Most unusual knife design you own?

[CLEM]

Firstly i can only speak for myself when i say this of course but i suspect it may be the same for other members of this illustrious forum, at least those of a certain vintage that is
I still get a little bit of that excitement in my stomach at the sight of 1980’s style Survival Knives just as i did as a boy. Maybe it’s just a sort of nostalgia?

Knife designs when i first got into this interest/hobby/lifestyle and the thinking behind them were a whole lot different than they evolved to be present day, for instance look at Mears Wilkinson Swords Survival Knife- Dartmoor CSK185 and the Woodlore and newer Woodlore Pro knives . Very very different designs all by the same man, years apart of course and years of experience later.
Anyway to my question, what is or was the most unusual Shraftin/Survival knife design you have owned/used or indeed still own and use?

 

[JonathanD]

Southey’s daft Mykel Hawke Hellion.

 

[CLEM]

Southey’s daft Mykel Hawke Hellion.

View attachment 91768

 

[Kepis]

One I made myself for a single, very specific purpose

It's made from half of a pair of scissors, ground down to a convex profile and set into a Cherry handle, I only use it for carving wooden flowers.

The very fine point allows me to ream out a hole for a stem and then carve the flower all in one tool.

 

[CLEM]

One I made myself for a single, very specific purpose

It's made from half of a pair of scissors, ground down to a convex profile and set into a Cherry handle, I only use it for carving wooden flowers.

The very fine point allows me to ream out a hole for a stem and then carve the flower all in one tool.

Always nice to see someone’s creativity

 

[John Fenna]

These days it is the "Aitor Jungle King" hollow handle "Survival Knife" ... the thing with built in catapult etc etc ... I own it but never have used it - the wobble in the blade to hollow handle joint is enough to discourage use!
I actually bought it as a joke

 

[Toddy]

A sickle, a copy of a bronze age one. Made for me by Jojo (Joel Delorme)



It is an incredibly useful tool

If you want a read, the original thread on this is here.

Thread 'Small sickle'

Jan 2, 2008

I'm going to transfer a few post across to this new thread from one which had become kind of tangled.

Xylaria began the conversation
" ....and have now decided the most disirable edged tool for a forager is a hand scythe, and I want one."

to which I replied,

I want one shaped like this little bronze one

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f203/seamstimeless/DSCF0030.jpg

http://i48.photobucket.com/albums/f203/seamstimeless/KingsofBling05-03-200716-33-37.jpg


It's an ideal tool for not only gathering rushes/ reeds & grasses but for howking nettles...

• Toddy
• Replies: 24
• Forum: Edged Tools

 

[saxonaxe]

Not really matching the description as an unusual knives, but the first one is a genuine a 'Survival' because it's the only knife the person owned. Eating, every day jobs and probably fighting too.
In the early 1950's my late older brother was a Royal Fusilier serving in Kenya, East Africa in what was called The MauMau Emergency. In charge of an 8 man patrol, they would leave base camp and do a sweep of the surrounding countryside looking for the opposition. Each patrol was assigned a local Tracker, my Brother's Tracker was an elderly Kikuyu man.
At some point out in the Bush a shot was fired from a home made gun at the patrol and the Tracker was wounded in the leg. My Brother's orders were that if a patrol member was wounded he should radio for casualty evacuation and make for a pick up point, except if it was the Tracker attached to a patrol, in which case the Tracker should be left at the nearest Missionary Post ( Of which there were quite a few.) and he would be collected later.
My brother disobeyed orders, reasoning that if he left his Tracker at the Mission the result would be the Mission raided and the Tracker, Nuns and everybody else would be killed and the place burned down, a not unusual occurrence.
The patrol carried the Tracker for some days to an RV point and were picked up by lorry transport ( no Helio's available then...)

Brother got a lecture and congratulations from his Boss and the Tracker got good Military Medical treatment.
Some weeks later the Tracker appeared at camp with his wives and presented my Brother with this knife as a thank you. It was his only real possession, but to refuse it would have been bad manners, so my Brother gratefully took it. Later a number of good army blankets signed out by my Brother disappeared...apparently.



