Wilderness & Survival Skills Extreme Build Off

[m. wohlwend]

I'm interested...

[TacticalAnt]

This is great!
Ive designed a blade that my buddy GTH11 (Greg Haile) has almost finished building. It falls into these parameters easily. Ill be making the sheath (of course). It should be a fun team effort.

[Storm Crow]

I'm closing in on what design I want for this. Could we get a finalized date for this? I'm getting stuff ready for Blade and need to be able to figure where to work this in. Thanks!

[Core Knife Co.]

I finished up my knife for the extreme build. Who do I send it to?

[Rick Marchand]

Your hands are huge, bro.

[Core Knife Co.]

You know what they say. big feet means hairy palms or something like that.

[GTH11]

Meet "SAMSON" he wants to play......like the Biblical story there is a weakness, but as in Babylon we shall seek out this weakness with delight and revel in its exposure!
This thing is a beast: 0-1, ss damascus bolsters with 6-32 ss screws, mounted on tapped brass inserts, with milled out and accessible areas under the camo micarta scales, one bolster will be mirror polished for signaling when removed, or used as a weight on the spider wire stashed behind the scales!
Chris Harder (Tacticalant) designed this monster im just seeing it brought to life, thanks for the oppurtunity Chris!
GHaile

And to think ive never been over in this neck of the woods of Bladeforums!? hmm.

SAMSON

[Rick Marchand]

I knew you were going to enter that monster in the challenge..... sweet.

[TheGame]

That thing looks like a beast, man. Can't wait to see this test!

[Storm Crow]

Ok, I'm still not fully decided on which route I'm going to go with this, but I have one possible route forged out.



This has a 12" blade of 5160 steel. The raised clip will be slightly beveled into a false edge. It's soaking in vinegar right now to eat the scale off.

I have no worries about how this blade will stand up to hard use in knife chores: chopping hardwoods for extended periods, splitting wood with a baton, slicing through whippy thorny vines and branches, etc. I'm not worried about that, though I am very curious to see where it stands in comparison with the work other makers will be producing.

What has me scratching my head a bit is how it will do in some of the abusive tests, i.e. cutting on metal. It's a stout blade, but is it stout enough to deal with that abuse, partifularly down near the tip?

I'm also considering something with this general blade shape:





But with a blade around 10" or so.

I think I will make both and continue contemplating which to enter. The other one will go on my table at Blade.

How does one go about disabling a padlock with a knife? Striking with the spine seems logical to me; don't see many knives that can actually cut making it through with the cutting edge remotely intact.

I really am looking forward to seeing how this whole challenge turns out. For everyone.

[Brian Sargent]

How thick is that blade SC ?

Even a Master or American combo lock takes a few blows from a hammer to open.

If the lock is attached to wood ... i think I'd go at the wood before the lock.

Saw some of your other work in the sheath forum ... very nice!

[GTH11]

Very nice SC!!
Heres an update on Samson, got the bolsters tapped, threaded,and mounted, both scales fitted, ive got him set up in the fixture ready to get drilled for clearence on the 6/32" screws, then ill figure my depth to set some shoulders in the micarta at, then break it all down heat treat the ss dami bolsters, heat blue the ss spacers and bolts. Chris and i havent nailed down a finish yet, ive been thinkin cerakote but we'll see?

[Brian Sargent]

Awesome! Great picture Greg!

[Brian Sargent]

I finished up my knife for the extreme build. Who do I send it to?

I'm the lucky "tiny" hands Guy .... reference to hands only!

[Storm Crow]

Brian - It's around 3/16" for most of the length, and now that I've finished up stock removal, it is about 1/8" on the false edge, but 1/16" just back of the point. Of course, it is closer to the 3/16" at the ridgeline of the false edge, so not bad. I think as long as the tester is using the thick part of the spine to hammer the lock, it'd be ok; still not sure about whether to use this one or the still-unforged military-style knife for this challenge.

I have work in the sheaths subforum? I'll have to check it out!

My camera seems to have picked up the annoying habit of taking out-of-focus pictures when the batteries are low. So here's a blurry look at what it looked like this evening after stock removal and before heat treatment. It's in the tempering oven right now with two larger bush swords.



I gave it my standard heat treatment for 5160: triple normalization after forging, hardened three times in canola oil, and it's now tempering three times. I think after its third cycle I'll differentially temper it with tempering tongs, softening the spine and the tip a bit for toughness. Might as well, huh?

Greg -What are the dimensions of Samson, and is it a chisel grind?

[Storm Crow]

I think I solved the nagging doubt about lock-breakability in my mind. I made another one and made it thicker.

Here's where the original stands, post heat treat (though I haven't done the selective tempering yet; it has gone through three tempering cycles):



And here it is with the new one, which is soaking in vinegar to eat the scale off:



I made the oringinal's handle a bit too short to put Turk's head knots at both ends like I typically do. The second one is as long as I typically make them.

The false edge on the first one was forged in and after cleanup was around 1/8"; the second one will be entirely stock removed and left thicker. It's currently around 1/4".

No one else working on these? Or nobody putting up pictures yet? C'mon, we wanna see them!

[Shotgun]

to think ive never been over in this neck of the woods of Bladeforums!? hmm.

Welcome! My girlfriend lives just down the road from you. I spend a lot of time in the Tigard area.

[GTH11]

SC, its 1/4" 0-1
14 5/8" OAL
Its a long hollow that leads to chisel grind at the tip.

Shotgun, gimme a ring sometime!

[Rick Marchand]

I just forged out my entry, today. 15" or so overall, L-6..... No pics until it is all submitted.

It is being spheroidized as I type this. This is my first time with L-6... I hope I can pull off the heat treat.

[Core Knife Co.]

I totally screwed mine up. I tried to go way outside my comfort zone and do something I have never done. Well I was successful! Before now I have never taken a 1/4" piece of O1 and thrown it in the trash.

I'll try and get some more here ASAP.

I need a hug.