New Hollow Handle "Survival" Knife- What do you think?

Sam, saw your video's in the review subforum. Some good work there, and goes a long way in changing minds on hollow handle knive strenght.
 
Sam,

Really enjoy reading about your project; nicely done!!

Should you be interested, some of us Knife Knuts and gear nerds get together most Sunday's, Noon at the EOC in Stevenson, WA (~45 mile east of Portland)...
From there, we head into the hills to play with knives, sit around a fire drinking (among other things) coffee, telling tall tales and outright lies...!

Would be great to see your knife and sheath in person!!

Cheers,
8
 
Rhinoknives1 said:
Sam,
I mentioned the hollow handle from USA because i didn't know it you were aware of them and thought you might get some ideas from looking at that example.

I didn't read your full review, just this thread and think that it is super cool that you are improving on the ergos of the hollow handle, I wonder if you could machine a hump in the outer metal to fill your palm to help with that indexing problem while chopping etc? Sort of a wide cam lobe around the cylindrical tube on the spine of the blade part of the rear two thirds of the handle?

If that doesn't make sense? Feel free to PM me or we can chat on the phone if you wish?

Keep up the great work and design improvements.
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Thank you Laurence. I appreciate the suggestion, I understood what you meant. I hope I didn't sound sarcastic. I just wanted to explain why I went with my own handle material. I have got another idea about the handle that I will post up in just a bit. You mentioned that you don't like metal handles, you will have to let me know what you think. Thanks again, and I may call you and pick your brain for a few minutes, when you've got the time. I will email you tonite.

David Stifle said:
Sam, saw your video's in the review subforum. Some good work there, and goes a long way in changing minds on hollow handle knive strenght.
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Thank you, David. Doing video is always a little weird, but I figured that was the only way, short of a passaround, to demonstrate the strength of my knives. If that doesn't convince people, I don't think its going to happen, lol. I will want your input here in a few minutes on my Model 2. After I post the pics, I will be away for a few hours, but I will be back later tonite. I look forward to your critique.

River-8 said:
Sam,

Really enjoy reading about your project; nicely done!!

Should you be interested, some of us Knife Knuts and gear nerds get together most Sunday's, Noon at the EOC in Stevenson, WA (~45 mile east of Portland)...
From there, we head into the hills to play with knives, sit around a fire drinking (among other things) coffee, telling tall tales and outright lies...!

Would be great to see your knife and sheath in person!!

Cheers,
8
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Thanks, 8. I actually like the sound of that. I will email you later about details, and maybe you guys can give me some feedback in person about my knives. Be warned, if you hurt my feelings, you gotta buy me a beer. Or two. :D
 
OK, just finished this up today, still have to put an edge on it, I usually do that after I make the sheath. Instead of the traditional cord wrap, I decided to do something a little different. People always complain about metal handles being uncomfortable, transfer shock, get hot/cold, the cord wrap gets dirty, etc. This should alleviate some of that.

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The metal hollow handle is wrapped in micarta. In addition to that, I also contoured the micarta to a more traditional and comfortable shape. This will help to index the blade, and be more comfortable for prolonged work. Here is the profile pic again of the handle shape. This is almost exactly what it looks like if you were to look at the knife from the pommel to the guard.

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The micarta looks a little rougher than it actually is. I profiled it, then sanded it up to 400 for a grippier finish, then buffed it lightly to make it friendly to the hand. When it gets wet, it gets very grippy. I haven't field tested it yet, but so far it is very comfortable in the hand. It feels basically like a traditional knife handle. I am very pleased with it, so far. I will post up some more shots of the blade later today. The bowie style blade is 9 1/2" long, the false edge is not sharpened yet (don't know if I will or not), and I gave it a machine finish, which I would describe as a high satin. What do you guys think? About the handle, blade, finish, you name it. It's feedback time.

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:thumbup:
 
Sam, that's a much more appealing blade profile, and a machine finish is fitting. Did you use scotch guard belts? They give a really nice machine finish. I would not sharpen the clip, it's extra work, and it significantly affects tip strenght. At 9", I personally think it's oversized for a survival knife, but there's thousands who would not agree with me, it's a matter of personal taste.

Now for the handle, while it may feel good and alleviate complaints about a cold handle, it just doesn't look appealing. Sword makers use leather wrapped handles, or a leather/wire wrapped combination. Both could be configured to give you a palm swell, and thus avoid the straight handle shape. Good job!
 
David Stifle said:
Sam, that's a much more appealing blade profile, and a machine finish is fitting. Did you use scotch guard belts? They give a really nice machine finish. I would not sharpen the clip, it's extra work, and it significantly affects tip strenght. At 9", I personally think it's oversized for a survival knife, but there's thousands who would not agree with me, it's a matter of personal taste.

Now for the handle, while it may feel good and alleviate complaints about a cold handle, it just doesn't look appealing. Sword makers use leather wrapped handles, or a leather/wire wrapped combination. Both could be configured to give you a palm swell, and thus avoid the straight handle shape. Good job!
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Thank you for the compliments, David. I finished the blade on a Tri-Zact belt, it think it was 400 or 600, then a medium cork belt. I agree, I think it gives a very appealing look to the bowie shape. Part of the reason I did the other blade in stonewash was to show what options are available. Now, I've got examples of a stonewashed blade, machine finished satin blade, modified spearpoint and bowie style, and cordwrapped or micarta handle.

Concerning the straight handle, I agree, it's never going to be as aesthetically pleasing as a more conventional style handle. But at this point, it's just one of the constraints inherent to hollow handle knives that I'm going to have to work with. I'm unaware of any other custom maker who has micarta or contoured handles as an option for their hollow handled knives, so at least there is now an option. But, at some point, I may explore other options on handle design. I've got to be able to do all of this cost effectively, also, if I ever sell these knives.

By the way, it's a 9 1/2" blade, not a mere 9"!!! :D:D:D
 
Here's a few more pics. I've got to invest in some better camera equipment.

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There's more of a curve to the clip than shows up on camera.

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I sent an email to you Sam! Love your work here and passion for creating your own blade. :thumbup:
 
Czechmate said:
I sent an email to you Sam! Love your work here and passion for creating your own blade. :thumbup:
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Thank you, Czechmate. I love hollow handle knives, so I just tried to make what I wanted to use. I have been enjoying it so far, and I hope others have too. Thanks again,

Sam
 
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