- Joined
- Nov 15, 2007
- Messages
- 5,267
A tale of Woe and VICTORY...
I have XXL palms, so finding knives with handles long enough to fit comfortably in my hands has been a challenge (That's the woe part of the story btw... pretty sad huh?). Fortunately, I've had good luck with some excellent custom makers who have been willing to bump up the scale of their knives or take on scale drawings I've sent into them.
My most recent acquisition/project was with Mr. Dave Wenger (ABS JS). I contacted him about a companion blade to pair with my WinklerII Combat Hammer Axe. I saw a knife I really liked the lines of in his gallery and used that as inspiration for the drawing I submitted to him with a handle length I knew would fit perfectly. After cutting out a few cardboard silhouettes of the design and making a couple tweaks in the drawing, I was sure the final profile would feel great. I had no idea how much better it would feel after Dave turned a two dimensional idea into a three dimensional tool!
We discussed pin placement, finish and materials and we decided on 80CRV2 with Maple handles and the same Caswell type finish used on the WinklerII line of knives. Dan uses blackened brass pins and tubes on his axes (I think), but Dave didn't have any brass pins in stock, so we decided to go with the slightly thicker black fiber pins and a copper tube. I think it worked out GREAT! The subtle difference in pins and lanyard tube give the knife and axe just enough contrast that each show "signature" styles, but still allow for a fantastic pairing. Dave told me the handle on the knife would be darker the WinklerII and with use, hopefully will lighten up and eventually show some of the nice fiddleback hidden in the wood.
Without further ado, here's the sketchy sketch and phenomenal final product...
It fits my hands PERFECTLY...
Nicely tapered spine and killer finish (kinda like a tigershark)...
I used the actual WinklerII edge and spine in the drawing for a perfect pairing...
And here they are together at last...
THANKS DAVE..YOU NAILED IT!!!:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:
Mike
I have XXL palms, so finding knives with handles long enough to fit comfortably in my hands has been a challenge (That's the woe part of the story btw... pretty sad huh?). Fortunately, I've had good luck with some excellent custom makers who have been willing to bump up the scale of their knives or take on scale drawings I've sent into them.
My most recent acquisition/project was with Mr. Dave Wenger (ABS JS). I contacted him about a companion blade to pair with my WinklerII Combat Hammer Axe. I saw a knife I really liked the lines of in his gallery and used that as inspiration for the drawing I submitted to him with a handle length I knew would fit perfectly. After cutting out a few cardboard silhouettes of the design and making a couple tweaks in the drawing, I was sure the final profile would feel great. I had no idea how much better it would feel after Dave turned a two dimensional idea into a three dimensional tool!
We discussed pin placement, finish and materials and we decided on 80CRV2 with Maple handles and the same Caswell type finish used on the WinklerII line of knives. Dan uses blackened brass pins and tubes on his axes (I think), but Dave didn't have any brass pins in stock, so we decided to go with the slightly thicker black fiber pins and a copper tube. I think it worked out GREAT! The subtle difference in pins and lanyard tube give the knife and axe just enough contrast that each show "signature" styles, but still allow for a fantastic pairing. Dave told me the handle on the knife would be darker the WinklerII and with use, hopefully will lighten up and eventually show some of the nice fiddleback hidden in the wood.
Without further ado, here's the sketchy sketch and phenomenal final product...
It fits my hands PERFECTLY...
Nicely tapered spine and killer finish (kinda like a tigershark)...
I used the actual WinklerII edge and spine in the drawing for a perfect pairing...
And here they are together at last...
THANKS DAVE..YOU NAILED IT!!!:thumbup::thumbup::thumbup:
Mike
