3" aikuchi aka 'Puggy'

Matthew Gregory

Matthew Gregory

Chief Executive in charge of Entertainment
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Sorry, guys, but you're going to see a handful in this style from me, coming up. I've got a few in the works, and this one just recently got pants made, so I figured I ought to share some photos.

The blade is just under 3" of .270" thick W2 tool steel, with hamon, and milled and polished fullers running almost the length of the wee, stubby lil' blade. The handle is made of G10, tapering at the black G10 guard and flaring at the butt, gently rounded sides, and black stingray skin under the resin-soaked black tsukaito. Both the spine and the area below the ricasso have been beveled for a neat look.

The customer supplied some beautiful matched sterling silver menuki, so there's one on the presentation side of the blade, and it's complement under the wrapped 'Hartsfield' style ultrasuede-lined, shark skin covered aluminum sheath.

It's FAT, and stubby, and for whatever reason feels awesome in hand. Charming, really, so I'm calling it Puggy. :)


My photos don't do the hamon justice - there's heaps of wispy activity in there, I just suck at capturing it.



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Thanks for looking!
 
I dig it.
It's proportions shouldn't work, but for some reason they do.
 
difficult to look at this knife and not want to have it
 
I think "aikuchi" is a style of mounting a hilt that doesn't have a hand guard, rather than a certain type of blade. Which is a bit ironic to me, because the octagonal guard seems out of place due to the short blade. Perhaps if the the flat side flaps of the guard were shaved down closer to flat bolster status there would be less aestheticus interruptus (I made that up). :D

That's cool little claw, good sir, very nice!
 
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That looks awesome.

I've often wondered about using aluminum for sheaths and didn't realize anyone was doing it. How thick is the aluminum? How is the retention? Similar to kydex?
 
pretty neat.
why so thick? I just made a 31" sword that wasn't that thick at the forte (and it was to Ming specs, as best we could figure). No knocking it, just curious.

Looks good, and the sheath and all tie it together well.
 
Don't get me wrong, I think that is an awesome knife, impeccably made, and a very neat design to boot. But just imagine if the G10 guard was instead a disk of sterling silver which matched the front of the handle in shape and the menuki in patina. You said you're making more of these, after all!
 
Mecha said:
I think "aikuchi" is a style of mounting a hilt that doesn't have a hand guard, rather than a certain type of blade. Which is a bit ironic to me, because the octagonal guard seems out of place due to the short blade. Perhaps if the the flat side flaps of the guard were shaved down closer to flat bolster status there would be less aestheticus interruptus (I made that up). :D

That's cool little claw, good sir, very nice!
Click to expand...


You're such a ball breaker, Sammy - I know it's not an aikuchi, but Dan Keffeler made one that wasn't exactly dissimilar, so I stole the word. Besides, this certainly looks like a 'sword tip', no? :D



navasky said:
That looks awesome.

I've often wondered about using aluminum for sheaths and didn't realize anyone was doing it. How thick is the aluminum? How is the retention? Similar to kydex?
Click to expand...

Retention on a blade this small and heavy is tricky, but it works. On longer blades, it's better still, as there's more surface area. The aluminum I use is .025" thick.

kevin (theprofessor) said:
pretty neat.
why so thick? I just made a 31" sword that wasn't that thick at the forte (and it was to Ming specs, as best we could figure). No knocking it, just curious.

Looks good, and the sheath and all tie it together well.
Click to expand...

Why so thick? Because I can, my friend. Can't put .080" deep fullers in a .125" thick blade, now, can I? ;)

fastone052 said:
Very nice. Do you work with stainless steels?
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Yes, I do. In fact, the next two in this theme from me will be in Crucible CPM-S60v!




Thanks for all the comments, guys. This one was a heck of a lot of fun to make, and I fell in love with it more and more as I approached completion. Strangely satisfying knife...
 
I believe technically the aikuchi style knives of traditional Japanese knives can have a small guard, particularly a type of wide brass "collar" where the tsuba or guard would be. Many of them do not, particularly the kwaiken style.

Sometimes it is seen on larger swords but is typical of a style of short sword/ knife.
 
Freaking awesome! I usually don't go in for the small stubby stuff but this is just fantastic. Really excellent work.
 
NICE! it will be useful in the drawer of my office. Sharpening pencil with style.


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