Critique my Bird and Trout Effort

R

Randydb

Joined
Sep 27, 2014
Messages
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Alright, my first try ever drawing my own knife. It has qualities of about 4 knives I liked the look of. I sort of like the flow of the ricasso area on this one. On the other hand I am not sure of the look of the spine if it is too straight. Also the pins...I think I would like a thong hole, but does one pin and a thong hole work? Should they be place differently?

I have some 1/8" 154CM that I would like to make this out of.

Let me know what needs fixing here please.

birdandtroutrandy.jpg
 
Looks good to me, pin placement looks fine. I would advise to, if you like your sketch, cut it out on a piece of cardboard, see how that basic shape feels in the hand. If something is too small or too large or something just feels off, you will notice it better with a template and then you can adjust your design.

Then I would just adivse to go ahead and just make the knife. When it is done and you have handled it and used it, you will notice things you like and things you don't like about your design probably. Then you can adjust your design again and go on from there. This way you better develop your own style.
 
Everything looks fine to me, and the number of pins are mostly personal preference, but I would change the shape of the finger choil/guard area by giving it more curve by extending it into where the index finger rests a bit further forward, like about 3/8th to 1/2 inch. That "hump" kinda messes with the flow and looks like it could be a bit annoying when holding, but that's just my humble opinion. I would extend the curve enough so that it almost came to a bit of an apex when it meets with the opposing drop on front side of it, but then still slightly round it over as well as lightly chamfer the edges/sides of it for comfort.


~Paul
My Youtube Channel
... (Just some older videos of some knives I've made in the past)
 
one pin and one thong tube will be sufficient. the riccasso looks a bit too long, i would shorten it by 1/4", which will make the blade a tad longer. looking good !
 
coldsteelburns said:
Everything looks fine to me, and the number of pins are mostly personal preference, but I would change the shape of the finger choil/guard area by giving it more curve by extending it into where the index finger rests a bit further forward, like about 3/8th to 1/2 inch. That "hump" kinda messes with the flow and looks like it could be a bit annoying when holding, but that's just my humble opinion. I would extend the curve enough so that it almost came to a bit of an apex when it meets with the opposing drop on front side of it, but then still slightly round it over as well as lightly chamfer the edges/sides of it for comfort.


~Paul
My Youtube Channel
... (Just some older videos of some knives I've made in the past)
Click to expand...

I second this.
 
coldsteelburns said:
but I would change the shape of the finger choil/guard area by giving it more curve by extending it into where the index finger rests a bit further forward, like about 3/8th to 1/2 inch. That "hump" kinda messes with the flow and looks like it could be a bit annoying when holding, but that's just my humble opinion. I would extend the curve enough so that it almost came to a bit of an apex when it meets with the opposing drop on front side of it, but then still slightly round it over as well as lightly chamfer the edges/sides of it for comfort.
Click to expand...

I'm not picturing this very well. I will try a new drawing with what I think you mean.

john april said:
the riccasso looks a bit too long, i would shorten it by 1/4", which will make the blade a tad longer. looking good !
Click to expand...

If I lengthen the blade and recurve the choil area does it fix up what coldsteelburns is saying?
 
Randydb said:
Alright, my first try ever drawing my own knife. It has qualities of about 4 knives I liked the look of. I sort of like the flow of the ricasso area on this one. On the other hand I am not sure of the look of the spine if it is too straight. Also the pins...I think I would like a thong hole, but does one pin and a thong hole work? Should they be place differently?

I have some 1/8" 154CM that I would like to make this out of.

Let me know what needs fixing here please.

View attachment 1101747
Click to expand...

If it s mine . . . . .

Uk4l1q0.jpg
 
R Randydb . You are almost there, IMHO. The spine should be curved slightly more from where it goes flat in the middle of the handle to the blade tip. The rear pin should be a thong tube, but move it back about 1/8". Center the front pin between top and bottom. Draw a line parallel to the spine thru the center of the front pin all the way to the back. Measure forward along that line from the back of the scale a distance equal to the distance from the center of the front pin to the front of the scale. That will be the center of the back pin. The pins should only be 3/16". If the thong tube looks too close to the pin, move it back a little more and reduce the size to 1/4" with 1/32" wall thickness. I think 1/8" thick is way too much - I would take your thickness down to .07" or .08". I would guess you are cleaning 12" to 15" trout, not 40 lb. salmon.
 
tim37a said:
Draw a line parallel to the spine thru the center of the front pin all the way to the back. Measure forward along that line from the back of the scale a distance equal to the distance from the center of the front pin to the front of the scale.
Click to expand...
I think this means that I should have pin/thong tube equal distance from either end. Like both 3/4" from each end. Right? But I hate thong holes in the "middle of a handle". I like them up and to the top corner of my handle. Like this.

IMG_5873_opt.jpg

I dont like this.
CH1MeHql.jpg
 
Use the metal you have on this one, but 1/8" is pretty thick for a bird and trout knife. Do a full distal taper. I use .090" down to .0650" for B&T blades.

The above suggestions on shape and moving the finger rest are all good.

I would suggest a Corby bolt for the front pin. The thong tube may look cool, but if the user really won't be using a thong., use two Corby bolts and skip the tube. It is just a place to trap all that nasty stuff when cleaning game.
 
This is my effort after Tim37 input. Dropped the blade tip a bit...moved pins around. But what Stacey says about the thong makes sense too. I just like a thong on my smaller knives because it makes it easier for me to get them out of the sheath a bit quicker. But the reality is that they do collect a lot of crap.
IMG_1475.jpg

Soooo...if I move to 2 pins (corby's possibly) I should move the pins to equal distance from each end of handle and centred top to bottom of handle right? Like this?
IMG_1477.jpg
 
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Now you are cooking. 2 pins equidistant from the ends and centered top to bottom. A nice fair curve over the whole length of the spine. I would keep the thong hole where it looks like you erased it - although it may collect crap, it does make it much easier to get out of the sheath. Hope you will show us pics. of the knife - it really looks good.
Tim
 
I suppose I can drill a thong hole and then decide later if I want to actually complete it when I put the handle on. I plan to start cutting and grinding these in about a week. I definitely will post pictures as I go. This is so cool being able to draw something and then work it through to a finished product.

T tim37a you mentioned the size of trout I clean...Actually closer to 4-8 pounders. I have access to a lot of big fish lakes and spend a fair bit of time on them. First pic is a 4 pounder and two 5.5 pounders (I'm in the middle). Second pic is over 7.5 pound that my buddy got(released). Lots of fish caught and released in that range each day we were out.
IMG_0662.jpg IMG_0687.jpg
 
Like some one said before. I would make the knife first then worry about the handle But I'm no expert. I always seem to have to alter the handle in some way from my original design But I guess it just takes time and making knives to know what works for you and the knife. I also like the picture posted where the guy drew red Mark's on the picture I think I moving that plumb line back looks more professional but again I am not one super good or smart lol
 
Those fish are from two lakes quite close together actually. Both near Kamloops British Columbia. Jacko and Red lakes. Pass is another one we fish a lot. There is a 4th one , but it is small and I would be doing my buddies a disservice giving up it's name. All 3 of the ones I named give up multiple days in the spring and fall every year where we catch and release 25+ fish each. Small ones are 2-3 pounders and 15 fish each will be between 4 and 7 pounds. Another month and a week max and we will be on them!!
 
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