Four basic drop point D2 hunters/skinners. Osage orange or micarta.

Nathan the Machinist

Nathan the Machinist

KnifeMaker / Machinist / Evil Genius
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Blades are 3 5/8" hollow ground, 7 3/8 OAL.

D2 with cold treatment and tempered to 60-61. This is the perfect steel for this kind of knife (IMO) and this is a high quality HT that has been proven to perform. They come with a basic leather pouch sheath. I think they turned out fairly well, but there are minor imperfections of course, and that is the reason for the price spread.

1 is ground just under .020". This knife turned out the best IMO. $140 sold

2 is ground right at .020". $130 sold

3 is ground just over .020" and has black canvas micarta scales $120 NFS


4 is ground to .009" and is .020 about 1/8" up into the grind which is getting into the same neighborhood as a straight razor. At 60-61 a knife this thin will be fragile and is probably not for everybody. My personal skinning knife is made this way, and I thought perhaps some other knife nut might like it like that too. $130 sold

They will be sharpened before I ship.

I take checks, cash and money orders.

sale2.jpg


sale3.jpg


sale4.jpg


sale1.jpg


Thanks for looking
Nathan
 
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They love that D2 in a decent knife don't they Nathan. Great looking blades and a great method of creating them. Jim
 
Thank you folks for the compliments.

1 and 4 are sold to In2b8u and rprocter.

Jim, yeah, these are moving very briskly. Arguably tougher than stainless, very corrosion resistant, and with those big nasty carbides (love them or hate them), hard thin D2 is my favorite steel for this kind of knife. And you know how these faired in the cutting test.
 
Those look realy nice, I love the lines on em. Almost like a fixed blade Mnandi with a longer blade. Nice job and I too like d2 for hunters.
 
Nathan, got the #1 today, Really Really Nice! And way fast also. Thanks again for a great blade. db
 
In2b8u said:
Nathan, got the #1 today, Really Really Nice! And way fast also. Thanks again for a great blade. db
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Thanks, I'm glad you like it so much, I liked it too. That was some of the nicest Osage Orange I've seen, and I felt the grinds turned out really well too. Be sure to let me know how it serves you in the field.

Roland,
Yours went out the same day, so you should see it soon.

Thanks,
Nathan
 
deltablade said:
I really like the osage orange handles, does this wood hold up well?
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One of the few woods that, in its natural state, is frequently considered dishwasher safe. (the D2 isn't) The log these came from had laid in the muck for at least a year before I got it. The bugs got in a little way and gave up.

Osage orange is not as pretty as some fancy maple or burl walnut, but it is very dense and hardy and as these scales illustrate, it is even occasionally quite pretty. The color is 100% natural. Some of it will brown some with age, but into a lovely chocolate brown.
 
well i finally had the opportunity to make the trip to the USPS P.O. and pick up my knife; #4, super thin, ground to .009".
Nathan, i suggest you change your moniker from "Nathan the Machinist" to "Nathan the Machinist and Precision Knifemaker".
wonderful knife ! fits my hand perfectly. i like the balance which is towards the handle end. the Osage wood is heavy and so obviously dense, and in this knife, i like the simplicity of it over fancier burls.
and SHARP, yep, tree tops my arm hairs, the only knife i have ever received that will do that. with the D2, i suspect it will stay that way as long as i am careful to just slice, as the blade is very thin towards the edge.
and that's what sets this knife apart from others: it looks like other well made custom knives, but i think it will out-slice anything but a Laser beam.
Thank You Nathan.
roland
 
i finally got a chance to try out my "Nathan the Machinist" knife; bottom one in pics, most thinly ground; and field dressed a deer yesterday (gutted and forelegs amputated).
every cut i needed to make was accomplished with ease, very sharp, the blade did all the "work". blade profile, size, fit and grip in hand, all perfect for this job. D2 blade is just as sharp as before i started.
i have field dressed about 60 deer. this knife cut better than any i have used before.
Nathan: make more, it is a perfect field dressing knife. any hunter using one would soon be very impressed.
roland
 
"this knife cut better than any i have used before." That puts a big grin on my face. Thanks.

I'm glad to hear the feedback here and in private from you and others, thank you. I put a lot of effort in optimizing heat treat and geometry and I feel it makes a real difference in cutting and edge retention.

I'm working on the next batch, so I will have more ready soon for those of you who have expressed interest in one of these.

Thanks
Nathan
 
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