Knife Making |
Knife Making |
Feb 4 2014, 11:01 AM
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#211
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Moderator Group: Members Posts: 4,459 Joined: 25-August 09 From: way on up thar Member No.: 6,983 |
Good questions. There are disadvantages to using soft handle materials. Specifically durability, extreme temperature/environment tolerance, chemical resistance, and longevity.
When a good maker or cutler releases a knife or sword to the world he or she wants it to last for well over 100yrs... and that means even if it were lost in the woods or a river for many years. It needs to survive the test of time and abuse long after the maker is gone. So... with that in mind I prefer to use very rigid and stable materials for my works and can shape them to any ergonomic preference. I like organic materials like wood, bone, and hopefully minerals once I get established but not opposed to good synthetics designed for knifemaking like G-10, Micarta, or Carbon Fiber. I do not like plastics, plastic/gem composites (although some composites are very good), or rubber... that's for the cheap disposable cutlery that factories crank out. Any maker worth their salt uses high grade materials for handles. Here's a link to one of my supplier's list of handle materials, some are pre-textured for grip but I can texture about anything: Jantz Handle Material -------------------- /l ,[____], l---L-OlllllllO- ()_) ()_)--o-)_) BLACK SANDS MATTER! Very Happy CP Lifetime Member CP CORE TEAM Referral Code CE213 |
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Feb 4 2014, 11:12 AM
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#212
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Master Mucker! Group: Members Posts: 1,282 Joined: 13-January 14 From: Lakewood, Colorado Member No.: 116,305 |
Good point. I Never considered durability and longevity.
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Feb 4 2014, 11:35 AM
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#213
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Moderator Group: Members Posts: 4,459 Joined: 25-August 09 From: way on up thar Member No.: 6,983 |
Hand fatigue and no grip make gutting difficult. My husband does a "boneless quartering" technique that leaves all the skin, bones, innards and hide behind. He says that his hands get cold and crampy while doing his thing. In this case I would recommend a handle design similar to the Damascus Arctic Hunter (pg. 12) that I pictured recently in this thread (same one I'm making a sheath for now). That's a hunter/skinner designed with an oversized ergonomic handle and the finger grips are intentionally set further apart so that it is most useful while wearing gloves and field dressing a Caribou during an arctic blizzard. It's more comfortable to grip when wearing gloves, very firm in the hand. Feels too big and less comfortable without gloves. I'm not suggesting that "blade" shape for him but giving an example of the oversized handle designed for cold/wet conditions when wearing gloves is practical while field dressing. I don't think that any "knife companies" sell anything specifically made to be used with gloves but I could be wrong on that. -------------------- /l ,[____], l---L-OlllllllO- ()_) ()_)--o-)_) BLACK SANDS MATTER! Very Happy CP Lifetime Member CP CORE TEAM Referral Code CE213 |
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Feb 4 2014, 12:02 PM
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#214
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Moderator Group: Members Posts: 4,459 Joined: 25-August 09 From: way on up thar Member No.: 6,983 |
Good point. I Never considered durability and longevity. I have a good example of that which I'm also working on. This is an old Bowie (at least 50yrs) made by Solingen, a German company. A friend bought it at a garage sale for 5 or 10 bucks. In that condition it isn't worth anything more than that. Judging by the condition I would say that this one has been exposed to water or corrosives for a long period of time, maybe lost in the woods. The steel is deeply pitted... however, I was very surprised to note that it is still very sharp and appears to have never been sharpened. This tells me that it is very good German steel. Worth restoring? Probably not, but I can't stand to throw things away and it'll be a fun project. The broken handle is plastic... fake bone, junk! The tiny guard is brass, as is the pommel screw, both useless. The original pommel (end cap) is missing. The black and white spacer material is plastic, junk! So ya, even though this is what I would consider excellent steel, they used garbage mass production materials and the handle assembly eventually broke apart. The fist with three arrows is an awesome maker's mark though. I have some ideas for it though and will resurrect it like a fiery Phoenix! It will live again, it deserves to. -------------------- /l ,[____], l---L-OlllllllO- ()_) ()_)--o-)_) BLACK SANDS MATTER! Very Happy CP Lifetime Member CP CORE TEAM Referral Code CE213 |
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Feb 4 2014, 12:10 PM
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#215
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Master Mucker! Group: Members Posts: 1,282 Joined: 13-January 14 From: Lakewood, Colorado Member No.: 116,305 |
I think it would be a great restoration project! Can't waste good steel!
