David Drake » Photos

Holiday Greetings 2011

admin — Fri, 16 Dec 2011 22:30:30 +0000

Happy Very Non-Denominational Holidays

Santa, with Wild Mistletoe

from Dave

Pangolin!

admin — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 13:37:20 +0000

A West African pangolin in the hands of a keeper from the San Diego Zoo

Mark Van Name's photo of the pangolin, showing the tail

Dave, Fall 1973

admin — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 23:27:03 +0000

Fall, 1973. Dave working his way up from Nam

Manly and Sprague

admin — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 23:24:22 +0000

Manly Wade Wellman and L. Sprague de Camp at World Fantasy Con: Halloween, 1978

Prize-winning Pumpkin

admin — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 23:22:05 +0000

The prize-winning 522.8 pound pumpkin at the 2011 NC State Fair

Dave and Joe Haldeman

admin — Wed, 02 Nov 2011 23:19:33 +0000

Dave and Joe Haldeman at Constellation, September 2011

Dave and John Lambshead

admin — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 13:04:18 +0000

Dave and John Lambshead, joint authors of The Citizen Series from Baen. Photo by Jo Drake.

Book Display at B&N

admin — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 12:59:05 +0000

Book display (known as a dump) at Barnes and Noble. Photo by Mark Van Name, September 2011

Glenn and Dave at the Beach

admin — Wed, 07 Sep 2011 12:52:20 +0000

Glenn Knight and Dave on the Holden Beach NC fishing pier, pointing out a pelican (off camera) which had just dived. Photo by Helen Knight, July 2011.

Sgt Scratchard Knife

admin — Wed, 12 Jan 2011 19:02:28 +0000

A gift from Christof Harper, a custom knifemaker and a veteran:

–the sort of thing Sgt Scratchard (from Counting the Cost) might have carried.

The details:

* It’s number 407 out of Christof’s shop (on an official level, at least)

* blade is 6 1/2 inches to front of guard

* reverse edge has a 4 3/4 inch sharpened length with another 1/2 inch of transition to the full blade thickness. no sharp angles on any plunge area

* overall length is 12 1/4 inches; inside handle length from rear of guard is 5 1/8 inches

* handle is 7/8 to 1 1/8 inches with a thickness of 7/8 to 15/16 inches

* blade is 5160 steel, nominally .230 thick at the guard, with some taper throughout; full convex ground

* through holes in guard following the chute knife tradition, 1/4 inch diameter; rear thong hole is 7/32 inside diameter; pin stock is 1/4 inch stainless.

* whole blade and tang cold blued with a multiple coat-and-dry linseed oil treatment on the ipe handle.

* balance is at index finger.

* Ipe is a very durable wood, does like the occasional oil soak. or briwax (or furniture wax). A trick a lot of sword collectors use for long term storage is turtle wax on blades.