Just finished this one!

Ivan Campos

Ivan Campos

Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
Joined
Apr 4, 1999
Messages
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Here is a small Vespa I just finished this afternoon.

I has a 4 1/2" long K-100 tool steel blade, a resin soaked cord wrapped ivory colored ray skin handle and a velvet lined Concealex sheath with J style belt clip.
I really like this design - one of the first I made when I started making knives.
Let me know what you think about it, guys!


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Ivan Campos
Full-time knifemaker...finally!

http://www.bitweb.com.br/users/campos
 
Very nice. Is the velvet-lined sheath for scratch-resisting purposes? Are there any steels K-100 is similar to (5160, 52100, D-2, A-2, etc)? Thanks.
 
I like this knife very much, but I like mine better.
wink.gif


Ivan, I would also like to know if K100 is the same or similar to any other steel. Thanks.



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Keith

AKTI Member #A001338
 
Thank you guys for your comments - it is far from the quality you have achieved, Bruce, but I'll get there someday, hopefully.
Regarding the velvet lined sheath, Burke, its main purpose is to stop the Kydex/Concealex sheath from scratching the blade, but it also has the ability to make the draw much smoother, almost like, well... velvet!
K-100 steel is the same as D-3 steel and very similar to D-6 (so similar that they are considered the same for most industrial aplications). It is a very tough tool steel, very hard to grind and finish ( I can profile and grind 4 440C blades at the same time I make one K-100 blade of similar size ), very resistent to rust (but it will!), usually presenting only some discoloration spots here and there if left unlubricated. It holds an edge very well, staying right up with 440V on knifemaker Flavio Ikoma's tests. I really like this steel and should be buying a door sized sheet of it in June to be able to get it in thinner sizes than 6mm. I should mention that I also work with other steels, like 440C and talonite, for those concerned with rust, 5160 mainly for prototypes (due to its availability and the possibility of tempering it at a local blacksmith) or anything else chosen by the customer, and that, except for 5160, 1095 and similar steels, all my heat treatment is done by Flavio Ikoma in the state of the art furnace he has built.


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Ivan Campos
Full-time knifemaker...finally!

http://www.bitweb.com.br/users/campos
 
Keith, do a search for my review of my Campos Model 150 Standard Tanto (his Christmas giveway, which I was fortunate enough to win). K-100 has superb edge holding qualities. I think you could hack through a 2 x 4 and then shave with it.
 
Thanks for the info Ivan. The more I learn about the knife I have on the way, the harder it is to wait. Oh well, it should be here very soon and then I will get to fondle it for a while. After that I am going to put it through some paces and see how it does.

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Keith

AKTI Member #A001338
 
Sorry to be a little late to your party, Ivan. Overall, I really like the looks of your knife. (I must admit learning it has the same name as an Italian motor scooter, while being mostly Japanese in style amused me.)

The handle looks extremely comfortable, and affords a good lower guard. The blade exudes power. Am not too sure if this is purely a fighter, or also has utility applications. It sure looks up to the toughest of jobs. Is it 1/4" stock? Also, is the blade ground in chisel fashion? I'm not terribly fond of that, but it does certainly have its merits, and at least you made it for right-handers.

A good knife, I think!


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Asi es la vida

Bugs
 
Hello

I know wich scooter are you talking about - there are still plenty of them on the streets over here and they possibly have been made in Brazil too, but I am not sure of this information.
But vespa also means wasp in Portuguese, and this knife's handle, with it's skull crusher, reminds me a lot of the shape of the abdome of these agressive insects, of wich there are plenty around my home and shop.
All of the knives I make are pure fighters - what I call "pocket swords" - but most of my customers won't wait for a fight to use it, though. They are a bit on the hard side, so not meant for heavy chopping tasks - but thay are usually too short for this, anyway.
I use a very heavy chisel grind - probably heavier than most guys doing chisel ground blades - in order to reach the largest possible damage when hittimg a target, but still able to cut decently. All my knives are chisel ground to the side chosen by the customer. As I am right-handed, most of the knives I make for stock are right-handed too.


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Ivan Campos
Full-time knifemaker...finally!


http://www.bitweb.com.br/users/campos

Visit Cutelaria Hoje - The first Brazilian virtual knife magazine
(English/Portuguese)
http://www.cutelariahoje.com.br
 
That's another nice looking knife Ivan. Thanks for your comments about K-100.
 
I would love to get both of them Ivan, but can afford only one right now. You never know what the future will bring though.

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Keith

AKTI Member #A001338
 
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