Miles off topic: My new knife, a TRUE competitor for Jerry! PHOTO UPDATE

[joshiecole]

Sorry guys no progress yet -- only just got back from Greece two hours ago... My absence may have been noticed

I will post pics ASAP!

 

[voracious1]

I really should get into knife making... even if i'm bad at it, i definitely have 30 pounds i could afford to lose

Good one. I thought the exact same thing

 

[voracious1]

What about a full zero edge assymetrical grind?! E.g like on a basic edge but for the whole grind?? Convex on one side, chisel on the other?

I have an old bill siegle almost exactly ground this way. It's saber to a full chisel grind,fully convexed other side.

 

[joshiecole]

Thanks voracious, didnt think I was the first to think of that one. Any thoughts having owned that config?

In other news, Greece has finally got a bit of deflation.... A beer (mythos) now costs about 40% less than it did when I was there two years ago

 

[joshiecole]

Finally got my new grinder last night... Put it to work today and here are a couple of preliminary pics. It's an absolute beast to grind! It's going to come in somewhere around 6/16 thick!! If that's just to heavy to be useful I will grind it down further.

Anyway, I don't think Jerry is going to be quaking in his boots at the level of competition just yet

 

[Gravelface]

Pure awesomeness!!!

 

[resinguy]

I thought you were forging?

 

[joshiecole]

I was going to forge, but then I changed my mind... So far this has been a brilliantly fun project.

I've only spent about an hour on it today, as I've been packing/shopping for a slightly madcap wild camping/trail running trip in Snowdonia, but I'm pretty pleased with how the primary shape is looking. As you can see from the changes from my initial drawings at the beginning of this thread I've been changing the shape of the handles/guard as I've gone along. This way it has a better feel and balance. The next main job is the grind, which controversially, I've decided will be CHISEL (shock horror!)

Here's the pics from today:

 

[CWL]

It may be easier for you, but a chisel grind would be a mistake with something of this thickness. If you want to go out and really chop up things with it and maintain control, you should put a traditional symmetrical edge to it.

 

[Lycosa]

Cool! Chisel away, my Son!

 

[joshiecole]

I'm not making it a chisel grind because its easier for me. That would be a terrible waste of steel and time. If something is worth doing its worth doing very well. Rather, I have read some very interesting things about the performance of chisel grinds in chopper format.

I haven't had much time to work on this recently, but I have got a bit further with the grind. The spine is now down to 6/16 (only ) and I have the beginnings of a convex grind on the right hand side. I still have a couple of mm to remove from the middle of the grind. But at least it looks like a knife now!

 

[Grease]

Looking good, dude. That thing is gonna be a beast when it's all sharpened up.

 

[matt123abc]

And I thought I was crazy for making a knife out of 5/16ths a2...

 

[joshiecole]

5/16 is still a respectable hunk of pretty tough steel!

hows yours going?

The edge is coming along nicely, although slowly because Ive reached the stage wear most work has to be done by hand file!

 

[BePrepared]

Hey JC, that's shaping up to be a VERY nice blade... I hope you'll post some pics and info of you running it through it's paces once you get it done

 

[joshiecole]

Cheers BP. I think it will take another couple of weeks before its heat treat ready -- I don't have a lot of spare time at the month, but its getting there! Its sheer thickness should give it decent toughness

 

[jdk1]

If you stop right now and wrap the handle in medical tape, you'll have the coolest shank on the cell block You could trade these for smokes all day long! Kidding aside, it looks cool. I can't wait to see the finished product. Take care.

 

[Lycosa]

Did you see Jerry while you were in Greece?

 

[joshiecole]

Haha, did I see jerry? I doubt that he's suddenly so worried by my competition to his business that he's stalking me. Especially abroad, and on a boat!?

 

[meanwhile]

Thanks guys,

Gravelface, you're spot on with the TM, that's what I meant by 'the old enemy' the design is harking back to the era when the TM might have reasonably been discussed as a competitor, when they used Carbon V, made them in the US/Japan etc. My inspiration is what might have been born had a certain company stepped up to the plate and grown from the constructive criticism thrown their way....

Talking of which:

1. Wouldn't you be better off with a tapering tang? It would reduce impact and vibration while chopping. De-tempering would be nice too. As a benefit the knife would be stronger because the tang would be less brittle.

2. The guard hides the transition between the blade and the tang: the biggest fault on the TM's is that this is squared off, causing a stress spike. Something to consider.

3. It's hard to tell for sure, but that choil looks too small to get a finger safely in, especially wearing gloves - another big TM design fault. The upper guard might be a problem too, although I think you've reduced it

4. Why not do what Busse did as they evolved the BMs and bolo-ize the tang slightly? The change in angle will make for a much better chopper, and if it isn't too great - maybe start out small and have the tang curve - will actually improved the wrist position for slicing and thrusting - take a look at the more modern MBs and the Ratweiler.