Belt grinder 2hp

Hello everybody !
Well it certainly has been a busy last few months what with the moving of my shop to a different floor in my building and a great deal of different orders from tool and die making to engraving .But the highlight for me has been the completion of my latest self built tool.
A knife makers belt grinder!
 Many knife makers end up building their first grinder , usually as a cash saving measure some just for fun. In my case a bit of both.
 Indeed it became apparent from the onset of the project that this task was not an easy one.

Ready for heat treatment. Note the pile of steel wire from

 the turning .

But after it was all said and done I find it has become the most used tool in the shop !

Early stages

Turning down round barstock for a pulley mandrel.

Boring out a bearing seat.

Big game hunter

Big game BG-42 custom hunter.

Presenting an oldie , but goodie! All the way back in 2006 I made this knife for a discerning customer whom is also my friend. After much consideration he summed up specific requests for blade shape , handle design and engraving ,an order which I then set out to fill. 

The engraving , and back filing of the scales for the insets.

  Using BG-42 blade steel and 316 stainless frame scales housing Cocobolo wood inserts the knife was complete.
 But it still needed a sheath solid enough for a knife so sharp. 

Building the sheath.

So I stacked and laminated hardwood further reinforcing it with aluminum .

As my client wished the sheath was then wrapped in moose hide .









Hope you  have enjoyed this vintage post !

                                                                             Ray.



SOLD.

Warrior ring

Hello everyone! I am sharing with you today another of my more recent but earlier works .
The stainless steel Warrior ring!
 I milled this ring out of a solid bar of 316 stainless steel , and proceeded to cover it with deeply relieved vine pattern engravings and a stippled background floor .
 This ring was meant to be a solid heavy duty ring for the rugged type individual.

Being milled from one piece of stainless steel this is a ring that won't break on you nor will it tarnish.

            enjoy!
                       Ray.



The warrior ring . solid 316 stainless steel. Designed, milled , and engraved by  Ray oak Hyder

Copy Right all rights reserved     Photo : Ray Hyder


      Availability : SOLD .

    Another one can be made in a similar fashion upon request.

      

Money Clip

Hello everyone!
Thought I would share a piece I had made a while ago with you.
 There are money clips of all sorts and fashions , and indeed some might say they are going out of fashion but a money clip can be useful for those eating out in cash only restaurants and bars.
Here is a money clip I made for a fellow out of Stainless steel.
For the design I chose a simple vine scroll which I then engraved .
First lines , and then removing the background with a narrow chisel followed by chasing (hammering from above) the background with  decorative tool marks .
 I knew that good money clip needs to have a good snap. Without enough tension it serves little purpose quickly.
 Of course it depends on how much of a high roller you are as for the correct spring adjustment.

                

This money clip was set to economizer.

     Hope you've enjoyed this post !

     Ray

Ray o. Hyder

Star Blade - Handmade Fixed Blade Knife

The Star Blade . One of my latest completed art knives . Named for the tessellating pattern on the handles .With the intention of creating a durable gripping surface I set out using chasing tools to form a star pattern on the stainless steel handle scales .As you may expect this was not an easy undertaking.  by doing so I achieve the result of toughness by work hardening the stainless.  In the bolster areas I engraved some vine scroll embellishments , this time prior to heat treatment for effect .
A fun project that I intend to improve on in the future.
      
 Enjoy,

Ray





Star blade dimensions

Overall length : 5 7/8”
Blade : 2 ¼” long  5/32” wide L6 steel
Handles: 304 stainless steel
Inset :14k gold
Weight : 58 Grams

Hand made sole authorship knife.
Copyright Ray oak Hyder 2011 all rights reserved.

Story Ring

The lunar metal..Silver.
Trading at record highs on the world market.. A staple of Jewelers for time and memorial. Certainly a metal I am at home with , as most of my early pieces have been crafted from this illustrious material.
As time has gone on in the scope of my artistic career, I find myself working with silver less and less.
But the love is  not lost . With this in mind I'm sharing with you a ring , a ring made for a jaunt down the lane of my memories. A fun way to re-live the excitement I've always felt for creating wearable art. Fun indeed to ply my hands in this familiar element, if only so often now to be considered a rare treat.

Before you behold a ring with a story condensed in the crystalline structure know as silver!






                       Sterling silver story ring..            
         Hand fabricated and engraved solely by Ray o. Hyder
                   Copyright 2011 all rights reserved.