- Joined
- Jul 12, 2011
- Messages
- 6,299
Brad's not a well-known knifemaker, and although he still calls himself a rookie when it comes to knifemaking, I was drawn to his work from watching a couple of vids he did for his tantos. Brad's a state trooper in Arkansas, and he makes knives for fellow LEOs who mount them on their entry vests. He's got a couple of vids of his knives being driven through car hoods, prying open those holes, and surviving with no tip or edge damage. I asked him to make me a tanto which was a combination of 2 designs that he had been making, and I received it today. It's 3/16" of compound-ground CPM-D2 (62-63 HRC according to Brad) with micarta handles and a pancake sheath. I jammed and pried through some seasoned oak, stropped the edges, and drove the tip through a penny before I took these pics. There are some resulting scratches, some of which I think are from sheathing and unsheathing, but I am very happy with it.
It's amazing how well he does a double-sided compound grind freehand. If I had to complain about something, it would be that the handles need more contouring, because they feel quite blocky in-hand. However, for most of his customers, I don't think it's an issue especially when gloves are worn in preparation for when the situation arises. The sheath can stand to be more pared-down and sleeker. This is definitely way above rookie work. What do you guys think?
It's amazing how well he does a double-sided compound grind freehand. If I had to complain about something, it would be that the handles need more contouring, because they feel quite blocky in-hand. However, for most of his customers, I don't think it's an issue especially when gloves are worn in preparation for when the situation arises. The sheath can stand to be more pared-down and sleeker. This is definitely way above rookie work. What do you guys think?
