I figgured it may be fun to do a series of pics of building my version of the "one knife to do anything if civilization implodes".........not that I am very concerned about that happening, but I digress.
This will not be the only way to make a blade, I may do things strangely and you can count on me taking a while to complete this, but those with more experience than me can correct my missteps and the begginers out there may just glean a tip or two along the way.
So to begin, I should lay out my thoughts on what is a requirement for such a blade. Like I stated above, these are my ideas and I reserve the right to be wrong, or to change my mind whenever I feel like it :D
First, I want a clip point blade, with the point just above the centerling of the blade. typically a blade with a centered point(think dagger) is very pointable. Or in other words, if I need to stab something quickly(maybe need to finish a deer or protect myself from an attacking feral dog etc) it is quick to point and the point goes where you look when you thrust it. I chose to have the tip just above center, which gives the blade a bit more belly. This will contribute to sliceing and slashing ability at the cost of some accuracy of thrust(theoretically).
The other reason for a clip point is for their ability to pierce with very little effort.
Second, it needs to be long enough to maximize leverage for chopping tasks. In this case I am aiming for 12.5 inches from guard to tip. Big enough for power, but still not too unwieldy.
Third. Balance must be slightly ahead of the guard.......within 1/2 to 3/4 of an inch or so. This will give me enough forward mass to chop well but still handle reasonably quick.
Fourth. It needs to be sturdy and yet thin at the edge so it cuts with very litle effort. I prefer 5160 steel for bigger blades. I have found it to hold up to more abuse, in thinner cross sections, than any other steel I have tried. This comes with a cost though, I have also found it will need sharpened more frequently than some other steels. I have tried O-1, 1095, 1084, L-6 and while these steels will stay sharp a bit longer, if they are thin at the edge they do not hold up as well for chopping so I need to leave them thicker, which translates into more effort required to cut. For a skinner or sliceing knife, I will use a steel with better edge retaining qualities, but for blades that need to chop, I prefer 5160 above all others.
So with that long winded intro and without further ado, let's begin.
Starting with a bar of 5160(of course) I begin with forging the tip.
Topic: Let's build a bowie for TEOTWAWKI (Read 4888 times)
