Classics Range - Green River - WIP - some questions first

[HillBill]

Hi folks.

Next up in my "Classic Collection" is the green river "Dadley" trade knife.

One of these....
http://www.ebay.com/itm/Sheffield-G...tible_Knives&hash=item3cca243875#ht_870wt_755

Before i start on it however i would appreciate some feedback as to the design.

Would you guys like to see it matching the original, like the one in the link above, with the finger indents in the handle and the fish de-scaler on the spine, or would you like a plainer version, or perhaps a slightly modified on so it isnt so symmetrical.

Just thinking of the safety side of things. Symmetrical blades and handles can be dangerous, So its either original indents and scaler, or slightly modified.

Also with regards to the sheath... I don't think the trade knives came with sheaths, they were traded knife only iirc. But i'm thinking a sheath similar to the one i made for the kephart would suit well.... and those sheaths surprised me with how well they hold the knife in place if im being honest. I was dubious

I'm going to be using 3mm 01 again for these. Full flat grinds.

Handle material? i want to keep it plain again, so walnut, yew, or cherry? as i have loads of each

Cheers guys.
Mark

 

[Man of Tanith]

For me personally if you are doing a classics range they should stick as close to the original as possible.
So indents and fish scaler should be included in my opinion.
Walnut or cherry for handle I reckon
Sheath hmm the kephart style is nice....I seem t recall seeing sheaths in wildwood wisdom by ellsworth jeager (spelling? ) that might be suitable

 

[Mesquite]

I think you need to keep it as original as possible.

As for sheaths, have a look at the one supplied by the maker

 

[John Fenna]

Oh - original has to be the way forward!
A Kephart style sheath would look good too ... or a beaded and fringed "Indian Scout" type of thing ....

 

[salad]

I am going to go against the grain here and say that I think you should make the modifications that you suggested as they make good sense to me and I think it would make it more commercially appealing in the modern world of knives .
I know a lot of purists would disagree with that sentiment but if I was going to spend my money on one its what I would want for a usable classic styled knife .And as the maker I think its good to add your own interpretation on to it

A modern bushy pouch type sheath would be my personal choice if I was buying one of these from you

Maybe make both knives and start a thread which one would you buy

 

[JohnC]

I like the idea of a beaded sheath, I have a knife similar to this (somewhere) and spoiled the handle some years ago by altering it. It looked lopsided, of course it is likely that it was poor work on my part, so id say go with the original.

 

[Silverback 1]

God that takes me back, had one as a snapper and it was my absolute pride and joy, made all the more special, because my Father bought it for me against my mothers wishes!
Looking back now, and what i have learned about knives over the (many) years, i can remember that the blade was maybe just a bit too thin and flimsy, but obviously that
will not be the case with your design Mark, looking forward to seeing the end result here, i'm sure whatever you decide will be a winner, might even buy one for sentimental reasons.

 

[MartiniDave]

I think keep the design as original as possible, and the fringed, beaded sheath sounds fantastic, keeping the whole thing sort of "Davy Crockett "-esque, if you know what I mean. If it's as nice as the Kephart it will be a beauty.

Dave

 

[British Red]

Keep it original Mark - with a plain leather sheath - these were classic working knives imo. Fancy sheaths and mods could be an "option", but not for the basic package.

 

[bilmo-p5]

I've had 2 British-made Green Rivers, and still have one, but neither had the finger indents in the scales. I have never seen one, with or without the finger indents, that has not had the 'scaler serrations' on the back of the blade. I have always understood that these were so you could tell which way about the blade was just by touching it with your thumb as you pulled the knife out of the sheath. Mine both had plain rosewood scales IIRC. I don't know what happened to the first one but one of the scales split and fell off the one I still have. It lay in a drawer at home for quite a long time until I got around to putting a knotted handle on it.

 

[HillBill]

Thanks for the feedback so far guys.

To keep the base cost down, i'd like to keep it as simple as possible. So the sheath at least in the base model will be a plain one. Things like the de-scaler = more work = increased cost. Just the basic model on this knife is looking like it will cost a little more than the kephart due to the above. Which seems wrong with these knives not exactly being expensive for production versions so commonly available. Its a dilemma for sure

I may do as Salad suggests and make two versions, one as close to the original as possible and another with a couple of small changes that i feel would make it a better knife. Afterall, these knives are only that shape as they were very simple to manufacture, and the quality of its performance was not a priority in the design. Cheap mass production was. They impressed indians because they were steel, rather than flint/stone. That wouldn't impress folks these days though

 

[Seagull]

Not too original I hope, for those original handles were Gawdawful square slabs. It was on account of this feature that most every "Green River" that I ever saw, had had its handle doctored with file or rasp. Most users had their handles drastically reduced and then covered in palm and needle hitching.
Ceeg

 

[HillBill]

It'll will be comfortable to hold, don't worry about that. I wouldn't let a knife out of the workshop if i knew it would be uncomfortable.

 

[vizsla]

This is one of my favourite knives and I think they look great in basic rosewood, but to make it more usefull for my personal needs I'd say do away with the grooves etc and maybe put very sleight groove in to stop the four finger sliding up, not practically visable but noticeable in the hand, cracking idea mate il get saving then, cheers

 

[HillBill]

What about if instead of a de-scaler, i put some jimping? though do it in such a way so that it still has the same sort of look.

 

[HillBill]

And do you guys want the sharpened back edge? The thicker steel will leave a larger bevel though. Unless i use a thick angle

 

[vizsla]

That sounds good, personally I couldn't find a use for a sharpened back edge plus that's the part of the blade I use to strike a fire steel, cheers