Knife design

[rookhawk]

Hi I received your PM. I am having internet & Mail problems. I will get back to you just as soon as possible. I will also have a picture of my wifes Doctari knife. She had left it at our hunting camp. Her knife has ele ivory scales from a ele that Kevin personally took. I noticed that recently the ivory has shrunk, I assume due to the intense heat? I believe my next handle will be out of African Blackwood.

Mopani burl looks righteous as well. Think of how many exhibition quality burl pieces your team could find in a year of picking up firewood?

 

[rookhawk]

Thank you. I have 2 of the bushcraft hunters cut out of 01 tool steel with one having the scandi grind and the other unground at this stage that are suited to batton work.

Absolutely. If people want to abuse the knife, that 01 tool steel is great. If they want Damascus looks, a mustard treatment of the tool steel would be a better choice.

I love your knives. I keep forgetting to send you one to get the bevel ground. It’s such a workhorse.

 

[nztimb]

Absolutely. If people want to abuse the knife, that 01 tool steel is great. If they want Damascus looks, a mustard treatment of the tool steel would be a better choice.

I love your knives. I keep forgetting to send you one to get the bevel ground. It’s such a workhorse.

I have tried the mustard treatment on a blade but it does need some experimentation to get it right and I havent revisited this effect. The thing with the mustard is that it does not etch where the mustard is but round the edges of where it goes and rather than shipping the knife back and returning it, I can do one of the blades in the drawer over the christmas break. Are you still happy with the parallel belt sheath or would you like to try a 45* cross draw which would be just as convenient for the reasons you gave for the parallel sheath (and a bit lighter with less leather)

 

[nztimb]

Have these PH EDC's all done and ready for the edge before shipping.
This pair is for @DrRay and has spalted eucalyptus over buffalo horn.

This pair has brass and ebony with copper 3 pin mark so used copper in on the ebony as well. One is for a gift and the other was just because I could

 

[Rick Cox]

Hello Von Gruff. I've finally gotten around to weighing in on this post. Although I have never made a knife I have a keen interest in them stemming from my early days in northern BC, hunting and trapping.
I have designed a few, one you can see below. The work was done by John T Seabrook of Egmont BC Canada, about 35 years ago. The handle is micarta with a red lamination. Not sure anymore of the steel, the best stainless of the day...

 

[Rick Cox]

Here is a modern Fantoni from Italy. It is a William W Harsey design. It has CPM-S35VN steel and the handle is G10. The colour doesn't really appeal to me, but it is easy to find if you lay it down. I really like this knife.

 

[Rick Cox]

Finally here is a design I have been playing around with. Maybe someday I'll have it made. There is a really talented local knife maker here, by the name of Roger Hatt of Mable Lake BC. And I do have giraffe bone for a handle.

 

[nztimb]

Thanks for your input Rick. The advantage of having a knife made to suit your own particular needs /uses is that the way you use a knife can be catered for. The one thing that I always try to keep in mind is not to have any abrupt angle changes or singular directional or usage lock-ins. I am of the firm belief that a knife should be able to be used with blade in different orientations so anything that precludes that from being the norm is what I try to avoid.

 

[Rick Cox]

Thanks for your input Rick. The advantage of having a knife made to suit your own particular needs /uses is that the way you use a knife can be catered for. The one thing that I always try to keep in mind is not to have any abrupt angle changes or singular directional or usage lock-ins. I am of the firm belief that a knife should be able to be used with blade in different orientations so anything that precludes that from being the norm is what I try to avoid.

I agree. But I find it sometimes useful to hike up on the blade for finer work. But it sounds like you would like the first blade.

 

[nztimb]

I agree. But I find it sometimes useful to hike up on the blade for finer work. But it sounds like you would like the first blade.

Yes the first knife is one the I might use with The bit if handle belly what is the top of the blade on the Italian knife used for as it looks to be sharpened back to the notch.

 

[Rick Cox]

Yes the first knife is one the I might use with The bit if handle belly what is the top of the blade on the Italian knife used for as it looks to be sharpened back to the notch.

