Modern day Ninja boots, I guess? They've got steel caps.
I kind of want to try the "toe shoes" thing, because it's supposed to be good for your feet. But on the other hand, I'm a galoot, who knocks his feet into things, a lot. This might be the compromise between the two. Also, they look really weird, and I'm into that kind of thing.
I know that, through the magic of the Internet, I could sell this monster, if I cut it out. 5 1/4" across the width, and just under 17", on the long axis. The intention with the bevel and the fuller is that it's supposed to look like somebody cut down a bigger knife to make something for serious social purposes.
Is any of that obvious from the finished drawing? Nah, probably not. I guess it's enough that I know what I was trying to do.
Those bevels would be impossible, and I would need to have a one-off tool, and somebody with a big Bridgeport, to get the fuller right. Needless to say, this was a design exercise.
More graph paper dickery. I present, the Shoebill.
Wait. Um...
Yeah, there it is. The resemblance is kind of hard to see, unless you park them side by side.
I have no intention of ever trying to fabricate this chunk of cutlery. I guess it would weigh about 24 ounces, the blade is 5.25" across the guard, and the balance point would be right about where the ricasso ends.
The problems are not so much it's impracticality, as the pure pain it would to fabricate.
After more than 25 years of being immersed in the world of knives, I was getting bored. I knew what I liked in modern, locking folders, and I decided that pocket fixed blades are awkward to carry. The only reason I would want to carry a fixed blade is to make myself feel like I'm better prepared for some imaginary scenario.
I also felt that simply throwing more money at the problem wasn't the answer. The point of diminishing returns for quality starts around $160, and there are only small improvements in fit and finish until you approach mid-techs in the $400 range.
I found out that I get very nervous right around $180: that's a lot of gasoline and groceries, or a new pair of work boots, and I try not to let knife buying take over from more practical concerns.
I decided to muck about on the low end of knives for a while, and set myself a price limit of $150, which I thought I would be more comfortable with.
I bought a slipjoint knife for the grand sum of $11. It has a wharncliffe blade, and I've posted pictures of it, before.
Essentially, it's a folding box cutter for people who don't like folding box cutters.
Carrying it for a few weekends made me realize that this was plenty of knife for me. I had experience with a few other non-locking knives, and I figured it was worth a look around to see what else was out there.
I noticed Enrique Pena's Lanny's Clip pattern a while back, but his customs have the usual multi-hundred dollar price tag, so I kept looking.
The Boker Slack was another option that caught my eye, and the price was much more to my liking.
When you get to a place where serious enthusiasts congregate, you find pedantry. Which brings us to the “modern traditional”, a sub-niche of knives that are distinct (in the eyes of the “traditional” guys, anyway). There is a pinned post about the difference in one sub-forum, because it's that important.
So, a “modern traditional” is a knife that incorporates threaded fasteners instead of pin-and-peen, and synthetic cover materials that post-date the liner lock. Lockbacks are a separate sub-group, and I'm not going to waste any more of your brain space with this.
This one has G10 slabs, because I like modern traditionals. Or rather, I don't like bone or Delrin.
In usual fashion, I'll start with the tip, but only for a minute.
Where I noticed that the bevel isn't symmetrical.
Lots of my knives don't have symmetrical secondary bevels, and I suspect that this is one of those details that isn't consistent until you get to the mid-tech level. I don't mind it.
The finish on the blade is frankly beautiful: hand-rubbed at about 320 or 400 grit, and this continues on the spine, and the spring bar.
There is a little bit of an inconsistent color on Raphael Durand's trademark. I like it. Gives it character.
The bevel is flat, and slightly higher on the presentation side (I assume the side with the Boker trademark is the presentation side, anyway). Bevels are really hard to get perfect, and I scale my expectations to the fact that we're talking about a production knife.
The liners are skeletonized and nested, but somebody still saw fit to polish them, and I appreciate these little details that only reveal themselves when you're up-close to the knife.
The contouring on the slabs isn't pefectly symmetrical, and this is another one of those things that still has to be done by hand, so this kind of variance is reasonable to me.
The pivot screw is a curiosity. I could see where some people would think it's a neat design detail, but I could also see where some would see it as a distraction. I'm in the “neat detail” faction, myself. Your mileage may vary.
