Chisel-ground tanto, long time coming

[Stormcrow]

This was a request from a fellow who really likes the work of Phill Hartsfield. Which meant he wanted a chisel-ground tanto with a cord-wrapped handle. We were originally thinking of it as an aikuchi, meaning without a guard, but I tried it with a Turk's head prior to applying the epoxy and we decided to go with it.

This project took way longer than it should have. The issues were largely mental on my part; there were some aspects that were more difficult for me with it being chisel ground, but not that bad. Still, I kind of feel like I should have included a certificate with it like Bob
Loveless did with his one Damascus knife.

The blade is 9" long, forged from 1/4" x 1" 5160 steel. The spine is rounded. This is a chisel edge for a righty, and I'm a lefty, but I think I did all right.



The handle has a foundation of neoprene, followed by black paracord and coyote tan paracord, with a black two-strand Turk's head knot, all impregnated with West System marine epoxy.





With the lighting and my camera acting wonky, it was kind of difficult to catch the bevels well, but I think they show up better in these in-hand shots.





And finally, a coyote tan Kydex sheath to go with it.





I thought that sharpening might prove tricky, but it went smoothly. I just made sure to keep a burr from forming on the back side. It ended up pretty much scaring the hair off my arm.

I'm still not a fan of chisel ground blades, but I'm rather pleased with this one.

 

[Stormcrow]

I've been posting my work on Instagram and from there onto Facebook since back in the summer. I knew the customer was following along on Facebook and we had talked about the possibility of going wither with or without a Turk's head. So I posted a picture without and asked what he thought.



He commented later that it kind of looked like a small machete without the Turk's head. He had me try it with a black Turk's head knot. I did a two strand to keep it small since aikuchis are supposed to be guardless, and he approved.



You can see how much the epoxy darkens the color of the paracord.