Small knives

[Colin KC]

OK, I've six knives on the go 5 1/4" #1 twist Thunderforge damascus 2 1/2" blades, bird head handles in various mammoth ivory with fibre spacers & mosaic pins. Price to be determined. shipping to UK will be inclusive.


What I wan't to know is:

If anybody has a preference for sheaths, kydex or leather, if kydex, neck, belt or both, if leather, belt neck, pouch, what


I'm not after pre orders, or even indications of wanting one, just what sort of sheaths should I make, or should I leave it to the personal preference of whoever buys one? should I charge a price for the knife & an additional price for the sheath?


Help me out here guys:)

[Colin KC]

Thanks Mike, sounds good advice but for one tiny thing, TIME! Sometimes I can go for a fortnight without having time or space to get anything done & I would hate to be in the position where two or three are sold & I'm dreading the fourth or fifth 'cos it could put me weeks behind & the customers start a grumbling (even when they know of a delay from the outset)

[Roger Gregory]

Colin, I think Mike's advice is sound, as always.

Personally I think a knife should always include a sheath in the price unless there's a special reason. I also prefer leather sheaths for most knives, but of course a few people will want Kydex, that's just going to be the way it goes :) Maybe you can pre-make one of each so you're not too rushed and then you can reprofile them for particular knives if each knife is to be very different.

Roger

[bagman]

I think you need a good leather belt sheath to go with damascus bladed knives especially with the handle materials you are going to use.

I personally think kydex would be an afront to such a knife.

[Orm]

I agree with Bagman.

I like Kydex, however, I think for a knife of the beauty your going to make, it needs to be leather.

Orm

[zardoz]

Leather, absolutely. Personal opinion is that the sheath has to match the character of the knife, I just can't stand Kydex/etc., it only seems to suit millitary / combat knives. Even the best Kydex creations look like they've been knocked up in a school class, with all respect to the plastic formers out there. I appreciate that a great deal of skill goes into some Kydex sheahts, but at the end of the day, they just look, well, plastic. Beauty over efficency maybe.
Which leaves me a bit stuffed, as I'd love a small discrete neck knife, but they all have kydex sheaths.

[Martyn]

Originally posted by zardoz

Which leaves me a bit stuffed, as I'd love a small discrete neck knife, but they all have kydex sheaths.

You gen get leather to damn near the consistency of Kydex. After wetforming the sheath, dip it into hot neatsfoot/beeswax mix, give it a final mold to the knife and it'll come out as hard as wood. If you terminate the stitching at about the same place you would put a rivet on the kydex sheath, then it will spring open and snap shut, just like kydex.

[Colin KC]

D'oh

[Roger Gregory]

Only Colin would have to edit a post consisting of a smilie and the essential "D'oh" :D

Roger

[bagman]

Colin - let me know when you your knives finished as I could be interested in one.

Zardoz - Kevin Wilkins does some of his neck knives with leather sheaths, I think I brought one in a couple of visits ago. I can give you his contact details if you want??

[zardoz]

Thanks Martyn, I might experiment. Do you think it might soften again though, with the constant body heat / sweat of my puny chest?

Harvey - I think I remember that one. The neck knives I've been looking at are ones with finger holes in (sorry to be wandering a bit off topic everybody), like the La Griffe or the Spyderco Spot, I like the idea of it staying in your grip even if you open your hand to hold something. One of Perrin's originals in a leather neck sheath is my dream.

[bagman]

Zardoz- I agree with you on the original Perrin

You might want to drop him an email, the prices are not taht expensive, at leat the last itme I looked but that was a couple of years ago.

