Victorinox Dilemma

[FolderBeholder]

It's all about lighting.

So true, the word Photography means, To Write with Light.

[jalind]

Here is the lighting setup for a photo just posted on the comparison thread showing the relative thicknesses of six 58mm SAKs . . .

I used a light box for examining photographic negatives and slides as the main light in nearly all my SAK photos. Can also be used for making tracings as it's bright enough to push light through at least two sheets of paper. It provides an areal light source which greatly softens shadow edges, especially when it's that close. That's why you'll see umbrellas, light boxes and large reflectors in studios. It's to create areal sources and reflections from the point light source (strobes or hot lights). In lieu of a fill second light, I use bright white cards, or large envelopes, to reflect light back and reduce the depth of the shadows. The object isn't eliminating shadow but reducing contrast to make it less harsh. Added a couple white cards over the top to provide a little top lighting to fill in more between the knives. A couple test shots showed the shadows still a bit deep between them and those filled it in some. However, I still wanted enough shadow there to keep the edges of the SAKs highlighted and draw attention to that. Too much fill between them would diminish that. How much I use to reflect light back for fill and from which directions depends on the specific setup of the knife or knives. I orient the knives, light box and reflectors used accordingly.

It's important to note that near zero light other than a very small amount of ambient is coming from the camera point of view. Significant light from the camera direction creates flat images lacking dimensional  depth or texture. The first thing one is taught regarding photographic lighting is to get the main light(s) and primary fill light (s) off of and away from the camera!



This is the photo that resulted from this setup, as shot from directly above.



Edit:
The surface under the SAKs in this photo is the bottom side of a small watch case made of an extremely fine brushed finish anodized aluminum. Light is scattered from it versus a more polished surface that would have distinct reflections. Gives a silvery gray background. I use various surfaces and textures under the knives and different colored background cards. Depends on the knives, scale colors, and the mood I want to give the result.

John

[pfrsantos]

Great HowTo. Thanks for sharing!

 

[El Corkscrew]

What about the alox classic???

[gcconspiracy]

Great HowTo. Thanks for sharing!

 

Agreed, thanks!

[gcconspiracy]

What about the alox classic???

I love the looks of the Alox Classic, and may end up with one (or another 58mm model in Alox) in the future. As for now, I am awaiting delivery of a Pioneer X, which I sincerely hope will be my EDC for the foreseeable future! Who knows though, I may need a matching 58mm Alox to round out my carry... 

[gcconspiracy]

Well, today was a good mail day! My new Pioneer X is here, and it’s beautiful...

Thanks to everyone for your input, I can already see that this is going to make a perfect EDC knife for me!




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[El Corkscrew]

Nice!  May it serve you well. 

[gcconspiracy]

Nice!  May it serve you well. 

Thanks! I think it will - it certainly feels more skookum than my Super Tinker!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[VICMAN]

Well, today was a good mail day! My new Pioneer X is here, and it’s beautiful...

Thanks to everyone for your input, I can already see that this is going to make a perfect EDC knife for me!

Congratulations on the new Pioneer X gc!

Nice pic!

[El Corkscrew]

Skookum?

[Huntsman]

Congratulations and great pics - But ...... 

Although I do like the sound of that word   

[El Corkscrew]

Utilized el glossary.

It means strong or impressive

Thanks for making my vocabulary skookum!

[jalind]

Nice!  May it serve you well. 

Thanks! I think it will - it certainly feels more skookum than my Super Tinker!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

I have one . . . not just skookum, it's a skookum choocher!

John

[gcconspiracy]

Interesting stuff - I thought skookum was was a commonly understood term! Must be a Canadian thing.

By the way, I’ve noticed that one rivet on the back of the knife has quite a sharp edge to it, is this common? It’s not a big deal, but I have caught my hand on it a few times already...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[jalind]

Interesting stuff - I thought skookum was was a commonly understood term! Must be a Canadian thing.

By the way, I’ve noticed that one rivet on the back of the knife has quite a sharp edge to it, is this common? It’s not a big deal, but I have caught my hand on it a few times already...


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

It's uniquely Canadian slang. Some of us not far south of the border understand some of the more common slang. Helps when you have a cousin that lives in Minnesota, eh? She picked up some of it from the Canadian transplants around her. In addition I worked on parts of the Canadian Air Traffic Control System several decades ago with a number of Canadians.

John

[El Corkscrew]

I've never run into a rivet that cut me. It might be a defect maybe you should get a new one

[pfrsantos]

Am I the only one humming "cry me a rivet" right now?...

 

[gcconspiracy]

I've never run into a rivet that cut me. It might be a defect maybe you should get a new one

It’s not sharp enough to cut me, just sharp enough to catch my fingers... more of an annoyance than anything.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[Huntsman]

Can it be filed down a little

Unfortunately not with a 91mm SAK file - As they stupidly (IMHO) don't put the file serrations right to the end of the file !!
And we have that silly nail cleaner   

[jalind]

I've never run into a rivet that cut me. It might be a defect maybe you should get a new one

It’s not sharp enough to cut me, just sharp enough to catch my fingers... more of an annoyance than anything.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Can it be carefully peened down some using a proper diameter drift pin or nail set. Based on your description it's what I would try if feasible. If it's catching the very edge of the pin, it probably wouldn't take much to do this along the portion of the edge that's catching.

John

[El Corkscrew]

Can it be filed down a little

Unfortunately not with a 91mm SAK file - As they stupidly (IMHO) don't put the file serrations right to the end of the file !!
And we have that silly nail cleaner   

Hey, it's not THAT silly...  I've come to appreciate the nail cleaner.. somehow I end up with dirty fingernails on the regular..  The spear point on the nail cleaner works much better than the SD tip.    It's for those frou frou SAK carriers who care about their fingernails.

[Huntsman]

Hmmmm

There are many, many times when I need to do a bit of fine filing (not finger nails) - eg on metal or wood - and I need a file with serrations right to the tip.
I can't use the big beefy file from my tool box as it's too big, and I really need to use a fine SAK type of file - But I can't as it has the stupid nail cleaner tip   
The burr on the pins in this thread is a perfect example of this !!

So what I usually do is drag out my old Champion which has the original file and do the job, which as I am always loath to do as it is in 'the collection' and I want to keep it nice!!

I do care about finger nails too -     - But I would use that wonderful tool the awl to do that - Perfect 

To me the 91mm SAKs are tools for DIY style jobs - The 58mms are for personal care -  So IMHO a nail cleaner belongs on the 58mms - Not the 91mms 

Just my thoughts/requirements!         

[El Corkscrew]

That makes awl the sense in the world,  Ralph