customs which offer performance superior to productions

[Cliff Stamp]

Having glanced of bones a number of times, counters, pots, plates, etc, I think the toughness of the slightly softer steel and ease of sharpening can be an asset under certain situations.

Yeah, plus I would think for that type of traditional knife I would assume it would be multi-tasking. I don't imagine those guys carried a few braces of cutlery for various tasks, I would assume that one knife would get carried over a very broad spectrum of tasks, including ones that would be damaging.

Have you used any of Chudzinski's knives?

No, they look solid though and his approach to knifemaking as you described is near ideal.

[vs Alvin's]

...in regards to overall performance.

Yeah, Alvin's is a very focused design, you could snap it very easily with almost insignificant lateral strain or twisting. There are a lot of approaches to knifemaking which are solid and coherent, they just have different goals in mind. For the user it is most important if the maker is clean in what he is trying to do and do it in a sensible way.

For example Reeve took a similar approach with his S30V in the Green Beret, or at least it sounds like it to Chudzinski's as he left his S30V soft, however even when soft S30V doesn't machine well and now you are left with a steel which is hard to grind and tends to form a heavy burr. It is also still brittle at that hardness and chips readily.

In contrast a carbon or spring steel would grind much easier, would not produce the floppy burr and be much tougher and more ductile.

-Cliff

 

[the possum]

Betcha ya'll thought this thread was dead, didn't ya?
Something happened just last night to reinforce a point I made earlier-

I think with a blade this big, dynamic balance and handling issues are really important. So is a handle that won't let the blade fly out of your grasp. This is one area where I really disagree with the current trend of making big knives with slick handles and no pommel. (i.e., the "Southwestern Bowie".)

I chased after a possum & got him with my big bowie knife. At the end of the swing, the knife's momentum pulled it nearly free of my grasp, and I barely managed to hang on to the pommel with a couple fingers.

Why is this such a big deal, you may ask? Let me explain a little better. I started the swing with my arm way back, so the knife was practically behind my head. (I was also running at the time) Now to hit the possum on the ground, I naturally had to swing low, and the blade then circled upward again, kinda like the motion of a swinging golf club. The blade snicked right through the possum without slowing down in the least, so it still had all the momentum generated by my whole [adrenalized] body. If that knife had slipped free, it would have spun around as my fingers slipped off the pommel, and I would've had 1 3/4 pounds of sharpened steel flying edge first straight at my neck. It slipped around too close for comfort as it was. This was with a solid grip, no sweat, and a big swelled pommel. And this is no fluke, either; this is exactly how big blades react if they get free. The first time I used my old bowie, I was not prepared for it to slice right through the target either, and the blade spun around point first and came straight at my leg. Luckily I managed to dodge it with a Matrix-esque Neo impersonation. On another occasion, I drew the knife from the scabbard hurriedly, (crossdraw) and it spun out of my hand. The point came around and cut through my heavy canvas jacket on the underside of my forearm, but did not break the skin. My older knife's pommel was not nearly as substantial as my new knife, (I improved the new one for this very reason) but it was still far more than what is commonly accepted now on the classic "Southwest Bowie" design.

No, I'm not trying to insult the thousand reputable makers who offer bowies without pommels, here. I'm only encouraging you all to really think through the design characteristics you will need for your situations. Safety should be one of them.

 

[bquinlan]

So is a handle that won't let the blade fly out of your grasp. This is one area where I really disagree with the current trend of making big knives with slick handles and no pommel. (i.e., the "Southwestern Bowie".)

If you're talking about the Camillus Southwest Bowie I have to disagree. The ergonomics of that grip work extremely well, at least for me. The swell and semi-hook toward the bottom do an excellent job of keeping my hand in place when chopping, much better than the more traditional shapes I've tried. It has become one of the things I like best about that design.

--Bob Q

 

[WYK]

Many large knives with slick handles were never really meant to be used. They are presentation or collectors pieces. For my users, I leave the wood at 220-320 grit depending on the grain. This gives a decent finish and allows for a good grip. I also make sure to swell the end of the grip so it is less likely to ride up in the hand when it gets wet.

WYK

 

[the possum]

If you're talking about the Camillus Southwest Bowie I have to disagree. The ergonomics of that grip work extremely well, at least for me. The swell and semi-hook toward the bottom do an excellent job of keeping my hand in place when chopping, much better than the more traditional shapes I've tried...

Hello there, Bob. Let me do some back peddling here. I can see now I wasn't really clear on what I meant. I don't have much problem with the design of the Fisk/Camillus bowie, but I was actually referring to bigger knives, and a different handle shape. A picture would explain things easier here, but I don't want to look like I'm picking on a maker... I was actually talking about handles that are basically straight, which gradually widen towards the butt, with a slight downward curve. You often see butt caps on the style I'm referring to. Also, I don't have a big problem with this handle style when used on smaller bowies with 8 or 9 inch blades- I'm talking more about "short sword" type knives which will have plenty of their own momentum when swung.

Here's a little snapshot of my old bowie. Note the somewhat subtle curves of the handle. It looks like this design should give you a secure grip, but it just wasn't enough.

 

[HaydnN]

Yep, the 9 iron could have decapitated 20 seconds into round 1, possum v possums.
I like a big knife to have a well defined pommel too. Especially when there's no lanyard. If a slip occurs it's always nice to have something to grab onto.

 

[Toyz]

This is a 6 year old thread, with 2 of the people posting in it banned.