The spring tension is very high. I like a knife that stays where I last put it, but you do have to be serious about opening and closing it. It's a big departure from flippers that ride on bearings, and I've found that the best way to close it is to brace the swedge against my hand, like this.
There is no play in the blade when it's open. None. If the price for this is a stiff detent, I'm good with it. Few things destroy my confidence in a folder as quickly as wobbly blades.
The texture on the G10 is another feature that different people may react differently to. I like it, because it gives the knife more of a “does work” feel than something shiny and smooth. Practically speaking, it also increases friction at the point of contact.
The blade is slightly off center, when closed. I know this bothers some people, and I've heard it can be caused by unequal torque on fastening screws and pivot screws. It doesn't bother me, but it's something to watch for.
I can tell you a knife feels “light”, and that doesn't mean much, because it's only relevant, compared to what you're used to. I can tell you, this knife feels very light, to me!
And small. Here it is with an Alox Electrician, for size comparison.
It feels substantial for it's size, but I am conscious of the fact that this is a small knife, and it should not be expected to tackle some tasks. It's a tradeoff, but in this case, it's feel is well matched to it's capability.
I pay attention to pocket clips. But this one doesn't have one.
I guess it was easier at one time, when all you really needed was a wallet, lighter, pack of smokes, and a knife, to get through your day. With more real estate in men's pockets, the weight and bulk of a knife didn't matter. But now, you've got car keys, chapstick, beard oil, pill fob, tactile engagement tool, vape pen refills, cuticle trimmer, mobile device, earbuds, pen, notepad, flashlight, work gloves, hazmat suit, towel, wallet, FAK, mints, zero calorie energy drink mix, and a knife, all competing for space.
I don't carry that much in my pockets. But still, it all ends up at the bottom, in a bunch, which is when you find out what the most reluctant item is.
Happily, it is not the Slack. It's light weight and pleasingly rounded surfaces means that it clumps up willingly with the rest of the junk in there. If you think about it, pockets could be improved on.... Oh, wait.
We're getting off topic, here. Where was I?
Yes. A concluding paragraph, that summarizes all of this into a few tidy sentences that you could actually skip to, and read, instead of wasting valuable time away from Instagram.
Too bad I'm terrible at this part.
Huh. It's light and carries easily. It feels like quality, but you're conscious of the fact that it's a cutting tool, and needs to be part of a more comprehensive kit to handle the daily inconveniences of modern life. If you like the Lanny's Clip pattern, but you're not ready to spend custom knife prices, you should think about picking up some Slack, before they're gone.
Last Edit: Mar 23, 2019 15:12:18 GMT -8 by Shorttime
Yes, that's a thing. And there is a faction (seemingly mostly represented by the folks who spend most of their time in the "Traditional" sub on Bladeforums) which wants these to stay distinct from their brass and stag folders. Meh. Okay.
Well now, I know that I talk about the drag marks on the back of my knuckles, and I'm proud of having a knife made of 3/8" thick stock. So this is a left turn for me.
A slipjoint, with wood slabs and a nail nick.
I don't believe that continuing to spend more money will get me better knives. IMO, the point of diminishing returns starts around $150. So I'm going to wander around at the low end of knife costs, and see what there is to be found. I will also probably end up with a couple from Great Eastern Cutlery, but that's another post.
I've quoted Antoine de Saint-Exupery before, and his philosophy about how to achieve perfection has informed my knife designs.
This round of drawings started with the Chris Reeve Nyala Insingo.
There wasn't much to connect with it when I started sketching, though.
I was messing with a version of the Randall Gambler at the same time, and there was an inevitable mashup.
I was pretty happy with those for a while, until I saw a post about the Great Eastern Cutlery "Whaler" pattern. I figured I'd try and riff off of it, because those things are seriously expensive.
I came up with what's on the right, but I can't leave well enough alone. So, I started bending proportions and importing concepts from the other stuff. I came up with something that seemed like it should be called the Fishbone.
I have no idea why. The one on the left is a later sketch, but it fits in with the general pattern of the next couple.
And now, I'm stuck. I've found a shape that I don't think I can improve. It's too simple to remove anything else.
Now what?
Well, bite off of other people's work, of course.
