Spanish blades, some info and loooots of pics :D

[Zuluninja]

But wait! there's more... This is a CDS Axarquia Arcaza, last name comes from a Spanish bowhunting tv show for which this model was made, though the only difference from the original is the blade mark and 2-tone micarta handle, the original being cocobolo. Full flat ground goodness, 4.5mm thick, 4" blade

The sheath was very well made, tho with a design flaw that I had seen already in the Muela Rhino sheath. I believe the Rhino's sheath was patterned after this one as this Rhino, although being an old model from Muela, was redone in this new micarta-clad, sandvik steel blade quite recently, while the Axarquia has been around for a couple of years. The Axarquia sheath looked like this one:

and now it looks like this. I did the same to the Rhino. That snap right behind the guard was very annoying as it made contact with the blade steel upon drawing and insertion. No longer an issue. It also has a ferro rod (also included like with the Celtibero) loop, which the rhino sheath lacks

More? U betcha! this was an unexpected find. Older, disco'd Aitor knives have a rep of being better made than the newer ones. This Aitor Bowie 452 is no longer made, and like the Survival 18 it really beats the hell out of me why Aitor has not resurrected them. Both this one and the Survival are highly prized in Spain, and with good reason. Clueless as of when it was made, I'd venture the latest date of production to have been in the 90's. It came to me in good shape, tho not as good as the survival. This one required some sanding at the grind, the brass pins, micarta scales and a spot on the spine where it seems a previous owner tried unsuccesfully to do file work and quit after only 2 tries, none of them good-looking. Some sanding, rotary drum action, blue magic elbow grease and dmt honing gave me this beautiful beast, which I intend to use

Factory polished flats, 4mm thick, 6.5" blade, 12" overall, this is one mean-looking blade

 

[Zuluninja]

This is a Muela Jabali 21 (as in 21 cm, 8 3/8" blade) with olive scales. Big and simple, full tang and fuller on both sides

Another beauty from Muela. This one has a scabbard that I bet is no longer made, tho the knife is still in production. This Muela Bowie is a heavy hitter at 3/16" thick and 8.5" long blade. Scabbard has a brass throat covered by leather encasing the sheath that also has a rubber insert, and a brass tip. Very elegant, and another rarity is this bowie has a saber grind. Most of my spanish blades are hollow ground.

I already posted the Typhoon, but it looks better outdoors. 4mm thick, 5.75" blade, micarta slabs and a frogged kydex tooled dangler

And to wrap up this session, a Cudeman folder in what is called an " albaceteña", a traditional style from the region of Albacete in Spain. The handle has slabs of bull horn. 3.25" blade snaps into a hole in the bar that runs down the spine and acts as the spring with a solid snap. The little lever known as palanquilla on top of the bolsters lifts the bar from the "tooth" of the blade's tang to disengage the lock.

So...that's it - for now. I'm trying to square up a deal that might land me 4-5 more spanish blades but don't know when yet. As much as I like Spanish blades, the lack of steel diversity is frustrating. Even tho the MoVa has been proven to be an excellent steel, we knifenuts enjoy variety. I hope that one of my favorite brands, Aitor, also freshens up their catalog and come up with new models. My dream knife would be a full tang Oso Negro in carbon steel (52100, 5160, 1095) with a flat saber grind and a better sheath. It would also be great if they resurrected popular old models. Who knows? For now I think I have almost reached the extent of my Spanish knife collection; beyond this only lies the realm of customs which I'm trying to avoid. Gotta stop spending and play more with my toys. Hope you enjoyed the views

 

[Zuluninja]

so...no thoughts on the new arrivals? I got 3 more, 1 Muela, 1 Nieto and 1 Alce, which was a subdivision of Muela, kinda like a "B" class. I knew what to expect when I got it cheap, so I proceeded to destroy the handle within 5 minutes of opening the package. It has a nice MAC-V style blade, 1/8" thick, 7" blade and quite sharp, with green scales and brass rivets at the handle. I had no illusions about the tang, as I know this would be a framed bit

10 minutes later, some grinder and plier action revealed the true story

No prob. I have a homemade paper micarta slab that will be fitted to it, along with pins and g-flex epoxy, which should be a stronger setup than factory. After stripping it seems to be a cast aluminum frame

But then I also nabbed this beauty...an older version of Nieto's Cetreria big hunter. You can tell by the sheath, that regardless of age is perfectly solid, and the stamp which reads "440" instead of "AN-58". Nieto made their knives out of 440C before switching to AN-58, which some say is a modified 425, but who knows, so if the seller was honest it dates this knife in the 80's. Big and solid, this one is a 3/16" thick full tang with an 8" blade and laminated wood handle with brass bolsters and pins

And finally this little skinner, a Muela Piranha. I will be honest with you, I have never hunted; may do so in the near future. That said, I hadn't paid much attention to this little guy the first time I saw it, but when I found it on the bay at a ridiculously low price I said f*** it. I got it for like a quarter of what it is usually selling for. So, this one may be with me on my maiden hunting trip, whenever it happens. As all stag-handled Muelas I have, the fit and finish is excellent. 1/8" thick, 3 1/4" long blade, brass bolster and butt cap, it does feel nice in the hand.

