The PIG

Rick Marchand

Rick Marchand

Donkey on the Edge
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Jan 6, 2005
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As I told its soon to be, owner... "It won't win any tomato slicing contests!"

This "knife" may be better suited as a link pin for rail cars. It is called the PIG(Purposefully Inflated Geometry). Short, overweight, ugly, aggressive, dirty and nearly indestructible... it reminds me of a few bladesmiths I know.;) This is the latest version of an ever-evolving pet project of mine. Its early ancestor was called the Bush Pig and was a blade geared specifically toward my particular needs in a stand alone bush knife. Admittedly, I'm not so much into the "bushcrafting" side of wilderness survival. I tend to approach survival much like a Pitbull does a steak. There is no need for delicate carving, dressing game or shaving my armpits. It is hard to see it in the pics but there is some serious meat behind the cutting edge... cold chisels be hatin'. That said, I'm sure it wouldn't do too badly at any of that fine stuff either... you gotta gimme a bit of credit at least.:cool::thumbup:

PIG
1084FG
1/4" thick
11" OA length
6" blade, 1 5/8" at widest
5" handle
Tapered tang
Handle is leather backed, hemp wrapped and epoxy soaked
Copper guard
Mild steel pommel plate, peened
Sheath is hand stitched, tooled, riveted and wax dipped.

Can anyone guess which BF member this blade is for?






I kinda dropped the ball on WIP pics but better than nothin'...



Thanks for looking.
Rick
 
Thanks, Brony... It does have a convex edge. Like I said, the pics don't capture the geometry. If I mic 1/4" in from the cutting edge it reads .070" along the belly and .100" at the up-sweep of the tip. That might not be much for some but it is HUGE to me.
 
It push-cuts newsprint for fun... but it is the poster boy for the term "sharpened prybar". We'll see what the owner has to say about its performance, next week.
 
bronyblacksmith said:
... and could you maybe elaborate on you take on survival? :)
Click to expand...
I apprenticed for several years under a Canadian wilderness survival instructor(mostly cold weather survival). It was a game changer for me. Prior to that, I had done a few Tracker courses and attended primitive skills gatherings for decades. What my last instructor did for me was put it all into perspective. With his guidance, I was able to get as close as you can to an actual survival situation. We trained "extreme"... physically and mentally. What I discovered was that.... survival SUCKS! Every time we went out, I swore I would never come back... but two weeks later I was like "I actually did that!". The whole experience whittled me down to a few core skills and a new appreciation for what tools were important to me. Everyone has their own approach, this blade suits mine.:thumbup:
 
It has style....your very recognizable style...the copper at the front and iron/steel at the back with the hammer texturing, the cord wrapped handle...very stylish, goog looking.

While I always appreciate the purpose and thought that goes into a good spearpoint...clip points work for me every time. If you could find it in your heart to make one with a clip point it might just take it to that next level of function meets aesthetic WOW!

Best Regards,

STeven Garsson
 
Thanks for the compliments guys.

Steven... I always welcome your input, bud. A clip point would look great on it and I'm not opposed to making it happen on future builds.:thumbup:

This was the lovely model who posed for some of my early drawings... what graceful lines...

93521-004-C567ED70.jpg
 
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Fantastic as usual ,I love your work, instantly recognisable .ive dabbled in that type of handle ,not as easy as it looks you get it spot on .Personnaly i would like less belly and have it a bit pointier if you know what I mean well done
 
I really like your style and this does not disappoint. That could be a great hard use tool!
 
Every time I work on these Pig models, I see potential "tweaks" to improve upon the next. Now, if I could only afford more "dirt time" to hash out strengths and weaknesses. Not enough hours in the day, I'm afraid.
 
Maybe you see the tweaks it needs, but all I see is a tool that really screams awesome to me!
 
Rick , really like this PIG, mean and functional. I like the sheath work also. Nice commentary mate, made me smile.
Cheers Keith
 
That knife screams you, bud.

Love the bike motif in the sheath. Dead giveaway for it's intended recipient, however. One of the best guys I know. You should hand deliver it to him when we make our trip west to toilet paper Wheeler's house...

: )

We need to discuss your survival skills. Perhaps we'll do that we all the free time you were mentioning you have.
 
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