What we have here is a failure to communicate ...

Howard Wallace

Howard Wallace

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[video=youtube;lj60OAh7O5U]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lj60OAh7O5U[/video]

Bill used to often speak and post about the challenges of cross-cultural communications. We've run into that again, and as to whether the results are good or bad, you can be the judge.

A while back I ran across some old unfinished blanks. There were several w-49 blanks from the old Colorado factory, and a big old Sabitier blank, drop forged in France before WWI. All were unground and unsharpened, needing final forging, grinding and heat treat. I figured I'd send them over to see what the kamis could do with them. I had a couple of crude sketches and a letter, noting the big Sabitier "lobster crusher" was a kitchen knife, and that the W-49s were bowies and could do with a cho and forward curving guards.

I just got a package in the mail with the first of the finished "kitchen knives." It appears the W-49s were interpreted as kitchen knives. I don't know what has happened to the big old Sabitier chef's knife, but it may come back as a formidable combat blade.

The W-49 blanks as they went to Nepal were old and somewhat rusty. The guardless finished new/old knife I am now holding is shiny and beautiful. Grinds are even and the knife is sharp. It does have a sheath, so field use is still an option. The lack of a guard will make this one handy in the kitchen in ways a stock w-49 would never be.

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Don't know how to describe these. How about a new/old Bowie kitchen knife, handcrafted in the USA and Nepal? What do you guys think? Did the kamis hit a home run or flub up?
 
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Not sure without pictures which I'm sure we all look forward to. It sounds like a fantastic idea to me along with a great approach to something special as an end product. Being that I've never seen anything the HI Kamis I couldn't admire, I'd likely believe something got lost in the translation. Who knows, you may be responsible for the next rage/craze with kitchen cutlery. Stranger things have happened. I anxiously await the pictures.
 
Hmm, the proportions are rather like a kitchen knife, though the blade is quite hefty for a kitchen knife. It does look like a hybrid kitchen bowie knife. So I wouldn't say it was a flub up or a home run. The end result, while not what was intended, does look like a good blade for a variety of uses.
 
The approaching angle of that belly looks like it would be a joy on the cutting board. Grab some veggies and start dicing!
 
Sorta like a Cherokee Rose and French Chef's Knife had a rendezvous and I like it.
 
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I love the looks of it. I've heard of several stories where translation was completely lost on more than one occasion.

Goof or homerun, that's a beautiful knife.
 
Looks useful to me. Try it and see what happens. In either case, it's still beautiful.
 
Howard, why do you think they interpreted it as kitchen knife? The lack of a guard?
Besides that it could be a beefy fighting knife. In the kitchen it would do reasonably well too.
Unless they stated it's a kitchen knife it might just be the fighting knife.

Besides that I would classify it as a hybrid and if pressed harder would call it a camp knife. Not the best at fighting off bears (yeah I know) not the best at cutting dinner and not the best at chopping fire wood but still good enough at everything to be carried instead of 3 different more specialised blades.
 
I don't know Howard. I think when your dealing with such things you just need a little-https://youtu.be/ErvgV4P6Fzc
 
Jens Schuetz said:
Howard, why do you think they interpreted it as kitchen knife? The lack of a guard?
Besides that it could be a beefy fighting knife. In the kitchen it would do reasonably well too.
Unless they stated it's a kitchen knife it might just be the fighting knife.

Besides that I would classify it as a hybrid and if pressed harder would call it a camp knife. Not the best at fighting off bears (yeah I know) not the best at cutting dinner and not the best at chopping fire wood but still good enough at everything to be carried instead of 3 different more specialised blades.
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Kitchen knives tend to have a proportionally shorter handle than a fighter or even a utility knife. Not to say that this one wouldn't be real mean in the hand, but it is proportioned more like a kitchen knife, with a fighter blade.
 
I like it. At first look, i thought it looks a bit short for much field use, but a good size for pack or camp blade. Is the clip point top edge sharpened? Im guessing from the photo thats about 6" of blade and 4 1/2" to 5" of handle?

Do you have photos of the blanks before sending them?

If this happened to me, i would probably use it in the kitchen. I might dress a deer, but it would have to fit wonderfully in my hand and be heavy enough for some branch trimming, or notching for the latter. The more i look at it, the more i think it would work.

Hows the weight and balance?
 
Scara said:
... does look like a good blade for a variety of uses.
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RockFarm said:
The approaching angle of that belly looks like it would be a joy on the cutting board. Grab some veggies and start dicing!
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Aleous said:
Beautiful.
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Bigbore577 said:
Sorta like a Cherokee Rose and French Chef's Knife had a rendezvous and I like it.
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Bawanna said:
I love the looks of it... that's a beautiful knife.
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cul4u01 said:
Looks useful to me. Try it and see what happens. In either case, it's still beautiful.
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Glad this is getting some appreciation. It does grow on one.

