an edgy topic

[Grizz]

I've been bitten by the longknife bug, so I started making some. Being impatient I found one online that is in my flight bag, as in fleeing, until I finish the one I started.

Here's a world class deal on a world class chopper knife:

https://www.amazon.com/Condor-Hudson-8- ... ndor+knife

So far, it is everything the breathless online posters say it is. It chops as well as a light hatchet, one of the original 1600's design parameters. It is a near copy of a Hudson Bay Company camp knife. The story I read is that the trade canoes had 25 men onboard. Rather than equip them with a knife and an axe, they carried these chopper knives, yielding the weight difference to paying cargo capacity. And it might be the first use of the camp knife term. Who knew how modern those canoe guys can be? They could quickly set up shelters and kitchens and whatever else they needed with the camp knife.

I found a sound douglas fir log on a beach and whacked a pretty good notch into it, a little deeper than the blade itself. It seemed like you could section an eighteen inch log. Eventually.

I found a branch and whacked a piece off for a club, then batoned the blade thru the limb, and sharpened one end of the stick. Carves just fine for trimming up a lance and pointing it. A couple of passes on a leather strop and ready for more.

This knife comes with a quality pouch sheath on a dangler. You could pay more for a sheath than for this knife with a sheath. The dangler makes car carry easy, and sitting or squatting, whatever. First knife I have owned with the dangler and I like it a lot. Will make another sheath for the pack harness.

All of this because I started the heat-treat process on a handful of blades tonight, and thought someones of you'all might really appreciate the Condor. Made in El Salvador. Is that a great name for a country or what?

I credit KirkD for getting me interested in long knives. Have a couple profiled and another on the drawing board. My design has a clip and lower point and more penetration friendly blade and heavier and deeper than the Condor, but close in proportions.

come back,

[Blaine]

I have one of the KB Kbars....same idea, shorter blade. Blade looks nearly 1/4" thick, and runs thru the length of the handle. Pummel to beat the stuff out of anything....I might have to get one of those Condor. I need a good machete.....

Man, lookit all the cool steel.
http://www.condortk.com/index.php

[cnjarvis]

Interesting. I made something very similar by putting a clip point on a 10" Bellotto machete and slightly reshaping the handle. The Bellotto is only 75% or so as thick as the condor.

[Malamute]

I like some of the long knives. One variation is the Finnish leuku knives, the larger brothers of the puukos.

http://bushcraftusa.com/forum/threads/l ... ead.49072/

[gcs]

That's pretty neat, but I think you will lose chopping leverage with only 8"blade.
You ever play with a genuine Kukri?
The Nepalese use them for the same tasks, and they have a lot more chopping ability, theres a size and pattern to fit pretty much any job.

[Grizz]

That's pretty neat, but I think you will lose chopping leverage with only 8"blade.
You ever play with a genuine Kukri?
The Nepalese use them for the same tasks, and they have a lot more chopping ability, theres a size and pattern to fit pretty much any job.

No, I haven't tried a real kukri yet. I had a cheapo by cold steel that was no good and lost interest.

part of my fascination is the fact that the camp knife design is hundreds of years old, and the probable source of the American Bowie designs. there is a bowie in the Alamo museum that looks a lot like the HBC camp knife.

as far as chopping leverage, the lighter condor performs like a hatchet. my design is heavier with a more weight forward balance and will be a better chopper.

[Pete44ru]

.

I have two "long" knives (nowhere near as long as a brush-hook/Panga), the CS Trailmaster heavier than the other.

The Trailmaster does a great job as a camp knife, with the ability to shave kindling, yet still slice meat/etc.







.

[Grizz]

Thanks Guys for chipping in and posting photos.

0726.JPG

For comparison purposes, my camper with the Condor. Mine is carved from 3/16 1084 flat bar. The blade length is 8-1/2 inches tip to grip, and 2-1/4 inches spine to edge. I lowered the tip to have a better piercing shape, and kept the spine full thickness to the beginning of the clip. Didn't want to baton a thin edge. The curve to the tip is typical of game dressing knives. The next one will be a scale-up of the camper and the rest of them will be forged from 1/4 inch steel.

0738.JPG

The complete set with the camper's companion. Doesn't look like it, but the tips of both blades are identical for a little ways. The neck, or cape knife might have leather scales. They look good and keep the blade slim. All three are from 3/16" bar.

0725.JPG

The rack has a drop point hunter and a scaled-up Canadian belt knife type, both from 1/8th inch 1084. This is from a recent session of 'normalizing', a type of heat treatment that promotes grain refinement. Tonight (if I can stay awake after dark) they get hardened with a differential quench. Followed by a differential temper. Learning to heat treat the blacksmith way.

0713.JPG

come back,

[wecsoger]

Check your prices at Smoky Mountain Knifeworks - they sometimes have better deals than Amazon

[Blaine]

I have the Cold Steel cheapo Kukri....I don't like it much. The grip sucks. Hard to hold on to....That might be a project someday.

[sore shoulder]

Grizz, you have way too much fun my friend. That camper looks serious. As a fan of big knives, I like it. One of my favorite knives is the Western Bowie I won in the fund raising auction over at MO many years ago. It is very similar in shape with a few refinements and is a good chopper.

Not mine but same exact knife

[Grizz]

I like the look of the Western. Very useful looking blade. I had the same experience as Blaine with a Cold Steel branded kukri. Piece of junk.

I still like the cs hog spear though. It's in the car on a short staff.

[David]

I bought a knife for my truck before my last truck, still have it. Did manage to get someone walking towards my truck to be a a...hole to turn around once when I lifted it and opened the door. I've grown fond of this Gerber BMF before they went to China and became junk.

