economy knife blanks/ Medieval meal

[badgeringtim]

Howdy all,
Knowing my interest in making knives - or rather putting handles on the blades and making the sheaths a good fried has asked if i can supply eating knives for a medeival banquit.
Ten in all (not to mention the variouse bowls and othe rprojects i need to get done for christmas), but im exceedingly loath to turn him down. After all its very nice to be asked.

Ive found some ash, oak and silver birch already dried in my little store, i know the oak will be a bu**er now its dried out and the silver birch is a bit soft for a handle but for what they are i think i can make do. Im thinking compoud with antler or bone at the top then silver birch and then oak at the end. Fortunately they dont need sheaths so thats the bit i find hardest not to worry about (yet).

So my question is anyone know of a decent (isnt going to be used for woodwork - just eating) economy blade that wont cripple my bank account?

I have looked here;
http://www.brisa.fi/
and here
http://www.attacc.com/

Which is where i get most of them unless i wander into a store in Norway.

All ideas wecome!!

thanks

 

[Toddy]

Andy on BB sells unmarked Sheffield blades that he gets directly from the manufacturers. Might well be worth asking him ? I got a batch of sgian dubh ones for £5 each from him a while back. They were a vast improvement on the usual rubbishy ones

Failing that, I know of re-enactors who buy a set of old discoloured handled ones from a charity shop, attack the blades with a sanding belt and rehandle. They sell them on at £14 each last time I noticed.

cheers,
Mary

 

[Draven]

I hate to say this, since Attleborough accessories is one of the few shops in the UK that sells bare blades, but I find their stuff overpriced. Brisa, on the other hand, has impeccable service (IIRC I bought an Enzo kit on a sunday evening and got it on wednesday - to Scotland from Finland! I've dealt with shedloads of UK based companies that don't ship that fast) and good prices. Their Enzo blades are, IMO, the best general purpose scandi in existance, though harder to abuse (you won't want to!) than a Mora. The enzos are very attractively priced and in a variety of materials, too, and most of the stick tang ones have a threaded tang with a nut which fits the handle rock solid, so no clamp needed when gluing up. They also sell bolsters for their Enzos, so you can't really get closer to a perfect fit.

If you get Mora stick tangs, they're still dirt cheap and easy enough to break the wooden handle off so just as good as a blade blank really, and I doubt you'll get better value for money anywhere. Even the Clipper blades, despite their short tangs, make excellent blade blanks when handled properly.

Hope this helps!

Pete

 

[spamel]

How about something like this? I've got one that still needs doing, the blades come very sharp and they will look slightly more traditional then an Enzo or a Mora!

http://www.thegoodstuffshop.dk/product.asp?product=18466

 

[Nickthechippy]

How about something like this? I've got one that still needs doing, the blades come very sharp and they will look slightly more traditional then an Enzo or a Mora!

http://www.thegoodstuffshop.dk/produ...?product=18466

Are those knives just for people who are middle aged?

couple more years to go for me

Nick

 

[badgeringtim]

Cheers all,
Its looking like i might not be able to afford the time and money for the blades.
Bit disapointing, but then i have nothing to do with them afterwards either, i dont want that many certainly, and it seems wrong to make them without a decent purpose!
Was looking at the Mora utility knife from axminster - actually i have one of these for whittling in Norway and its a great knife, but the markings and the angle measurement rather put it out of the picture. I dont own/use/have/ any power tools so couldnt grind it off, besides that would be even more work and probably make a mess of it i think. not to mention getting the handles off..
(

 

[Black Sheep]

Have a look here.........

http://www.moonrakerknives.co.uk/kniveblades.htm

They do blades from £3.95 upwards I've bought blades from them before with no problems

Richard