Jump to content
TheSanDiegan

The Knife Thread

Recommended Posts

This is the small pocket knife I carry every day.  I really like that the pocket clip goes all the way to the edge - so when I carry it the knife sits all the way in the pocket.  I hate knives that have the clip an inch or two lower so the knife stick out - drives me crazy.

CR6481nd.jpg

  • Like 1

  God is a Cowboy

WYO.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 hours ago, nirv117 said:

This is the small pocket knife I carry every day.  I really like that the pocket clip goes all the way to the edge - so when I carry it the knife sits all the way in the pocket.  I hate knives that have the clip an inch or two lower so the knife stick out - drives me crazy.

CR6481nd.jpg

CRKT makes a good knife, and when Big 5 routinely has them on sale they can be had for a song. Throw in all the collaborations resulting in a bunch of killer designs and they're a no brainer IMO. I keep several on hand for when I'm en route to some place where gear might disappear but I plan on clipping a folder to my pocket.

I get what you're saying about clip placement - I don't like that sensation of there being a high center of gravity in whatever's sitting inside my pocket.

  • Like 1

St-Javelin-Sm.jpgChase.jpg 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Following up with the CRKT sidebar, I don't think I paid a penny over $16 for any of these, and more likely $12-$14. The top four are unused, but the bottom two get abused. For someone looking to get into knives or simply pick up a great value on a decent quality folder, CRKT makes a wide range of good knives. I doubt you'll ever be passing one on to your sons someday, but I got a good 6-7 years of EDC use out of the knife on the bottom before relegating it to the kitchen junk drawer. Not bad for the $10 or so I paid for it. 

IMG_8414_CRKTease1200.jpg 

BTW, the third from the top is a good example of what nirv was describing - the placement of the top of the clip makes the knife ride a good half-inch or more above the pocket.

St-Javelin-Sm.jpgChase.jpg 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I too have a rather large collection of knives.  The ones I cherish the most that do not get used for anything are the knives that are hand made.  I have a real  affinity for Damascus style blades.

The knife in the 1st photo is made by a Lady in Twin falls Idaho.  The handle is elk antler.  The blade is made from an old file.

The knives in the following photos are a couple of Damascus blades I had made. 

The knife with the deer horn antler was made by a fellow in Twin falls Idaho.

The other knife was made in Moose Pass Alaska by Virgil Cambell, the handle is made from petrified walrus tusk, the blade was folded approximately 25 times.

IMG-0465.thumb.JPG.3d137f62d78a7e3ab0ec08e332dcc929.JPG

IMG-0462.JPG

IMG-0463.JPG

IMG-0464.JPG

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

On 8/2/2018 at 4:29 AM, Bluebronc said:

I too have a rather large collection of knives.  The ones I cherish the most that do not get used for anything are the knives that are hand made.  I have a real  affinity for Damascus style blades.

The knife in the 1st photo is made by a Lady in Twin falls Idaho.  The handle is elk antler.  The blade is made from an old file.

The knives in the following photos are a couple of Damascus blades I had made. 

The knife with the deer horn antler was made by a fellow in Twin falls Idaho.

The other knife was made in Moose Pass Alaska by Virgil Cambell, the handle is made from petrified walrus tusk, the blade was folded approximately 25 times.

IMG-0465.thumb.JPG.3d137f62d78a7e3ab0ec08e332dcc929.JPG

IMG-0462.JPG

IMG-0463.JPG

IMG-0464.JPG

All beautiful knives. And you make a nice looking blade. I really dig on the aggressive grind on the clip point - it really compliments the blade profile. I'd really appreciate a chance to see a photo of the file work on the spine if you don't mind. (Can you tell which one is my favorite of the three?) 

Other than a couple LE pocket knives, the only pattern-welded or Damascus blades I have are period ethnographic examples (e.g., Indian, Middle Eastern, Moro, Indonesian). Nothing modern, even though I greatly admire the work. Do you have a pattern you prefer or specialize in?

I think making a blade is something every knife guy should do at least once in their life. I just haven't invested enough conviction in that opinion to do so myself yet.

 

St-Javelin-Sm.jpgChase.jpg 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

As a continuation of Bluebronc's post, I'm bumping this with a few pics of my own favorite custom hunting knife, a mirror-polished hunter/skinner by AZ knife maker Bill Cheatham. The third photo shows some of the file work I have a penchant for. 

