Design input needed on a 4.5" fixed blade *completed*

Uh oh...please dont put a firesteel in the handle...a firesteel belongs in the sheath if anywhere.

 

Yeah, you're probably right, It's just a fun thought

 

I suppose there's a reason I've only seen it in one knife...

I swear I normally have better taste!

 

Everyone is entitled to their opinions and ideas. Thats whats great about BF. Thoughts are always welcome! Even if others disagree. Happens all the time.

 

But I don't agree with myself! That's the problem!

...

okay, maybe that isn't completely true. I think it could be pulled off cleanly and functionally. It may be tough though.

 

I find most of the people that buy those knives never take the fire steel out of it ...

Kind of like a friend I had growing up buying "army boots" out of the back page in a magazine ... and a "survival knife" from the same magazine with a screw off cap that had matches and fishing line and a couple hooks in it ... and on top of the cap a compass ...

So I said do you know how to use the compass? And he said yeah it points north I want to go east I go this way ...

 

I like the swedge. They look great, and can make the knife point finer. Even if it is still pretty thick on the spine.

On not sure if the swedge adds any functionality in a "bushcraft blade" but it would in a combat/dual purpose knife. Better penetration.

Choil, fine, with that style/size guard. I am mixed on knives. I go no choil, sharpening choil, and big choil.

No real order of preference. I like the look of the bigger choil, but also realize it eats about an inch of usable edge. In that size knife, I'd say no choil. But would have to use/feel it.

Jimping is fine on a combat knife. I don't really need it on a bushcrafter, or knife I expect to spend time whittling, or bearing down on the spine with my thumb.

I've torn a thumb clean open in the dark on a knife with no jimping, so jimping would have made it worse. Just a rough coating under the thumb, dark, and levering the knife repeatedly with my other thumb, on what I was whittling. (Hogging shavings to try and get fire started in the dark. Cold/damp)

Knife felt wet, and I fished out my flashlight to see blood and skin torn....

In a knife I'm going to use for shavings, whittling, traps, etc, I will round my spine a bit if not already done.


I'm not a huge fan of using a ferro rod on my nice knives. Scars and uglies them up.

I have a scraper with my ferro rods, and if it is an emergency I'll use part of the edge only if I don't have a scraper.


So the scraper on spine is not necessary for me.

 

High pressure, cutting pretty stubborn wood. Thumb on spine, second hand holding the stick, and second thumb adding pressure on right hand thumb. Repeat for 20-30;minutes in dark (hands were cold also). Basically wore a big blister on thumb, and kept going, tore the blister open, and kept going. In the light, with cold hands, I would have noticed soon enough to avoid it. Also, had my hands been warm, it would have been easier to notice the hot spot.

The coating on the knife was a rougher epoxy finish on a smaller Busse. I stripped the coating, and lightly sanded the spine to avoid in the future.

I would add, that thumb, on the right hand has a severed nerve, and loss of sensation. Still a full strength thumb, but kind of dumb now! Really puts a damper on swinging a bat, or sword, or pick axe, or anything else where shock is transferred to that thumb. Frequent lightning bolts of pain if I hit the scar/cut line.

I don't hate jimping (as some do).

I enjoy it on knives like Sebenza, Spyderco, Hinderer, and other customs.

I don't have to have it, but don't complain on many knives. If it is too aggressive, I have no hesitation to soften it, with sandpaper or stones.

 

I'd either go full flat grind OR drop the spine to the level of the current plunge line. It's a very broad blade, which makes turning a cut difficult, so in general a blade does well to be as narrow as the constraints on spine thickness and grind angles permits. Also, I've personally never found jimping to be anything more than eye candy. If a ramp is present, I find smooth is the most comfortable in long-term use, as any grip retention it adds should be from the shape of the ramp rather than its texture. Just my thoughts!

 

I would be very interested in this design. I like what you have going here and have enjoyed following your work with your great attention to the little details. This appears to be a great user knife that I would like to try. I like the revisions so for, however, I would forego the 3 dimples on each handle scale as things like this tend to accumulate blood and fat when dressing and processing game, which is some of the work that this knife would see with me.

 

Keep it.

 

Those are fine thoughts. That ramp is shaped well enough that jimping would be really unnecessary.

I have a couple of knives where the jimping helps, but it is because there is no real defined ramp in the design.

And I don't know what it is, but I always feel that if you require a finger choil, then the handle just isn't done correctly.

A sharpening notch/choil would really be all that's necessary on this one for me. YMMV, of course. (And seems it does)

 

I think that's something best answered yourself, ultimately! Think about the intended context of use, and weight the pros and cons of either route (FFG with profile held constant vs. lowering the spine to the plunge line to make it a de facto FFG) in those contexts. Let the context of use decide the form and the aesthetic decisions can be made as the final touches, like the garnish and plating of a fine dish. But the meat and potatoes of that metaphorical meal is the performance, so the form has to adhere to the design considerations that make a knife excel in those intended roles in the settings and conditions envisioned for it.

 

I actually like jimping that provides good grip ... some of my favorite jimping is on the Winkler II Jager Knife ... a Winkler/Jason Knight collab...

Some may say it's aggressive ... but it's close and not deep and truely has a function ...

I'm very interested to see the second revision ... but it looks like you are getting it dialed in ...

And although you asked for input ... just remember this is your baby Josh ... we all put our two cents worth in ... but ultimately it is your vision that matters ...

I'm sure you've spoken to people who make knives about some of the ideas you have for it ... between that and the knowledge you have ... from handling probably more knives than 99% of the people on earth with your business ... I think you got this

 

Heaps of great feedback already, I think the design looks great. I just wanted to chime in to say how cool it is to see rapid prototyping being used to dial in ergonomics like this, such a great ability to have. Also those are some spicy renders haha