This is my third carving tool and aims to improve on my second in several ways.
The handle is made from cherry and the blade is O1 steel.
I replaced the leather between the lid and handle with purple heartwood. Its a very strong and hard wood that should last longer than the leather, and have less chance of peeling away with use. I also put a piece of Photinia on each side to create the white stripe.
I chose to grind this blade like a chisel, and focused on getting a very flat polished grind on both sides. It has a finer edge that my previous tools and will be saved for fine work. The patina on the blade was created with lemon juice.
Purpleheart fades with exposure to sunlight. Hopefully the purple in this design will stay for a long time as its only exposed when the knife is open. I made a mistake drilling out the inside of the lid and had to add the Purpleheart tip to hide it. I could have started the lid again but I wanted the grain to match up with the handle.
Reuben Quatermass 