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Feb 4 2014, 12:19 PM
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#216
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Master Mucker! Group: Members Posts: 1,282 Joined: 13-January 14 From: Lakewood, Colorado Member No.: 116,305 |
Just a fyi: your knife was made around the 1950s by a company called PIC precision international corporation. They where from Solagin (?) Germany
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Feb 4 2014, 12:20 PM
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#217
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Master Mucker! Group: Members Posts: 1,282 Joined: 13-January 14 From: Lakewood, Colorado Member No.: 116,305 |
The tang stamp helped me find it
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Feb 4 2014, 12:22 PM
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#218
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Moderator Group: Members Posts: 4,459 Joined: 25-August 09 From: way on up thar Member No.: 6,983 |
Interesting, how was PIC affiliated with Solingen?
-------------------- /l ,[____], l---L-OlllllllO- ()_) ()_)--o-)_) BLACK SANDS MATTER! Very Happy CP Lifetime Member CP CORE TEAM Referral Code CE213 |
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Feb 4 2014, 12:25 PM
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#219
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Moderator Group: Members Posts: 4,459 Joined: 25-August 09 From: way on up thar Member No.: 6,983 |
The tang stamp helped me find it no, the "tang" is what the handle goes on. That stamp is on the "ricasso". Knife Anatomy -------------------- /l ,[____], l---L-OlllllllO- ()_) ()_)--o-)_) BLACK SANDS MATTER! Very Happy CP Lifetime Member CP CORE TEAM Referral Code CE213 |
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Feb 4 2014, 12:26 PM
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#220
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Master Mucker! Group: Members Posts: 1,282 Joined: 13-January 14 From: Lakewood, Colorado Member No.: 116,305 |
They came from the town of Solingen
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Feb 4 2014, 12:27 PM
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#221
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Master Mucker! Group: Members Posts: 1,282 Joined: 13-January 14 From: Lakewood, Colorado Member No.: 116,305 |
Oh, other people in knife forums referred to them as tang stamps. :) I'm researching on the fly!
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Feb 4 2014, 12:32 PM
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#222
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Moderator Group: Members Posts: 4,459 Joined: 25-August 09 From: way on up thar Member No.: 6,983 |
There are stamps on the "tang" also.... I cleaned up the steel a little. Not sure of what significance those numbers are.
I knew about the town of Solingen, known for knifemaking. Too bad the world introduced them to plastic, lol. -------------------- /l ,[____], l---L-OlllllllO- ()_) ()_)--o-)_) BLACK SANDS MATTER! Very Happy CP Lifetime Member CP CORE TEAM Referral Code CE213 |
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Feb 4 2014, 12:40 PM
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#223
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Master Mucker! Group: Members Posts: 1,282 Joined: 13-January 14 From: Lakewood, Colorado Member No.: 116,305 |
The 6 is.the handle type to be used, synthetic bone in your case and the 21 is the pattern to be used.
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Feb 4 2014, 12:42 PM
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#224
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Moderator Group: Members Posts: 4,459 Joined: 25-August 09 From: way on up thar Member No.: 6,983 |
damn, you're good!
-------------------- /l ,[____], l---L-OlllllllO- ()_) ()_)--o-)_) BLACK SANDS MATTER! Very Happy CP Lifetime Member CP CORE TEAM Referral Code CE213 |
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Feb 4 2014, 12:44 PM
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#225
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Moderator Group: Members Posts: 4,459 Joined: 25-August 09 From: way on up thar Member No.: 6,983 |
I had posted this on my fav knifemaking forum a while back and didn't get this much information.
-------------------- /l ,[____], l---L-OlllllllO- ()_) ()_)--o-)_) BLACK SANDS MATTER! Very Happy CP Lifetime Member CP CORE TEAM Referral Code CE213 |
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