Why don't....(Nail Nick Question...)

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Oct 28, 2005
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slipjoint makers, custom and production, put nail nicks on both sides of the blade? It seems to me the steel is thick enough on most blades to handle it.

Obviously, I am a lefty.

P.S. I hope the answer is not "tradition". If it is, then they should start a new one. (yes - it costs more, but that much more?)
 
I believe that a few makers have put pulls on both sides. That being said, from a handmade maker's prospective, it for sure complicates the build of a knife. Getting both pulls in the same location from side to side would be as bad as getting two swedges to be symmetrical:eek::grumpy:.

To answer the question of having enough material , yes, most cases there is enough thickness to have a pull on both sides.

Ken
 
I'm a lefty also. I had Brent Cramer make this one with a long pull nail nick on both sides.
There is a shield on each side also. Each side a mirror image of the opposite.
teardrop005.jpg

teardrop006.jpg
 
It was not unusual for some of the old Sheffield makers (1800s) to do this on certain patterns -- Joseph Rodgers and George Wostenholm would sometimes do this with their fancier thru-the-tang-long-pull versions. What happens though on multiblade patterns is that most of the pull on one side will be ground away by swedging to fit the blades together and/or the second pull would be mostly or totally inaccessible due to other blades in the way or the liners covering the extra pull -- it was just a decorative detail, not actually usable. It would only be generally useful on single blade patterns (and if the pattern is finely made with a buried joint and the blade placed low into the body so that the nick is accessed thru a nail ease notch, the second nick would still be wasted (though a second nail ease notch could be made or a notch made across both scales)). Most standard multibladed patterns have "lefty" nick blade(s) though - even a lot of trappers and jacks have nicks on both sides (just not on both sides of the same blade).

Remember - most slipjoint pattern blades are made from 1/16", 5/64". or 3/32" stock -- there really isn't a lot of room to fool around with putting two mirrored nail nicks in. A single proper deeper nail nick would be far better -- too shallow nail nicks will turn almost any blade into a nail breaker.
 
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comoha said:
I'm a lefty also. I had Brent Cramer make this one with a long pull nail nick on both sides.
There is a shield on each side also. Each side a mirror image of the opposite.
teardrop005.jpg

teardrop006.jpg
Click to expand...

I've long admired this EO by Brent on his web site.....just perfect!
 
Thalestin said:
Take a look at scagel knives. They have a slot right through the blade :)
Click to expand...

That always seemed to me to be the best approach to it. Good for both left and right handed folks, and no complaint that the nick is not deep enough!

Carl.
 
If you turn the knife around, the pull WILL be on the other side :D

(is this thread serious?)
 
I think it is serious, and a totally reasonable question at that. I too am a lefty, and generally try to buy knives with a blade that can be pinched open. The ones that can't be pinched, I open by holding in me left hand, and reaching under the blade with my right middle finger as opposed to using my thumb. I agree with Jackknife, the Scagel slot is the perfect solution.
 
I just pulled a knife out of my pocket that has 2 blades...nicks on both sides. It seems like it's really easy to open either blade while holding the knife in left or right hand and opening blades with the other hand. I must have skillz :p
 
KnifeHead said:
I just pulled a knife out of my pocket that has 2 blades...nicks on both sides. It seems like it's really easy to open either blade while holding the knife in left or right hand and opening blades with the other hand. I must have skillz :p
Click to expand...

:D
Couldn't agree more.

Myself, I prefer to have nicks on both sides rather than all nicks on same side.
 
comoha said:
I'm a lefty also. I had Brent Cramer make this one with a long pull nail nick on both sides.
There is a shield on each side also. Each side a mirror image of the opposite.
teardrop006.jpg
Click to expand...
Heck Corey, I just figured you had Brent make you a knife that you could still get open after a bottle of Scotch. ;)
 
KnifeHead said:
I just pulled a knife out of my pocket that has 2 blades...nicks on both sides. It seems like it's really easy to open either blade while holding the knife in left or right hand and opening blades with the other hand. I must have skillz :p
Click to expand...

It's not so much of an issue of being able to open the knife, it's the position that it's in when opened. With a right handed knife, I have to flip it over to use it. On a knife like you described I usually end up reaching for the secondary blade most of the time.

It's not really that big of a deal to me at all and wouldn't stop me from buying one that I like. I see it as one of those little details that make a knife more enjoyable to use.
 
I'm a righty and don't really have a dog in this race, that said....
That's some good scotch right there brother! :D:p

Jon
 
The last time this came up I was going to say "just get a pinchable blade". I think everyone's seen pictures of the Bose pattern back pocket Kerry made for me. I'm a lefty and can open it easily even with gloved hands. I thought it was because the blade is pinchable but then I looked at it a lot closer and at how I opened it. I hold it in my left hand but my right index finger pad actually catches the nick and I open it that way. I don't stick a fingernail in it.

I'm a lefty too and recently bought a "left-handed" GEC. I didn't know how accustomed to making do with right-handed implements I was until I went to open that knife. One it is a nail-breaker, two, I don't think my right thumb knows how to open a knife. And after it's open just try to remember the liner-lock pushes the other way to get it closed!

I either need more left-handed knives or everyone else needs to adopt Kerry's nail nick as the standard. IMNSHO, ymmv.

In case anyone hasn't seen my Kerry Hampton Bose Pattern back pocket.
 
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