Miniatures... What Defines Them?

jhiggins

jhiggins

Joined
Jul 11, 2003
Messages
3,258
Hi Folks,

Just doing some pondering on the state of miniature knives. Some of us like them, and some of us hate them. But what defines a mini? Is it the actual size, or the accuracy of the scale? Is a mini anything that is smaller than can me comfortably used in the human hand? I've seen some minis that are absolutely breathtaking, and some that are so-so. I've seen some that are micro-small, but some I have seen are actually fairly large. What's the generally-accepted criteria? Please post your thoughts here. :)
 
Have no clue Jeff , but Crex (Carl Rechsteiner) makes some awsome ones. here's a pic of some of his stuff.

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My miniatures have been 1/4 scale because it's a convenient size.Big enough to get some good detail and be practical to make.It has nothing to do with being able to hold comfortably in your hand. My sword I recently posted could only be used for a letter opener or maybe defense against an attacking mouse ! Don't confuse miniature with a small knife such as the agrussell small folder. Yes I am working on my miniature blacksmith tools .As a gold member I am supposed to be able to post photos directly rather than go thriugh a website .Can someone tell me how ? One of the neatest miniatures I saw on tv was that of an architect's office.On the drawing board were blue prints of a house and next to it was a model of that house - a miniature within a miniature !!
 
mete,

click on post reply
in the additional options menu click on manage attachments
click on browse in the popo-up menu
click on photo file on your puter
click upload
close pop-up window
submit
get out of the dark ages :)
 
I saw a very small auto once at a show. I can't remember the maker's name. His table was really crowded though. It was probably less than 1" long, and was damascus, Ti, and ivory. Fully-functional too. It made a nice little "snick" when the blade opened - so precise! I kind of fell in love with the idea of tiny folders right then. Lots of work, though.

I suppose there are collectors out there who collect nothing but minis.
 
I've tried my hand at minis....but I don't have "the touch"...:(


For me, a miniature is anything that's been scaled down, regardless of size. A mini bowie may be larger than a boot knife, but feel scaled down nonetheless.

I have a few "miniature" khukuris that are 9 and 10 inches long! But when you hold it, it definitely feels small in the hand.
 
A mate bought some Damasteel. Cost an arm and a leg, the front of the billet was cut away to make the forward curve of the blade. I was able to forge it from a scrap into a neet mini blade.

It was not a micro type mini but smaller than I normally make.
 
Minis- Yay!
Hmmmm... How to define them....

I guess for my part, it becomes a miniature when it involves an entirely different set of tools & large changes in technique to create, compared to the full sized counterpart. Thus, a bowie with an overall length of 6" may be smaller than normal, but is still not a mini to me. It can be made with the same basic skills and tools as the full sized one. Half scale and third scale are not quite small enough for me. Most of my mini fixed blades hover around 1/8th to 1/10th scale, and my folders are around 1/6th to 1/4 scale. This size range is big enough for most people to see easily, and at the same time is plenty small enough to be "cute". Hey, maybe that's a better definition. It becomes a mini when it gets small enough to be "cute". Yeah.

Anyway, time for gratuitous pics.

Like this gun on the miniature arms society page made by Andrew Dyson:
Dyson01.jpg


Oh, wait, this is a knife forum. How 'bout a compromise?
Elgin%201837.jpg


Here's one by Mike Tamboli, scrimmed by Bob Hergert:
Samurai31c.JPG



Hey, I can't seem to find any minis by one of my favorite makers- Mike Mercer. His multi blade folders are friggin' incredible! Anyone here know where to find some pics of them?
 
I've made quite a few half-scale versions of some patterns, and the owners refer to them as miniatures. I call em "fifties," as in 50%. One guy almost always orders one whenever he buys one of my knives, and I now have an order for a "fifty" of the theater knife. I've heard he refers to them as his miniature collection. I don't know if he buys knives by other makers the same way but I wouldn't be surprized if he did. I get to take credit for getting him started though, with a half-scale Scagel - first "mini" I ever made. :D

My own miniature collection has knives of all scales, from vintage folders less than an inch long to a 5" khukuri. Most of the handmade minis in my little (pun wasn't intended but I'll enjoy it anyway) collection are about 1.5" to 2" long. I've also included knives that weren't intended as miniatures of anything but that are rather small and fit nicely in the display. ;)

A maker named Yvon Vashon was legendary for his exquisite tiny flawless knives. I read an article about him somewhere; it said he'd superglue parts to his fingertip to work on them... He was a hero, no doubt about it.

How about folks attaching some pics of miniatures they've made?

Here's a "fifty" of what I can only call my "standard tanto" - 'cause I've made so many of em. This one's 3/32 stock; I used linen Micarta instead of the canvas Micarta in the original and sanded the liners down (not, unfortunately, quite enough) to attempt to half-scale the thickness of the original liners. You can't quite see it but this knife has a mune and everything. :D

BF45.jpg


Would this qualify as a mini by anyone's definition? I've never really given this much thought, frankly.
 
I have made a few minis in the last couple of years. They were all slipjoint folders 1/4 scale. For my 4" trapper I use 3/32" blade stock and .040 liners. When you thin those liners to .010" it gets really trickey. The last one I did was a splitbackspring whittler. That one was really tough. I don`t know what constitutes a mineature knife though. If any of ya`ll want to see one of the premier collections of minis check out Tom & Gwen Guinns collection.There are knives in there that will blow you away. The Guinns set up at several shows every year and its worth the time to take a look.
Bill Ruple
 
I don't know too much about it,
but what are you asking exactly?
Every option you've mentioned is legitimate to any particular person.
HOWEVER, if you mean knife show judging,
I think proportion and size are important,
but usefullness is not.
I could be wrong though.
Although, from a buyer's point of view (me)
I've only bought one mini, but only because it was functional.
 
Walking Man, you are right about the functional part. Dan Koster taught me a pretty important lesson once; we were talking about a miniature tanto I'd made and he completely lost interest in the knife when it became clear it wasn't functional. I'd never thought about that before, and I've never made a knife since then that wasn't. :D I still have the knife on my desk, but I don't love it like I used to. Thanks Dan, that was a big one. I often wonder what it'll be like when an objective, accomplished knife maker critiques my work... :eek: There's no better teacher than honest criticism.
 
Miniatures have always caught my atention and I have even made a few, wich were given as gifts. In my opinion, what defines a miniature knife is the fact that it is scaled down, regardless of its possible functionality. Otherwise, it is just a small knife. A miniature can be a 2/3 scaled down swordwhile a mini knife can be 1 1/2" long. Needless to say, a small knife must be functional.
The picture bellow shows a few small sorocabanas. Back when these were made, they were expected to be used, so they are totally functional and - except for the tiniest one, that could be called a miniature - adapted for better handling than a scaled down knife could offer.
 

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