Small knife for Afghanistan

N

night man

Joined
Aug 27, 2010
Messages
199
Ill be going back to Afghanistan soon and would like to make a few knives for some of the guys in my unit. Something simple and easy to make. Here is a sketch I drew on photoshop.

1095, 3/16" thick, HT myself to around 58-59. Handle will be cord wrap. Edge will be semi convex with a grind on top that will not be sharp just to ease penetration if need be. I like a good wide blade with some belly to make up for the short length and it makes it hella stout.

Size is about 7 1/2 " overall with about 3 1/2 blade and 4 " handle and the blade is 2" at its widest. No plunge lines for ease of grinding and I really don't see the need. The handle is pointed on the end for glass breaking and skull crushing. It will more than likely mount on the chest area with a kydex sheath. It will probably get cold blue or a forced patina to help prevent rust.

What do ya think? Any thoughts? Changes?
Thanks.

knife1copy.jpg
 
Looks light and useful, with some nice curves. Be sure to show pics of the finished product.

Best luck,

John
 
Thanks for the comments fellas. Here is an update that I might make from a user on another forum. I made a pry section on the end. I still am not sure about it yet but I may try it out on the first one. If I dont like it I can just grind it down to how I had it before.



knife2-1.jpg
 
maybe a little chopping, more than likely cutting straps , cord and MRE boxes. Hopefully it never needs to be used for stabbing but thats why i having a grind on the spine to help for penetration if need be. It will probably see its far share of prying as well.
 
i like it but I suggest skeletonizing the handle to save a little weight and to ease in cord wrapping.
 
I would get hold of VOX knives and pick up the PryMate. There are similarities to your drawing. The dude's products are used over there with great success and he gives priority to Military orders.
http://voxknives.com/
 
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Really like the pry-bar pommel on it. Maybe drill some holes so micarta/g10 etc slabs could be added. I really like the design though, looks great.
 
look perfect for what you listed. but out of intrest, dont you get given the KAbar standard issue knife? or is that only used when on out of base on an op?
 
Im a former infantryman turned cavalry scout so a lot of our ops are mounted and the kabar is usually a hip knife and doesnt do so well when mounted. Yes you can mount them on your vest but they take up a lot of real estate.

Im in the Army so no we don't get issued a kabar only marines I think. If we are issued a knife its usually a benchmade folder of some sort.

This knife is meant to be small enough for the vest but stout enough and shaped right for just about any task you can expect a midsized knife to do.

The key things are keeping the point close to in line with the handle. Sharp enough to cut, and pointy enough to stab and stout enough not to break. Also with the pry on the end it can also be used in a pinch to pry open a box, door, glovebox, or anything else that we might run into.

Since i added the pry on the end I might just put one lanyard hole in the end to keep it from being a weak point when prying.

One more thing. If i do add the pry can i heat the pry end to nonmagnetic and quench then turn the knife around heat and quench the blade then temper? I usually just heat treat the blade a little pass the handle but with the pry end it needs to be hard enough to where the metal doesnt deform or bend to much when prying but not so hard that it will snap when prying. Im open to suggestions abou this because ive never made one like this before.

Thanks.
 
Compliment: I like the design and geometry -- seems like you have that end of things pretty well covered.

Well meant criticism/question: Not trying to be a prick -- but what's your heat treating setup like? 1095 is actually pretty demanding to HT properly; especially if you aren't set up to do it professionally it's easy to not let it soak long enough (can't just let it turn nonmagnetic), or not cool it fast enough on the quench (you have almost 1 second exactly to get it to room temp from nonmagnetic). If you do quench it fast enough though you risk quench cracking, or warping it.

Suggestion: Aldo Bruno, owner of the NJ Steel Baron, has some 1084fg that would be quite a bit easier to heat treat properly. It's also just a better cutlery grade melt than most of the 1095 out there. More attention to detail on the production side of things, and trace additions of vanadium to give it a finer grain. His website has been on the fritz lately, but he's a great guy and would be more than happy to talk to you about this stuff over the phone. Especially since you're off to Afghanistan...

Goodluck! Thanks for your service!