Mind you try explainging why you have one to your freindly neighbourhood Air Support Unit Officer :D

[Colin KC]

First one nearly finished (except for sharpening & one small blob of 'poxy that I didn't blinkin' notice:mad: )


LMK what sheath you think it should have now ;)


http://www.britishblades.com/photopost/data/500/3dscf0243-med.jpg

[Colin KC]

... taper the tang on the others? (it's a little heavy in the handle area:rolleyes: )

[Colin KC]

Thanks for the lightbox mail Mike, I'll taper the tang on the others, I think that'll lighten 'em up & take a bit of the weight & "boxiness" away, but still leave the birdhead style handle looking ok;)

[bagman]

Colin - I think you may be right on a tapered tang on the others.

How long is the handle?, it looks a little short for my shovels for hands. :D

[Colin KC]

Harvey, It's a three finger knife, the index finger sits in the "choil" type area then the middle & ring finger (which ends up in the hollow under the "beak") whilst the thumb pad sits in the hollow on top, & to the front of the handle area. It's a very "one size fits all" But, of course there are exceptions:p

[bagman]

One size fits all unless you have hands like you get bananas in :D

[Roger Gregory]

Looking good Colin! :D

I agree, taper the tang, that'll be fun :) and no swearing at Mike if you screw up the mammoth when reverse tapering that (nice idea Mike, I don't know whether I've seen that done)

Roger

[Colin KC]

Thanks Roger, that's what I'ma gonna do




Originally posted by Roger Gregory
I agree, taper the tang, that'll be fun :) and no swearing at Mike if you screw up the mammoth when reverse tapering that (nice idea Mike, I don't know whether I've seen that done)

Take a look at most (all?) tapered tang knives & you'll see that the scales nearest the guard/bolster is thinner than the butt end, that's what Mike meant & it's no problemo, but, thanks also go out to Kieth Montgomery (on BF) who said it looks "a little unfinished" (close enough a quote) & I think it's the fault of the bark & the brown bits that go through the interior section too. Soooo, that's the only one that's gonna have (rough) bark mammoth (I do have some excellent green, that is smoooooooth & delicious that'll go on one;) ) otherwise it's gonna be clean interior mammoth only, with tapered tangs & black spacers:D

[Martyn]

Originally posted by zardoz
Thanks Martyn, I might experiment. Do you think it might soften again though, with the constant body heat / sweat of my puny chest?


I dont think so. I've done the hot wax dip thing on a couple of sheaths and they are rock hard.

[Martyn]

Colin, sounds good and I definitely agree about tapering the tang. I always think neckers look good with very slim handle slabs and the bark above does make it look a little handle heavy.

[Kevin]

Great little knife...looking forward to seeing the others. I agree about the tapered tang.....You mention black spacers...red would also look pretty sexy:eek:

[ghostknife]

OK, I've six knives on the go 5 1/4" #1 twist Thunderforge damascus 2 1/2" blades, bird head handles in various mammoth ivory with fibre spacers & mosaic pins. Price to be determined. shipping to UK will be inclusive.


What I wan't to know is:

If anybody has a preference for sheaths, kydex or leather, if kydex, neck, belt or both, if leather, belt neck, pouch, what


I'm not after pre orders, or even indications of wanting one, just what sort of sheaths should I make, or should I leave it to the personal preference of whoever buys one? should I charge a price for the knife & an additional price for the sheath?


Help me out here guys:)
utx-70 neck, kydex. :)

[robtattoo]

Awesomely irrellevant thread-dredge! :D

Is 5 years a record?

[Colin KC]

Awesomely irrellevant thread-dredge! :D

Is 5 years a record?


Dunno, but it's good to read it again.


Let's have more old threads!

[murphy]

I thought it might have just been Col saying he has just finished them and sent them out now. :rolleye11: ;)

[Colin KC]

I thought it might have just been Col saying he has just finished them and sent them out now. :rolleye11: ;)


Achully, I have a couple unfinished knocking around somewhere:rolleye11

[mloc]

These knives sound great were there ever any pics ??

[Colin KC]

These knives sound great were there ever any pics ??


Yah, but they were lost in the great crash of '02:(

[Bazza]

Yah, but they were lost in the great crash of '02:(

Could you take some more for us fans? :D

Barry