not a bush knife

[mark.177]

i had some 8mm thick o1 carbon steel under my bench for over a year that i couldnt see any practical use for and had even given some of it away but recently with a shortage of materials gave it a go anyway and came up with this knife. i know its not a buchcraft knife but it could certainly be used as one at a push... it has a 5" cutting edge, 11" overall and based loosely on a chris reeves pacific/green berret. the knife is balanced ever so slightly blade heavy and despite weighing in at 350gms feels quite nimble in the hand... any way heres a few pics... i know not all will like it but what do you think?

 

[Mesquite]

I like it

 

[Robson Valley]

I have other knives that I would leave at home.
This one looks quite bash-worthy for most anything from cooking to camp chores.

 

[Herbalist1]

It's not the sort of knife I tend to use BUT I have have to say, the workmanship looks outstanding. It truly is a thing of beauty.

 

[Janne]

The design is not my cup of tea, but it is incredibly well made and finished!
I am hugely impressed by your skill!

 

[Countryman]

Absolutely up my street. What do you mean "not a bush knife" ? You sure as hell don't need it in a car park! 😊

Very nice.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[crosslandkelly]

I like the look of that, beautifully made.

 

[Shelley]

Looks very nice but why on earth you would tale 11 inches of steel and only put 5 inches of sharp on it is beyond me...

 

[mark.177]

Looks very nice but why on earth you would tale 11 inches of steel and only put 5 inches of sharp on it is beyond me...

?... interesting, so how much edge would you put on 11"?

edit: i just re measured it and actually its 10 3/4" over all

 

[Muskett]

I have a CR Pacific and think its an excellent design. Your take on it is very nice indeed and follows closely how I imagined I might have made some changes if I was a knife maker doing one. Sadly I am not a knifemaker. You have made something very special there and it looks fantastic too.

I like to think of this as a combat utility knife, in the vein of the KarBar. So what if "Combat" is out of fashion. Its a utility knife to do anything demanded of it when you really don't know what to expect.

Nice one.

 

[redneck]

fit and finish is magnificent, you must be a robot! well done.

 

[Janne]

Looks very nice but why on earth you would tale 11 inches of steel and only put 5 inches of sharp on it is beyond me...

If you have all your fingers still attached to your hand you need a handle that length......
I think the proportions are very correct.

 

[Bluebs4]

that sounds bang on for my mits

 

[Shelley]

For my money the handle has to be equal to or less than the blade, I find 4.5 inches handle length to be perfect and on the side of too big, so with a 11 inch (or 10 3/4) piece of steel I would think a blade around 6.5 would be better, after all it's a blade with a handle, not a handle with a blade.

 

[Drain Bamaged]

I can work with a 4.5" handle in the summer but to be honest come winter I would prefer not to have an 1.5" of mitten either hanging off the back of the handle or resting on the blade. For me the Most important thing about any knife is that it is comfortable and safe in MY hand and it doesn't matter a damn what anyone else thinks of it. If Shelley, a shorter handle works for you then great but not everyone is the same or has the same needs.

D.B.

 

[mark.177]

the handle and every other aspect of a knife is thought over and this is no exception. with this particular knife i had to consider a number of different applications and holds. the space left on the underside of the handle for fingers is a smidgen over 4". along the top is 4 3/4", an inch is taken up in the choil area which gives you room for a finger. the handle has to allow a hammer grip with thumb over the top on the spine as well as a reverse hammer grip with thumb over the butt of the handle.
the knife needs to be comfortable both with and without gloves. this particular one actually has a smaller handle than the last two like this i made, personally i think its works very well but each to his own.

 

[Janne]

For my money the handle has to be equal to or less than the blade, I find 4.5 inches handle length to be perfect and on the side of too big, so with a 11 inch (or 10 3/4) piece of steel I would think a blade around 6.5 would be better, after all it's a blade with a handle, not a handle with a blade.

The lrngth of a handle is fairly constant, a little bit more than the width of the hand.
But the blade can be any kength, depending on usage.

No?

 

[Muskett]

I have a CRK Pacific, and one reason I haven't sold it is because the grip design is so good with several hold positions. With some refinement it could be the ultimate combat utility knife grip. Other parts of the design I'm not so happy with. The serrations are not required as they are in a position where a straight edge would be better. The gimping is far too deep and course. I do like the pommel.

Now your take is getting nearer to what should have been done. So I think you are on the right tract. Frankly everyone has different hands, and take on what they like; so only by handling a knife can you feel if its works, alive, for you.

 

[mark.177]

I have a CRK Pacific, and one reason I haven't sold it is because the grip design is so good with several hold positions. With some refinement it could be the ultimate combat utility knife grip. Other parts of the design I'm not so happy with. The serrations are not required as they are in a position where a straight edge would be better. The gimping is far too deep and course. I do like the pommel.

Now your take is getting nearer to what should have been done. So I think you are on the right tract. Frankly everyone has different hands, and take on what they like; so only by handling a knife can you feel if its works, alive, for you.

i have studied the cr pacific knife and made several versions of it trying "lol" to improve things but one thing i did like as yourself was the handle ergonomics, i didnt so much like the serrations preferring a plain blade. i tried making one with and without the jimping. the 8mm one here has the jimping on the spine but i omitted it along the underside where the tang is thinner.
how do you find edge retention with the pacific? he hardens to around 57hrc which i guess? is for ease of sharpening, this one is nearer 59hrc

 

[mark.177]