Please show me your sub-hilt fixed blades!

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rudukai13

Joined
Jun 23, 2017
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140
I’m starting to get really interested in this style of knives and starting to put together some ideas for a design I’d like to have made.

Please post up pictures of your sub-hilt fixed blades and a bit of info about them! In particular I’m interested in any designs that might diverge from the traditional Loveless-style fighter blade shape, but those are still more than welcome - I’m not loveless of some Loveless knives 😉
 
Gorgeous blades! What’s your preference (if any) between having a tighter, more rounded space around the index finger vs the wider, more squared-off style?
 
rudukai13 said:
Gorgeous blades! What’s your preference (if any) between having a tighter, more rounded space around the index finger vs the wider, more squared-off style?
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Thank you, I'm a bit of a Loveless nut!😁

To me what's important is that it's comfortable. Whatever the actual style of hilt you go for the finger must not be cramped in the space.

Rounding off the inner tang can make for a very comfortable grip but you still need sufficient space for the fingers between the guards.
I think you need to look at the overall design of the blade and build the sub-hilt accordingly. If you look at Dudley's Lurquin (above bottom photo) you can see how Sam integrated the sub hilt in a very organic way into the design. It just looks right.

If you like you can post your design drawing for some honest critique.........:)
 
Robert 'Bob Sky' Hajovsky

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Maker Robert Hajovsky – Chefgets Knife Site

gettier.org gettier.org
 
Steven65 said:
Thank you, I'm a bit of a Loveless nut!😁

To me what's important is that it's comfortable. Whatever the actual style of hilt you go for the finger must not be cramped in the space.

Rounding off the inner tang can make for a very comfortable grip but you still need sufficient space for the fingers between the guards.
I think you need to look at the overall design of the blade and build the sub-hilt accordingly. If you look at Dudley's Lurquin (above bottom photo) you can see how Sam integrated the sub hilt in a very organic way into the design. It just looks right.

If you like you can post your design drawing for some honest critique.........:)
Click to expand...
I’ll take the risk - constructive criticism is of course welcome but please don’t be too harsh, I’m certainly not a professional 😬

IMG_0440-3420655.jpg


This is a very rough sketch of the general idea. It’s a large double-edged Ginunting blade shape - similar to Doug Marcaida’s Kortada design - on a sub-hilt fighter handle. This sketch isn’t anywhere near to accurate scale, the blade length would be about 9-10” and the handle about 5”
 
rudukai13 said:
I’ll take the risk - constructive criticism is of course welcome but please don’t be too harsh, I’m certainly not a professional 😬

IMG_0440-3420655.jpg


This is a very rough sketch of the general idea. It’s a large double-edged Ginunting blade shape - similar to Doug Marcaida’s Kortada design - on a sub-hilt fighter handle. This sketch isn’t anywhere near to accurate scale, the blade length would be about 9-10” and the handle about 5”
Click to expand...
The dimensions of the handle look fine. The only thing I would look at and change is the angle of the sub-hilt. You have angled it forward from the bottom to the top which gives a very sharp uncomfortable edge to your middle finger behind the sub-hilt when holding the knife.

If you angled the sub-hilt back from the bottom to the top then you could give far more clearance to the middle finger by virtue of the angle of the sub-hilt. (I hope you are following me)
Also If you were to oppose the curve of the main hilt (same as the pommel) with the sub-hilt it would look like two halves of a circle and be very aesthetically pleasing.

Also one of the things to consider is the very aggressive top edge. You are going to need a very special sheath for that because that sharpened top protrusion is going to rip most sheaths to pieces. You will have to go Kydex. Dave Brown is your man to make you a sheath for that. Personally I would leave the top edge unsharpened for about an inch at the rear in order to make it easier to remove from the sheath.

I hope that was a help....... :)
 
I think I follow! I’ll make a few edits when I get home. Not sure how I missed the acute angle on the back of the sub-hilt trigger…

Everyone please continue posting yours if you have them!
 
Some awesome pieces in this thread!

Steven caught my first impression about your design. Looking forward to the next iteration, adjusting the subhilt angle.
 
I think you are on a good path with regards to what you want to see, and I would say to that is my best work is the result of revision, revision, revision. The more I strip away, the closer I get to what I really want.

For me, I try to avoid adding things like pin placements, front of handle etc until I get the profile nailed down. I find that thinking about those things, while I'm trying to develop the shape of the knife, limits me in certain ways. I usually have an idea in my mind of those things, but they don't really get onto paper until the profile feels close to A+.

A good way to move through the design process is to make models. Cardboard is fine, you can build up handles with tape and foam padding- give yourself a sense that where in space the various places on the knife exist is where they need to be, when in hand. Move on to plexiglass, then aluminum- modelling clay for handles- and when things seem done, get someone to make it for you- and not their interpretation, either. Find someone who will make it as close to your design as possible. If you can sculpt a model for a handle for them to work from, all the better. Modelling clay is handy for the designer

Not to tell you what to do, more like that's what I did. Worked for me!
 
I do work with a bladesmith who can make rapid (less than a week from sketch to steel) iterations of my design ideas with progressive tweaks/changes until I have something that feels perfect in the hand. It helps me get a better understanding of how the finished blade will actually feel when made out of correct materials, but very similar idea!
 
i4Marc said:
I cleaned up your sketch quickly while trying to stay as close to your intent as possible. Keep in mind, Knives are 3D. Things that work or look cool in sketches may not work as well when making or using the knife.


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That looks phenomenal! Can I ask what program you used for the line drawing? I’ve been trying to find one to use that would be cleaner/better than sketching with a pencil
 
rudukai13 said:
That looks phenomenal! Can I ask what program you used for the line drawing? I’ve been trying to find one to use that would be cleaner/better than sketching with a pencil
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I was a long time Adobe Suite user, Photoshop, Illustrator, etc. But the annual license for their software is just ridiculously expensive. I currently use a vector program called Affinity Designer which is similar to Adobe Illustrator but once you purchase it you own it. Affinity Photo is their version of Adobe Photoshop. I'm sure there are other free vector drawing programs out there.

Sketching with a pen/pencil is still my favorite way to get ideas on paper. It is the best way to quickly capture the feel of your idea. I just use the computer to clean up the sketch and adjust proportions prior to printing out a drawing which will serve as a blueprint for my builds.
 
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