The "Ask Nathan a Question" Thread

Lorien said:
the DEK1 MAY have both a swedge and a fuller...
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Please do implement! I have mentioned it in the past, but much of my use for a knife in home and on the job involves clearing and scraping. A swedge which preserves the primary edge for such duties is perhaps one of the most functional additions to a knife :thumbsup:
 
Does the most recent (released) EDC and the EDC2S share handle shapes, and are the scales interchangeable?
 
The scales are interchangeable, but they are not the same.
 
Nathan, I've been curious what the main reason is you choose to use screws vs pins on your handles? I realize there are many possible reasons. Would be interested to hear your thoughts from a makers perspective.
 
mb> said:
Nathan, I've been curious what the main reason is you choose to use screws vs pins on your handles? I realize there are many possible reasons. Would be interested to hear your thoughts from a makers perspective.
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Perhaps there's a misunderstanding here, my scales are pinned. The screw heads simply serve to hold the scales down, but the pins do the locating and shear loads. You can remove the screws and the scales remain in place and are difficult to remove.

The holes in the tang are created on a big CNC machining center. They're spotted, drilled undersized, circular interpolated CNC milled for location, then reamed to size with a carbide reamer. Their location and size are probably the most closely controlled for a fixed blade in the entire knife industry. Similar with the scales. So we need very little clearance with the pins, so we turn them down with only .001" nominal clearance. Everything is a very snug fit with 2-3 pins (depending on pattern). My scales are most definitely pinned.

Perhaps your question is why do I use removable screws on my pins rather than permanently pien pin heads? I like to utilize texture in my scale designs.

dZWKf4d.jpg


Grinding a pin flush to that spoils the texture.

It started with wanting the ability to grind the scales flush to the tang, remove the scales and paint or tumble the blade and return the scales with good return matchup. But when we invested in good CNC the precision we put into the process minimizes matchup issues to the point it is no longer required to match grind a set of scales to a tang to get a good fit. <-- this opens up the ability for folks to swap scales. That was never a driving factor (though the ability to remove scales to resharpen a bare blade is) but the end result is our scales are removable and replaceable, in a large part due to the removable fasteners (rather than piened heads) we use to hold the scales down to the tang. The high precision PINS allow that. They are pinned. There are knives on the market with removable scales where the threaded fasteners don't really constrain the scales, and they can shift around in hard use. Our work is not like that.
 
^ thank you for the detailed explanation and based on that piece above, I will be less likely to mock about with my scales which you (plural) QC over there before you finalize the orders to ship out.
 
Nathan the Machinist said:
...this opens up the ability for folks to swap scales. That was never a driving factor (though the ability to remove scales to resharpen a bare blade is) but the end result is our scales are removable and replaceable, in a large part due to the removable fasteners (rather than piened heads) we use to hold the scales down to the tang. The high precision PINS allow that. They are pinned. There are knives on the market with removable scales where the threaded fasteners don't really constrain the scales, and they can shift around in hard use. Our work is not like that.
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Thanks Cartothers crew for making them interchangeable! :thumbsup: Us ELU's really appreciate that! :D

It's a bit of stretch, but I'd say the ability to interchange handles could be considered a functional concern. As you've detailed before for us on this sub, some materials provide more grip-- which is usually a good thing on a knife, but can raise hot spots and blisters on other occasions.

And sometimes an ELU may prefer a more impermeable material for gutting/cleaning, kitchen duty, etc. Those materials are usually a bit more forgiving as far as blistering goes also-- at least in short sessions of use.

So handle versatility can be considered a knife option...especially with a design like the NASK by Lorien Lorien which has a "one knife option" vibe underpinning it ... I've preordered a TeroTuf NASK and I've already purchased an additional buffed set of handles for these very reasons of versatility.

Piggybacking on this idea:
Jo the Machinist Jo the Machinist ... what kind of handles do you run on your race knife? Sorry if this has already been answered somewhere else...I follow you guys pretty closely, but I haven't reached stalker level....YET! <cue the Psycho music> :eek::eek::eek: :p
 
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That's the first truely simple and straight forward answer about pins and screws I've see from any maker ... and it makes alot of sense to me.

And even though I love wood ... and may sometime try to get a very skilled individual to dress up one of my EDCs with some nice wood ... your answer explains why the knives feel like they are carved as one piece from a magical source ... which I still in the back of my mind wonder if you haven't outbid Santa for his elves labor to perfect it all.
 
Nathan thanks for the detailed and informative answers to many of the questions that are asked here. I’ve learned quite a bit and am always impressed with the detail and workmanship involved in each of your blades. You truly are a master craftsman.
 
Nate- I just have to say that I really loved your rap on pins and fasteners. You have a great way with words when it comes to describing technical things. I've learned a lot from you over the years, so thanks!
 
PeteyTwoPointOne said:
Thanks Cartothers crew for making them interchangeable! :thumbsup: Us ELU's really appreciate that! :D

It's a bit of stretch, but I'd say the ability to interchange handles could be considered a functional concern. As you've detailed before for us on this sub, some materials provide more grip-- which is usually a good thing on a knife, but can raise hot spots and blisters on other occasions.

And sometimes an ELU may prefer a more impermeable material for gutting/cleaning, kitchen duty, etc. Those materials are usually a bit more forgiving as far as blistering goes also-- at least in short sessions of use.

So handle versatility can be considered a knife option...especially with a design like the NASK by Lorien Lorien which has a "one knife option" vibe underpinning it ... I've preordered a TeroTuf NASK and I've already purchased an additional buffed set of handles for these very reasons of versatility.

Piggybacking on this idea:
Jo the Machinist Jo the Machinist ... what kind of handles do you run on your race knife? Sorry if this has already been answered somewhere else...I follow you guys pretty closely, but I haven't reached stalker level....YET! <cue the Psycho music> :eek::eek::eek: :p
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Hey Ron! My scales are made from TeroTuf and rubber.
 
lol...Rubber? That sounds awesome! I have always been a fan of Winkler recyled rubber handles. TT + rubber? As in a rubber liner? Or sections of TT coupled with sections of rubber? I’ll take it either way! Any plans for a limited run of this?
 
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