 

[Zuluninja]

Finished re-handling the Alce. I had made a paper micarta slab some time ago layering orange and green construction paper and added a twist: I mixed glow in the dark powder with the epoxy. After cutting and shaping the slabs, I couldn't find pins the size of the holes so I sacrificed 2 small aluminum carabiners that happenned to fit them. Glued them in the morning with west marine's g-flex epoxy and at night I wrappped it up with the belt sander and stone grinder. The sheath seems to be made of pressed cardboard, and since the strap was broken I riveted one I had made for another knife but cut off.

It DOES glow in the dark, although a bit faint but more visible after the eyes adjust to the darkness. I haven't found out how to take shots of handles like this, as this is the fourth handle I've done with glow in the dark powder, so take my word for it

Comments and criticism are welcome.

 

[Thrustus]

I own a original Negro bought in the 80's and a Montero which I replaced the green plastic grip with a custom made piece of purpleheart wood.

 

[Zuluninja]

I've been very tempted to do a stacked leather handle on the montero. Do you have pics of that purpleheart grip?

 

[liamstrain]

Beautiful! It's very similar to what we simply call a navaja in my family. I have a spanish Joker navaja with olive wood scales that is one of my favorite knives, but this one is really lovely.

 

[Zuluninja]

I want to get a navaja with "carraca" (toothed tang folder) but it seems the only ones currently in production are done by Martinez Albainox, which has a bad rep in Spain. I might go ahead and order one just to hear the noise hehehe.

 

[FortyTwoBlades]

I LOVE that horn-handled Cudeman! What a gorgeous knife!

 

[Zuluninja]

I had forgotten about this one. Another good find on the bay. Came to me with a bith of tarnish in some areas but a piece of 1200 grit sandpaper and some blue magic left it as new. Nice solid lock, came with a pouch as it doen't have a pocket clip. I'm thinking of tapping one to it.

 

[Nixelplix]

I want to get a navaja with "carraca" (toothed tang folder) but it seems the only ones currently in production are done by Martinez Albainox, which has a bad rep in Spain. I might go ahead and order one just to hear the noise hehehe.

Some really nice looking knives! One of these days, I'd like to get a big navaja with carraca, too.

 

[richard thurman]

Muela to my understanding dont makes secounds. I have some that have not been made in years. I have all of the factory boxes and pouches for them too.

 

[agile_1]

Great collection. Love the red liners.

 

[JustSomeGuy]

Very cool! I'd love to see some bigger, more close up pics of the handle. I've really been enjoying your collection and seeing it grow

Finished re-handling the Alce. I had made a paper micarta slab some time ago layering orange and green construction paper and added a twist: I mixed glow in the dark powder with the epoxy. After cutting and shaping the slabs, I couldn't find pins the size of the holes so I sacrificed 2 small aluminum carabiners that happenned to fit them. Glued them in the morning with west marine's g-flex epoxy and at night I wrappped it up with the belt sander and stone grinder. The sheath seems to be made of pressed cardboard, and since the strap was broken I riveted one I had made for another knife but cut off.

It DOES glow in the dark, although a bit faint but more visible after the eyes adjust to the darkness. I haven't found out how to take shots of handles like this, as this is the fourth handle I've done with glow in the dark powder, so take my word for it

Comments and criticism are welcome.

 

[Zuluninja]

yeah, those were crappy shots. I will do more close ups tomorrow. As for wether Muela makes seconds or not, I'm not sure, will have to ask on the spanish forums. It's just that the Arocho is kinda odd with the way the etching was done - Muela Arocho on one side, Made in Spain Inox on the other. And then the shield on the left side of the handle. Who knows? maybe it was a special order or a slip at the finish line, otherwise solid with no apparent flaws.

Today I beat up on the Jabali and the big Nieto. They have very similar dimensions and are full tang with shaving sharp edges. I decided to not hold back and see if the hollow grind could handle heavy duty stuff. I selected a very dry branch of about 3" diameter and chopped up sections that were battonned afterwards. I did 3 sections with each knife and was rewarded with good performance, no punishment to the hand and no dings or bends on the edge, the Nieto slightly edging the Muela due to it being thicker and heavier. Next in line for tuff stuff are the CDS.

 

[untamed]

Thanks for sharing!

 

[Irminsul]

I like the Spanish navaja folders. These are two older specimens, if you would please excuse the spur of the moment crappy celphone snapshot. The top is an Albacete item, the bottom (closed) is a Esparcia. The top clasp carraca mechanism calls for a bit of careful training to handle effectively and safely.

 

[Zuluninja]

nice shot, regardless; Esparcias are hard to find blades

 

[richard thurman]

yeah, those were crappy shots. I will do more close ups tomorrow. As for wether Muela makes seconds or not, I'm not sure, will have to ask on the spanish forums. It's just that the Arocho is kinda odd with the way the etching was done - Muela Arocho on one side, Made in Spain Inox on the other. And then the shield on the left side of the handle. Who knows? maybe it was a special order or a slip at the finish line, otherwise solid with no apparent flaws.

Today I beat up on the Jabali and the big Nieto. They have very similar dimensions and are full tang with shaving sharp edges. I decided to not hold back and see if the hollow grind could handle heavy duty stuff. I selected a very dry branch of about 3" diameter and chopped up sections that were battonned afterwards. I did 3 sections with each knife and was rewarded with good performance, no punishment to the hand and no dings or bends on the edge, the Nieto slightly edging the Muela due to it being thicker and heavier. Next in line for tuff stuff are the CDS.

I talked to a supplier to see about getting secounds from them. they sent my a viedo and paper work explaining that they didnt do that and all of there bone handle where the real deal. that is how I came by the info.

 

[Zuluninja]

a bit better shots of the handle