No. The Fantoni is flat to the tip. The relief is for a

esthetics I suppose, although they kept the top full thickness for strength. My only slight quibble is that I prefer more aggressive 'gimping'(?) on the back of the blade.

 

[Bullthrower338]

These are two knife designs that I particularly like and have found useful.
The top is a Bill Moran designed Spyderco
The bottom is a Bob Dozier Yukon Pro Skinner
I bought two each of these I liked them so much.

 

[nztimb]

View attachment 316167
These are two knife designs that I particularly like and have found useful.
The top is a Bill Moran designed Spyderco
The bottom is a Bob Dozier Yukon Pro Skinner
I bought two each of these I liked them so much.

I guess we all have different way of getting a skin of an animal as the first thing that I note for these two is the upsweep (trailimng point) at the tip of the blade. Here in NZ everybody starts the skinning process with the blade edge up so the tip slides under the skin to make the opening cuts before the actual flaying starts so knives need a drop point. Having said that my old western and buffalo skinner have the trailing point which goes to show the differences in skinning techniques as they have been well excepted by US based hunters.

 

[Wade J VanGinkel]

I guess we all have different way of getting a skin of an animal as the first thing that I note for these two is the upsweep (trailimng point) at the tip of the blade. Here in NZ everybody starts the skinning process with the blade edge up so the tip slides under the skin to make the opening cuts before the actual flaying starts so knives need a drop point. Having said that my old western and buffalo skinner have the trailing point which goes to show the differences in skinning techniques as they have been well excepted by US based hunters.

My kids and I like the drop point, my dad uses the trailing point. Generational differences I guess

 

[rookhawk]

I need to watch you guys butcher...I could never understand or appreciate the utility of any particular point type.

Once I’m under the skin, I’m just skinning with the whole belly of the blade. My only typical regret is that my knife is too wide to cut the back straps off the bone without some meat waste....but all the hunters knives seem to have the same depth leading to that same lack of precision anyway.

von gruff, id like to watch a video of you processing a deer so I can understand how blade form and function make a difference a bit better.

 

[Ridgewalker]

I really like the looks of brass bolsters ahead of the grip, but IME in very cold weather gutting, skinning big game, it opens you up to the potential of frost bite. Consequently I have moved to the all nonmetallic grips.
I am also a big fan of drop points just in case you need to baton the back of the blade to get through wood, or bone. IME, the drop point or spear point are the stronger for this use.
When caping, a smaller thinner whole different blade works better for me. I’ll try to find some examples in my stash.

 

[nztimb]

I need to watch you guys butcher...I could never understand or appreciate the utility of any particular point type.

Once I’m under the skin, I’m just skinning with the whole belly of the blade. My only typical regret is that my knife is too wide to cut the back straps off the bone without some meat waste....but all the hunters knives seem to have the same depth leading to that same lack of precision anyway.

von gruff, id like to watch a video of you processing a deer so I can understand how blade form and function make a difference a bit better.

This is the closest I can find to how I do it except I have always started at the back legs and moved to the front and of course I am much slower and there is lots more huffing and puffing

 

[nztimb]

I really like the looks of brass bolsters ahead of the grip, but IME in very cold weather gutting, skinning big game, it opens you up to the potential of frost bite. Consequently I have moved to the all nonmetallic grips.
I am also a big fan of drop points just in case you need to baton the back of the blade to get through wood, or bone. IME, the drop point or spear point are the stronger for this use.
When caping, a smaller thinner whole different blade works better for me. I’ll try to find some examples in my stash.

I hadnt thought about the cold as far as the bolster went butdo a mjority of my bolsters in buffalo horn so that is one solution a tge black works visually with most handle materials.
I have the field scalple for these capping chores and any other fine work as needed.

 

[Mekaniks]

I got my Trinity Field Scalpel dirty last week after pheasant hunting

 

[nztimb]

I got my Trinity Field Scalpel dirty last week after pheasant hunting

View attachment 316246

That is some very fine fare to be putting on the table