New Maringer Haiku knives for the Russell Knife Event

[tmaring]

I'm working on a few pieces to bring to the Russell Knife Event (show), July 24-25-26 in Rogers Arkansas. These are still WIP pics... I need to do the final finishing on them, but they are starting to look like knives now.

All four shown are D-2 steel with all titanium furniture. The grips are rubber wrapped over a laminated bamboo core, and all the knives are complete takedown pieces via toggle tang construction. The dirks will all have kydex sheaths and shoulder rigs in the Vorpal style... haven't decided about the dagger scabbard yet. The pieces are ultralight... weighing from 7oz to 9oz... yet very strong due to the bamboo and titanium.

I've been working on developing the rubber wrapped handle style and I really REALLY like it a lot. It has an incredibly secure feeling in the hand... very grippy and slightly cushy. The technique involves the use of stacked O-rings, which are available in many sizes, thicknesses, colors, and materials. There are some tricks to getting them to lie right, and especially to getting them to sit down at the surface (instead of above)... but (IMO) this technique has the potential to completely revolutionize custom knifemaking just as the introduction of thermoformed Kydex did in 1982. While several manufacturers have made injection molded synthetic rubber handles for years... it has always been beyond the reach of the custom maker. No longer! While W.W. Cronk pioneered the use of O-rings on a knife handle as far back as the 1970s, he never took the technique any further and apparently didn't share the idea around. You've got to handle one of these things to appreciate what I'm talking about. I can't take my hands off them.

 

[bluejaunte]

Good golly, those are nice. Are you planning to color the Ti parts? I personally like the purity of the gray/silver finish.

Have fun at the show!

 

[VML]

Wow!......very beautiful.

Are the brown o'rings Viton or one of the oxygen compatible compounds?

 

[tmaring]

Wow!......very beautiful.
Are the brown o'rings Viton or one of the oxygen compatible compounds?

Yes the brown are Viton (fluorocarbon)... the black ones are nitrile. They're completely replaceable. I mark on the handle underneath how many of what size are needed.

Good golly, those are nice. Are you planning to color the Ti parts? I personally like the purity of the gray/silver finish.
Have fun at the show!

Hmm... yes I was planning to color the Ti parts... the gray finish looks so much like stainless to me that it seems to lack some "zing"... plus the deep blues and purples are darker next to the black. I was thinking green for the one with the Viton handle wrap.

 

[lwrhea]

Tom,
I've been admiring your knives since you've been posting through out the year. It'll be good to see em closer at the Russell show. These are sure amazing. Lin

 

[T.K.C.]

I LOVE those!! Boy, you are sure making me WANT one of your knives very badly!!!!

 

[ckerwin]

Nice look really interesting:thumbup::thumbup:

 

[tmaring]

Here's some pics of the last one... I just welded up the titanium subhilt part today and figured out how to do the rubber wraps around it. I was originally planning to glue the subhilt in place and fit the rubber rings around it... but in doing some test fits I find (to my utter amazement) that it works even better to let the subhilt "float" between the segments of rubber that are squeezed tight around it! There is just the tiniest bit of "give" when you pull hard on the subhilt... actually a very nice feel! It was just one of those serendipitous things... I couldn't have planned it. This thing feels awesome!

 

[Keith Montgomery]

They are all exceptional. The last one is my favorite, but I also really like the one with the Viton handle. Hopefully you are going to show us what they look like after you colour the Ti. I think green would look great on that Viton handled one.

 

[Dawkind]

All are amazing, Tom.....that floating sub-hilt and looong dagger is almost more than I can take!!!!

 

[BRTATCK]

Very impressive Tom, I am looking forward to seeing them and you next week.
Brion

 

[Kevin Jones]

Very nice.
Will look forward to seeing those.

 

[Don Hanson III]

Great lookin stuff, Tom! See ya next week...

 

[cdent]

Nice Tom. I like the clean welding on the Ti, and I appreciate the kind of finish you're able to get on your D2. I've had a chance to see a couple of your knives up close and it takes a while for the details and execution to sink in.

Have a great show, Craig

 

[Lorien]

those knives are pushing 11 on the gadget meter. Super cool, to a gear head like me!
Ps. I can't wait to see one in green

 

[tmaring]

Here's how the dagger finished out... it has an 11 1/2" D-2 blade, all titanium furniture, and a bamboo handle core covered with black nitrile rubber O-rings. The knife weighs just 9.7 oz. Titanium parts are anodized alternating blue and gold. There are two kydex sheaths, one is an upside down shoulder-rig affair and the other is a belt sheath, wearable point up or point down.

 

[Doug C]

Hi Tom,
The anodizing turned out fantastic, beautiful.
They all are, just wild about the subhilt though.
Checking out the dealer sites today and spied one of your older Vorpals.
Thanks for sharing these great fighters. :thumbup:

Doug

 

[bluejaunte]

Normally I like the uncolored Ti (like I indicated above) but that blue is electric!

Any chance you can post up those pics at a higher resolution? They would look great as the background on my monitor.

 

[tmaring]

Thanks guys! Here are three more of the current group finished up... just a couple days left til the show.

The subhilt is a 9" blade with titanium parts anodized alternating violet and gold, weight: 8.6 oz. The middle drop-point one is about 7 1/2" with the brown Viton handle wrap and green anodized furniture, weighing 8.1 oz. The dirk is about 6 1/2" and the titanium parts are all anodized a gold color. Looks like brass or gold... like it will be heavy... but only 6.9 oz.

Thanks to Alan Folts by the way, who offered some good advice on anodizing technique.

I'll try to get some better photos before they get away.

 

[Phil Gibbs]

Stunning work Tom!
I fell in love with the sub hilt at the show & your carry rigs are unequaled :thumbup: