BF survival forum knife.

Any Cal. said:
A person could paracord wrap the blank, or build their own handles.
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I like this idea. . . :thumbup: I think I'd like a skeletonized handle and a little bit smaller blade (3-4 inches), but I'm really not too picky about the details. Whatever you guys come up with, I'm sure it'll be a great knife.
 
Ha! I was just looking at that blade exactly, tknife. How funny. I like it, except for how far down the blade drops. I really dislike how a dropped edge handles.
 
It does make carving a little more awkward. Maybe a similar pattern with the edge more inline with the handle. This is really getting me jazzed to draw up some designs though.

If it gets off the gorund, would we have some kind of logo or BF stamping in it? Don't know how hard that would be to do.
 
I think that would be neat, tknife. I wouldn't want the blade to turn into a billboard like a Ruger, but I like this place more than enough to have a small logo on it.
 
as for the belly question...i prefer a pretty straight edge with a slight radius to it, to make sharpening easy on a flat stone. i am drawn to the simple shapes, i like wharncliffes and nice smooth curves like the O-1 scout. but i also don't use the blade for skinning, and i understand that hunters prefer belly for skinning out animals

both are good, but there is the issue of a wide wharnie becoming more like a sheepsfoot because as they get bigger the fine point becomes more of a strength issue
 
tknife said:
Borrowing from NWA's excellent work, I like something along these lines http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=467963

Sturdy drop point, wide blade with tons of belly, half guard with a nice finger groove.
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That is one heck of an example! I haven't held any NWA knives but they sure do look right.

Thanks for the input on bellies guys... like siguy said, I don't do a lot of skinning so I prefer as much/straight edge as possible. Like Spooky said, I don't think it needs to drop very low at the point. (this is a big bone of contention among fighting-knife folks, they want the point on axis-of-thrust for obvious reasons... I don't feel it's an issue with a camp knife.)

How fine a point is too fine? Is the last half-inch of a bowie, Loveless, NWA, or whatever really all that different or weaker or sharper than the rest (other factors being equal)? I think they can all be very sharp, so toughness would be the deciding factor. I've been finding that I can still pierce leather and do very fine cuts with a near-zero "drop" point, providing I sharpen it like the rest of the edge. (This often takes a fair helping of elbow-grease on production knives :() so I'm getting less and less certain that the point really needs to be all that "pointy". I have been cut quick by edgy 90degree corners at work...
 
GibsonFan said:
Any Cal, you're drifting dangerously close to full-on production mode. Not that that's a bad thing, necessarily.

Here's my current project... started with a Nicholson knife file, paid $.99 for it new at the "junk" store. I tempered it back (twice) in my kitchen oven at 350degrees for an hour, giving it a nice light bronze color and making it not so brittle.

Since the bevels are already there, all I've had to do is profile it and convex the edge a bit. With the full tang being beveled as well, I think I will end up drilling oversize for the pins/thong tube and allow the epoxy to fill in the gaps. (I don't have a drill press etc. to help keep the drilling perpendicular to the spine.) I intend to use fiber spacers under the scales, I've recently read that this actually helps the bond quite a bit, and it just looks nice.

The spine is very thick (7/32"), thicker than my Master Hunter (3/16" at the guard). I'm going to see if I can get it to cut decently as-is but I may have to thin it out more. I don't intend to taper it much more unless sharpness dictates it. There will be only the integral guard shown, and very basic scales added to it. I will likely drill out the tang a bit for weight/balance; as it is now, it balances a 1/4" behind the guard.

My intent is to have 4" of blade, with all of it being usable and razor sharp (no choil, although there will be a 1/4" round groove for scraping sparks off a ferro-rod at the plunge line). The depression on the spine is meant to be both a thumb-notch and a place for your forefinger when holding the knife "backwards" for small tasks. I think it needs some grooves in it for gription. I have a plain-looking but very stable chunk of treated oak decking that has "wilderness knife scales" written all over it.
http://s156.photobucket.com/albums/t32/JTerrio/

Any questions and comments are welcome! What would you guys add or change to this design? It's meant for general woods use, able to withstand hard batoning and even some prying, yet still be a good slicer and skinner. I want it to spread peanut butter as handily as it does rougher work. I will sacrifice toughness for better cutting ability, if needed.
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I really like your knife GF. Good simple cutter. Very nicely done!
 
If you guys can keep it under 100, I'll buy one. It would be cool to see someone out with one of these, so you can identify your internet brothers.
 
I would imagine, just based on several makers models in that size range, that the price would be more like $150. To me that is still very reasonable for a handmade knife. Especially considering all the factory knives that are well above that price.
 
Yes, Gibsonfan, nice work! I like that a lot!

I'm sorry I missed this thread last night. I'll go along with what has been mostly recommended, as far as a 4"-5" blade and carbon steel. But like sherlockbones eluded to, cost will be a factor for me. I'd prefer a bisic, to-the-point piece around the $100 mark. I do like NWA's knife.
 
I can do without the fancy handles and such if it would keep the cost down. My number one use for a knife is making walking sticks, clearing sapalings on trout streams, and dispatching fish (up to around 25-30lbs salmons).

I'll think that if we can keep it from looking like a weapon it would be better as I'll be more incline in carrying something like a mora than seal pup while I"m out.
 
I am 100% with you on the no frills, no fancy handles. I want something that I don't mind getting covered in fish guts, sap, dirt etc. Something that can take a quick rinse and maybe a coat of WD-40 and be good to go.

If we get a maker who is willing to make up several of them, maybe there can be a group buy kind of deal or something.
 
The main question is who would have the capablity to make whats looking more and more like a small production run now.
 
The first thing would be to lock in a design, then lock in how many people want one and see what the number is.
 
Thanks for looking at my work guys. I like to hear peoples opinions of my work. I do offer a bit different knife for $100.00, I have thinking of raising the price though to $125.00.
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It is the top knife. This is a set I sold to a fellow BF member out in Oregon.


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Nick
 
Thanks for posting those NWA, those designs look great too! And the price point is perfect. What are the dimensions of that knife?
 
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