Just for fun: design your dream custom Gunhammer!

[neuron]

I was putting in an order for a custom Gunhammer with Darrel recently and it struck me just how much fun I was having designing my knife from the incredible array of materials and features that are available. There's a ton of cool options to choose from, ranging from the blade steel to the handle material and texturing to the lock type (frame lock vs. liner lock) to the inlay material.

So I figured that it'd be fun to start a thread in which everyone could go through that process of choosing which combination of options they'd want if they were to order a custom Gunhammer from Darrel. I picked the Gunhammer since, as much as I like the Madd Maxx and AXD, the GH is my personal favorite of Darrel's models and the one I'm most familiar with the options on. The GH also seems to be the most popular model among the regular posters on this forum. Nevertheless, if your favorite DDR knife is the AXD, Madd Maxx, or Venturi balisong, feel free to share what your dream version of that would be instead.

A couple of rules/assumptions of this little game. First, assume that price doesn't matter (the knife is being bought for you by a wealthy benefactor, etc.). Second, the knife you design is one that you have to keep, whether as a collection/display piece or as a knife you'd actually carry/use. (The reason I added this stipulation is so that people can't just choose, say, a Gunhammer with solid gold handles and diamond inlays, on the grounds that they could sell it off and use the proceeds to buy dozens of DDR customs.)

Without further ado, here's a list of the options you have to play with:


Lock and Opening Mechanisms:

• Lock: Frame or Liner lock
• Opening Mechanism: Assisted Opening, Maxx Glide bearing system (unassisted)

Blade:

• Shape: Standard Bowie, Radian, Torpedo, RC2 (recurve tanto), MB (military bowie)
• Material: any common or semi-common PM steel used in knives (S30V, S35VN, CPM-154, M390, Elmax, etc.), Chad Nichols damascus (too many patterns to list), as well as Stellite 6K (technically not a steel)
• Finish: Satin is the only option I've ever gotten, but I'm sure if you wanted something else (DLC, stonewashed, non-glare [as on the HTM GHs]) Darrel could do it

Handle:

• Scale Material: Titanium, Damascus steel
• Scale Thickness: regular (thinner), "Heavy Duty" (thicker, around .25")
• Machining: Contoured, CNC textured (see the WIP thread for examples of the texturing patterns)
• Scale Finish (for Ti handles): anodized (Blue, Gold, Purple), satin, stonewashed, blasted
• Inlay Material: pretty much anything you can imagine (CF, LSCF, various colors of Micarta & G-10, Mokume, various woods, damascus, etc.)

Other:

• Hardware Color: silver, "fire-colored" (usually gold, can also be a bluish-purple)

Alright, that's the basic list of the options that you have to choose from (although, for simplicity's sake, I've left off some of the really exotic and rare stuff such as Nichols MokuTi for the handles and San Mai Damascus for the blades). Design away!

 

[TheBleedingEdge]

My ideal Gunhammer would be a straightforward workhorse. Here's my set-up:

Lock and Opening Mechanism:
I'd definitely go for a frame-lock and assisted opener. The HTM AO system kicks, and Darrel's frame locks look like real beasts.

Blade:
I'd nab me a four-inch torpedo blade in M390. Satin finish for corrosion resistance and eye-catching appeal. I would ask for a special high grind that closely resembles a full-flat grind for scary cutting power.

Handle:
The handle would be titanium, for sure. I'd get in regular thickness, and with Darrel's ETAC machined texture for a sure grip. No inlays or embellishments - just a bead blast or a long-exposure stonewash over the ETAC would make for a solid, attractive workhorse.

Hardware:
I would probably get subdued hardware to match the scale colour- something to make the knife appear to be a fixed blade while it's open. And of course, I would ask for the classic Celtic Cross pivot.

Man, just typing that got my mouth watering. I can't wait to order my custom Gunhammer.

 

[neuron]

My ideal Gunhammer would be a straightforward workhorse. Here's my set-up:

Lock and Opening Mechanism:
I'd definitely go for a frame-lock and assisted opener. The HTM AO system kicks, and Darrel's frame locks look like real beasts.

Blade:
I'd nab me a four-inch torpedo blade in M390. Satin finish for corrosion resistance and eye-catching appeal. I would ask for a special high grind that closely resembles a full-flat grind for scary cutting power.

Handle:
The handle would be titanium, for sure. I'd get in regular thickness, and with Darrel's ETAC machined texture for a sure grip. No inlays or embellishments - just a bead blast or a long-exposure stonewash over the ETAC would make for a solid, attractive workhorse.

Hardware:
I would probably get subdued hardware to match the scale colour- something to make the knife appear to be a fixed blade while it's open. And of course, I would ask for the classic Celtic Cross pivot.

Man, just typing that got my mouth watering. I can't wait to order my custom Gunhammer.

Excellent choices -- you and I have very similar taste in Gunhammers.

