Big 'Ol Camp Knife

Nick
This is a fantastic knife. If you are ever down in the Portland area you have an open invitation to come over to my place and do some Bladesports style chopping. I'm really curious to see how your knives would do in a course cut. I think they do really well.

Dan
 
pootsythesamurai said:
I think the g10 looks great. The blade profile is cracking too. It's the sort of knife you could take out into the woods and ask anything from, I just love blade with a big belly on them.
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i agree 100% plus i think nick handles is beyond and way farr !!!in any detail
 
boshi74 said:
you are the best!
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Not even by a mile! :o :foot: But I certainly appreciate the kind words, thank you! :)



Dan- Portland? I thought you were still in Eastern WA? Thank you for the offer! I can say with confidence my performance would be lack-luster compared to what you guys are doing with years of practice and purpose built knives. :o

It would be fun just to try it though. :)



Thanks a million guys--- The words of encouragement are a great motivator. But I did mean it when I said comments were welcome... wasn't just looking for good ones (even though they are my favorite kind, LMAO). :)
 
NickWheeler said:
But I did mean it when I said comments were welcome... wasn't just looking for good ones (even though they are my favorite kind, LMAO). :)
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Nothing mean, but a question...is the squared off choil an aesthetic choice, a production/manufacturing necessity or a design feature? I've been meaning to ask as I see it on a lot of forged / ABS knives.

Anyway, the whole design is fantastic looking, and I do feel the choil works well with the lines of the knife, but I had two thoughts when I saw it.
1. It's hard to tell from the pics if the transition from the choil to the blade is radiused and so I wondered if it could be a potential stress riser, especially on something so large.
2. While obviously a chopper and not a detail knife, the choil pushed the edges away from the handle and so limits the force you can generate when using the first part of the edge for heavy cutting.

Again, I really do love the design, and I'm not one for the bowie style. I love the steel, which is a fantastic choice for a chopper, especially one this size. And I think the G10 looks fantastic with it. The guard looks seemless, and the rounded spine is a really nice touch. But I am curious about the choil.

Thank you!
 
Cashmore said:
Is the squared off choil an aesthetic choice, a production/manufacturing necessity or a design feature?
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No worries! I appreciate you taking the time to ask. :)

To answer the quote--- Yes. ;) Yes to all three points.

The cutting edge is "pulled down" from the ricasso the way many of us forge blades. Being able to pull that drop down tight and clean is something that comes with practice, and is usually a sign of at least a bit of proficiency with a hammer on hot steel. I personally like the looks of the crisp transition as well.

However, for me, the function is the most important aspect. In that it allows a big, broad blade with a comfortable width to the handle.

The transition does have a very small radius, but I don't think it's a significant issue. In theory, anything that appears to be a sharp junction is a potential stress riser... but I have tested around 100 blades to destruction over the last 14 years and have never had one fail at the dropped edge or plunge cut... ever.

Some folks flat-out dislike dropped edges, and while I can appreciate someone not liking them aesthetically, I do not feel they impair a knife functionally at all.

And I agree--- for close-up detail work, you definitely want to keep the edge closer to your thumb for intricate cuts/control.



Thanks for asking! :)
 
NickWheeler said:
No worries! I appreciate you taking the time to ask. :)

To answer the quote--- Yes. ;) Yes to all three points.

The cutting edge is "pulled down" from the ricasso the way many of us forge blades. Being able to pull that drop down tight and clean is something that comes with practice, and is usually a sign of at least a bit of proficiency with a hammer on hot steel. I personally like the looks of the crisp transition as well.

However, for me, the function is the most important aspect. In that it allows a big, broad blade with a comfortable width to the handle.

The transition does have a very small radius, but I don't think it's a significant issue. In theory, anything that appears to be a sharp junction is a potential stress riser... but I have tested around 100 blades to destruction over the last 14 years and have never had one fail at the dropped edge or plunge cut... ever.

Some folks flat-out dislike dropped edges, and while I can appreciate someone not liking them aesthetically, I do not feel they impair a knife functionally at all.

And I agree--- for close-up detail work, you definitely want to keep the edge closer to your thumb for intricate cuts/control.



Thanks for asking! :)
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And thank you for taking the time to answer! :) It's much appreciated. Please keep posting up your work as I always enjoy seeing it.
 
Fantastic!

I like how the grind on the swedge (not sure if that is correct term) gradually fades into the handle, also looks like a much bigger pin than you usually use, was that because of the blade size?
 
Holy cow - what a handful-o-fun! Don't know how I missed this so far? I love the dropped line off the knuckles onto the working edge. All kinds of power in that relationship I bet.

So where is balance on something this meaty?

Looked up that alloy and was surprised to see it test out at up to Rc58 as quenched - yeah and all with <.53%C!.

I need to get out more. Would you care to share any details on your impressive HT here on this one:D? Soak/quench medium/Temper at ??

Thanks for all you contribute here. Appreciate you!
 
Thanks folks :)


Steve- This one actually has a Corby bolt (hidden thread). A large domed pin would still work just fine, even on a knife this size, but I usually prefer to use a Corby on the big choppers.

Andy- The 6150 stock I have is a bit off spec- the carbon content is closer to 5160, but it also has a touch of Vanadium in it.

I austenitized this at 1525F for 20 minutes (it's a lot of steel to go into solution, and in the salt, the extra time ain't gonna hurt anything). The blade is hung by a wire in the salt, so I can yank it out and "drop" it point down into a tall vertical tank of Heatbath's AAA (agitation is achieved by simply raising and lowering in the oil).

As quenched hardness on this stuff, for me in my shop, is always right around 60-60.5C.

I tempered 3 times at 400F and ended up at ~57/58 C.


Balance is out a bit from the guard. I take pride in getting my bowies/fighters to balance real close to the guard, but you get a lot more chopping power with the weight forward. There's still a lot of distal taper in the blade, because I don't want it to feel like a boat anchor... but it is definitely hefty.


Thanks fellas! :)
 
It's very impressive and I so appreciate your detail to handling characteristics

True high performance blade smith
 
I can only echo everyone else's sentiments about this fantastic blade, adding huge congratulations, Bob.
This knife needs to be in a movie and I don't mean a movie prop knife but getting a real workout on the big screen.
Great work, Nick !

Doug
 
I love it!!

Really enjoyed the reaction in the video when you realized you had just chopped through a nail. I can hear the voices in your head " Oh crap, I just chopped through a nail(pause and inspect knife) eh it's a Wheeler. Keep on chopping it's all good."
 
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