My first Kephart Knife...

defaultuser

defaultuser

Joined
May 3, 2006
Messages
2,401
Hello all,

Here's some pictures I took yesterday of the first Kephart I made.

My goal was to follow the original "Kephart Sheath Knife" design as much as possible, but couldn't resist changing it a little, hopefully for the better.

The guard area on mine is a bit smaller to allow for the grip to be closer to the edge. I used 1/8" CPM154; I have the feeling Kephart's blade was thinner :confused:, and it wasn't stainless :foot:... Also, mine has a convex blade with a tiny "v" edge (original seems flat grind, from the picture). The handle is stabilized birdseye maple, and the pin placement is a little different.

I tried to make a leather sheath but failed miserably...still debating on the sheath style - either pouch style or more like the original.

Picture from www.wcu.edu/library/digitalcoll/kephart (sorry if you saw this picture a million times :o):
Kephart.jpg


Kephart01.jpg


Kephart02.jpg


Kephart03.jpg


As usual, critiques are not only welcomed but encouraged!
 
That looks really nice. If you can make them for the same pricing in the ad, that would be great! ;)
 
Looks really good to me... man, that's a beautiful piece of maple.:thumbup:
 
wow the prices on the article made me chuckle.. talk about old school btw great work
 
That knife looks great, looks like you did a perfect job fitting the scales!

I built a sheath for a Kephart I modified from Scott Gossman and went through the same routine trying to decide what style to go with.

It just seemed that to keep the original style of the sheath rather than a wrap was the ticket. I kept the same general shape but in the style of modern custom sheaths with multiple layers of leather and used a flat loop in back rather than cut outs for the belt to pass through.
 
Very nice interpretation of the Kephart. :thumbup: The first Kephart I made for Dan Shecthman, I made a sheath very close to the original. I've since gone to a pouch style because it's a much more secure carry.
Scott
 
Very nice! Great piece of maple. I really like how the whole knife is not as tall as you usually see Kepharts, it really give it a great look. :thumbup:
 
Last edited:
Looks great - I'll take the 5" blade for $2.00, maybe throw in a 4" one for $1.75 too :D :D :D

Seriously - very good looking knife! Looks like a full convex which that style of blade seems perfectly suited for - heck it looks like a bullet from all angles!
 
Gossman Knives said:
Very nice interpretation of the Kephart. :thumbup: The first Kephart I made for Dan Shecthman, I made a sheath very close to the original. I've since gone to a pouch style because it's a much more secure carry.
Scott
Click to expand...

Scott,

I have to admit it is YOU that triggered my lust for the Kephart...When I saw the picture below, my head was spinning right away:

ScottGossman_Kephart.jpg


Thanks a bunch for the inspiration :thumbup:

I'll try to come up with a sheath soon...
 
Thanks again all!

kgd said:
Looks like a full convex which that style of blade seems perfectly suited for - heck it looks like a bullet from all angles!
Click to expand...

The "v" edge is small, but it is there. One or two mousepad/sandpaper sharpening and it will be full convex :D Thanks kgd!
 
defaultuser said:
Scott,

I have to admit it is YOU that triggered my lust for the Kephart...When I saw the picture below, my head was spinning right away:

ScottGossman_Kephart.jpg


Thanks a bunch for the inspiration :thumbup:

I'll try to come up with a sheath soon...
Click to expand...

Thank you for the compliment. I appreciate it. That knife you posted was made for TK writer Dr. Terry Trier. It was featured in a 2007 issue of TK. I have since changed the way I make them. Two 3/16" pins instead of three 1/8"pins. Plus an added lanyard hole.
Scott
 
Here's the sheath I made for it...
Based on my first experiment, which was a failure (tried to make one like the original Kephart), and the info you guys posted, I decided to go with this model:

0072.jpg


I died the sheath chocolate dark partly because I really liked the look of Scott's Kephart, and partly because I wanted to try dying a sheath (finally).

0062.jpg


4/5 layers of 8-9oz veg tanned leather were necessary to have a good fit. Maybe you sheathmakers out there do that but it was a discovery for me: I put a little indent for the guard of the knife in the side of the sheath; it makes for a very secure fit (you can hear the "clack" when you sheath the knife):

SheathInTheWorks.jpg


All in all, I'm happy with the result. The sheath, despite still looking "rough" and amateurish, has a really good and tight fit with the knife. The dye contrasts nicely with the maple.

005-1.jpg


Oh and finally, when the leather gurus advise to put on rubber gloves when you use leather die, they mean it...

0112.jpg
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top