Regarding the part in bold/blue, you might be interested to know that Darrel just started offering a cool option where they anodize the titanium and then blast it. The color is still clearly visible (albeit with a subdued rather than shiny appearance), but the grip/feel is similar to blasted, un-anodized titanium. Basically, you get a very attractive compromise between appearance and grip. Darrel had a couple prototypes with this finish (and CNC textured thin Ti handles) at SHOT -- I'm a big fan of it. :thumbup:

 

[harkamus]

TheBleedingEdge's version is pretty similar to the custom I'm getting made. I went with an RC2 blade shape after falling in love with it. I also opted for m390. That was a recent change actually. I was going with Elmax at first. Stone washed blade, bead blasted ETAC titanium handles. Linerlock. And a special 1 of 1 feature that will at least stay 1 of 1 until you guys see it, at which point you can feel free to request this option if he decides to offer it beyond mine. Oh yea, no assist for mine.

My reasoning for bead blasting the ti handles is because with ETAC, I am gonna hazard a guess that you can't really stone wash that easily with the texturing that you have from ETAC. I also want this to be a user so that's why I went with a stone washed blade that's pretty much already scratched every which way imaginable. It will wear well because it's already worn. Same reasoning behind the bead blast handles somewhat.

 

[TheBleedingEdge]

Excellent choices -- you and I have very similar taste in Gunhammers.

Regarding the part in bold/blue, you might be interested to know that Darrel just started offering a cool option where they anodize the titanium and then blast it. The color is still clearly visible (albeit with a subdued rather than shiny appearance), but the grip/feel is similar to blasted, un-anodized titanium. Basically, you get a very attractive compromise between appearance and grip. Darrel had a couple prototypes with this finish (and CNC textured thin Ti handles) at SHOT -- I'm a big fan of it. :thumbup:

Sounds interesting. Do you have a link to a photo of that set-up specifically? I'd love to see how it looks!

TheBleedingEdge's version is pretty similar to the custom I'm getting made. I went with an RC2 blade shape after falling in love with it. I also opted for m390. That was a recent change actually. I was going with Elmax at first. Stone washed blade, bead blasted ETAC titanium handles. Linerlock. And a special 1 of 1 feature that will at least stay 1 of 1 until you guys see it, at which point you can feel free to request this option if he decides to offer it beyond mine. Oh yea, no assist for mine.

My reasoning for bead blasting the ti handles is because with ETAC, I am gonna hazard a guess that you can't really stone wash that easily with the texturing that you have from ETAC. I also want this to be a user so that's why I went with a stone washed blade that's pretty much already scratched every which way imaginable. It will wear well because it's already worn. Same reasoning behind the bead blast handles somewhat.

Good thought on the stonewashed handles, Hark. The media would probably affect the ETAC grip. Bead blast would be the way to go then. And I might stonewash the blade, except that I love Darrel's satin finishes. I recently had the privilege of seeing one up close, and it was immaculate.

Decisions, decisions.

Odds are I'll be ordering my first custom soon if my tax return is good to me.

 

[neuron]

Sounds interesting. Do you have a link to a photo of that set-up specifically? I'd love to see how it looks!

The GP Knives folks were at the show and bought one of the two protos with that finish. By the time I saw it listed on their site it was gone (must have sold almost instantly), but they still have the pics up. This is what it looks like with Ti that's anodized purple and then given the blasting treatment:

 

[harkamus]

There's something I have not seen before. I like it, but for my personal custom, I still prefer bare blasted scales. I just think it gives character when worn in, like a well used Sebenza.

 

[Apec]

My custom setup:

As much as I would love a RC2 blade, for a user I find sharpening tantos very messy at the joined edges. Torpedo in M390 it is, with a satin finish. I'd also like a false hamon applied to the edge of the blade, kinda like the blades on Microtech Katana variants.

I'd also get non-textured contoured Ti handles with a satin finish, and a Lightning strike CF backspacer instead of the standoffs (if possible) - with two thin gold-anodized liners on either side of the LSCF. Framelock, non assisted.

 

[TheBleedingEdge]

The GP Knives folks were at the show and bought one of the two protos with that finish. By the time I saw it listed on their site it was gone (must have sold almost instantly), but they still have the pics up. This is what it looks like with Ti that's anodized purple and then given the blasting treatment:

That's not bad. I'll probably go with that look for one of my dressier knives.

I definitely love that blade shape though. It would make a great complement to the Gunhammer Bowie.

Can't wait to see the special feature you've been talking about, Hark. I'm guessing it'll be some kind of tactical espresso maker mounted on the tang. Manual operation, of course.

 

[neuron]

I definitely love that blade shape though. It would make a great complement to the Gunhammer Bowie.

Yeah, I thought you'd like the blade shape, which is a slightly streamlined variant of the Torpedo blade.

 

[harkamus]

I do love me some espresso! You know back in the day, there were rifles made with coffee grinders in the butt stock for soldiers to grind their coffee. I forget the name of the rifle exactly.

 

[Mulefun]

Frame Lock
Maxx glide
Torpedo
m 390 or a plain stellite 6K or maybe the san mai stellite damascus like the moku-ti one.
satin finish except damascus
Ti
Heavy Duty
etac or slant (depends on how it looks with options below)
stone washed or blasted anodized blue/dark blue if possible.
superconductor and lscf inlays
superconductor thumbstuds rest of the hardware depends on what would fit the knife.

