UBB.threads Forums Edged Weapons Army, Navy, and Luftwaffe Forum Klaas HDR

Thought I would share this little tip for anybody who wants to show off the toning or patina on a certain dagger. This picture has been processed as a High Dynamic Range image and without going into too much detail involves layering 3 differently exposured layers to one picture exposing the normally hidden details and colours.
A Google search on HDR will give you some idea of what is involved. The dagger for anybody that is interested is an early Klaas with a copper layer under the silver plating.

2)

Stunning!

Beautifull dagger!

Hello Degens,

I took your advice and Googled HDR and was very impressed. Some of those pictures are unbelievable. I was wondering what kind of camera you are using? This would be a new tool for me to play with when it comes to photography. I really like it.

Oh, almost forgot...beautiful dagger and pictures!!!

Thanks for the tip.

Rich

Ooooh, thats nice!

Incredible definition and a very fine daggers

That sure brings out a lot of depth. Got to get one of those.
And that's a great looking dagger Degens.

If I may butt in for a moment and ask a question;
Here's a Klaas I own, how many have you seen with slant grips and how scarce are they IYO? - Thanks !

Serge

Jon very nice photography and dagger Love that Klaas crossguard!! Serge a beauty with Pack guard and pommel.

Thank you all for the kind comments. I have been playing with HDR for a while on normal landscape and architectural pictures but never really thought about applying it to daggers. After giving it a quick whirl today I was pleasantly suprised by the results.

JR - Not much I can teach you about photography or indeed many of the members here but your appreciation is duly noted .

@ Rich. I use a Canon EOS 40D, easily one of my best purchases in years and can highly recommend it, even though it is becoming quite a dated model now. The pictures above where actually taken with the wrong lens 55-250mm ( too lazy to change it ) so I suspect that if I was to take the time and use the correct equipment, the results would be a little better.

@ Serge. Nice Klaas my friend, the obviously early Pack hand chiseled fittings may even be the Holler variant of the Pack 3rd. You can clearly see the half crescent tool mark to the rear of the birds head and the two typical Holler neck marks. A very high percentage of this dagger configuration by Klaas will have the non-slant grip and can be found with both the plated or polished blade.
Looking at the base metal, plating and extensive hand finishing I suspect that your dagger was among the first to be assembled by Klaas using these parts. Therefore a slant grip is no real suprise.
How many have I seen!. Certainly none recently and nothing in my archives regarding a similar config so I think it is safe to assume the piece is scarce .
Just out of interest for the people that may be interested, it is also my opinon that Klaas was knocking out very similar daggers, probably alongside each other, during the same transitional period but fitted with the scarce type 2 WKC crossguard. Possibly due to a shortage of parts from Pack?. These too can also be found with tapered tangs and hand finishing before the firm opted to stick with the Pack 3rd.

Now if anybody can supply a picture of a Klaas marked dagger fitted with a WKC 2nd crossguard, tapered tang & SLANT GRIP, we will have the full picture!.

Degens, Mr. Wittmann has a slanted Klaas with a WKC type II x guard. Presently #42 on the heer page.

Wittmann #42

Nice piece to be sure but a lot of $$$ for a hybrid. But anyway slanted Klaas daggers are not common so .....

Personally I prefer this type

V,
You and me both, you cannot beat the Klaas 1st for hand work and enhancing to many of their early daggers. Pack was probably the only other maker who achieved the same kind of level.
So to recap. Klaas was assembling 3 different dagger configs ( Klaas 1st, WKC 2nd, Pack 3rd ) in the early stages of production ALL of which can be found with either a slant or non-slant grip.
Pack was probably the only other maker that I can think of who used as many different variations with slant grips during the early years.
The next thing that I would like to know was, can we confirm that both the Klaas / Pack 3rd and WKC 2nd slant transitional where fitted with nickel plated and polished blades as well?. I suspect that question may prove to be a little harder to answer!

Jon. FYI, My slant has a polished blade. The one I had with WKC type II x guard was a polished blade.
The dagger on Mr. Wittmann`s site is a polished blade.

Mine has a plated blade.

Jon.

I think I need a new camera!! That is some excellent photography and what a fantastic looking dagger.

I also have a sudden urge to post a few decent pictures of the armies that reside in my drawers....just need the time to get it together.

So heres the order:
1. Buy a new camera
2. Buy some nice lighting
3. Open my drawers
4. Practice for a few weeks
5. Start posting.

Then again I could cheat and simply drive down to you and leach some of your skills
Maybe when the Bass start to show.

Frank,
You know it is always a risk bringing nice army dagger's into this neck of the woods, as I get older I find myself mislaying items ( especially somebody else's ) left right and center. However, what I forgot to mention above was that HDR photography requires the item to be in a stationary position for at least 12 months, preferably in my display cabinet.

I will warn the Bass .