Miller Bros Blades does some big, rough, nasty looking combat knives, and short of going full Dark Ops, this is about as far in the other direction as I can go.
These drawings are actually one stage removed from the "original".
Why am I sharing this? The hell if I know. The only reason I can think of is that it helps me map the process, and hope that gives me some idea of either how to move forward, or figure out where I get stuck, so I can stop it from happening. Maybe the uneven progress is a result of this being completely stream of consciousness.
Why should you care? Beats me, son. This is the internet. How you waste your time is your business.
Last Edit: Jan 27, 2019 10:13:15 GMT -8 by Shorttime
Some pencil and paper bravery for early Sunday morning.
The kiridashi is associated with the art of Origami, and it's also marketed to luthiers, because it's very good at making small, precise cuts. An artisinal hobby knife, if you will.
Then, you get some lout like me who starts experimenting with the basic pattern to see where a kiridashi loses it's distinct identity, and turns into a steak knife, or a so-called "camp knife", a blurry definition on it's own.
This is just the idea of "what if you just make it bigger?" Your average bushcraft knife has a blade of 4.5" to 5", so I swung for a cutting edge length that was about the same. Turns out, I didn't miss by 1/4 of an inch, I overshot by 1/4 of an inch.
What I learned is that you can make a kiridashi any size you want. What makes it recognizable is the blade to handle ratio. If the blade is longer than the handle, or nearly equal, you have a fairly conventional looking knife on your hand. It's only when the handle is longer than the blade, that you start to get something that looks... kiridash-like....
I'm still trying to find the lower limit of that ratio, and I'm pretty sure the upper limit is somewhere below a hatchet. Although copying the blade:handle ratio of a hatchet, with kiridashi proportions would be interesting.
Oh. Yes. Who cares?
Well, me. I like understanding things, from how subatomic particles work, to how consciousness manifests. So, this is another small step in the process of understanding knife design. I grant that it's nothing special to anybody else, but hey: there's a picture.....
I don't know if this is interesting to anybody else, but it was really interesting to me. Now, the goal was to harden it, and I have no idea if I did that, or not.
But the heat patina made it look like it has some serious stories to tell. Heat-treated or not, I'm finally satisfied.
Most of the time, I have no problem throwing things away, but this is not the case with steel scraps. If it's anything more than about one square inch, I have the feeling I can do something else with it. It's just that, up to now, I haven't known exactly what.
Playing one of those complicated card games with the kid made me realize that there is an opportunity to make some custom markers/tokens/pogs for these kinds of games. With a stub of pattern-welded steel laying around, there was no question: I had to start there.
It took me most of the day, because eyeballing the half circles was maddening. It was supposed to look like a gear, but it was also a practice piece, and nobody's going to know unless I tell them that. I'm limited by the fact that I don't have a lot of precision tools.
I figured I wouldn't get too fancy with this one. Leaving big flat surfaces will show off the pattern of the two metals, and I learned what I needed to. Normally, the practice is to polish, then etch, to bring out the pattern. In this case, I'm going to let skin oils patina it naturally. I can always re-polish and etch, later. I showed it to the kid, and he liked it, so I'm calling that a win.
Last Edit: Oct 27, 2018 16:20:43 GMT -8 by Shorttime
“This is the stupidest $150 you'll ever spend”. So says the only Youtube knife review that I could find. So, let's start by talking about the real reason I sent one hundred and fifty Freedom Bucks to a seller on Mao's Dollar-Rama Wholesale Website. The brass coin:
Um, yeah.
It's a reasonable method of commemorating your company's tenth year in business. People who carry knives are slightly more likely to also carry a coin, or other tactile engagement objects with them.
That's all the dignity I'm going to give it.
The box also contains a cleaning cloth. It's a good size to use as a disassembly mat, and the color is a neutral background for photos, so you may see it in some of mine.
As for the huge “Mosquito Tactical” logo? It's China. What did you expect?
Other gubbinz include a set of pivot washers, and a card with the logo, again (how about a torx driver that fits the pivot screw? Think about it).
Speaking on the subject of logos provides a handy segue into talking about the knife itself. And this trademark.
