Help needed with final knife shape (pictures)

S

Steinmann

Joined
Jan 12, 2010
Messages
99
Hello to all. I will appreciate your ideas with this 4mm O1 steel pattern; I want it to be a bushcraft or any other heavy outdoor (no fighter or so), but something is wrong with the form or proportion, and I can not tell what. Would you please draw your lines idea of how I should change the form? Pls feel free to edit the pictures with your thoughts.
Thank you very much – Michael.

Idea001.jpg


Idea002.jpg
 
Your nose is too squared off I think..I'll mark up a pic in a sec, but I think that's what is a bit off.

Sloppy, but maybe this is what you mean. So I trimmed a bit off the curve at the tip, brought it in, then steepened the 'front' of the choil and raised it a bit...then I got sloppy on the rest of the handle, but the tip trim and raising up the front of the choil angle changes the balance of the profile. Thinning the handle is too tough to judge by a pic tho for the overall size.

idea002_take2.jpg
 
Last edited:
well just looking at it, I see what you mean. What are the dimensions of the knife so far? I can't PS over it right now, im viewing it on my phone,, but I think if you straighten out the edge before the belly and bring it up maybe 1/8 of profile height that would help. Also the tang looks kinda short for the height. Maybe thin the back end on the underside. Making more of a notch for your little finger, looks too round.


-Xander
 
I would slim down that handle especially towards the butt. And what the others said about the blade. Looking good.
 
I agree with patrice about the handle toward the butt but seems I'm the only one who likes the blade shape as is. looks good
 
Here are my thoughts. I think the blade may be a bit tall for the overall knife. I raised the edge of the blade a bit and then slightly modified the curve over the spine of the blade. For a bush craft style knife, you'd likely want to be able to do some chopping here and there, and that sharp angle on the butt of the handle will tear your palm up. I rounded that a bit, raised the bottom of the handle some, and then increased the depth/radius of the finger grooves. I kept everything within the lines of what you already have.

Again, these are just my thoughts. It's your knife, so you have every right to make it exactly how you like it. :)

Original.jpg

untitled.jpg


edited to add: When I look at my drawing, you may even keep a bit more swell towards the butt of the handle than I left.

When I look at a blade profile, I kind of blur my eyes a bit and look at the fuzzy overall shape of the knife. Does it look right? Or better yet, hold up the profile against a bright background and look at it in shadow/relief. Hang it up in front of a doorway or window and look at the profile. I do this constantly when profiling every knife, take a bit here and there until it feels right to my eye and my hand.

--nathan
 
Last edited:
Good point re the depth of the blade.

If you just round it like I showed, you lose a lot of the straight cutting edge...though the rocker might be better for skinning. It will depend on what you want to do. For general use the narrower blade would make more sense.

It is amazing to me as a non maker how subtle blade profiles can be...grinds too for that matter. Gives me a big appreciation for the classic lines of many designs.
 
Just an other idea

Personaly I don't like the line of the end of the handle where it is cut at an almost 45degree angle
I see a nice hidden tang in your blade. Possibly with a leather handle

GroteFoto-F36WKDNJ.jpg
 
Quote: Hello to all. I will appreciate your ideas with this 4mm O1 steel pattern; I want it to be a bushcraft or any other heavy outdoor (no fighter or so), but something is wrong with the form or proportion, and I can not tell what.

Just my opinions...

It seems very wide to me, both the handle and the blade. They could both be narrowed by removing 1/4 - 3/8 inch off the top. right now it impresses me as being more of a cleaver than a knife.

The angles on the handle LOOK OK to me but for the type of knife you described looks are of secondary importance. I think they will cause problems to the palm of your hand when hold the handle farther back or are pushing on it as when trying to make a hole with the point of the blade. I recommend rounding them off.

The finger notch looks out of wacks to me. It might be too small. I find that if I can get a one-inch sanding tube and fit it it will be OK. Also the "bump" behind the notch looks to me like it will keep the index finger separated from the rest of the fingers rather than help provide a better grip. I would make the bump more of a point. Not a sharp point but definitely not so flattened.

The belly of the blade has a definite flat area right under the point before it begins to curve to meet the flat bottom part of the cutting edge. Getting rid of the flat area under the point by better rounding it off would certainly change the appearance and maybe make the point a little better for piercing. If hacking is more important then maybe leave it as it is.

Let me close with a quote from Nathan, "these are just my thoughts. It's your knife, so you have every right to make it exactly how you like it."

LonePine
AKA Paul Meske, Wisconsin
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top