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actively parsing hurf durf
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- Nov 28, 2006
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I decided to take a mora 612 and modify it for edc. What I wanted was something that fit these criteria (and could be made with only a dremel, files, sand paper, and a sloppy 4x36" sander):
-no choil
-compact design, no wasted space in front of the index finger or behind the pinky (meaning no extended gaurd/ricasso and no extended pommel)
-thin handle to conserve weight and pocketability
-thin in stock and edge thickness/grind
-roughly 4.5-5" of edge
-preferably carbon steel
So I took the 612, removed the handle and ground the blade to be a high flat saber. When I was sanding out the flats I was doing it on a piece of kydex forming foam, and the result was that I got a high polished convex edge without meaning too, but it's good enough that I'm not going to give it a flat v until it gets dull. I took a plate of 3/8" black/green g10, cut it in half and cut out the tang shape so I could epoxy them together. The inlay's were meant to make it more visisble if dropped in the woods, but I'm gonig to have to replace the pine tree's jade g10 with some toxic green that I'm getting from usaknifemaker in a few days. I made a kydex sheath for it (which I can't show because of proprietary kydex techniques not yet trademarked o_o) that has a small teklock. With the teklock it still rests flat in the pocket, but hooks on my coin pocket that has a kershaw stockman and a lip balm stick in it, effectively giving it a 'wave' like feature so i can draw it in one motion without cutting my pockets.
Overall I'm really happy with it. I understand why mora's have the puuko grind, they are supposed to act like chisels. But even with thin stock I dislike how they interact with media when slicing and I don't consider the true-zero edge worth while for edc uses, I'd rather have a thinner grind at the same edge thickness, something that will take less time to work out heavy dings. This knife still carves just fine for how I use it, but it's slimmer and more functional for me.
The handles are both similar length, the g10 being 1/8" longer. However the g10 is .270" thick, just over 1/4", where the original 610 is just under 1" thick. The edge thicknesses are pretty close, 1/16" back from the cutting edge they are both .020" thick. The new g10 balances right at the index where the finger locks into the gaurd, slightly farther forward than the original 612.
original 612 weight: 2.7oz
g10/flat grind mod weight: 2.2oz
Personally I like flat thin handles that are compact in design. They allow for plenty of control and indexing without a lot of bulk. They are very rare to come by, really only being represented by japanese style makers like wally hayes, there are few production options available, and certainly not for 30$ or less.
you can see in this image the 'true zero' grind that makes these act like chisels while carving:
This will be bright green soon
If I do another one of these I'll be more careful with the tang cutout, when it gets too wide you end up with epoxy fill at the tapered gaurd. It doesn't hurt functinoality, it just looks bad. The handle is only epoxied together, since I couldn't think of a way to screw them together being so thin and the gaurd having no pre-drilled holes.
it rests really flat on the hip, being very slim in every way
the 'wave' like pocket function. It rests deep enough in my dickies work jeans that it looks no more obtrusive than a folder clip
I mostly use this at work since I can't carry my normal overkill-edc, a busse proto boss jack. The 612 mod is replacing my kershaw chill in my right pocket. It slices better, has more edge, and has a softer handle shape.
-no choil
-compact design, no wasted space in front of the index finger or behind the pinky (meaning no extended gaurd/ricasso and no extended pommel)
-thin handle to conserve weight and pocketability
-thin in stock and edge thickness/grind
-roughly 4.5-5" of edge
-preferably carbon steel
So I took the 612, removed the handle and ground the blade to be a high flat saber. When I was sanding out the flats I was doing it on a piece of kydex forming foam, and the result was that I got a high polished convex edge without meaning too, but it's good enough that I'm not going to give it a flat v until it gets dull. I took a plate of 3/8" black/green g10, cut it in half and cut out the tang shape so I could epoxy them together. The inlay's were meant to make it more visisble if dropped in the woods, but I'm gonig to have to replace the pine tree's jade g10 with some toxic green that I'm getting from usaknifemaker in a few days. I made a kydex sheath for it (which I can't show because of proprietary kydex techniques not yet trademarked o_o) that has a small teklock. With the teklock it still rests flat in the pocket, but hooks on my coin pocket that has a kershaw stockman and a lip balm stick in it, effectively giving it a 'wave' like feature so i can draw it in one motion without cutting my pockets.
Overall I'm really happy with it. I understand why mora's have the puuko grind, they are supposed to act like chisels. But even with thin stock I dislike how they interact with media when slicing and I don't consider the true-zero edge worth while for edc uses, I'd rather have a thinner grind at the same edge thickness, something that will take less time to work out heavy dings. This knife still carves just fine for how I use it, but it's slimmer and more functional for me.
The handles are both similar length, the g10 being 1/8" longer. However the g10 is .270" thick, just over 1/4", where the original 610 is just under 1" thick. The edge thicknesses are pretty close, 1/16" back from the cutting edge they are both .020" thick. The new g10 balances right at the index where the finger locks into the gaurd, slightly farther forward than the original 612.
original 612 weight: 2.7oz
g10/flat grind mod weight: 2.2oz
Personally I like flat thin handles that are compact in design. They allow for plenty of control and indexing without a lot of bulk. They are very rare to come by, really only being represented by japanese style makers like wally hayes, there are few production options available, and certainly not for 30$ or less.
you can see in this image the 'true zero' grind that makes these act like chisels while carving:
This will be bright green soon
If I do another one of these I'll be more careful with the tang cutout, when it gets too wide you end up with epoxy fill at the tapered gaurd. It doesn't hurt functinoality, it just looks bad. The handle is only epoxied together, since I couldn't think of a way to screw them together being so thin and the gaurd having no pre-drilled holes.
it rests really flat on the hip, being very slim in every way
the 'wave' like pocket function. It rests deep enough in my dickies work jeans that it looks no more obtrusive than a folder clip
I mostly use this at work since I can't carry my normal overkill-edc, a busse proto boss jack. The 612 mod is replacing my kershaw chill in my right pocket. It slices better, has more edge, and has a softer handle shape.
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Personally i like Vic's steel. It's not VG10, but they're tough, easy to sharpen, and they hold an edge reasonably well. The only laminated VG10, micarta-handled paring knives I'm seeing are from some mystery Chinese company. Goodness knows if what you're getting is what you think it is. A Vic paring knife only runs around $8 so the ones you're seeing are only about $13...the list of features you listed makes me leery of the overall quality of the piece given the high-end features. Makes me think they're skimping on important areas in order to add the appearance of quality while keeping the price down.
