Requesting Input

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Wolf1775

Joined
Apr 6, 2014
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So I've been looking at a bunch of knives, and I've found a few that I really like. I figured I'd try my hand at drawing up a few designs and seeing how they can be tweaked for improvement. The uses would be:
-General cutting: Rope, 550 cord, cardboard, bags of dog food, tape, etc.
-EDC: On my person just about everywhere I can. If it's not on my person, it'll be in my daypack.
-Camping: Primarily food prep, cutting more rope, cutting more 550 cord, lighter bushcraft
-Hunting: Skinning, white tailed deer
-Field kit: 550 cord, cutting paper, cutting fabric, light prying
-Defensive: Secondary purpose to cutting, pistol and/or rifle will be my primary for defense.

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I've used this shape of handle before and found it to be extremely comfortable and easy to control. I wouldn't want the handle scales to be overly thick, since I intend to have it on my person at all times (or near it). I was looking at both drop point and spear point and wanted some input on the pros/cons of them both for the above purposes. I figured spear point would be better if it were a longer blade and lend itself better to being part of my field kit and defensive purposes, which a drop point would be better overall for everything else. I had thought about a tanto point, but lost a lot of the curvature of the blade, which reduced it's usefulness as a general purpose knife (for me). I had also considered a reverse tanto to drop the point down towards the center, but just couldn't find an angle that looked good to me. Y'all might be able to make it work better than I could though.

Regarding the grind...
-Which grind lends itself to slicing and piercing
-Which grind helps retain lateral (?) strength for prying
-Which grind retains its edge well and can be sharpened without a huge amount of effort
-Not really meant for chopping or batoning

I'm also curious about:
-Adjusting the shape of the handle to make it good for cutting and thrusting motions
-What other grip shapes would lower the overall profile and still allow for a full grip?
-Which material would best suit a knife this size? I was looking at A2, D2, O1, and 1095 but am lost in the different varieties and heat treatments.
-Micarta vs G10 scales
-How much this would cost to commission a knife maker to make?

I'd love any feedback and visuals that'd help develop the design. I want to keep the blade and overall grip shapes as close as possible, provided the shapes aren't off the mark for what I'd want to use it for.
 
I'll take it as a good sign if someone would be interested in buying the design. I'm curious, why M2 steel? I also sketched a longer version of the bottom one out since I think visual depictions do better than just descriptions.

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Personally, I think I'd carry the 3" version of the above, and make it on the thicker side. Would anyone be able to tell me how much strength the blade would be giving up with the swedge at the top, and what grind would be most useful?
 
the swedge wouldn't really give up any strength, but if your battoning it would chew up your baton, better to keep it flat
 
I hadn't thought about battoning since I didn't consider using it for that due to the shorter blade length. I think the 3.5" versions could probably handle it, and if I extended the blade out to 4" or more that'd be something to really take into consideration. Thanks for the reminder, ragincagin.
 
Cypress said:
M4 is tough stuff. A hollow grind would make it a slicer to be reckoned with.
Click to expand...

From the two posts I've read about M2, it seems like it would make for a wickedly sharp edge with quite a bit of wear resistance. My only concern would be the steel being brittle at a higher hardness. However, I do agree that M2 with a hollow grind would make for a very nice slicer.

I've been looking at a simpler steel like 1095 more, if only because I've been hearing it's simpler and cheaper to work with. It also has more give to it, so it's not as prone to chipping or cracking. Again, I'm a total newb to steel, so please feel free to correct and school me up on this stuff if I'm getting it wrong.

As far as A2, D2, and O1... I've read that all three take on amazing edges and can hold them for a while. D2 seems to the hardest of the (3) to sharpen, and O1 is the easiest. O1 has a higher wear resistance than D2 and won't be as prone to chipping or cracking with larger amounts of abuse, and A2 has the lowest wear resistance of the three but also has more give and is more forgiving to abuse. All three are great steels and can work well.

I also looked at 52100 steel, and have read nothing but glowing reviews on it when it's properly heat treated. Incredibly keen edge, high wear resistance, and can withstand a pounding. However, it's difficult to work with and get properly heat treated, so it can be a costly steel to use.

I like both Micarta and G10, provided the scales aren't too smooth. I think that's something that'd be whatever is available (for me), and personal preference for many others.

Also, if y'all like the designs, feel free to use them. I'd love to see one of these made by someone and used in the real world.
 
Wolf1775 said:
From the two posts I've read about M2, it seems like it would make for a wickedly sharp edge with quite a bit of wear resistance. My only concern would be the steel being brittle at a higher hardness. However, I do agree that M2 with a hollow grind would make for a very nice slicer.
Click to expand...

M2 would be slightly more brittle. That's why I would have it in M4 ;)
 
Shortened the handle a little and adjusted the swell of the blade. I'm still debating on making the swell a little more gradual, but as is looks like it gives plenty of belly and a fairly strong tip. The I took out the swedge that ran almost the entire length of the back in favor of just the point, which leaves the spine flat. I'm horrible at drawing jumping, but I'd add some before and after the thump ramp, and at the pommel. I think a lanyard hole at the bottom of the handle would be useful as well.

I'd have the scales made from canvas Micarta, and on the slimmer side. Total overall width would be around 0.75" depending on the width of the spine. I'd have the knife overbuilt, so I'd estimate between 0.18-0.20" wide at the spine. I've been reading up on steel types, and I'm still trying to figure out which ones would work best. That's something I'd have to have an in depth discussion with someone who knows far more than I do.

I'm finding myself favoring a convex grind, but that's based entirely on what I've read. I do like the idea of creating a knife with M4 steel and a hollow grind to have something built with slicing in mind. I'll start looking at making something specifically for that, which will likely have a narrower blade and a long sweep to give it the most cutting area that it can.

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Now what's funny is that I showed the design to someone for input and he pointed me to BRK's new offering, the Springbok. It's pretty similar, but the handle remains straight rather than taking a slight curve. I definitely like the way the design is executed, so I'll likely pick one up as soon as I can to try it out. Meanwhile, I'll keep tweaking my designs since this is actually turning out to be pretty damn fun.
 
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I will tell you that I think you have a great couple of ideas. Very nice designs there. Keep working at it. You have designed a very nice, very well thought out knife, or knives. Great job!

I will throw this out as a steel choice: 3V. It's STUPID tough, has good edge retention. It's not too difficult to sharpen....etc. your designs in 3V, or as stated, M4 could really be AWESOME knives.

Just find one of the BF craftsmen that are comfortable with your chosen steel and have it commissioned.
 
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