From a mig 15 to a knife

[johnboy]

Hi,

Over the past few weeks I've been helping my son construct a Mig 15 model kit ( Tamiya 1/48th scale).

All good and we're almost finished making it's been a real joy and my son has learnt a lot and enjoyed himself.. Winter is drawing in here in NZ so we're looking for something to take up a couple of evenings a week of a practical nature. So I thought about a knife kit... I'm not overly interested in tooling up the garage into a mini workshop for knife production nor stocking up on tool steel etc...

I'm just after something simple. Blade grind is not important neither is edge retention etc etc...

I had been looking at the all in one kits over at knife kits...

http://www.knifekits.com/vcom/product_info.php?cPath=2_5&products_id=172

This sort of thing reasonably simple and classic.. Does any one have any suggestions along these lines..

Thanks in advance...


John

 

[Chinkapin]

Well, Johnboy, above all else, follow your bliss. If you really like that knife and think it is the one for you, then by all means get one.

I was practically weaned on these types of knives (maybe not a real good analogy) and I used to think it was that or nothing. Then one day I was given a rather small knife that I came to love a great deal. Eventually, I bought an original D.H. Russell Canadian Belt knife and I have never looked back at the Bowie type of knife. Today, I carry my Russell, or a Enzo Trapper, or a Mora Clipper, or a Gerber or Buck folder.

I think if you will give one of the so-called bushcraft type knives a go, you will be much happier in the long run. But by all means get one of these kits and enjoy yourself making and using this knife.

 

[johnboy]

Hi Chinkapin,

Thanks for your feedback.. TBH the style / type of knife isn't that important within reason I'm not interested in anything tanto or 'tacticool' just a 'classic' knife.. The important thing is the kit has all of the component parts (somewhat like a model mig 15) and you don't need a fully equipped knife making workshop to build it.

If someone does a Mora kit that would be fine also...

 

[mcniac]

why not buy a blade and improvise the rest?
I built this knife with a lauri blade i bought from a friend who buys stuff from brisa ( www.brisa.fi )

here some more pics

http://picasaweb.google.com/esteban.soler/ScandiKnife

the handle is made of wood, a small piece of red deer and a 25 cents coin

i think brisa sells scandi kits too

Esteban

 

[ged]

Winter is drawing in here in NZ so we're looking for something to take up a couple of evenings a week of a practical nature. ... something simple. ... Does any one have any suggestions ...

I'm all for learning by making but looking at the kit that you linked to I can't help feeling that you'll be finished well before the Queen's birthday. I'd have thought something a bit more intricate would be needed to take up a couple of evenings a week for the winter. Perhaps a heat engine, a timepiece, or something electronic? How old is your son?

 

[johnboy]

I'm all for learning by making but looking at the kit that you linked to I can't help feeling that you'll be finished well before the Queen's birthday. I'd have thought something a bit more intricate would be needed to take up a couple of evenings a week for the winter. Perhaps a heat engine, a timepiece, or something electronic? How old is your son?

Ged,

You are right a kit of that nature is reasonably straight forward to assemble..

But we have an F86 Sabre to do also and there is homework, scouts and school sports and also the snow will rock up shortly . Then there's tramping and kids stuff etc... It's hard work being a kid in NZ!!

I've never built a knife before so we'd be learning as we go. So probably it's better to bite of something achieveable which spurs us on than something complex which we struggle to complete and becomes a chore....

Thanks for your suggestions though...

 

[gregs656]

I am not sure what you believe you need to make a knife, but you don't need too tool up much at all. A vice of some description, hacksaw, a couple of files and a drill and you're there. I bought half a meter of steel.

If you have none of those tools, you could get them all for next to nothing. I bought 4 files second hand.

I reckon from beginning to end it took about 8-10 hours. If you have an angle grinder, you could probably half that if not more.

Might be worth a go. Or making a hidden tang knife would be cool.

The kits are nice, but, any one could have one of those kits. Might as well make something unique.

 

[Chinkapin]

Johnboy, I'm not sure that it is a bad idea at all to start with a kit. I started with an Enzo trapper kit that I bought from Bob's Backwoods. It consisted of the blade, the scales, liners, and the corbray bolts that hold the scales onto the blade. I was able to make a very high quality knife out of these components. When I was finished, I wasn't stuck with a piece of junk to toss into a drawer.

I later purchased a sheath that was specifically made for this knife by JRE. They are high quality, well made sheaths at a very reasonable price.

Now, if I want to buy a blade and make one from scratch, I have a very good idea of everything I need. For example, corbray bolts, which you may or may not be aware of. Also, I now know that liners give a real custom look to a knife at very little added expense. Had I not bought the kit, I would be more in the dark if I were starting out from scratch.

Sure it is true that others will have the same basic knife; but so what. You will have had a real hand in "making" that knife. In my own case, I know that I didn't design the blade, or forge it. I also know that the handle scales were complete except being a bit oversize, and that the critical corbray bolt holes were pre-drilled. I also know that I didn't build this knife so much as i was more of a "final assembler." Nevertheless, I love this knife and it was a good experience toward doing more involved work.

 

[brancho]

Johnboy
My first was from a kit like thESE
The kit you suggest looks fine to me if thats the style of knife you want go for it.

You can go for one of THESE though.