IMG_8452_Cheatham1.jpg

IMG_8460_Cheatham2.jpg

IMG_8453_Cheatham3.jpg

As a follow-up to my last post, I think the only reason I never sought to acquire a custom Damascus or pattern-welded knife was that the couple local knife makers who were producing such knives were using preformed billets from Fvckifiknow and simply grinding them to shape. 

St-Javelin-Sm.jpgChase.jpg 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Pivoting slightly to pattern welding... Pattern welding is a method of making laminated blades. The use of different iron alloys with differential carbon content results in a discernible pattern in the forged blade. Some examples of the use of laminated blades include Japanese nihonto, (some) Moro blades, the Indonesian keris, and Indo-Persian edged weapons made from (Indian) wootz steel. The use of Indian wootz steel is what gave traditional "Damascus" blades their moniker, for Damascus was both a sword-making center and a center of trade for the Fertile Crescent and the Mediterranean beyond.

Today, we use "Damascus" to describe pretty much every pattern-welded blade, though such use is commonly debated by scholars in the field. Most laminated blades however are pattern welded. I have shown below a couple representative examples of the Indonesian keris, which uses iron, steel, and nickel in the construction of its blade.

The keris (kris if from the Philippines) is unique among edged weapons in its role in both traditional and contemporary Indonesian culture. It is one of a man's most treasured possessions in Indonesia - so much so that a keris can stand in for a man at his wedding! In addition, the superstition surrounding keris is legion; it is considered to be alive. It is said that the finest keris can kill a man by stabbing his image, or in some instances, just by pointing it at him (which is why keris holders hold the sheathed knife with the blade pointing down). I have read multiple account of keris owners swearing on their lives they've seen their keris standing on its point, or in one instance, fly across a room. 

The pattern weld in a keris is called a "pamor." There are many different styles and types of pamor, and all have associated names, such as "scattered rice," "floating water plants," "watermelon skin," etc. Each is supposed to provide a certain benefit to its owner. Keris can appear straight-bladed or with a series of waves called luks, which are meant to further the talismanic effect. 

IMG_8474_Keris1.jpg

IMG_8482_Keris2.jpg

IMG_8484_Keris2_Pamor.jpg

 

 

St-Javelin-Sm.jpgChase.jpg 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, nirv117 said:

This is an obsidian knife I picked up for no real reason - Uses an antler  as the handle.

obsidian knife.PNG

Nice looking knife. I've seen similar ones on tables at shows. I have quite a few paleo- and neolithic points, but have never picked up a modern knapped blade. I imagine that degree of fine knapping takes a hell of a lot of skill to execute to the degree of quality shown in your example.

Obsidian can hold an edge an order of magnitude (or more) sharper than steel, as it fractures down to the single molecule. 

Looking at the knives above it, is that a (Kershaw) Scallion (third from the left)? Also curious to see the 2nd from the left... your balisong (butterfly knife) looks like the TJ specials I used to pick up...

St-Javelin-Sm.jpgChase.jpg 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

That butterfly is a cheap TJ special probably from 15 to 20 years ago.  I don't remember where I got the long yellow knife from - probably 25 or more years ago for fishing.  Third is a Gerber - pretty lightweight, serrated. Next is a smith and Wesson that is usually kept with my camping gear as a spare. Then the three CRKT (my favorite to carry as I mentioned) one straight and one serrated, then a smaller straight blade because they were cheap. The buck knife at the end I used to carry on my keychain, but the tip broke off 10 years ago or so, and I guess I'm a hoarder as I haven't thrown it away.  I have a few leatherman - the wave was from a place I worked in college.  They had some made with our company logo to give out to customers - I got a leftover one.

knives.PNG

  • Like 1

  God is a Cowboy

WYO.jpg

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Until such time as I dig into a box or two to find my other favorite hunting knife, I thought I'd revisit the Buck 110 - not the knife per say, but rather the influence the pattern had on the cutlery/knife making industry at large. As I mentioned, the Buck 110 became so ubiquitous that every clip point folder came to be known as a "Buck knife." However, this was due in part due to the fact to the number of patterns made by historic makers that mirrored the 110. I am going to post two such examples, the first of which is below.

Case Knives, a.k.a., Case XX knives, a.k.a., W.R. Case & Sons (their actual name), might very well be America's oldest knife maker still in operation. Case was founded in the late 19th century and was family-owned for over 100 years until they were bought by Zippo in 1993. I will explore Case knives in greater depth at some point later (unless someone hopefully wants to beat me to it), but for now, I just wanted to show their answer to the 110, the Case Shark Tooth.

