Hoffman Harpoon for Wilderness Survival Kit?

SkunkWerX said:
You are ready to rock!!
You can actually practice on one of the files! grind it down into a knife!
;)
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That's what I'm gonna do! Just to get some practice..

SkunkWerX said:
Hint: You will find that the wet wheel wicks out the moisture, you have to refill the next day. You would almost think you have a leak :)
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I noticed that when I was using the wetstone, was wondering if it was normal or not!! Thanks!

SkunkWerX said:
That FakePoon oughtta be close by. I'll see if i can find the receipt...not that USPS tracking is worth a crap.
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Would it look like this??
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It got here today!! Thanks!
 
So after a day or so of grinding on my Fake-poon.. This is what I have got so far..

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Spent quite a bit of time on the blade, thinning it out, and starting to shape it into a "blade" that can be used as a utility blade.

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I have also ground down the back end of the blade, forming kind of a choil.. This should provide a nice finger rest, and allow you to use the blade as a utility blade , as well as a hooked edge to prevent it from coming out when used as a harpoon.

This may take a while, but I am actually trying to take my time and be patient!

I also got the enamel I am using as a finish.. Bright Yellow!!
 
I like the 'choil' ricasso area junction thing. It looks like a gaucho knife almost IMO. I love Gauchos.
 
Looking Good! :thumbup:

You have been doing some grinding! :eek:

Also look at the orginial Harpoon, they have some file work on the spine.
i think that is intended to help hold the catch, and provide for a place for the thumb when using as a knife.

They way I make these, is like this:

-With ruler, mark their desired location.
-Take a small cold chisel & hammer and "dink" the spine where the marks are.
-Take a triangular shaped file and file across the spine a bit, the 'dinks' keep the file from wanting to travel laterally. check that each of them are same size/depth.

I like to take a small round file (Like a chainsaw file) and round the tops of the grooves a little. In the case of Fakepoon, I'd leave them triangular for better "grip", in case you were to stab a nice Salmon. ;)

Way to go Mike, looking good! :thumbup:
 
Hey Mike, you might want to use some "etching" primer when painting it. Can be found at automotive stores. Can give that extra adhesion to the steel.

ALso, in that case, use 220 grit wet dry paper, and sand in 2 directions, or in swirls, that also makes better adhesion for the base coat.

Yellowpoon!
 
Usually when I hear "poon" a knife isn't what comes to mind. :D

Am I the only one who thinks the tang should have a couple holes in it for lashing to a stick?
 
GibsonFan said:
Usually when I hear "poon" a knife isn't what comes to mind. :D

Am I the only one who thinks the tang should have a couple holes in it for lashing to a stick?
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I was thinking about that.. I'm going to draw it out and see what it looks like.. But there definately needs to be something..
 
looks great mike.. great work guys....:thumbup: have you tried lashing onto a stick yet....

i don't know about the poon thing though......:o i just can;t get past it.....:D
 
"Skunk-Mi-Poon!" or "Mi-Skunk-Poon?" sorry, I think it's looking great, very nice job guys, how much!
 
Ahh, Ted Nugent, The Motor City Madman...The Ten Fingers of Doom...Wang-Dang-Sweet-Poontang.

COUGH COUGH, anyway, I had to go back and edit one of my Bandana Articles to reflect the fact that "Harpoon" is also slang for a Harmonica, of all things...Kris Kristofferson using harpoon for harmonica in a "dirty red bandanna" in "Me and Bobby McGee."
 
OMG, this may be the funniest thread I've read in a month. Sweet!
 
Just to show you what it takes to get something out in the knife world. The Harpoon started when a knife maker came by the studio for photographs. He was getting ready for Blade and wanted something to draw attention to some of his big camp knives. I came up with the idea of the Harpoon as an "add-on" to be lashed to the sheath of the bigger knife. He made up a couple and off to Blade they went. They were such a pain to make (that thin shaft can be an agony to grind) that he decided not to do anymore. I had seen how people reacted to them so I decided to see if I could get some more made. Jerry Hossom made up a few more prototypes and offered a few ideas on how to improve them. Ontario was going to produce them along with Jerry's new line of "outdoor" knives but after a year that deal fell through. They had made up some nice prototypes! From there, TOPS picked up the Harpoon (a little later, Spyderco picked up Jerry's knives). It was about three years from the first one to the point that TOPS had them on the market. I will say that TOPS has been so good to work with that they are already working on my next project.
By the way, I like the "homemade" version. It may take a bit of effort but a tool is ALWAYS better when you make it yourself.
 
Terrill said:
Just to show you what it takes to get something out in the knife world. The Harpoon started when a knife maker came by the studio for photographs. He was getting ready for Blade and wanted something to draw attention to some of his big camp knives. I came up with the idea of the Harpoon as an "add-on" to be lashed to the sheath of the bigger knife. He made up a couple and off to Blade they went. They were such a pain to make (that thin shaft can be an agony to grind) that he decided not to do anymore. I had seen how people reacted to them so I decided to see if I could get some more made. Jerry Hossom made up a few more prototypes and offered a few ideas on how to improve them. Ontario was going to produce them along with Jerry's new line of "outdoor" knives but after a year that deal fell through. They had made up some nice prototypes! From there, TOPS picked up the Harpoon (a little later, Spyderco picked up Jerry's knives). It was about three years from the first one to the point that TOPS had them on the market. I will say that TOPS has been so good to work with that they are already working on my next project.
By the way, I like the "homemade" version. It may take a bit of effort but a tool is ALWAYS better when you make it yourself.
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Terrill, Thanks for all the background info, it's very interesting.
(that thin shaft can be an agony to grind)
You got that right!! It's like 8" of misery to get it shaped! :grumpy:

It looks like TOPS did a fine job with it.

Here is a question for you, is there a preferred method for lashing it?
Does the TOPS model come with "instructions" for use, that you know of?
just curious.
 
That is some good 411. A real insiders perspective. Great post!
 
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