After many months and much anticipation a project that I have been waiting on has finally come to fruition. Back last spring I met up with Abe Elias (some of you may know him as Canranger) at the Wolverine Knife Collectors show in Novi, Michigan. Abe is an old friend and has been making knives for a couple of years now. He had a great display of knives at the show and I even purchased one with an orange G-10 handle for my wife (Clemson Tiger fan; she bleeds orange for the REAL University of South Carolina
). At that time I showed Abe a knife that I had purchased from Keith Spenser in Australia. It was Keiths idea of a bush knife. I loved the style of the blade but the handle didnt feel right in my hand. I initially asked Abe if he could re-handle it more in the style of his knives (whose handles I prefer). His response was a tentative yes, but how about we make an entirely new knife instead and incorporate some changes that he thought would be appropriate. Thus the J. J. Walkabout was born
This blade is made from ¼ A2 which as we know is excellent knife steel. Instead of saber ground like Spensers knife this blade is flat ground with a great convex edge. The handle material is natural Micarta done is Abes own special way. Depending upon the lighting it can look like a stabilized oak or bone. The whole effect is difficult for me to capture in photographs. Dimensions are as follows:
Overall Length:10 3/4 inches
Blade:5 3/4 inches
Handle: 5 inches
¼ lanyard hole with center Mosaic Pin and (2) 3/16 Nickel silver Pins
RC: 58-59
The handle is one of the best parts as Abe really knows how to put the right length handle on a knife. Unlike some knife makers who seem clueless as to how long a proper handle should be, or try to save money on steel by making shorter handles, Abe has it correct. This handle is long enough that your whole hand has something to do if you want it to, or if you drop back to a three finger hold on the butt your 6 knife now acts like an 8 knife for taking out small limbs.
The sheath carving is simply outstanding. I was taken by surprise as I was expecting a plain sheath similar to that which came on my Randall 18, but this was much nicer. I really dont want to scratch this one up! Simply fantastic leather work Abe.
Another thing about Abes sheaths; he makes them to hang on your belt so that the handle of the knife projects above the belt. This might not be for everyone but it is the style that I prefer. This comes from years of carrying a duty belt and having to find things by touch with your fingertips. While things that project above the belt sometimes get in the way when seated, they are also easier to grasp if the belt is not getting in the way or dragging against them when you pull them out. These knives only stick up about 2 ½ but they are easily gained when needed.
So how does it cut?
It was interesting to see that 1/4" A2 could do as nice a job as the much thinner blades. In fact the extra heft of the Walkabout's spine made the job go a bit faster. The wood in question was a dead maple limb that had blown down in a recent storm. I was pleased with the nice tight curls that I was able to make with this knife. In fact whittling with it was a pleasure.
Fried green tomato chips anyone?
It did well, so well that I decided why not a ripe almost squishy tomato?
Abe makes a fantastic blade! If you have any questions for him or would like more information regarding his work he can be reached at: aelias@cogeco.ca
This blade is made from ¼ A2 which as we know is excellent knife steel. Instead of saber ground like Spensers knife this blade is flat ground with a great convex edge. The handle material is natural Micarta done is Abes own special way. Depending upon the lighting it can look like a stabilized oak or bone. The whole effect is difficult for me to capture in photographs. Dimensions are as follows:
Overall Length:10 3/4 inches
Blade:5 3/4 inches
Handle: 5 inches
¼ lanyard hole with center Mosaic Pin and (2) 3/16 Nickel silver Pins
RC: 58-59
The handle is one of the best parts as Abe really knows how to put the right length handle on a knife. Unlike some knife makers who seem clueless as to how long a proper handle should be, or try to save money on steel by making shorter handles, Abe has it correct. This handle is long enough that your whole hand has something to do if you want it to, or if you drop back to a three finger hold on the butt your 6 knife now acts like an 8 knife for taking out small limbs.
The sheath carving is simply outstanding. I was taken by surprise as I was expecting a plain sheath similar to that which came on my Randall 18, but this was much nicer. I really dont want to scratch this one up! Simply fantastic leather work Abe.
Another thing about Abes sheaths; he makes them to hang on your belt so that the handle of the knife projects above the belt. This might not be for everyone but it is the style that I prefer. This comes from years of carrying a duty belt and having to find things by touch with your fingertips. While things that project above the belt sometimes get in the way when seated, they are also easier to grasp if the belt is not getting in the way or dragging against them when you pull them out. These knives only stick up about 2 ½ but they are easily gained when needed.
So how does it cut?
It was interesting to see that 1/4" A2 could do as nice a job as the much thinner blades. In fact the extra heft of the Walkabout's spine made the job go a bit faster. The wood in question was a dead maple limb that had blown down in a recent storm. I was pleased with the nice tight curls that I was able to make with this knife. In fact whittling with it was a pleasure.
Fried green tomato chips anyone?
It did well, so well that I decided why not a ripe almost squishy tomato?
Abe makes a fantastic blade! If you have any questions for him or would like more information regarding his work he can be reached at: aelias@cogeco.ca
