Just finished my second knife. I'll be carrying it on my upcoming thru-hike of the Appalachian Trail, so I'll be depending on it in the woods for about six months.
The steel is 3/16" 0-1, which I hand filed and finished. Handle material is homemade micarta (black t-shirts plus fiberglass). Maker's mark was done with scraped wax, salt water, and a pair of 9V batteries.
Heat treat was done in a kiln at 1475F for 30 minutes followed by two two-hour cycles of 400F oven tempering.
Sheath is kydex and came out really well. It's got a drain hole at the bottom, thumb rest for easier draw, and clicks in very positively. It took forever, but I got the retention interacting only with the metal on the hilt so that it won't wear the handle material. I used a wide clip, which I like a lot. It attaches to a belt or pack strap and also my hammock ridge line at night.
It's sharp and fits my hand amazingly well. I'm very happy with it and it's a huge step up from my first knife.
The steel is 3/16" 0-1, which I hand filed and finished. Handle material is homemade micarta (black t-shirts plus fiberglass). Maker's mark was done with scraped wax, salt water, and a pair of 9V batteries.
Heat treat was done in a kiln at 1475F for 30 minutes followed by two two-hour cycles of 400F oven tempering.
Sheath is kydex and came out really well. It's got a drain hole at the bottom, thumb rest for easier draw, and clicks in very positively. It took forever, but I got the retention interacting only with the metal on the hilt so that it won't wear the handle material. I used a wide clip, which I like a lot. It attaches to a belt or pack strap and also my hammock ridge line at night.
It's sharp and fits my hand amazingly well. I'm very happy with it and it's a huge step up from my first knife.
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