A trio of hunters

T

Travis Fry

Well-Known Member
I just completed these three hunter/utility blades.

JUL26-1-of-1.jpg


Specs, in order, are as follows:

Kiawe Hunter (this one is still for sale). I started this blade over a year ago, moved to Canada for about 12 months, and just finished it last week. The guard is soldered, which I won't be doing again. The chattoyance is killer, and there's some nice curl on the front part of the handle which doesn't really show up in the pics.

OAL: 9 3/8 inches
Blade: 4 1/2 inches
Handle: Hawaiian Kiawe
Steel: 1075
Guard: Brass, Black G10


The next one is a popular model of mine, this time in green Micarta and 440C.

OAL: 8.9 inches
Blade: 4.25 inches
Handle: Green Canvas Micarta
Steel: 440C

And finally, one of the first blades I've forged in a very long time. I just joined the ABS, and this is the first of MANY forged blades in preparation for my JS testing a few years from now.

OAL: 9 5/8 inches
Blade: 4 3/4 inches
Handle: York Gum Burl
Steel: Hand Forged 1080
Guard: Antiqued Brass, Nickel Silver

Thanks for looking!
 
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Very well done Travis! You display some really clean well executed craftsmanship on these knives. Luv 'em!
 
Thanks guys! I'm trying out a few different things style wise. I've done full tang stock removal knives (like the middle one) almost exlusively up until now, and have yet to develop anything like a personal style with stick tangs. These were fun, and I'm happy with the results in general.

Dwane, after grinding the spacer to shape and shaping the guard (whole guard assembly is 3 layers, with alignment pins), I removed the spacer and scribed two lines, representing the outside of the groove, all the way around. I also scribed one in the middle, then cut along that line with a triangle file. After that I switched to a round file and filed away until I met the outside lines. Then it's just a matter of hand sanding and polishing and in this case antiquing. I like this style a lot, and will be experimenting with different textures in the small accent spacers (nickel silver on this one) and different guard shapes. I have a fighter coming soon that will likely exhibit similar guard features, though it'll have a stag handle.
 
Amazing. I look forward to the time in my knife making journey that I can hone my skill to anywhere near your level (if that is possible)...
thanks for sharing and keep it up. BTW, you have about the best website I have seen. Super clean, and easy to navigate...and funny...
I wish I lived in Texas and could visit you some time!

- Jason
 
Jason
You'd be welcome. The shop is always open for visitors and friends, assuming I'm actually there. Besides that, it seems like half the state of California has moved here in the last 10 years or so, so even if you weren't a knife maker you'd feel right at home. ;) Also, each of these knives has at least one significant imperfection, whether the pics show it or not. It's a journey. For sure #15 didn't look as good as #115.

As for the website all credit goes to my wife, who, as it happens, designs websites for a living. She's a blessing in every way. My brother's (also Jason) is her work too.
 
These look fantastic, man. Each one of them has it's own charm, but the top one is my favorite. Unfortunate that you won't be soldering anymore - it's rapidly going the way of the dinosaur, and I'm convinced it's the right way to do it.
 
I hear you Matt. I feel that the costs outweigh the benefits, and not just in time, but it could go either way. I like a press fit sealed with JB Weld personally, and plan to do them that way moving forward.

Funny thing about that top knife. It's my favorite too, and the one that has gotten the most commentary elsewhere, but it's the only one that still hasn't sold. The wood looks a bit plain but it really isn't. The blade with the soldered guard sat for a long time because I was unenthused about the whole package, so I picked a piece of what I thought was fairly plain wood and just got it done to sell. Turned out to be really nice wood and a great overall package. I guess sometimes you don't know until you try. I priced it a little bit ambitiously, but the rapid sales of the other two at similar price points has convinced me I was near the mark. Not sure what's up, but I appreciate your comments, either way.
 
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