Introduced in 1970, the Shark Tooth (pattern x197LSSP) was made in four different flavors. Well, three, actually, plus an error in blade stamping on a small run, resulting in a 4th variant (kind of). The P197 was made with black pakkawood grip scales, while the 5197 was made with stag, and the scarcest variant, the 7197, was made using curly maple. The "4th variant" was a production error that married black pakkawood grip scales with the curly maple blades, i.e., the blade stamp reads 7197 when it should read P197. But that's some next level shit...

Here are the four different variants. Other than the long pull and a few subtle stylized differences (e.g., more angular bolsters), it bares more than a slight resemblance to the Buck 110. And that was entirely by design.

IMG_8253_Case_Sharkteeth1200.jpg

Still waiting on #knifeporn from @halfmanhalfbronco:whistle:

St-Javelin-Sm.jpgChase.jpg 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Buck's influence wasn't just seen in the US, but abroad as well. Of course, being the world's largest knife market doesn't hurt, as European and Asian knife makers have long catered to the US market. In fact, American knife culture carried the historic cutlery center of Sheffield, England through the 19th century, at a time when the Continent had largely abandoned the practice of carrying knives (just like we saved the scotch industry in the 1950s. You're welcome. Again.). 

Most knife collectors are familiar with Puma, the historic German knife maker who's roots date back to the 19th century. The Puma Prince was Puma's answer to the Buck 110. One thing that sets the Prince aside from the other Buck clones is that every single blade is tested and proofmarked (as are all Puma blades). The artifact of the hardness test is intentionally left visible and can be seen in this example in the 2nd photo to the bottom-left of the grind. Gotta love German QC standards...

IMG_8500_Puma_Prince1200.jpg

IMG_8501_Puma_Prince_Point1200.jpg

 

St-Javelin-Sm.jpgChase.jpg 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Back with a few pics of my 'other' favorite hunting knife, a knife that is about as U-S-of-f*cking-A as you can get.

Anza Knives was started by Charlie Davis back in the early 80s, after Charlie left Buck's Knives where he had been their production manager for years. His then assistant who oversaw shipping and customer service was a woman named Kelly McGee (who has since gone on to become a knife maker herself). Kelly's old man used to be in charge of shoeing the Budweiser clydesdales - the Budweiser clydesdales. He did so with these giant, honkin' 1/4-inch thick rasp files, which he would later send to Kelly at Charlie's request, as that was (and is) Charlie's thing - making knives from old files that he heat treats before grinding them into shape. Every Anza knife has a full tang with epoxied grips scales. 

So, the knife you see below is one of those early Anzas, made by the former production manager of Buck Knives, from a rasp file that was used in to shoe the Budweiser clydesdales back in the 1970s.

pc8tp.jpg

I am not the first owner of this knife, but rather it's second. The first owner was certified American badass bounty hunter Bob Buckner, for whom I acquired it back in the 00s. 

American beer. American knife. American badass. Because 'Murca. F*ck yeah.

Buckner_Anza1_1_K.jpg

Buckner_Anza2_1_K.jpg

Buckner_Anza3_1_K.jpg

Buckner_Anza4_1_K.jpg

 

 

St-Javelin-Sm.jpgChase.jpg 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Giving this a bump in the hopes @halfmanhalfbronco, et al, will more actively contribute.

Meanwhile at the Hall of Justice, while I await some sweet camp knives from the front range homesteaders, REI is running some decent outlet deals on SOG knives. These present some nice entry-level blades for anyone looking to acquire their first (or second, or third, or Nth) knife. 

Ever cut anything with a flashlight before? This fixed blade has 6 LEDs at the ricasso-end of the grip (three on each side of the blade) - very Lord of the Rings-y. With the 15% coupon code their showing it comes down to $40 and change. Not bad for an $80 knife. 

AKatBQ

Link

 

Also, they have this nice compact EDC folder (<4" closed) on sale for $20 after the coupon code ($40 regular). 

AK2tBQ

Link

 

They also offer free shipping on orders over $50, so you can get both delivered for $60. Not bad for $120 worth of knives.

 

 

 

 

St-Javelin-Sm.jpgChase.jpg 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Returning to some knives in hand, below is a Bowie knife made by local knifemaker and knifemaker's guild member Jeff Morgan. Jeff does outstanding work; there is a cleanness to his lines that result in sleek, sexy blade profiles. When I first met Jeff at a knife show ten or so years ago, this knife immediately caught my eye.