 

[neuron]

My custom setup:

As much as I would love a RC2 blade, for a user I find sharpening tantos very messy at the joined edges. Torpedo in M390 it is, with a satin finish. I'd also like a false hamon applied to the edge of the blade, kinda like the blades on Microtech Katana variants.

I'd also get non-textured contoured Ti handles with a satin finish, and a Lightning strike CF backspacer instead of the standoffs (if possible) - with two thin gold-anodized liners on either side of the LSCF. Framelock, non assisted.

Frame Lock
Maxx glide
Torpedo
m 390 or a plain stellite 6K or maybe the san mai stellite damascus like the moku-ti one.
satin finish except damascus
Ti
Heavy Duty
etac or slant (depends on how it looks with options below)
stone washed or blasted anodized blue/dark blue if possible.
superconductor and lscf inlays
superconductor thumbstuds rest of the hardware depends on what would fit the knife.

Very cool choices, guys! Great to see all the love for the Torpedo blade (my favorite)!

Mulefun, I'm especially intrigued by the superconductor inlay. I did a quick google search and found a few pictures of Gunhammers with that inlay material, and it looks incredible! I'm definitely going to check with Darrel about getting that on one of my knives in the future.

Let's keep 'em coming, guys! I know there are other folks out there who have some cool Gunhammer designs floating around in their heads! (Crimsonfalcon, we already know your dream Gunhammer has a damascus blade, damascus thumbstuds and pocket clip, damascus handles, and damascus-inlaid damascus inlay, but you can still play, too. )

 

[Mulefun]

Or take mine from above change the blue anodizing too black, swap out the lscf for bronze carbon fiber polish it and maybe blast it.

 

[slight]

Gunhammer- This is what I have been toying around thinking about getting.

radian m390 blade, regular thickness ti, beadblasted anodized gold with the blinged out hardware and maxx glide, liner lock.

a clip point 4in framelock madd maxx completely stonewashed with machined handles. probably also m390 bc why settle for less? and assisted on the madd maxx

silver and gold or gold and white gold. the gunhammer and madd maxx are my two favorite designs that i have seen. i dont know if i can live without them much longer.

 

[crimsonfalcon07]

(Crimsonfalcon, we already know your dream Gunhammer has a damascus blade, damascus thumbstuds and pocket clip, damascus handles, and damascus-inlaid damascus inlay, but you can still play, too. )

Not quite, actually. Especially now. I'm gunning for the M390 san mai blade now (probably bowie, although I'd be happy with torpedo), moku-ti or damascus framelock (gotta be 3.5" to meet legal standards here), etac or the other similar custom texturing, some smallish but elegant malachite inlay. No pocket clip, so I don't have to worry about scratching it when I remove the clip, since I never use one. Before, the inlay might have been mammoth bone. Still might. No sense doing a damascus inlay in damascus handles. Gotta have SOME contrast. Actually, a nice stabilized wood might look nice too, some sort of a burl (amboyna, perhaps? Or a died maple, or bocote). I like carbon fiber, but it doesn't have enough individual flavor. Just sent an email in to request a price quote, since the one I sent last week may not have gone through.

 

[neuron]

Not quite, actually. Especially now. I'm gunning for the M390 san mai blade now (probably bowie, although I'd be happy with torpedo), moku-ti or damascus framelock (gotta be 3.5" to meet legal standards here), etac or the other similar custom texturing, some smallish but elegant malachite inlay. No pocket clip, so I don't have to worry about scratching it when I remove the clip, since I never use one. Before, the inlay might have been mammoth bone. Still might. No sense doing a damascus inlay in damascus handles. Gotta have SOME contrast. Actually, a nice stabilized wood might look nice too, some sort of a burl (amboyna, perhaps? Or a died maple, or bocote). I like carbon fiber, but it doesn't have enough individual flavor. Just sent an email in to request a price quote, since the one I sent last week may not have gone through.

Heh...in that earlier post, I was just lightly poking fun at your well-known affinity for damascus.

Very nice choices on your actual dream Gunhammer. I agree that the M390 san mai damascus looks like amazing stuff. Being a high-performance steel nut, I haven't had much of an interest in "regular" (non-san-mai) damascus since, despite its awesome looks, the performance isn't on the same level as many modern PM steels (M390, Elmax, S30V, S90V, etc.). But the san mai damascus Chad and Darrel have cooked up really does seem to offer the best of both worlds by combining great aesthetics along with the performance of M390 or whatever else is used as the core material.

Your idea of malachite as the inlay material is very cool, too. I think it would look fantastic with damascus rather than MokuTi handles; the green would really pop out against the grays of the damascus of the blade and handles, whereas it wouldn't stand out quite as much against the colored patterns of the MokuTi (assuming you had it anodized).

 

[Darrel Ralph]

Keep them coming guys!!!!

 

[harkamus]

Keep them coming guys!!!!

I think I need to get mine soon, Darrel, just so I can dispel the myth about me getting rhinestones on it. lol

 

[crimsonfalcon07]

Can't wait to get my price quote so's I can start saving!