As far as I can tell the knife is made from spring Steel and the sheath from a very soft, woven thin leather, which also binds the handle.



This 'knife' is something I traded 200 Marlborough Cigarettes from the ship's stores for...My only excuse is I was 16 and a first voyage Deck Boy
on my very first trip through the Suez Canal knew it was junk at the time but had to prove to the folks at home what a ruffty tuffty Sailorman I was when I returned home from exotic places...



I still think I got a deal as 200 fags were only 10/- from the ship's stores...
The steel is questionable, the sheath is Brass and the hanger Hemp line and courtesy of 16 year old Jack Tar...

 

[HillBill]

Not sure i have any 'unusual or weird' knives. Mine are all practical for what i use them for. Standard kitchen/meat processing stuff, Bushcraft/carving knives, neckers, folders/edc's..

I kinda feel left out.
I've made some knives what i'd call 'different' I've refused some work what i thought was stupid and didn't want my name on.

I'm gonna say the strangest, for me, was a knife i was asked to make for a Saudi prince that he wanted for falconry... a weird curved, hooked affair. Not too dissimilar from Mary's sickle, just much smaller. Way smaller.

 

[CLEM]

I’d say this one being my most unusual knife, it’s never been used. I got a Bushcraft Style knife just after this one arrived in the post, I did use it but not enough really, that’ll change in 25. Time it was used more. Anyway it’s a Primal Gear HAB.

 

[JonathanD]

I’d say this one being my most unusual knife, it’s never been used. I got a Bushcraft Style knife just after this one arrived in the post and so i never used it, that’ll change in 25. Time it was used. Anyway it’s a Primal Gear HAB.

You used that for quite a bit didn’t you. It’s a while ago but it was a good tool as far as I remember. Apart from that bow drill divot.

 

[TLM]

Twenty years ago bought a date cutting knife in Tunisia. A slightly sickle shaped toothed affair, made out of rebar. Very sharp as new but would not hold the edge for long. Apparently shipped to many customers in lots of 20 to 50. I watched when it was made and the blacksmith who forged it was quite good at making them, really no extra moves.

 

[CLEM]

You used that for quite a bit didn’t you. It’s a while ago but it was a good tool as far as I remember. Apart from that bow drill divot.

I did use it yes, but not enough really. I got a really nice Bushcraft knife around the same time and i started to use that. I’ll use it a lot more in 2025

 

[British Red]

I suspect this qualifies as the most unusual that I use

 

[TeeDee]

Boker Tracker because I needed to scratch that WSK itch.

 

[CLEM]

I suspect this qualifies as the most unusual that I use

Tell us more Mr Red mate???

 

[Tengu]

I’d say this one being my most unusual knife, it’s never been used. I got a Bushcraft Style knife just after this one arrived in the post, I did use it but not enough really, that’ll change in 25. Time it was used more. Anyway it’s a Primal Gear HAB.

Looks like a Nessmuk?

 

[CLEM]

Boker Tracker because I needed to scratch that WSK itch.

View attachment 91788

Now that’s exactly what i am talking about

 

[British Red]

Tell us more Mr Red mate???

There was a thread on it about 18 years ago!

Thread 'Larger bladed camp knife'

Nov 18, 2006

Its a long story,

A few years ago I say a picture of a knife on E-bay and just though..."Wow". It was a bare knife but the hilt was amazing. It was poorly described and I won it ...for a tenner.

I was delighted when I received it as it clearly was ivory / bone inlaid with gold pins and wire. I've asked around a bit more and opinons seem to suggest an African Flyssa or Turkish Yataghan. Clearly the blade has been sharpened over a long, long time - more than a hundred years certainly, possibly much more.

So, display or use. ..well it had no sheath so it was always...

• British Red
• Replies: 22
• Forum: Edged Tools

 

[TeeDee]

I also owned a SA produced Chris Reeves Aviator - good size and as milled from a single piece of steel indestructible