Making your knife yours.

namaarie

namaarie

Joined
Aug 23, 2004
Messages
1,499
In the last couple of days, I've gotten a lot closer to my 18" WWII. This is because, after getting my belt sander, I've taken an interest in personalizing my khuk. I gave it a hair-popping conves edge for starters. Today, I completely reworked the handle with the sander and sandpaper. I changed the hilt profile from the eye-shape to a teardrop shape to prevent my hand from getting poked on follow-thorough. I also eliminated the ring around the handle in all spots but the bottom (edge side), where I made it into a less abrupt drop-off. This aids retention but prevents rubbing. Then the standard tru-oil. I'm really thinking about acid-etching in the next couple of days. It feels great, and so do I.

More importantly, it feels like its really mine. That's cool.


So, I'll leave this open-ended:

What are your best stories of cutlery personalization? What was that momement when knives became more than just a consumer pursuit?

Pics are of course welcome! :D


So, whadaya all gotz? :cool:



Nam
 
Id like to see your pics first!!

I did something similar to the Rod Allen Hanshee prototype, but only because the hanshee should have a long, slender handle and the prototype came with the standard bell-shaped khukuri handle. I also saw some kardas and chakmas JP posted that had long, flat choils in the blades. I did that to mine as well, as I believe many other cantinistas have done.

Frankly, I'd prefer to have the Rod Allen Hanshee to have a proper, full length curved handle the way a hanshee ought to have.

Dan, would you be interested in doing that ?
Id let you take it to the khukuri konventions so everyone could play with it before you convex it and send it back to japan......
 
namaarie said:
What are your best stories of cutlery personalization?
Click to expand...

You could stick a piece of masking tape with your name on it.
:rolleyes: :)

I had this magic marker that was almost dry. I had to struggle to write my name on the tape, but I perservered. :p
 
I usually just lick the handle of any new khuk that I get...just like i lick the donuts in the breakroom. makes 'em mine and no one else will touch 'em:)

Jake
 
Handles: if I'm going to be using them for any length of time, the back gets rounded off. I only wear gloves when I'm cutting down blackberries. If the "ring" on a particular handle bothers me, it goes as well. Unless the khuk is a monster (20" AK and larger) the handle is almost always too small for me, in which case it gets wrapped. I apply a couple of extra turns around the bolster to form a bit of a guard.

Scabbard: I jam it down into the frog as far as I physically can. I either shim or soak it until it will just retain the khuk when shaken upside down.

Chakma: if it won't throw sparks on a flint, it gets replaced by one that does.

Blade: if it's a user, it gets etched. It's going to lose the mirror finish anyway and it seems to rust less quickly this way. It also shows me the hardened zone more easily than wailing on things. In two cases, I blued the blade.

You already know about the edge part. :)
 
Ok, today I finally did it. I etched it.

I first got out the use scratches by rubbing it with some light sandpaper for a while. Gave it a nice brushed finish that I liked. Like a villiager or something. But I knew I couldn't stop there.

So, I took it upstairs, cleaned it completely, taped up the bolster, heated up the soap/lemon juice combo, prepared the baking soda/water paste, and went to town. Came out really well. A nice frosty look with a pronounced temper line. Just like I had hoped for.

These events have really given me confidence. God, I never knew these knives could get even cooler when you put some time into them and finish them just for you.

If I had a digital camera, I'd post in a hearbeat. Until then, rest assured that I couldn't be happier with my awesome, slightly customized knife. :D :D

Nam
 
It seems to me that taking responsibility for damage is part of the ownership of a tool. Being able to bring the tool back to usability is part of the joy of having a quality tool. In a sense, the owner shares creation with the maker of the blade, and they join together to create a functional implement to achieve a purpose.
 
Kismet said:
It seems to me that taking responsibility for damage is part of the ownership of a tool. Being able to bring the tool back to usability is part of the joy of having a quality tool. In a sense, the owner shares creation with the maker of the blade, and they join together to create a functional implement to achieve a purpose.
Click to expand...

I never really thought of it that way before. You're right, of course.

Nam - if you get the chance, try a ferric chloride etch. Radio Shack sells it as a PCB etchant. Cut it at least 1/1 (1/4 is probably better) with water, degrease and heat the metal, and don't get it on yourself - it stains. It's given me the best results so far but it does take longer than the other methods. A quick search on here will provide plenty of information on it.
 
No, I dont. I just sharpen then beat on 'em. Clean them up, straighten/resharpen and beat again. Real workhorses.

Brian
 
The main thing I have done is to put the kind of edge that seems to work best for the stuff I do on the khuk. This is convex and polished out pretty well. Seems like that kind of edge doesn't stick or glance as much and seems to throw big chips.

On a couple of villagers or one with a broken handle I have made the handle much smaller kind of doing more of a taper from the bolster to the first ring.
 
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