A Small Camp Knife

[Sam1911]

Hi!

Just finishing up a fun little project for a friend:



Blade is ATS 34 -- not my blank, but with some adjustments by me.



Handles are green canvas micarta, sanded to 800 grit.



My kingdom for a better camera...



Sheath to come...

 

[CoastieShep]

My all time favorite blade style. Scales look pretty darn good.

 

[JShirley]

Looks great, Sam. Love that handle.

 

[451 Detonics]

Like a fixed blade sodbuster...nice work on the scales.

I have come to think the Spyderco Mule Team knives are just about the ultimate camp knives. It's 3 5/16's inch blade is a great size and the leaf shaped blade is very useful for all chores. And of course as they are shipped naked you get to scale it however you see fit.

Buying blanks and scaling them to your desires is always a fun chore.

 

[jbkebert]

sure is purty. Nice work

 

[Valkman]

Great job!

 

[Sam1911]

Thanks guys!

Just for full disclosure, John and Valkman have both seen that one before I took creative license with it. (It says "DL" under the scales.)

Glad you like it!

 

[Sam1911]

Spyderco Mule Team knives are just about the ultimate camp knives

Got one of those sitting on the bench (Japanese Super Blue steel) to do next. Seems like a very nice blade.

 

[hso]

Nice handle! That's actually inviting to the hand and if I saw it on a table at a show I'd have a hard time not picking it up and handling it.

Good blade shape. Looks like your bevel flared a little at the nose, but that could just be the lighting.

Good finish on the blade as well.

What did you change on Don's blank?

 

[Sam1911]

What did you change on Don's blank?

Well, I don't know if I should be asking forgiveness first, but ...

This was an experimental knife that Don had worked up for John some time back. It had a very straight-line handle/tang shape that terminated in two spurs which John told me was a Bob Loveless style detail. It had handles made of a rubber material used for horse stall floors.

Here's a pic I cropped from one of John's:



Unfortunately, the total length of the blank was a bit short (for me) and made the top spur dig right into the meat of my palm. So I changed it a little:



Removed the top spur and rounded the back. It still hits me a little short, but at least it is comfortable. Cut the lower edge of the tang into more of a sinuous "high grip" shape to give the first finger more bearing on the back of the guard spur, and to make it a little more lively in the hand.

I didn't change the blade shape or grind at all. (Just removed the black paint.)

 

[Sam1911]

The entire handle still nestles into my hand but the back rear of the tang is now more comfortable for me to hold:



A "choked up" fine-work grip I often use for more delicate tasks:



A reversed grip is very comfortable too, if you ever wanted to work that way:

 

[Sam1911]

As promised, a sheath!



My friend has asked to be able to mount this inverted on MOLLE straps on the left side of his vest. I happened to have a MOLLE flavored Tech Lok ...



I added some spacers between the adapter plate I made to mount the Tech Lok and the sheath.

 

[JShirley]

Terrific. That should be about perfect on my armor.

 

[Sam1911]

Can't wait for a serious test report! I'm quite pleased with the whole package, myself. A knife this size just begs to be used.

 

[JShirley]

The three empty holes on the sheath could also be used for lashing, if not trying to mount to something with MOLLE straps.

 

[hso]

Nice looking sheath work!

 

[Sam1911]

The three empty holes on the sheath could also be used for lashing, if not trying to mount to something with MOLLE straps.

An easy option would be to produce a secondary adapter plate with a standard Tech-Lok, should the user find himself wearing more casual clothes but still wanting to have a fixed blade on hand.

(Or even a tuckable IWB J-hook arrangement like I used on my big fighter ... except it would be comfortable and make some kind of sense on this knife. )

 

[Sam1911]

That's actually inviting to the hand and if I saw it on a table at a show I'd have a hard time not picking it up and handling it.

I'm not sure I've received higher praise. Thanks!

I'm a hand-tool user by training. I have some pretty specific thoughts on what kind of handle a tool that's really going to be used should have.

 

[BRad704]

Looks awesome Sam! I really like that sheath too.

 

[JShirley]

I wouldn't want to conceal it, but belt mounting would be a nice option.

 

[Pilot]

That is really knice!

Reminds me of some Bark Rivers or Fiddleback Forge knives I've seen.

 

[Sam1911]

...Fiddleback Forge knives I've seen.

Oh my. That's going overboard. I have a huge amount of respect for Andy's work and he's been helpful to me in getting started. I wouldn't ever claim to aspire to his talents, but thanks for the complement!

 

[Valkman]

That's a nice job on something that didn't quite work out. Those rubber handles were gonna be the "next big thing" for me but then I couldn't do anything with that stuff and soon abandoned he effort. I still have that horse stall mat on my shop floor!

The coating was Alumahyde II from Brownells. Still don't know how well it holds up!

 

[JShirley]

Not well, I'm afraid. It was flaking in two or three places without having been used.

 

[Valkman]

Hmm. I sand blasted and degreased, wonder what else I could have done better.