This is from the days of the carbon steel w-49s. Later they switched to stainless. The carbon-steel w-49s are a piece of fading history. Perhaps one of the blade historians among you can date this one from the K stamp on the blade. I believe Yangdu will have several others like this to offer on the forum.

Jens Schuetz said:
Howard, why do you think they interpreted it as kitchen knife? The lack of a guard?
Besides that it could be a beefy fighting knife. In the kitchen it would do reasonably well too.
Unless they stated it's a kitchen knife it might just be the fighting knife.

Besides that I would classify it as a hybrid and if pressed harder would call it a camp knife. Not the best at fighting off bears (yeah I know) not the best at cutting dinner and not the best at chopping fire wood but still good enough at everything to be carried instead of 3 different more specialised blades.
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This was described to me as a kitchen knife, and lacks the guard and cho I suggested. Yes, indeed, it would serve as an excellent guardless camp knife and all around blade, like the leukko or the seax. Guardless camp knives of that sort are more often seen in the hands of expert woodsmen than amatuers. I recently spoke to a hog hunter from South Carolina who used a custom guardless knife for finishing off wild hogs while the hounds held them. He knew how to use his knife.

The guardless knife is a bit less forgiving of the mistakes of an unskilled woodsman. And a fencer who may have his hand sniped at by an opponent certainly appreciates his guard. However, real-life bowie on bowie fencing is relatively uncommon these days.

LaRueOBR556 said:
I don't know Howard. I think when your dealing with such things you just need a little-https://youtu.be/ErvgV4P6Fzc
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Thanks. I'm going to listen to the soothing music and take some deep breaths, so's I don't push anyone else down the bank.
 
I'm kind of curious as to length, can't really tell how big that cutting board is.

12" at a guess or a bit larger?
 
Scara said:
Kitchen knives tend to have a proportionally shorter handle than a fighter or even a utility knife. Not to say that this one wouldn't be real mean in the hand, but it is proportioned more like a kitchen knife, with a fighter blade.
Click to expand...

Bawanna said:
I'm kind of curious as to length, can't really tell how big that cutting board is.

12" at a guess or a bit larger?
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Standard w-49 length and proportions. My tape measure gives OAL 14 3/4" and handle 5 1/4". The kamis may have taken these to the forge and so the length, belly, etc. may be a bit off from the standards, but not much.

Umi said:
I like it. At first look, i thought it looks a bit short for much field use, but a good size for pack or camp blade. Is the clip point top edge sharpened? Im guessing from the photo thats about 6" of blade and 4 1/2" to 5" of handle?

Do you have photos of the blanks before sending them?

If this happened to me, i would probably use it in the kitchen. I might dress a deer, but it would have to fit wonderfully in my hand and be heavy enough for some branch trimming, or notching for the latter. The more i look at it, the more i think it would work.

Hows the weight and balance?
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Sorry, no photos of the blanks. They were lightly rusted, so obviously carbon steel.

Top clip is 90% sharpened. I can run my thumb over it and almost, but not quite, get cut. A few strokes of a stone would bring it to full sharpness. I'll expect one of our expert chefs to show how to use a backcut for chopping veggies.

Balance is actually quite nice. My old rusty and unreliable kitchen scale is coming in right at 1 lb for weight. I would not hesitate to take this one out for field use similar to that expected from a field khukuri.
 
You guys just dont get it do ya? ;) Its a Kitchen fighting knife! How many times have you heard your wife say "Get out of the dang kitchen now or you aint gettin dinner!"? She can chop onions and not have to worry about going for the Reti! I think its perfect!
Really I do like it alot! I can see it making a great camping and general utility knife. I wouldnt leave my AK at home but I'd love to have one.
 
reminds me a lot of handmade knives I see a lot at black powder events and mountain man gatherings..... it just needs a buckskin sheath with a lot of fringe and beads.....

field use, EDC back in the day, enough belly to skin and field dress...camp cook knife.... yea man, I dig the snot outta that!

Hybrid Hudson Bay/Bowie?..... I'd use it man.....in fact I'd try and get a set of wood slabs to match it and have someone make you a 4 inch drop point bushcraft knife to pair it with maybe in a piggyback buckskin sheath with some beadwork ...... ALA....

 
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At 1 lb, nice sheath, and balanced, i would say

HOME RUN

Gonna have to start selling the missis jewelry again.....
 
EMS

I hope the kamis could make a handle like my IBBB, no pinky curl, just pregnant
 
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