What makes a good bird and trout knife?

Sure is a lot to learn! Humbling. The convex grind came out pretty well, a couple of little bumps and wobbles will polish out with waterstones some evening when I'm bored. The blade's a hair over 4 inches long, and since the file had a distal taper ... so does the knife. It balances on the first finger.

Next time I'll pin the handle with brass rod, despite the epoxy, and probably make it full-tang with slabs, or rat-tail. Fitting the partial tang was a pain, and ended up looking a bit sloppier than I'd like. Next time? Oh yeah - so far 4 different folks have asked for one ... mistakes and all. Can't imagine how someone like Sarge can keep up with the demand! But first, I've got to look over the tutorial on making a dangler sheath.:)
 
very, very, very nice looking little knife! Should make a nice little EDC.

Get used to it, with people asking for 'em. (especially since the first effort looks so darn nice!) My humble suggestion is to continue making them when YOU want and how YOU want. As soon as you start giving dates, or accepting this change, that change, etc. it's not much fun any more. Also, I won't part with 'em for anyone but very close friends or family.

I've given a few away, as well as sold a few. The ones I sell pay me a little less than an illegal Mexican fruit picker, but I have fun with 'em, it makes other people happy, and gives me an excuse to make more.

I wish I had the digital camera set up, and a little more time, I'd show pics of my last file knife fiascos. (Heading back up to the North Slope first thing tomorrow morning, and have to take my son fishing today, priorities ya' know...):D

Keep at it and have fun! ya' got a heckuva start! (I'm assuming you're addicted like the rest of us, so stopping at the first one doesn't even seem a remote consideration):D
 
Hey RWS....


Did you know about this upcoming movie?

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0439289/
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:D :p
 
Sarge- sorry you had to off him- also sorry I couldn't have any! Been years since I've had rattler...

John
 
Classy lil knife, Tom.

Nice profile, nice concept.

You know, you don't HAVE TO keep making more...that's a perfectly functional tool.


(but cha wannto, don't you? Maybe just one more...yeah...then you can stop.:) )


Slippery slope, bud. Slippery slope.
 
Yeah, it's a good, functional tool. Except ...

Well, my sons each want one, and of course they'll need them sized to suit their hands. And they're still growing, of course, so they'll want different ones in a coupla years.

Then there's my brother and his kids, and the guy down the hall at work who hunts. My son's soccer coach guides dry-fly salmon fishing too on the Miramichi ... maybe he and I could trade a bit?

And then God knows I need a decent rigging knife. Though nobody's doing it, seems to me that a rigging knife really should be differentially hardened ... since you whang on the back to baton through thick rope. I've got 3 or 4 sailing friends who could certainly use one of those ...

Nope, I'm sunk guys. In for the duration.

Hello, my name is Tom, and I'm a........
 
Great looking knife Tom. What did you come up with for a sheath? More.... More.... Show us more.
 
Haven't done the sheath yet - I haven't any leather, nor have I played with leather before. I think I'll try a wet-formed dangler sheath, like in Sarge's tutorial of a few months back. Looks like it would suit the profile well, with the ball end of the knife (from the side, it looks more like the old French trade knife handles) just peeking out. Brown leather, I'm thinking, just a bit darker than the handle.

Till that's settled, the knife will sit in the rather packed knife block in the kitchen, merrily dispatching chicken and cucumbers, and hopefully whetting my wife's appetite for more handmade pointy stuff.
 
Spectre said:
Sarge- sorry you had to off him- also sorry I couldn't have any! Been years since I've had rattler...

John
Click to expand...

Took no pleasure in killing him John, nothing personal, like I said, too many friendlies in the grid square. However, smother fried in that brown gravy, he was as tasty as any farm raised rabbit I've ever et (and I tanned his hide to put away for some future project, knife sheath maybe, waste not, want not).;)

Tom, that's a sweet little knife. The handle shape/construction is indeed reminescent of a French trade knife of the early fur trade era. It was fun wasn't it? Lookout or you'll be hooked. :D

Sarge
 
Bird and trout knives - I've used a bunch of em over the years. I've settled on the classic small blade on a thin metal handle with a ring on the end knife. I keep it tied to my fishing vest via a small lanyard. I've lost just about every other knife I've used.

Any small knife with a small blade that is easily manipulated would be a good trout knife. Especially as I don't filet the trout I catch - fry em whole.

My only issue with these knives are the steel choices. I woulf love to see some made out of H1 steel.
 
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