The P.A.C.Knife by Wilson Custom Knives

[Sam Wilson]

Hello everyone, I wanted to start a thread here so those that don’t follow The Hollow Handle Knife Thread would see this. I have had this idea for awhile now, and finally got around to doing it. This is the P.A.C.Knife- Pack And Camp Knife.

The idea was to have a smaller, lightweight, and economically priced hollow handle knife (if you hate hollow handle knives, there are other threads for you) that was essentially a knife with a built-in match safe. That has always been the basic idea in my mind for hollow handle knives, and with this one I wanted to do a knife that trimmed away the fat.

I will list the specs, and then explain a little more.

Steel: 154CM
Blade length: 4.5"
Blade thickness: 1/8"
Handle length: 4.5"
Total length: Approximately 9 1/4"

Weight on my scale for the knife itself is 5.5 oz. Obviously being handmade, they will all vary a little. The weight for the sheath is about 4.5 oz, for a total weight of around 10 oz.

For this one I used 1/8” stock, with a full flat grind to get the most slicing ability. The edges are run on the thin side for increased performance. This will take light batonning, things like splitting kindling and tinder, but I wouldn’t recommend heavy batonning or trying to use it as a “hard use knife.” I have no doubt that the handle/blade joint will take it, but I am grinding these on the thinner side at the edge, for good slicing capability.

The guard is stainless. I had thought about going with aluminum to cut weight, but given that the knife is designed to be used in the wilderness, I thought that aluminum would get dinged up too much. The handle tube is also aluminum. I did this to cut weight, and cut weight it did. It is made from 1/8” thick walled tubing that has been slightly bored out for more storage. The handle is also beveled right below the guard to provide a more aesthetically pleasing transition from the 1” wide blade to the 1” wide handle.

Other than that, it shares a lot of characteristics with my other hollow handle knives-cord wrap, cord ring, to both trap the cord and serve as a protective “hood” for the O-ring, and of course the tapped buttcap for the screw in ferro rod, along with the rollup pouch of waxed linen that keeps things from bouncing around in the handle and can also be cut in strips to serve as emergency tinder.

The blade is silver soldered, and bead blasted is currently the only finish I offer on these. The sheath is of a “bushcraft” style, and has a D-ring and dangler (not pictured). It has very good retention via formed leather, and will not come out even with vigorous shaking while upside down.

Well, that covers all the details I can think of, I’d love to hear any thoughts, comments, or questions.

Thank you,
Sam Wilson :thumbup:

 

[plue]

Usually not a fan of the hollow handle, but this one looks cool as hell. Great job!

 

[MrFixIt]

Could you show a pic of the "tapped in ferro rod" please?

 

[Rockywolf]

Very nice. Top edge sharpened or just a false one?

 

[TAH]

Sam,

You outdid yourself this time. This knife screams "practical". Perfect for the lightweight backpacker. I am fully aware of your hollow handle construction and the extensive testing you have performed, so I have NO doubt this little guy is going to hold up to anything a common sense user will throw at it. Well done, as usual. :thumbup:

 

[jmh33]

Well.. Since ya asked.. Not a fan.. John

 

[TAH]

Well.. Since ya asked.. Not a fan.. John

Curious, why not a fan?

 

[jmh33]

Curious, why not a fan?

Don't like the round handle.. Looks like it got stuck onto the blade as an after thought.. Not a fan of blade swedges.. Don't care for the round guard but do understand if ya got a round handle ya need a round guard.. I do like the blade shape/size though.. I am not bashing his work but ya asked.. JMO!!! John :thumbup:

 

[TAH]

I understand. Hollow handles aren't for everyone and round handles are hard to avoid with hollow handles.

 

[Shotgun]

I dislike round handles too. The hollow handle idea I just will never get due in large part on the round handle. It's just not a trade off I think is worth it. The cord wrap isn't ideal handle material either from my experience. I like the blade shape and size but I can't see the reason for the false edge. The guard looks like it would get in the way in some grips. The edge could be closer to the handle as well. The guard and the edge way out there together makes a lot of knives unusable for me. I had the same issue with the ESEE 3 though this one doesn't look quite so bad. Looks well made otherwise and I'm sure people who go for this type of knife would like it a lot. Good job on getting the weight down.

 

[Sam Wilson]

Usually not a fan of the hollow handle, but this one looks cool as hell. Great job!

Thank you, plue. I kind of like this one myself. So light it in the hand its funny.

Could you show a pic of the "tapped in ferro rod" please?

This is from a different knife, but they are the same setup and all thread the same. The idea is instead of putting the compass in the buttcap (not the best idea, in my opinion, but that's a different story) to use the buttcap as a handle for the ferro rod. The rod by itself can be difficult to grasp while striking, especially if its cold or wet, or you're shaking or whatever. This gives you a better handle. The other rod is a sharpening rod, which is optional.

Very nice. Top edge sharpened or just a false one?

Top edge is ground thin, almost to an edge, but not sharpened. I usually only sharpen them on request. And thank you.

Sam,

You outdid yourself this time. This knife screams "practical". Perfect for the lightweight backpacker. I am fully aware of your hollow handle construction and the extensive testing you have performed, so I have NO doubt this little guy is going to hold up to anything a common sense user will throw at it. Well done, as usual. :thumbup:

Thanks, Tom. It exceeded my expectations, especially for a prototype.

