Presenting the compass Rose pendant, My most recent engraving to date!
A compass rose, found on navigational maps serves to honour the forefathers of maritime and navigational sciences. The symbol also carries other meanings for many, A sense of direction. Finding one’s way. Braving the unknown.

A fitting symbol as our life is often fraught with metaphorical storms and surprising happenstances.
With courage, careful building and use of navigational skills we can sail around- if not straight through those storms and reach our destinations having the most happiness along the way.
Titanium hand carved with chisels under magnification.
I peeled way small shaving after shaving consecutively to gain depth in the right places to obtain the shape. Onward I finished out the scratches and other rough surfaces with ceramic micro abrasives, smoothing out to the final form.
A piece that is a step on the way to my goal of three dimensional sculptural engraving a number of future projects.

Thank you for continuing to follow my story, it hasn’t been full of many offerings over the years but the time has been well spent locked away in the shop refining my skills and being a dad to wonderful daughters.

The desire is strong to come back to this blog, pick up what I started and continue on with frequent posts focusing on my best art works.

 Production continues in fall 2019 of new Oakblade palette knives. A knife line born in 2016 at Vancouver B.C. Canada and raised through strong engagement with scores of talented painters helping develop a robust professional painters palette knife unlike any seen before.

 Each Oakblade forged from a single piece of metal with meticulous care in a dizzying array of options to suite every painters need, customization available.



Great effort is being made this year to have all variations of Oakblade in stock, but they have been known to sell out in the past during the gift giving season, it is advised to plan ahead and order early. New inventory has, and is continuing to be added. Check back frequently.

Plein air palette knives

When you make painters palette knives that are so easy to pack around it makes sense to hunt down outdoor photo shoot locations! Here you see some pictures I captured of my tube handled one piece forged Oakblade palette knives on Mt. Fromme in North Vancouver British Columbia! The thick forest grown by ample rainfall for two thirds of the year blesses us with the perfect filtered light for pictures and recharges the personal batteries from the forest bathing!

View the latest Oakblade INVENTORY

New Oakblade painters palette knives!

Hello everyone this is Ray from Oakblade here is my June 9th update!
 I have complied some favorite pictures captured at my last photo shoot on a historic water pipe under a thick low hanging tree canopy.

3500th Oakblade made!

Now set up in the new workshop I am back producing Oakblades at last! One out of the latest batch was turning the 'odometer' by being the 3500th Oakblade I've made since the invention of this style in November 2016!  My goal of having all shapes and flexibility in stock is within reach and I expect to reach some new production count milestones!

Another thing that has become a core value of Oakblade memorandum is every single knife gets its own photographs.

The knife you see is the knife you are getting,
 it is already fully finished and
awaiting for you to choose it. 







Sincerely,

  Ray 


 Ray Oak Hyder maker and inventor of the Oakblade palette knife line, Vancouver B.C. Canada

To see the latest Oakblades click on the following link;
 Oakblade inventory    

Oakblade palette knives

 At Oakblade we have compiled a large collection of shapes and blade patterns that have been used throughout history but never available together all at one time! Cross through those forty shapes by four levels of flexibility for the optimum range to serve every style and discipline of painter. Rigid diamond-square tube handles offer surprising comfort and dexterity. One piece forging with a half tube neck to the blade for some suspension to dissipate the forces from the blade meeting the surface. Unlike a traditional knife with a thick rod to thin where the forces meet and one side always wins.
 A more forward flexion point optimizes control and creates a good arc curve when the blade is flexed. More flexible knives have blades that are gradually rolled tapering the thickness from neck to tip.

Palette knife blade edges and flexibility are studied as a science at the Oakblade workshop to make you the best tools for the the job.

                                         BROWSE OAKBLADE INVENTORY HERE

Micro sculpting

   

Frogs being sculpted in silver. 

Ray Hyder Artist. 

Ray Hyder - Artist

Owl after the Hunt- Soul authorship knife , 6-4 Titanium, ATS-34 ,316

Over the course of the past few years since I started this blog , I have come to understand more than ever before the life of an artist. Every day in search of the thrill found in creating the one masterpiece . Other artists know right away what I am talking about . The almost intangible product of the mind that keeps an artist going through the thick and the thin .For my self these years have been a most rewarded effort amidst all sorts of frustrations . Leaving me with many achievements in tooling and processes , as well as plethora of new skills under my belt.
Altogether setting the stage for artwork I was unable pull off until this point , Art pieces I have planned on creating for some time .

Star Blade - Sole authorship L6, 316 ,14KY

 I look forward to the day I can share them.
For now I'll share again the greatest I have made yet.

  Enjoy,

Ray Hyder
  -Artist-

The Flower ring- 14K yellow , white , green , and rose gold. Blue Topaz , Green Tourmaline

Hummingbird pin-14K yellow,white,green,red and rose gold.

Key pendant- Sterling silver,blue topaz-Handmade.

Heron pendant- Hand engraved Sterling silver.

Friendly frogs- 3D Silver earrings. Hand carved.

Titanium Engraving- Hot blued and re-polished.

Flower earrings-14K yellow, green , white, and red gold.

Hummingbird pin side angle, and original sketch.

Owl after the hunt - Obverse side.

The Group.

        Hope you have enjoyed seeing my work !



                                                Ray.

King chain

Here is one of my classic designs , I call it the King Link.
Each link I formed and then pierced with my jewelers saw in sterling silver. Afterwards I soldered everything together , gave it a careful polish , and engraved some border lines.

 This chain being a heavier link ( 5/8" wide) I decided to make a slip-link clasp . By pulling the slip link over the other link the two lock together , but with pressure will release from the wearers neck for safety.



 King Link Chain - Sterling silver

Handmade and engraved by Ray o. Hyder 2009

Shop evolution!

The next step in the evolution of my finishing system , the small wheel attachment for my knife grinder!

 Perhaps one of the more important pieces of tooling attachments for my grinder that dramatically reduces time required in completing a knife , there are only a few other ways to smooth and shape in the finger grooves and none of them as efficient .
 
  Another piece in the puzzle complete!









Ray o. Hyder 2013