Jeff_Morgan1200.jpg

I prefer a guard on my Bowies, but the subtle indentations in the poplar grip scales make for a nice purchase. Can't recall what steel he used.

 

St-Javelin-Sm.jpgChase.jpg 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, TheSanDiegan said:

Giving this a bump in the hopes @halfmanhalfbronco, et al, will more actively contribute.

Meanwhile at the Hall of Justice, while I await some sweet camp knives from the front range homesteaders, REI is running some decent outlet deals on SOG knives. These present some nice entry-level blades for anyone looking to acquire their first (or second, or third, or Nth) knife. 

Ever cut anything with a flashlight before? This fixed blade has 6 LEDs at the ricasso-end of the grip (three on each side of the blade) - very Lord of the Rings-y. With the 15% coupon code their showing it comes down to $40 and change. Not bad for an $80 knife. 

AKatBQ

Link

 

Also, they have this nice compact EDC folder (<4" closed) on sale for $20 after the coupon code ($40 regular). 

AK2tBQ

Link

 

They also offer free shipping on orders over $50, so you can get both delivered for $60. Not bad for $120 worth of knives.

Forgot to add this minimalist $78 fixed-blade little gem priced at just $35.47 after REI's coupon code (55% off):

APmtBQ

Link

St-Javelin-Sm.jpgChase.jpg 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

One more REI Special before I get back to work (something tells me I'm going to needlessly add another knife today)... In combing REI close-out sales, found this assisted-opening Gerber for <$18 after REI's coupon code - about 60% off their 'normal' price ($43):

AICuBQ

Reminds me of my 'Needs Work' model I often carry. That, too was a $40 knife IIRC, so IMO $17 and change is s steal.

Link

St-Javelin-Sm.jpgChase.jpg 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Continuing with the recommendation route, I was about to post a link to Bass Pro Shop's page for the Buck 110 (discussed at length upthread), but its a full $10 cheaper at Wally World with free 2-day shipping.  Of course, if you're not down with helping pay for the peasant insurance policy on 93-year old Gertrude manning the front door, you can pay the extra ten bones at Bass Pro... Gertrude may not care, but her family will thank you when she passes away during her lunch break.

C'mon you assholes... help me feel better about my habit. No one likes to drink  binge purchase knives alone.

BTW, if you're not already getting cash back from Ebates on your online purchases, don't be retarded. It's paid for the cash when I've paid Gertrude's peasant insurance premiums, and after making some reasonably decent-sized purchases after the holidays, I ended up getting a $111 check in March. Not bad.

St-Javelin-Sm.jpgChase.jpg 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Just to add to the above, Dick's Sporting Goods has the venerable Buck 110 at Wally's price of $39.

From "20 Iconic Knives Every Knife Enthusiast Should Own":

Quote

"We didn't rank these in order, but the Buck 110 Hunter would be #1 without a doubt. The Buck 110 is such an iconic knife that it essentially feels like it's been around since the beginning of time. In fact, the knife was first introduced in 1963, when it forever revolutionized the world of hunting knives (and knives in general)."

 

For anyone looking to add just one knife, you can't go wrong with the 110. It will in all probability outlive you.

St-Javelin-Sm.jpgChase.jpg 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Since our benevolent overlord was kind enough to unarchive this thread and as it's complimentary to the Forged in Fire thread, I thought I would try to jump start it with a photo I took but never posted last year.

My singular favorite type of knife is the clip-point Bowie. It is as American as baseball, Dre's mom, and apple pie. And it has an origin story to marvel any Marvel character.

As per Jim Bowie's original specifications, it was to be "long enough to use as a sword, wide enough to use as an oar, heavy enough to use as an axe, and sharp enough to shave with." While not all Bowie's may fit this description, they are almost always recognizable upon even the quickest glance.

Below are seven of my favorites, including two 'users.' 

Bowie-Group1200.jpg

Form L-to-R: Coffin-handled Buck Custom 903, made ca. 1982, 10" blade; Buck 119 Special, ca. 1967-1969; W. German-made 'Edge' Bowie from Solingen, made ca. 1948; my Gerber camp knife Bowie shown upthread; a birdshead hilted Western W49, ca. 1960, a pre-Civil War Sheffield Bowie knife by Marsh Bros, ca. 1850; and my favorite, a Hunts & Potts Confederate ring-guard Bowie knife from New Orleans, ca. 1860.

  • Like 1

St-Javelin-Sm.jpgChase.jpg 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.



  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...