Am I on the right track?

M

Mark Basford

Joined
Nov 8, 2005
Messages
103
This is my first Survival-type knife... So I very interested in the comments that will help to improve the design.

Please be as honest as possible - I want to make the best performing tools, but maintain custom styling.

This is a gift for my Brother-in-law's birthday. He is an avid hiker/camper, so I thought this Erik Boese inspired knife with integrated firestarter might come in handy. There has been quite a bit of feedback on the aesthetics, but what I'd like is honest feedback on the design from heavy users.

Stats
Blade and Fittings Forged from 1" diameter 16x9 IWRC Extra Improved Plow Steel Cable
Blade Length: 3.5";
Blade Width @ Ricasso: 1";
Blade Thickness; Roughly 1/8";
Total Length: 7.5" (excluding ferro rod assemby) - 8.25" fully assembled;
Ferro rod Assembly: 3"
Handle Material: WSSI Stabilized Maple Burl



The rod is hidden in the butt, which was hidden pinned and epoxied to the handle.
w184346660.jpg


Just screw it in and out:
w184346665.jpg


The rod assembly was pinned, then hard soldered together - the rod is press fit into the assembly so that it can be removed and replaced as necessary:
w184346667.jpg


I kept the edges of the spine nice and sharp to help in catching sparks.

Thanks for your time and Comments-


Mark
 
Looks like a good, round handle (gorgeous wood) and a perfect blade shape and size. I'd definitely carry it. The firesteel is a neat touch, I haven't played much with the 'built in' sorts so can't give much feedback there. So long as the integrity of the handle or tang isn't altered, it should be fine though. Regardless, the knife overall would be something I'd carry. :thumbup:
 
Fantastic looking knife, looks quite practical too. I would personally try to remove as much ricasso as is physically possible. 1/8" thickness isn't bad, but I think that a knife of this style could benefit being a little thinner. I also prefer a much pointier tip on a small knife.

I think that the rod in the handle is groovy, but also a little gimmicky, looks like it creates uncomfortable geometry too, a big-ass rod slapped to the sheath is more practical IMO.

Again, fantastic knife, these are really just personal preferences. :D
 
Absolutely brilliant. Looks like it would make a perfect EDC woods knife, and the fire steel is a nice touch. I have little to offer in the way of constructive criticism. One thing you might consider is removing some additional material from the area around where the index finger goes. Kellam does this on their puukkos, and I have always found it to be comfortable, grip-enhancing, and aesthetically pleasing. But that's just me grasping at straws, trying to find something to say. To be honest, it's pretty much perfect as-is.

All the best,

- Mike

Edited to add: Stickman makes a good point about the tang.
 
I think the knife looks great, you did a nice job with this. My only concern is, what is the shape of the tang and how long is it? If it's a typical stick tang, the length of the firesteel would suggest a short tang...if the tang is full length with a cutout for the firesteel then no concerns.
 
I see nothing wrong with the design. Handle length is sufficient, and blade look fine to me. The next step is building a sheath. Good user knife.
 
man.. that thing is cool...:eek: looks great to me man... :thumbup: your bro in law is one lucky dude..:o
 
Looks like a great knife! I wouldn't mind owning one at all.

As for how well it will hold up, only time and use will tell. Looks good though.

Is the ferro rod enclosure water tight, and have you tested it?

Ferrocium rods can corrode quickly under the right conditions.
 
Wow, …that is a great looking knife. :cool:

It looks like it would be very functional tool for a hiker/backpacker, though I prefer a bigger blade for a camp knife.

As far as the tang goes, I could see it being an issue during hard use, but I don’t see this as being a hard use knife; IMHO chopping and batoning are best handled my a bigger tool.

I like large diameter fire steels, but would be happy to have that set-up as a back up.

Personally I think the overall design as well as the fit and finish make it a winner. :thumbup: :thumbup:
 
That is a great first effort. Not only do you do great work, but you show some real forethought in the design. It may be a good idea to make the cap of the rod match the diameter of the handle. This would provide a better striking surface if you needed to pound the point into something (I have used a knife this way as a chisel to cut out a pocket several times).
 
I agree with rocketbomb. I like it. I am a big fan of full tang knives so if this one has the ferr rod cut out of the tang-I would love it even more.
 
I would like to see the blade at 4 inches. In order to be a bushcrafter I would carry - I would like to have at least 4 inches of blade.

TF
 
Stickman said:
I think the knife looks great, you did a nice job with this. My only concern is, what is the shape of the tang and how long is it? If it's a typical stick tang, the length of the firesteel would suggest a short tang...if the tang is full length with a cutout for the firesteel then no concerns.
Click to expand...

Excellent point. I was able maintain a decent tang length of by angling the tang down slightly and canting the butt so the ferro rod angles above the tang - towards the top of the handle.

Tang length on this one is a shade over 2.75" into the wood, but I could probably gain another inch or so with the next try.

Either way I'd be more afraid of handle failure than blade failure due to nature of burl... though stabilization helps to mitigate that...

hmm... you've got me thinking for sure.
 
tonym said:
Is the ferro rod enclosure water tight, and have you tested it?

Ferrocium rods can corrode quickly under the right conditions.
Click to expand...

Wow, I hadn't thought of that one...

The rod assembly is dead flush with the butt when completely screwed down - it was a huge pain to get it just right... but I did not think of issues of water ingress.

The pitted finish of the cable fittings probably doesn't lend itself to a super tight seal, but a thin washer might help. What do you think?

or a step futher - Polished stainless with a washer may be the way to go for fittings on serious working blade.
 
That is one great looking design.
I would be both happy and proud to have that knife with me in the woods.
 
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