The English Internet is built up of layer upon layer of cultural references, and it must be absolutely impossible for people in countries that don't fully participate in it. So, I can understand how some version of “doge” made it into a knife logo. It may fall victim to the 220 grit customization, or I may leave it on, as a reminder not to take things too seriously. I'm a tightly wound person, and I need that, sometimes.
I have liked sodbuster-pattern knives for a long time, but I've never found one that I really wanted to add to my collection. I also like titanium scales, and framelocks. My only concern was that it was a copy of something else. I checked, and didn't find anything. In the meantime, a user on Bladeforums beat me to the purchase. I wanted to show up first for once, but at least I know it has the BF seal of... not being a copy.....
Is it really M390? China doesn't have an equivalent to the AISI, so we may never know for sure. It's not a big deal to me, I'm the guy who collects CRKT knives, so you know steel choice is not high on my list.
Now, I'm a knuckle dragger. So full flat grind blades aren't my thing. But I'm okay with it this time.
No pocket clip. I'm okay with this, too.
This knife lacks nearly every feature that I like, but I've always wanted a sodbuster, and this is such a well executed update to the classic pattern. Adding or altering it would make it into something else.
I like flipper knives (knife flippers, not so much), because they're easy to open, without the obnoxious spring that you have to pre-load on the closing. I also like that they don't need a thumb stud. This is one of the places where a lot of manufacturers stumble. They come up with a perfectly good knife, then slap on whatever thumb stud they have the most of in the parts bin, and the result looks like an obvious afterthought. The fact that about half of them don't work quite right probably has more to do with the fact that my hands are smaller than the average.
My location on this particular ergonomic bell curve is also the reason why front flippers don't work for me. By the time I get my thumb out in front of the blade properly, I've had to give up too much grip on the knife.
The nail nick works fine for me, and it should be there.
I'm not sure where the blue accents come from.
Kizer does this, and I see it in other places. It may have come from the folks who started their careers by copying the Sebenza, and if so, it's interesting to see it in other places: those guys over there do it, we should, too.
Personally, I would like to see this backspacer in bronze. It would be impossible to match the frame colors exactly, and the blue is subtle enough that I don't mind it.
The scales are flat, but the titanium (?) is slightly rough on it's own, so the knife actually feels more like a nicely buffed micarta, rather than smooth metal.
The chamfering extends around the perimeter, and it's a nice feature. The nicer feature is this scalloping on the lock bar.
This does a lot to make the knife easy to close. It's subtle, simple, and effective.
Yes, there is engraving on the inside of the scale. It's a series of patent numbers, and a small line drawing of a stylized dog taking a stylized dump. Like the "poop" emoji.
I have no fucking clue. They were gracious enough to put it on the inside, so I can pretend I don't see it. It's not enough to ruin the knife for me, because it's good in a lot of other ways.
I preach about jimping. A lot of knives have it, and it's mostly worthless, either by being poorly placed, or it's more like sawteeth than something you would want to put your fingers on. The too-sharp case is rare, but everybody seems to think that you should have it at the pivot, when the reason for having it at all, is to increase the surface area of the blade which can come in contact with your finger, and this extra amount of traction is better used when you need to do detail work, up here by the point.
This is very good. The extra inch or so up near the point is placed where you want it to be, and it's very shallow, with nicely broken corners, so it doesn't get in my way. I don't like jimping, so the less impact it has on either the aesthetics or the ergonomics, the better for me.
And now, we come to the edge, where there is a problem. It's plenty sharp, don't worry, and the bevel looks to be about 30 degrees per side. That's pretty much what you find on factory knives. Do you see it?
How about now?
Yep, the apprentice needs to work on his dwell time, when he's putting on the secondary bevels.
It's disappointing for $150, but I can fix it, so I can live with it. I'm going to run this puppy through some cardboard, and the moment it slows down, it's going to have a long meeting with a 750 grit diamond hone.
Aw, you're tricking us with camera angles, Short! It's an optical delusion.
Why would I do that? These shots are a pain in the ass to set up. This one took me seven tries to get the light right, and the camera was picking up the pulse width modulation from the flashlight driver while I was trying to frame it.
Overall, seven out of ten. Most of that is the fact that I'm going to have to fix the blade, and at this price point, I shouldn't have to. I like the modern interpretation of a classic pattern, and I like the minimalist design. I can overlook some.... odd... details.