mini-chopper!!

Joe Calton

Joe Calton

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Jul 8, 2008
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something totally different from anything Ive posted before!

Im calling this one a mini-chopper. the day I forged this one, my big forge was giving me fits, and instead of forging full sized choppers, this was the biggest I could get out of my little forge. hence the mini-chopper name!

this one was forged out of a leaf spring from my friends ranch, have no idea what vehicle it came off of, but he said they quit adding to that pile a few decades ago. knives ive forged from these springs have cut very well.


OAL- 14 1/2"

blade- 10" long, .225" thick, 1 1/2" wide

steel- leaf spring, Forged, with in-house differential heat treatment which includes double normalize, double anneal, double edge quench, and triple draw, for a great performing blade, that holds a great edge, and yet is easy to sharpen!

grind- a flat grind, with a slight tip to butt taper, sharpened on a smiths diamond hone with micro bevels, to an agressive razor edge

finish- hammer finish, with a 120 grit handsanded finish on the bevels, for a rough, easy to maintain working finish

handle- leather slabs, wrapped in jute cord, and soaked in epoxy

guard- no guard on this one, but the handle is contoured to steer your hand away from the cutting edge

sheath- 11oz leather, hand stitched, clean, hot-waxed, loop is sized for a 2" belt

I did not test the blade for rope cutting, I did cut a 2x4 in half twice, and the edge would still shave. it also passed an edge flex test, and a nail test {where you clamp the blade edge up in a vise and place a common nail across the edge and hammer the nail until it is cut halfway through} and put about half my wieght {210 lbs}to flex the blade sideways in a vise to check for toughness.


$150 plus $10 for shiping/insurance to CONUS. I can accept paypal Joe357m@bresnan.net or money order.


1st to post "I'll take it" gets it!!!



10912minichopperleft.jpg10912minichopperright.jpg10912minichoppersheath.jpg




Ships within 48 hours of payment priority with ins.

Feedback appreciated, and thanks for looking!

If you would like one like this one or different, PM or email with details!
 
One of these days I will get a knife from you. I really like the functionality of your designs and I REALLY like that you're using 52100 on many of them :thumbup:
 
I'll bet this Chopper will do it's 'job' just as superbly as Joe's Hunters and Utility blades do theirs'.
Translates to: Awesome Chopper that will out-chop other Choppers that are 2-3 times the price.
Joe is a "natural" at knifemaking and a Master at getting the desired performance out of various knife steels.
This is no B.S. I'm thrilled with the 5 knives i have from Joe. They are about the least expensive customs i own but they perform at the very top level.
roland
 
Man that thing is awesome! And if that's a mini, I'm scared to see what you call a large chopper,lol. This one has a bit of a Rick Marchand look to it-very nice.
 
Been out for a bit and missed these.

Thanks guys!!

Mike, my full sized choppers are about 20" oal, and about 1/4" thick. I hope to forge out some next month and make me one a little bit bigger for my truck, about 24" oal 2" wide or a bit wider and 1/4" thick. Makes trimming overgrown trees alot faster as most braches to about 3-4" diameter just take one swing. That rick makes some really nice stuff, but i got the idea for this pattern when the last rambo movie came out. Except i didnt want as much point.
 
Joe, i'll take this one please. No rush on shipping. Send it out after your elk hunt & good luck !
roland
 
What an incredibly awesome knife ! This is my 6th from Joe. I think he is the best maker of real world user knives anywhere.
Yes, anywhere. His designs work perfectly, the blade profile and tapers, are optimal for the intended use and the overall shape, weight and handle, make for a fully natural in hand feel. That's 6 times out of 6 knives.
This "Mini Chopper" is heavier than i expected, which is good for a Chopper and is 'blade heavy' as it should be. And comfy handle, natural in-hand.
I also have a "Bladesport Chopper, 15", D3 by Farid Mehr and a 14 1/2" "Bushkeeper Tanto", 5160, by Rick Marchand.
When time permits i will do a "Chop Off" to compare the effectiveness of these 3 Choppers. Joe's at less than 1/3rd the price of the other two definitely deserves to be in this group and might even win.
Those who have not yet bought a Joe Calton knife are missing out on great knives that are such a pleasure to use. Be prepared to retire your other custom users.
roland

Edit to add: Incredible sheath,thick leather, perfect heavy duty stitching, snug fit and a perfectly fitted keeper strap as well.
Every bit as good as the very best knife/sheath makers, like Burt Foster for example. I think this sheath is worth the entire cost of the knife and sheath.
r.
 
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thanks for the high praise Roland!!

this set was intended to be rough and ready looking, with finishes that encourage lots of good hard use!
 
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