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FortyTwoBlades

FortyTwoBlades

Baryonyx walkeri
Dealer / Materials Provider
Joined
Mar 8, 2008
Messages
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Hey all. Figured this would be a good place to ask this. I'm trying to find a maker capable of making the following design a reality.

OdinKnifeConcept.jpg


Blade Length: 12"
OAL: ~18"
Maximum Blade Width: 5"
Stock Thickness: 1/8"
Handle Material: Smooth Black G10

This is a machete-like design, hence the lack of a primary grind. The partial back-edge is just a swedge to aid in penetration. Non-edged regions would be radiused for comfort. The vertical lines are narrow fullers to give the thin blade some rigidity.

The piece is based off of the historical Italian renaissance cinquedea, and example of which is shown below.

Cinquedea1.jpg


My biggest limiting factors are:

1) Because of it's size and dimensions it would need to be done by someone with a coal forge. It's too big/fat for most gas forges.

2) I'm a college student so while I understand that custom work demands a fair cost, I'm looking for folks who do good work for a good price.

Help me out, guys! :D
 
Just FYI, from a engineering point of view, fullers don't add strength, rigidity, any of that. What they do is remove more weight than they do strength/rigidity, thus increasing the strength/weight ratio. If weight isn't super-important, the fullers just add complexity.

Oh, and I'd ask this in the Shop Talk forum as well, there is only moderate overlap between the makers there and here.
 
They're an optional component, and not a deal-breaker for the design. I like the fact that it's more...traditional for the style, though.
 
Huh. Figured folks would have already chimed in by now. :confused: In the meantime I'll keep looking around the great big interwebs. :)
 
Just my opinion here but I think 1/8" material is going to be problematic with that size of blade, especially with the fullers, they would have to be not much more than 1/32" deep. IMO you would need to use at the very least 3/16" steel and more likely 5/16" to get the effect you are looking for or to replicate that blade pictured.
 
Esav Benyamin said:
Putting it in the wrong forum cuts back on responses from the right people. :)
Moved to Shop Talk.
Click to expand...

Thanks, Esav! I don't normally post in these areas, so I'll admit to being a bit lost! :foot:

69_knives said:
Just my opinion here but I think 1/8" material is going to be problematic with that size of blade, especially with the fullers, they would have to be not much more than 1/32" deep. IMO you would need to use at the very least 3/16" steel and more likely 5/16" to get the effect you are looking for or to replicate that blade pictured.
Click to expand...

I'm not really trying to replicate the antique in the bottom pic, but rather just showing what the design was inspired by. :)
I suppose 3/16 wouldn't be bad, but the blade needs to stay thin as a whole to maintain its machete-like function and slice well without a primary grind. Do you think it would still slice well in 3/16? Or if you think thicker stock with a primary grind on it would work, I'm open to that as well. I'm not just looking to find someone to make the thing--I'm also open to suggestions! I would like to keep it as thin and dagger-y as possible though. :D
 
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Just a thought here but the carbon steel may be the wrong approach, perhaps a stainless steel would be a better choice, the blade would be wrapped during heat treat so the maker wouldn't have to contend with scale and decarb afterwards. That way the tiny fullers could be machined into the thin steel more precisely and not ground away while cleaning up the scale and decarb.. Also a plate quench should keep the blade a little straighter.
 
I have no problem with stainless, as long as it's given a HT that'll allow it to take impact well. I have some nice big Condor machetes in 420HC, and they do a great job. :):thumbup:
 
I'm pretty sure there's a maker that can handle that size of blade in their kiln or maybe one of the pro HT guys can do it.
 
I think part of the lack of response is that this is not a simple or cheap project. Many of the guys who mill their blades would do it cheaper than a forging maker.
Stacy
 
I'd have that waterjet cut by David from GLWJ, Could do it easily the rest of the way with a cold chisel and an angle grinder or 1x30, then send out for HT.
 
bladsmth said:
I think part of the lack of response is that this is not a simple or cheap project. Many of the guys who mill their blades would do it cheaper than a forging maker.
Stacy
Click to expand...

I wouldn't want it forged anyhow. That WOULD make it expensive. What I was saying is that the dimensions just make it too large for most makers that use gas forges for their heat treatment. Thus for the heat treatment process it would take someone with either a larger-than-average gas forge or a coal forge. If made with straight up bar/sheet stock it would be pretty straight-forward, minus the heat-treating bit. :)

Sam--that's actually a really good idea! I know most makers refuse to work on anything that they haven't made themselves, but do you think they'd be willing to grind it and then slap a handle on it after sending it out-of-shop for HT?

So annoying that the size alone is what causes the whole hang-up here. :(
 
I don't know what the hell you are talking about :) , makers refusing to work on anything they haven't made themselves, they would really just be working from your design, if you had any stock removal guy make that I can bet that's jsut what they would do. I would email David about it, he makes knives he might be willing to. Why so wide? I am guessing you read alot of zombie stories, or like digging holes....:D ? If you are basing it off the cinquedia, I can bet you right now none were 5 inches wide.
 
Sam Salvati said:
I don't know what the hell you are talking about :) , makers refusing to work on anything they haven't made themselves, they would really just be working from your design, if you had any stock removal guy make that I can bet that's jsut what they would do. I would email David about it, he makes knives he might be willing to. Why so wide? I am guessing you read alot of zombie stories, or like digging holes....:D ? If you are basing it off the cinquedia, I can bet you right now none were 5 inches wide.
Click to expand...

The width is to maximize mass behind the cutting edge, as it's a guardless design. In essence it has blade where the guard WOULD have been. It's intended as a machete-like chopper that can still slice and pierce well. Width might end up more around 4"...I just haven't done the measurements from the drawing. :)

If all else fails I'll just have it done smaller, (which would save me money and a lot of work...hmmm:D) but I rather like the idea of how impressive it would be at full size.
 
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Here's a possibly more manageable version in around a 13" OAL. :o

OdinKnifeMini.jpg
 
FYI , don't know your budget but I thought I would throw this out for you . As a stock removal guy myself , materials only for a project like that is running up to $150.00 .
 
Sounds about what I was expecting for material costs. :thumbup: I'm still a little way away from actually being able to do the project, but getting the details worked out in the meantime helps out a lot. I probably wouldn't have the dough to blow on it until next summer.
 
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