Well.. Since ya asked.. Not a fan.. John

Thank you.

Sam

 

[Sam Wilson]

Don't like the round handle.. Looks like it got stuck onto the blade as an after thought.. Not a fan of blade swedges.. Don't care for the round guard but do understand if ya got a round handle ya need a round guard.. I do like the blade shape/size though.. I am not bashing his work but ya asked.. JMO!!! John :thumbup:

I dislike round handles too. The hollow handle idea I just will never get due in large part on the round handle. It's just not a trade off I think is worth it. The cord wrap isn't ideal handle material either from my experience. I like the blade shape and size but I can't see the reason for the false edge. The guard looks like it would get in the way in some grips. The edge could be closer to the handle as well. The guard and the edge way out there together makes a lot of knives unusable for me. I had the same issue with the ESEE 3 though this one doesn't look quite so bad. Looks well made otherwise and I'm sure people who go for this type of knife would like it a lot. Good job on getting the weight down.

I understand that no knife is perfect for everyone, especially a hollow handle knife. I'm not here to convince anyone, I wanted feedback, which I'm getting. Thank you. Allow me to explain the purpose of the false edge, as it's slightly differnet from a swedge, at least that's the way it has been explained to me. The false edge serves to reduce the thickness of the blade toward the tip without sacrificing too much strength, if it's done properly. This allows for better penetration of the tip and can actually be an asset. Some hunters like a false edge for getting into joints and sinew better, as it slides in easier than a full thickness blade. They can also serve to give the blade a little more style.

A guard, as mentioned, on this type of knife is almost unavoidable. I have thought about doing an even smaller guard, but that will be a different time. The edge on this one can't really be any closer to the guard. It is put there by design. It's right at 1/4" from the guard, and this bit of space is necessary when silver soldering a blade so that you aren't overheating your edge. The ricasso serves as a heat sink, to prevent burning of the edge.

As far as the cord wrap, I agree, it is not the ideal handle material. Micarta is a fantastic option, and I offer that option on some of my other hollow handle knives, and my customers have liked it very much. But the cord does serve a purpose for "emergencies" and is the most economical handle material readily available. It also gives some style to the knife, as does the false edge.

All that being said, thank you for the compliments about the knife, and getting the weight down. That was the whole goal. I am not trying to convince anyone that they don't know what they want or need in a knife, I'm sure you gentleman understand exactly what you want in your knives. But I thought I would at least explain that these things didn't happen by accident, and that there was a purpose for how it was done.

Please keep the feedback coming, I enjoy it and it helps me to make a better knife.

Thank you,
Sam :thumbup:

 

[MrFixIt]

Thank you for the pic!
I was having a hard time envisioning what you said and that cleared it up.
A picture is worth a thousand words...

 

[Sam Wilson]

Thank you for the pic!
I was having a hard time envisioning what you said and that cleared it up.
A picture is worth a thousand words...

You're welcome! It's difficult to explain, but easy to see. Thank you,

Sam

 

[Rockywolf]

I think that it is awesome. I haven't had a hollow handled knife since the 80s. The only thing I'd change on mine if I ordered one is the false edge.

 

[Sam Wilson]

I think that it is awesome. I haven't had a hollow handled knife since the 80s. The only thing I'd change on mine if I ordered one is the false edge.

Thanks, Rockywolf. They are so much fun, that's half the reason I make them, lol. If you ever want one, let me know, that can be arranged. Either way, thanks for the post!

Sam :thumbup:

 

[JD Mandrell]

Oh that is just slick!!!!!!!!!!

 

[jmh33]

Sam.. I do hope you did not take my post for more than I posted.. I admire and appreciate your ability to make knives..I tried and FAILED big time!! Like I said.. JMO!! And we all know what is said about opinions!! Carry on!! :thumbup: John

 

[Shotgun]

I understand that no knife is perfect for everyone, especially a hollow handle knife. I'm not here to convince anyone, I wanted feedback, which I'm getting. Thank you. Allow me to explain the purpose of the false edge, as it's slightly differnet from a swedge, at least that's the way it has been explained to me. The false edge serves to reduce the thickness of the blade toward the tip without sacrificing too much strength, if it's done properly. This allows for better penetration of the tip and can actually be an asset. Some hunters like a false edge for getting into joints and sinew better, as it slides in easier than a full thickness blade. They can also serve to give the blade a little more style.

I'm not a hunter so that would never have occurred to me. Thanks for explanation. For that task, is a false edge better than a distal taper or is it a matter of half dozen of one...?

And you're right. There's no perfect knife for everyone. That would be boring anyway.

 

[Codger_64]

I like it. Very much. I wouldn't buy one because I don't like the HH knives in general. Perhaps prejudiced by the junk that used to be available in the HH configuration. But I do like it.

I might also suggest that it is possible to compress the tube sides in a controlled way that makes the handle mimic the oval handles of the various leather washer field knives. That, to my experience, is essential in indexing the knife by feel rather than by sight, and a downfall of almost all HH type knives.

But that said, I like it very much. It speaks loudly of craftsmanship in F & F and forethought in design. The threaded FS socket is a nice touch.

Michael

ETA: The swedge is a nice touch. It adds to the appeal of an otherwise plain ground blade. And yes, for a hunter it is a useful feature.