New Brand! Accipiter Knife and Tool!

David Mary said:
The phoenix may rise from the ashes, but the Accipter will dive fearlessly into the flames.

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Shawn, if I overstepped, please let me know.
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You’re all good David! 🪶

These babies are intense! I haven’t gotten too much chopping done yet but I’ve used the Sharp Shins a bit and they’re wicked. :)
The naked one is my favorite and I got some nice green #60 nylon trot line for the handle. Still figuring out the end knot and then will be applying G-flex epoxy.

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Beautiful work on these all around David! The robust tips are exactly what I was looking for, grinds are thin and symmetrical, logos look great, knives are all shaving sharp, very high sheath retention is perfect. Handles are lovely too!

I’m very excited to do some (completely biased) testing which I plan to record and post on YouTube. I’m lucky enough to have a variety of knives in both size ranges to compare them with, although I’m not sure if I want to do actual comparative testing or just demonstrate what these knives can do. If anyone has ideas/requests for testing please feel free to suggest them here. 👍

Results will take a while as I’m knee deep in paint and packing boxes at the moment. We’re moving in March as soon as the electrical is done and I get the walls rolled.

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The handle wrap came out nicely.

This nylon melted very well (no inner core) and allowed me to make tidy knot-stops. Here are both sides:
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After that I applied a saturating coat of G-Flex and used a heat gun to even it out.
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The epoxy darkened the wrap considerably, and now it’s a very dark green - almost black. IMG_6986.jpegIMG_6987.jpeg

Another look at the tip grind. I requested crowned spines (for comfort) with a section of 90 degree spine at the tips, (for scraping and to keep more material at the tip), and I think David determined the perfect place for the transition. 👌
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With the little taped up ferro rod (demo incoming) and the epoxy completed, the knife comes in at 2.15oz. 👍👍

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Some notes about test cutting.

For those unfamiliar, tatami mats have been used historically in Japan as a way to test swords.

Standard “tatami omote” is currently the most commonly used type of tatami for sword test cutting, and that’s what I used (purchased online from Sword N Armory).

I decided to use this test medium specifically because it’s commonly used and a somewhat “known quantity”.

I had the idea for a tatami cut after the knives had been made.

I requested geometry on the Goshawks that was thin, but substantial enough for chopping of dry hardwoods. That’s exactly what I received, with shaving sharp edges at what I’d estimate at about 20 degrees per side (dps).

I attempted a tatami cut with the 20 degree edge and came very close but the knife didn’t make it through. I showed David the video and he encouraged me to go thinner with the edge before making another attempt, since he hadn’t optimized the geometry for that task. (During this conversation I was asking him his thoughts on testing, and when I mentioned that I didn’t plan to chop through any nails with these blades, his response was “Well, you could…”😂).

So, with David’s blessing I pulled out some stones and laid the edge back to approximately 15-17 dps, (same as my kitchen knives) using my 16 degree Lego angle guide.
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Stone flattening:
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This edge is kinda spooky now, and while I still plan to chop wood with it, I’ll definitely treat this edge more carefully and concentrate on clean, aligned strikes to avoid any chipping or deformation.

I have no plans to change the geometry on any of the other knives.

I have one last tatami mat soaking right now that I will use for a little penetration testing soon.

Can’t wait to chop some wood.

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