[mrostov]

Did some more work on my current knife project.

I put a 2" wood saw on the spine with 12 teeth in two rows. There are also upper and lower finger grooves for choking up on the blade for more control during certain tasks. I cut the saw teeth freehand with a cordless dremel and finished them up with jewler's files.

The knife blade is 7" from tip to handguard with 6" of it's length with a sharpened edge. Overall length of the knife is 12-1/4".

The sheath rig pictured I also made. It is a hard scabbard/webbing frog arrangement like a military bayonet

The scabbard is PVC pipe moulded over a barbecue grill and covered with cordura nylon and a brass chape (protects the scabbard tip from abrasion) on the bottom with a water drain hole. The scabbard is fitted with a webbing frog made from 2" nylon strap, triple stitched, and fitted with a military belt clip. The scabbard was made so it 'grabs' the knife blade much like a military bayonet scabbard.

The pouch hold a variety of gear: 24 assorted fish hooks, a dozen needles (various sizes, straight and curved), 50 hour LED flashlight with lithium batteries (very bright light), 14 iodine water tabs (in a sealed container), two steel sewing machine bobbins (one filled with monofilament fishing line and another with black nylon thread), magnesium firetool, EZ-Lap model 26F 1"x3" diamond hone with a fishhook groove, small backup compass with a nylon neck lanyard, USGI P38 can opener, and a small Victorinox Classic Swiss Army Knife (tweezers, toothpick, scissors, blade, file, screwdriver).

The cordura nylon pouch is tied to the frog with paracord next to a bundle of several yards of extra military paracord.

 

[mrostov]

Well, still have a couple more things to do with this knife. I need to put in a brass lined lanyard hole in the handle and I need to vinegar treat the exposed steel to help head off rust.

Cold bluing works well, but this knife was designed to also skin elk and whitetail, and cold bluing has chemicals in it, like selenium compounds, that I'd rather not expose to my food.

There's other stuff I'm tinkering with in my spare time.

I build stuff to blow off steam and to sort of meditate on other things, like business.

One project I've been wanting to do for a while is to make a better, more practical, carry rig for a hatchet.

I'm also usually tinkering with my gear and trying out new stuff to see what works, what works better, and what doesn't work at all.

There's always new ideas and ways of doing things. Even GK every so often has a cool idea that I might decide to try out. Those that are flexible and capable of adapting and changing survive. Those that don't perish.

 

[mrostov]

Teuf, kind figured your absence was because that with a working ranch you'd have better things to do during the summer than hang out on the computer

Me, my business keeps me at the computer far too much.

Finished up the knife:

Stained the handle, brass lanyard hole (epoxied and peened), gunblue on the buttcap, 3 hour vinegar dip on the blade and handguard.

The blade is differentially tempered where only the cutting edge is water quenched. The lightly colored area is the temperline.

 

[mrostov]

Not yet.

You should see how many blades the serious collectors buy. Guys have vaults and racks in display cases full of knives, khukuris, swords, etc.

I've gotten most of my stuff on sale as a 'blem' which usually means a minor flaw like a scratch or a marred handle. Right now they are blowing out a huge amount of stuff to provide work for their bladesmiths.

 

[mrostov]

Go to their website and you'll find a link to their forum on Bladeforums. They post their daily deals there. Don't ever recall seeing 25" Ang Kholas on the daily deals but I have seen some Tibetian swords and some real fighting grade Katanas lately.

Right now they are running ongoing sales, in addition to the blems, on all sorts of stuff in order to move inventory to provide work for their bladesmiths.

For instance, all 15" BAS (current Ghurka issue 'British Army Service') models right now are $55 and all 16.5" and 18" WWII models are on sale for 1/2 off plus shipping.

Usually the daily deals, like Katanas for cheap and stuff, are a small lot that's first come, first serve.