[jeepnik]

I prefer the bolo style blade for larger knives. Good heft. Long edge. Just feels right. One exception is the Mission Knives MPK Ti. It's long but light. A joy to carry and used.

[Grizz]

Hey David, I've always wondered about the teeth on the spine. What exactly are they there for?

It looks to me that it would be hard to get the blade back out of, say, a hog that is after you, for another shot.

[Grizz]

Here are a couple of forged projects.

F0773.JPG

The big chisel is called a slick by boat builders. It's forged from 1/4 inch by 2 inch 5160 steel. I used a charcoal forge to get enough heat to make the socket.

F0769.JPG

The socket tang knife started as 3/16th 1084 so I would have enough material to make the socket. The blade is forged to about 1/8th inch at the spine, and the bevels are forged in. It was quenched in oil, tempered in an oven to set the edge hardness, and then further tempered with a torch to make the rest of the blade springy, thats the blue color, and the socket softer. I don't know the Rc hardness of the edge, but my files still skate and won't bite into the steel at the edge. So far it's been tough enuf on chores around the shop.

This close up shows the colors well. The straw, for this steel, is harder than a mill file. For a different steel, it will be a different story.

Fun fun fun, eh?

[Blaine]

Here are a couple of forged projects.

F0773.JPG

The big chisel is called a slick by boat builders. It's forged from 1/4 inch by 2 inch 5160 steel. I used a charcoal forge to get enough heat to make the socket.

F0769.JPG

The socket tang knife started as 3/16th 1084 so I would have enough material to make the socket. The blade is forged to about 1/8th inch at the spine, and the bevels are forged in. It was quenched in oil, tempered in an oven to set the edge hardness, and then further tempered with a torch to make the rest of the blade springy, thats the blue color, and the socket softer. I don't know the Rc hardness of the edge, but my files still skate and won't bite into the steel at the edge. So far it's been tough enuf on chores around the shop.

This close up shows the colors well. The straw, for this steel, is harder than a mill file. For a different steel, it will be a different story.

Fun fun fun, eh?

I'd like to come over and play with knives....

[Grizz]

yeah, come on ahead. call whenever.

[David]

Hey David, I've always wondered about the teeth on the spine. What exactly are they there for?

It looks to me that it would be hard to get the blade back out of, say, a hog that is after you, for another shot.

Not a clue - cool factor?

I was young that's my excuse!

[sore shoulder]

Tbise BMF's are nice. I passed on one made in US many years ago at a gun show for a ridiculous price marked at $100. I've kicked myself a few times. A BMF and a Buck survival knife are the top of my list of I ever start collecting.

[Malamute]

A couple nice larger leukus

[Grizz]

those leukus look great. easy shape to mimic. how thick are they at the spine?

Ragnar was sold out of them last time I looked.

[sore shoulder]

The shape of those is pleasing, but they look like your hand would slide right down the blade if you pushed too hard on something.

[Malamute]

those leukus look great. easy shape to mimic. how thick are they at the spine?

Ragnar was sold out of them last time I looked.

They vary. I read that the more northerly people used lighter blade stock because what they needed to chop was smaller, the more southern people lived in thicker forest, and their blades were a little heavier stock. Its been a while since I read the details, but Im thinking 3/16 to 1/4" thick blades depending on area. Some of the figures were in metric. I don't recall the numbers.

As to grip and guard, yes it does look like they could use a guard. Ive seen a few that had something of a guard, though it doesn't seem very prevalent. The flair on the butt that some have is supposed to help with drawing it with gloves or mittens on, as most sheaths are pouch type. Some have the flair, some don't. Its partly taste of the maker or regional style perhaps.

The link I posted above had some discussion about it. Unfortunately some of the older pictures have been lost, but it gets better in that regard towards the tail end.

I don't recall where I saw the reference, but the large leukus were liked for working on Russians during the Winter War.

An image search I did had a variety od style and handle variations. I like the clean simple lines, and the nice handles many had even with the simple lines. Some have the smaller puuko knives doubled onto the sheath. The puukos are the daily working knives, eating, butchering, camp chores etc.

https://www.google.com/search?q=leuku+k ... w&dpr=1.25

[piller]

The Cold Steel cheapo Kukri knives are stainless. Cheap stainless is not very good for a chopping knife. A decent carbon steel in about a 48 to 50 RC or even a little harder makes a good chopper which holds an edge without chipping too badly. If it chips, it is a little too hard.

[Grizz]

Thanks for the input Guys, I appreciate it.

Hoping some blacksmiths will chip in. It's good clean fun to beat on steel.

My stuff looks amateur. Because it is. It's my apprentice work.

In the fall I plan to build a more better charcoal forge, side blast Japanese style, which I think is also Viking style. New hearth with an extractor fan and spark arrestor. And maybe even an asian style box blower.

Wanting to get to a place of forging where I can make blades like Tim Lively and Tai Goo did, but use a grinder to get the extra super sharp edge of the current chopper knives.

[gcs]

Grizz, it all looks good from here!
All that really matters is you get the temper right, and they do the job. Pretty just boosts up the price.

[Grizz]

Grizz, it all looks good from here!
All that really matters is you get the temper right, and they do the job. Pretty just boosts up the price.

Thanks on that. I'm working on the heat treating as the most important detail, and expect the cosmetics to improve with effort over time.

Here's a heat treat Treat I'm fond of, and I hope to be able to make this happen at some point:

http://lairson-custom-knives.net/custom ... /id10.html

competitioncuttingknife.jpg

got it posted. whew