Oh -- one more thing -- if you want to do the HT yourself that's cool. But, if you want to give someone in the business a call Brad Stallsmith at Peters Heat Treating has very reasonable rates, and they do a phenomenal job with carbon steels in my experience.
 
hkpokes_you said:
Compliment: I like the design and geometry -- seems like you have that end of things pretty well covered.

Well meant criticism/question: Not trying to be a prick -- but what's your heat treating setup like? 1095 is actually pretty demanding to HT properly; especially if you aren't set up to do it professionally it's easy to not let it soak long enough (can't just let it turn nonmagnetic), or not cool it fast enough on the quench (you have almost 1 second exactly to get it to room temp from nonmagnetic). If you do quench it fast enough though you risk quench cracking, or warping it.

Suggestion: Aldo Bruno, owner of the NJ Steel Baron, has some 1084fg that would be quite a bit easier to heat treat properly. It's also just a better cutlery grade melt than most of the 1095 out there. More attention to detail on the production side of things, and trace additions of vanadium to give it a finer grain. His website has been on the fritz lately, but he's a great guy and would be more than happy to talk to you about this stuff over the phone. Especially since you're off to Afghanistan...

Goodluck! Thanks for your service!

Oh -- one more thing -- if you want to do the HT yourself that's cool. But, if you want to give someone in the business a call Brad Stallsmith at Peters Heat Treating has very reasonable rates, and they do a phenomenal job with carbon steels in my experience.
Click to expand...

Criticism well taken. I have sent a few to HT but since then I wanted to do it myself. I made a paint can forge and used refracory cement and ceramic insulation to coat the inside. I have a small bernzomatic torch that uses propane and mapp. I slowely heat the blade to nonmagnetic then after i can run a strong magnet down the edge fully and fell no magnetism i quench in room temperature veg. oil. Check hardness with file. I then put them in an oven preheated to 485 and temper for 2 hours.

I have made about 12 knives so far, 1 went to my dad, 1 to my fother-in-law, and 1 to my step-dad, all for gifts, and i kept the rest. My dad is really the only one that uses his regularly and so far he has yet to sharpen it and it will still shave hair.

I know it could probably be better but I like doing it myself. I have used some of the others I made for myself in the field a lot and so far no issues. A few i have done have even had a hamon line come through because the thicker part of the blade didnt harden properly but the edge was fine so I left it that way.

I have skinned a few squirrels, shaved some feather sticks and cut through some coke cans with it and I can hit it on a fine arkansas stone then a strop and its back to hair shaving sharp.

I plan on buying an evenheat eventually and really get the best out of the steel but for now they have been great knives and I am learning alot and every knife I make is better than the last.

I do appreciate your comments and suggestions about the HT but I just cant spend $10-$20 dollars to HT everyknife I make right now, and like I said i like the satisfaction that I do it all myself. I also want to eventually forge my own blades but that won't be anytime soon.
 
The first one is the one I made for my dad, the two smaller ones are the ones that i made my father-in-law and step-dad. The last picture is another one I drew up earlier today. So far all my knives have used convexed edges but this one is a chisel grind because i have been wanting to grind one for a while now.

DSC_0059.jpg


DSC_0055.jpg


chiselgrind.jpg
 
nightman you are good with your hands. nice design & the only suggestion would be to round off the point a little on the choil. sounds like you may be doing some sniper work--just curious. thanks dennis
 
Thanks for the comments. Actually not a sniper but I did go to designated marksman school. We do have a sniper section that will be with us to give us overwatch and such. Im the senior scout in our platoon and will be commanding a section, which is a few guntrucks.
 
night man said:
Thanks for the comments fellas. Here is an update that I might make from a user on another forum. I made a pry section on the end. I still am not sure about it yet but I may try it out on the first one. If I dont like it I can just grind it down to how I had it before.


knife2-1.jpg
Click to expand...

I like it very much! Personally though, 2" wide is a bit too wide for my tastes, maybe just 1.75"? But that's just me.

pierced said:
I would get hold of VOX knives and pick up the PryMate. There are similarities to your drawing. The dude's products are used over there with great success and he gives priority to Military orders.
http://voxknives.com/
Click to expand...

Funny you should mention this, as Boker will come out with a design similar in many regards to the OP's. I do like however that is one is thinner than that upcoming Boker model.

[youtube]lk3ZJdQiVPg[/youtube]
 
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