Need help with custom survival knife design

OK I have a quick question about the weight balance. Should the center of balance to in the middle making both blade and the handle equal in weight? Or should the blade be heaviest ( like a hammer is weighted)?
 
Just messing around with some possible handle materials.
I would also like to incorporate some type of (very) buoyant material for a core of the handle. Hope allowing it to float or at the very least sink very slowly. If you have any materials in mind by all means please let me know. Im open for suggestions.
 
tmarsh388 said:
Just messing around with some possible handle materials.
I would also like to incorporate some type of (very) buoyant material for a core of the handle. Hope allowing it to float or at the very least sink very slowly. If you have any materials in mind by all means please let me know. Im open for suggestions.
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The problem with this idea is if you did find some way of making the handle light enough and boyant enough to float the whole knife then the whole thing would be horribly unbalanced. Unless you made the blade from a lighter metal, like titanium, but then it won't stay as sharp as long.
 
Ummmm not to sound stupid or anything but you're looking for an all around "wilderness survival" knife or a fighting blade? What is your background in wilderness survival and using a knife in such a setting? The reason I'm asking is that you seem to be spending a lot of time worrying about handle material and incorporating a snazzy sheath system into the blade. Normally a sheath is designed around the blade and it's intended use. Lanyards or "lieutenant cords" have been used for centuries to keep valuable items on your person, most likely work better than a floating handle.

A few other points:

- A wire edge will go through rope and cords and not snag like a serrated edge

- The guard looks very uncomfortable and in some of the designs too small to be useful

- A choil in front of the guard allows the user to choke up on the blade for detail work

- The handle tapers towards the rear, this reduces the handle's retention when chopping

- Dropping the point towards the center line of the handle allows for more tip control

- Why a Scandi grind? they're very useful for bushcraft but not so popular with American knifemakers, a full flat grind would lighten the blade up some while still giving you a thicker spine for batoning

Try looking over the in the Wilderness area of BF, lot of guys over there have very good survival knives and they regularly use them.

I'd recommend a quality trail knife by any number of makers or manufacturers here on BF, Charlie Edmonson, Matt Lamey, Andrew Takach and Rat cutlery come to my mind first.

All my critiques of your knife are based solely on my design and use principles....
 
Looking at your sketches, I couldn't help but think of this production knife:

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Extrema Ratio Shrapnel

It might make a good starting point for some experimentation.
 
For the record, the Shrapnel is a pretty tough little knife. It has been supplanted for my own use by other stuff (read: Krein and Busse), but if I was limited to it, I wouldn't feel too bad about it.

severedthumbs said:
I was thinking , http://www.bayleyknife.com/site/gallery.aspx
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Aha! I think we have a winner. However, from that website:

You may have seen the same model on TV, completely hand made in limited numbers crafted to the highest quality, fit and finish.
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I must admit to having never seen this knife. To what show is the ad alluding?
 
One of the man against the wild survival expert that sleeps in a hotel shows.

The mall ninja comment was directed at the OP and his blatant copying of 2 other designs.
 
rbmcmjr said:
For the record, the Shrapnel is a pretty tough little knife. It has been supplanted for my own use by other stuff (read: Krein and Busse), but if I was limited to it, I wouldn't feel too bad about it.



Aha! I think we have a winner. However, from that website:



I must admit to having never seen this knife. To what show is the ad alluding?
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it was the Bear Grylls knife, lol
 
I have the guard there (at least for now) for a sort of center weight to possibly help drive the knife through with a "chopping " motion better. Whether or not this weighted guard stays is a question I'll leave for time and trial and error to answer.
 
chopping is not as important for a survival knife. That is what a baton is for.
Precision and durability should be your goal. When the shit hits the fan, and maybe you haven't eaten in a few days, the last thing you want is an awkward handling knife that breaks easily or is not easy to keep sharp.

And, as for flotation- I think you'd be better served by a heavy durable handle material than one that is less resistant, but buoyant. Actually, it strikes me as just plain stupid to have a floating knife, unless it is going to live over water as a fishing or boating knife. That's what a lanyard is for.

Maybe you can source some helium filled micarta, and make us all happy.
 
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