Damascus Kabar?

Z

Zemapeli

Joined
Jan 26, 2013
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I'd like to see Kabar produce some Damascus Kabar USMC knives. With brass guard and pommel with a stacked black/brown and red canvas micarta handle. Here are a couple threads of customs done. :cool: Ideas? I would also like to see Kabar offer a stacked Micarta handle as an addition to Kraton G and stacked leather. They already have an option for thier beckers, so why not?
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1258537-Damascus-Kabar
http://www.kitchenknifeforums.com/showthread.php/10831-BAD-TO-THE-BONE-Ka-Bar-Clone!
 
Oh my......what absolutely gorgeous knives!!!!!!

And hell yeah, I'd love to have a damascus KA-BAR.

Great post.

Moose
 
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/893407-Puukko
Maybe making custom layers/colors for the Kabar handle. Here is an example of what I mean. The Layers could be one solid color of canvas micarta for one section of the handle. That would be pretty cool. This is not that hard to do, and I bet Kabar would make a killing. Make your own kind of thing.
I might do one just to make and to make an example. I'd go with Pink, Purple, Blue. With brass spacers in between the alternating canvas micarta sections. Just some ideas.
 
Zemapeli said:
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/893407-Puukko
Maybe making custom layers/colors for the Kabar handle. Here is an example of what I mean. The Layers could be one solid color of canvas micarta for one section of the handle. That would be pretty cool. This is not that hard to do, and I bet Kabar would make a killing. Make your own kind of thing.
I might do one just to make and to make an example. I'd go with Pink, Purple, Blue. With brass spacers in between the alternating canvas micarta sections. Just some ideas.
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Beauty is in the eye of the beholder........

glad you like em, cuz that don't appeal to me at all.....:D:foot:

Moose
 
I'd also like to see the Damascus Kabar with a wider tang. Much like cold steel's version of the Mark2. Perhaps some red/white spacers in the handle for looks like they have on the hunting knives/skinners. It would make one hell of a combat knife. Maybe also adding a pommel as thick as the pommel of a Cattaraugus Quartermaster 225Q for heavy hammering. The Cattaraugus 225Q's handle has a double triangular shape on the middle section of the three section pommel that attach to the tang, held in by the two pins.. So perhaps the pin on the guard would have to be larger or there would have to be two pins for the handle. Just some cool ideas, that would be hard to do.

I wonder why Kabar doesn't make a reproduction of the WW2 Mark 2 Scabbard with Stainless Steel metal parts for corrosion resistance and newer stamps/markings. I mean, Kabar must still have the presses/tools from when the company was under contract. I would buy one if they did.
 
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Kabar never made a single sheath for the WW2 1219C2/USN MK2.

Leather sheaths were made enmasse by Boyt Harness Company and by another company, the name of which eludes me at this time. The early Boyts were marked "BOYT over 43". The later BOYTs and the sheaths from the other company had no company names on them.

The Navy had contracts with the 2 leather goods companies and would order XXX number of sheaths, all of which were shipped to the Navy Supply Distribution Center and then on to the east or west coast Naval Supply Depots, as were the knives from the 4 companies that made the knives (Camillus, Union Cutlery (aka Kabar), PAL and Robeson-ShurEdge). When a military unit placed an order for YYY knives, the Naval Supply Center would fulfill the orders by grabbing YYY sheaths and YYY knives out of their bins and ship them out. A Marine unit could receive knives marked USN MK2 and a Navy unit could just as easily receive USMC marked knives for their orders.

ONLY PAL supplied sheaths with PAL stamped on them for the 1219C2/USN MK2, and those sheaths are relatively rare.


The plastic sheaths got in the works because the leather sheaths would deteriorate very quickly in hot, humid jungle environments and the salt water of the the actual amphibious landing ops.
 
The plastic sheaths, frequently called "NORD" sheaths from the NORD stamped on the steel throats (and was short for Naval Ordinance) were manufactured by Beckwith Manufacturing (the BM on the throat). The same process applied - all sheaths were sent to the Supply Centers and married up with the knives at shipping time. Although really the knives were in one container and the sheaths in another, to be issued as a set or individually as required.

EDITx8 - Had to add each sentence 1 sentence at at time because the system kept locking up.
 
zzyzzogeton said:
The plastic sheaths, frequently called "NORD" sheaths from the NORD stamped on the steel throats (and was short for Naval Ordinance) were manufactured by Beckwith Manufacturing (the BM on the throat). The same process applied - all sheaths were sent to the Supply Centers and married up with the knives at shipping time. Although really the knives were in one container and the sheaths in another, to be issued as a set or individually as required.

EDITx8 - Had to add each sentence 1 sentence at at time because the system kept locking up.
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Wow. You learn something new each day. Thanks for the information Zzyzzogeton. :thumbup:
 
I’d like a KaBar with a micarta handle. I’d also like a KaBar in D2 without serrations.
 
That's some beautiful Damascus! I have always struggled with the idea of owning any Damascus blade because they just look too pretty to use. I might make an exception for something like that though!
 
Ka bar should make a F/U with a tang like the randall model 14. Heavier dogs head style crossguard. Jimping on the spine. Micarta or g10 handle. But that will likely never happen. Its fun to dream though.
 
