- Joined
- Dec 5, 2005
- Messages
- 28,039
This rig was a request from a fine Bladeforums fellow, and I was eager to take it on owing to the fact that I really wanted to check out
Nathan the Machinist
's take on the uber classic Kephart knife. The knife, I must say, is unlike any knife I've used and it's found a place near to where my heart might be if I had one.
My goal for this rig was to keep things slender and compact- I wanted it to be sized to fit in a pants pocket if need be, or a water bottle pocket in a backpack. After all, a survival knife is the one you have on you! With a fire started kit and a very handy abrasive tool known generally as a 'sharpener', this little package will help get you through...well, whatever.
The leather is 8-10oz veg tan, with Ritza thread and a hot wax treatment. There is an anti cut-thru application inside the sheath which should help keep the point from exiting the side of the sheath during a fall. This rig should stand the test of time. But we shall see.
Retention is very high. Most of the time when I'm making a sheath I aim for a nice, smooth draw. Not this time- although the knife can be withdrawn easily with one hand because of the thumb ramp, the sheath is preloaded in two spots in order to provide some friction. The rationale being that this knife comes out when it's time to set things up or take things down. It's more of a camp tool- more strategic than tactical if you pick up what I'm putting down.
Anyway, cool project. A lot of work, a lot of firsts.
Nathan the Machinist
's take on the uber classic Kephart knife. The knife, I must say, is unlike any knife I've used and it's found a place near to where my heart might be if I had one.My goal for this rig was to keep things slender and compact- I wanted it to be sized to fit in a pants pocket if need be, or a water bottle pocket in a backpack. After all, a survival knife is the one you have on you! With a fire started kit and a very handy abrasive tool known generally as a 'sharpener', this little package will help get you through...well, whatever.
The leather is 8-10oz veg tan, with Ritza thread and a hot wax treatment. There is an anti cut-thru application inside the sheath which should help keep the point from exiting the side of the sheath during a fall. This rig should stand the test of time. But we shall see.
Retention is very high. Most of the time when I'm making a sheath I aim for a nice, smooth draw. Not this time- although the knife can be withdrawn easily with one hand because of the thumb ramp, the sheath is preloaded in two spots in order to provide some friction. The rationale being that this knife comes out when it's time to set things up or take things down. It's more of a camp tool- more strategic than tactical if you pick up what I'm putting down.
Anyway, cool project. A lot of work, a lot of firsts.
