Woo Hoo, My Kith knife arrived! 2018

[Willie71]

In this thread, we will post the knife we received in the kith. Post pics and general observations. Check with the maker, and see if they would like constructive criticism here, or in private, if at all.

 

[Destructabot]

Mine got shipped out earlier this week and looks like it'll be getting to it's new home either today or Monday. Big thanks to Warren for coordinating all of this. I had a lot of fun taking part in my first KITH.

 

[A.McPherson]

I just got this super sweet little drop point from Jason today as well as a nice block of redwood burl! I’m pretty stoked!

Thanks!!!

Jason, if you want me to do a full review and critique, I’m more than willing, but it’s a very nice little knife with some super awesome scales!

 

[Destructabot]

Glad it got to you safely! I'd love to hear your thoughts on it whenever's convenient. Sorry I didn't sand down the block of burl I sent with it, I cut it off a big block I had stabilized by K&G right before running to the post.

 

[A.McPherson]

Mr. Destructabot, here’s my critique of your knife.

first off, thanks for the chunk of burl, that’s super awesome! I plan to use it on the next KITH I participate in.

Second I’ll start my review by saying that the knife you sent me is very well made, is very sharp and looks like it will serve me well for years to come! This little critique is not meant to slight your work or anything like that, I’m just going to point outa few things that you could improve upon.

I’m sure hope when Willie71 gets mine he’ll tell me all the things that are wrong with it too.

Anyway here we go!

First the sheath: very well put together, the only things I see “wrong” with it are cosmetic, and probably won’t effect the longevity of it at all. The edging near the mouth of the sheath is a little wonky, and where the belt loop bends over there is a bit of unevenness in the cut.



That’s all I got for the sheath.

On to the knife!

Overall very nice and well put together, the handle shape is very comfortable and fits different grips very well.

There is a very slight warp or in evenness in the grind. When looking down the spine you can see that the blade bends a bit to the right near the riccaso and to the left near the tip. It’s very slight and unless you are really looking hard you can’t see it.



My last criticism is the Spanish notch / sharpening choil is uneven. If you’re gonna put one in, its best to do it before profiling, with a drill, so that it’s a perfect half circle before you even bevel the blade.



All in all a very nice knife with only a few minor defects. Very well done and I’m proud to have received it!!

Thanks!!

Oh one more thing, you should up your game and start doing tapered tangs, it would make this knife even more awesome!

 

[Willie71]

I got mine today. I’m stoked! I’ll put up pics and a review once I get home. The knife exceeded my expectations.

 

[Willie71]

Here is the knifei receivd from A.McPherson. It’s a neat little Damascus knife. The handle and saya look like buffalo horn, and are really well polished. My pics have too much contrast, and the lines do not show up in the hand. This is a well finished package.

F3742945-8224-4F61-9012-392714314244 by Wjkrywko, on Flickr

The blade and whole package is asymmetrical.

22B30AAB-2604-4653-970B-99DDF9049445 by Wjkrywko, on Flickr

The blade with the saya off:

84C0FAEF-BBF8-41A8-9396-EF9566E31791 by Wjkrywko, on Flickr


2A17A9FF-27C5-4D9F-823E-E6B21BA85905 by Wjkrywko, on Flickr

The blade is straight.

C281D9BE-4D78-4BF1-8907-C797F82BBD48 by Wjkrywko, on Flickr


My first suggestion for improvement. The plunges are off just a little. It’s not bad, but it looks like one side got away a bit when hand sanding, only a knifemaker would notice. This is hard to get perfect on an asymmetrical knife too. You fight optical illusions.

44634D9B-A89C-4A0D-9B7E-DB449A8E004E by Wjkrywko, on Flickr

Second piece of feedback is the grind is a little uneven from one side to the other. Again, difficult to get perfection an asymmetrical blade.

95CF0EA1-FEE3-4124-80C4-0D4004F809FA by Wjkrywko, on Flickr

A233D92D-567B-419D-B39A-4AC8B370448E by Wjkrywko, on Flickr

My final piece of feedback is that the edgeis a littlethicker than I typically use. I pulled out the callipers and the thickness is 0.017” behind the edge. Depending on steel and heat treat, for small knives, I’m almost always under 0.010”, and usually 0.005” on small knives.

Minor areas to improve. Overall, a very niceknife. My wife LOVES it. The fit of the saya to the blade is absolutely perfect. It’s snug, with no binding, but the saya doesn’t come off unless pulled. The fit is gapless too. Very well done. This is in the top three knivesive receivedin any kith thus far. Thank you very much.



5DE62A9A-9EAA-46FE-95F3-EC8E41BAD580 by Wjkrywko, on Flickr

 

[A.McPherson]

I’m glad it got there safely!!

Thanks for the feedback! I always wonder if my work is good enough to give away or sell, so having knowledgeable folks critique is really helpful!

Thanks again for the review, I’m glad you like the knife!

 

[Willie71]

I’m glad it got there safely!!

Thanks for the feedback! I always wonder if my work is good enough to give away or sell, so having knowledgeable folks critique is really helpful!

Thanks again for the review, I’m glad you like the knife!

Yes, it’s good enough to sell. It’s just a few details that will add price as they get better.

I really do like the knife. Did you make the steel, and what combo did you use?

 

[A.McPherson]

Oh, yes stats! Sorry I forgot to send a note explaining what I used!

The steel is what is left of my first attempt at pattern welded steel. It’s 6 layers of 15n20 and 1084. The HT is your standard back yard style HT, so it’s probably in the neighborhood of 59-60RC.

The handle and sheath are both buffalo horn, with brass accents.

 

[skillgannon]

Hey Warren. Now you are all set to wear a kilt.

 

[Destructabot]

Mr. Destructabot, here’s my critique of your knife.

first off, thanks for the chunk of burl, that’s super awesome! I plan to use it on the next KITH I participate in.

Second I’ll start my review by saying that the knife you sent me is very well made, is very sharp and looks like it will serve me well for years to come! This little critique is not meant to slight your work or anything like that, I’m just going to point outa few things that you could improve upon.

I’m sure hope when Willie71 gets mine he’ll tell me all the things that are wrong with it too.

Anyway here we go!

First the sheath: very well put together, the only things I see “wrong” with it are cosmetic, and probably won’t effect the longevity of it at all. The edging near the mouth of the sheath is a little wonky, and where the belt loop bends over there is a bit of unevenness in the cut.

View attachment 1039158

That’s all I got for the sheath.

On to the knife!

Overall very nice and well put together, the handle shape is very comfortable and fits different grips very well.

There is a very slight warp or in evenness in the grind. When looking down the spine you can see that the blade bends a bit to the right near the riccaso and to the left near the tip. It’s very slight and unless you are really looking hard you can’t see it.

View attachment 1039179

My last criticism is the Spanish notch / sharpening choil is uneven. If you’re gonna put one in, its best to do it before profiling, with a drill, so that it’s a perfect half circle before you even bevel the blade.

View attachment 1039180

All in all a very nice knife with only a few minor defects. Very well done and I’m proud to have received it!!

Thanks!!

Oh one more thing, you should up your game and start doing tapered tangs, it would make this knife even more awesome!

I appreciate the feedback, Alan! Hope the knife serves you well. I agree about the tapered tang, this knife could definitely have benefited from one. Maybe a SGA is in my near future...