CelticCross74 said:
doesnt Damascus rust like crazy?
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Yes, Damascus does rust and oxidize. Damascus steel is high carbon steel folded with a stainless steel or steel with less carbon. The "design/pattern" or "folds" in Damascus only are clearly visible when an acid or acidic substance is applied to the steel and left to oxidize the exposed steel with a higher carbon level. The oxidized steel will appear darker, which is left with more of a black patina. There are two types of rust; black oxides and red oxides. Black oxides are relatively stable and far less active than red oxides and will actually protect the steel from getting more oxidized with red oxide by blocking oxygen and moisture from touching the bare metal surface of the metal. Actually, the bluing on guns is oxidation. It works to protect the steel from red oxides by leaving a layer of black oxide. Red oxides are what you don't want. Red oxides are active and will eat away at the metal surface at a much faster rate than black oxides. Red rust is unstable and unpredictable and will cause "pits" or holes in the metal of blades if left. The 1095CV is the material of a lot of the kabar line contains a few materials that give it stainless qualities, but is still a high carbon steel. If you stripped the finish off of a 1217 and let it sit out in the same conditions as a Damascus blade of the same specs for five days, they would probably have about the same amount of red oxides on them. The 1217 would probably do better in the long run, as the steel has chromium and vanadium throughout as opposed to layers of stainless and high carbon steel. Either way, Damascus won't rust if it is well cared for. 1095 Cro-Van is roughly similar to O-1 in composition (from A.G. Russell Knives Steel Guide)
Steel Carbon Manganese Chromium Nickel Vanadium Molybdenum Tungsten Cobalt
1095 Cro-Van 0.95-1.1 0.30-0.50 0.40-0.60 0.25 0.161 0.06 — —
O-1 0.85-1.0 1.00-1.40 0.40-0.60 0.3 0.3 — 0.5 —
It is still a high carbon steel, like 01/02 tool steels which will oxidize and rust fast if left unoiled.
 
LuckyC said:
I’d like a KaBar with a micarta handle. I’d also like a KaBar in D2 without serrations.
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I'd love to see a page on the Kabar website for customization. Options like blade engravings would be wonderful ~ not laser etchings, but deep engravings up to .005-.007 deep. That would be pretty amazing, I know Kabar would get a lot of sales with an engraving option alone. Different material options for the stacked style handle would be wonderful. Materials such as Canvas Micarta, Ivory, exotic woods (such as Buckeye Burl, Bubinga, Ebony etc.), black phenolic, hammered or textured brass would be perfect. If you could choose the color for every layer of the stacked handle I am positive that there would be plenty of buyers. There is not much extra effort that would have to go into the shaping/sanding of the handle. Just use a thin layer of compressible material in between the canvas micarta at each end of the handle where the pommel and guard are would make it possible. Apply a thin coat of epoxy onto the micarta and apply 30-40 lbs of force on the knife as you would to compress the leather washers and pin it together. I know there is a lot more force that goes into compressing the leather handles on the Mark II styled knifes, I am referring to the method. Use 10-20 lbs with ivory and woods. This is what I mean:
(These could even be colors like red, black, blue etc.)
http://greatlakesskipper.com/tracker-149206-black-2-x-1-8-inch-rubber-pre-cut-flex-boat-gasket-10-ft
https://www.menards.com/main/tools-...2-1-4-x-1-8-rubber-washer-1-pcs/p-1445129.htm
Yeah, I am not sure why Kabar doesn't make a straight edge version of a D2 either. The straight edge is much easier to sharpen.

Semper Praesidio said:
That's some beautiful Damascus! I have always struggled with the idea of owning any Damascus blade because they just look too pretty to use. I might make an exception for something like that though!
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I might buy myself a slab of nice Damascus and start on a Mark 2 build just for a concept. Maybe a stacked style handle with layers of turquoise, ivory (either deer or gemsbok), and silver or hammered brass for the guard and pommel.

MeanBeaver said:
Ka bar should make a F/U with a tang like the randall model 14. Heavier dogs head style crossguard. Jimping on the spine. Micarta or g10 handle. But that will likely never happen. Its fun to dream though.
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I would also really like to see Kabar make a version of the Fighter / Utility with a thicker, more robust tang as well. Cold steel made their own version of the Mark II with a thicker tang. I think that Kabar should make their own version of the Mark II combat knife with a thicker tang. Maybe this could cost a bit more? It would be well worth it, especially on the Kabar Big Brother. I wont get one because of the size of the tang compared to the blade. The tang really should be thicker on the Mark II. It is the only weakness of the knife. The reason that the tang is so narrow may have been to conserve steel for the war at the time the concept of the knife was conceived. (The Mark II combat knife design was finished on the 23rd of November, 1942 and went into contract and production by 1943) Model number 1219C2. Steel was probably in short supply due to war efforts. Maybe the tang was designed narrow to conserve metal. There is really no other reason to make a knife with a thin tang. I would like to see Kabar make a version of the 1219C2 with a tang a wide as a Cattaraugus Quartermaster 225Q. That would be one hell of a knife.
 
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