"Old Bone" just arrived in this afternoon's mail and it is every bit as nice as I had hoped. Fit, finish, style & overall execution are impeccable. Before I get too caught up in its aesthetics & specs, let me first tell you it is sharp. Not just sharp but, to borrow a phrase from Yvsa, it's "full body shiver" sharp.
This one-of-a-kind Damascus neck knife has over 60 layers of 52100 & 1084, forged to shape by Ray Kirk (his own Damascus), with a full tapered tang. The blade is 3" with a distal taper & 1 1/2" swedge. This little beauty weighs in at only 2.1 oz. w/OAL of 5 5/16". The bone used for the scales was found by one of Ray's students and is secured to the tang with 1/8" hinge pin screws. (The light brown stain that you see on the scales occurred in nature & was not applied by Ray.) Despite its diminutive size, this is not a knife that I will be afraid to use. The steel is approximately .140" thick at the front of the scales & the knife has a very solid overall feel.
The sheath is Kydex & comes with elk hide lace & solid brass beads that allow the user to adjust where the knife will hang on the chest. The lace is very soft & comfortable to wear & the ability to adjust its length is a nice feature. (I prefer wearing neck knives rather high on my chest & short cords or chains can be a tight squeeze over my head.)
The thickest part of the knife occurs at the back of the bone handle where it swells out to 9/16". Although I generally prefer neck knives to be no more than about 3/8" thick, the short OAL length allows the butt to ride between my pecs where it does not print under a knit sports shirt.
Although he doesn't have very many knives displayed, more information about Ray & his knives is available at http://www.tah-usa.net/raker/ . I had heard great things about Ray's work & I'm glad I took the plunge & ordered one. I know it won't be my last.
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Cheers,
--+Brian+--
aka Dagda the Insatiable, Member of the Terrible Ironic HORDE
"I may be goin' to hell in a bucket, Babe, but at least I'm enjoyin' the ride."
[This message has been edited by bcaffrey (edited 01-06-2000).]
This one-of-a-kind Damascus neck knife has over 60 layers of 52100 & 1084, forged to shape by Ray Kirk (his own Damascus), with a full tapered tang. The blade is 3" with a distal taper & 1 1/2" swedge. This little beauty weighs in at only 2.1 oz. w/OAL of 5 5/16". The bone used for the scales was found by one of Ray's students and is secured to the tang with 1/8" hinge pin screws. (The light brown stain that you see on the scales occurred in nature & was not applied by Ray.) Despite its diminutive size, this is not a knife that I will be afraid to use. The steel is approximately .140" thick at the front of the scales & the knife has a very solid overall feel.
The sheath is Kydex & comes with elk hide lace & solid brass beads that allow the user to adjust where the knife will hang on the chest. The lace is very soft & comfortable to wear & the ability to adjust its length is a nice feature. (I prefer wearing neck knives rather high on my chest & short cords or chains can be a tight squeeze over my head.)
The thickest part of the knife occurs at the back of the bone handle where it swells out to 9/16". Although I generally prefer neck knives to be no more than about 3/8" thick, the short OAL length allows the butt to ride between my pecs where it does not print under a knit sports shirt.
Although he doesn't have very many knives displayed, more information about Ray & his knives is available at http://www.tah-usa.net/raker/ . I had heard great things about Ray's work & I'm glad I took the plunge & ordered one. I know it won't be my last.
------------------
Cheers,
--+Brian+--
aka Dagda the Insatiable, Member of the Terrible Ironic HORDE
"I may be goin' to hell in a bucket, Babe, but at least I'm enjoyin' the ride."
[This message has been edited by bcaffrey (edited 01-06-2000).]
