Bowie Thrower
- Thread starter superdave
- Start date
Frank Niro
KNIFE MAKER
Well, I believe you have tried to make a good knife, but not for throwing. This knife will hit the target handle first within a couple of throw. The handle will be destroyed. The balance on a throwing knife should be half way between the tip and the butt. As well the point should be in the middle of the blade. Handle scales if any might be leather with rivets. It will still sometimes hit handle first. It may seem strange but these knives are most often thrown with holding the handle not the tip. A knife made from 3/16" stock about 14" - 15" long can work very well. Frank
Thanks for the input Frank. I make the style throwers you describe as well although they are a Bowie profile as well. Take a look.
If a thrower is standing at the right distance from the target and throws consistently, the knife will almost never hit handle first. We throw 1/2 spin from about 8 feet, 1 spin from about 14 feet, 1-1/2 spin from about 18 feet and so on out to a 3 spin. 1,2,3 spin is thrown from the handle where the half spins are thrown from the blade. We throw 60 knives from the 6 distances at rounds with a bullseye counting 5 for a possible score of 300 on a perfect round. Check out the IKTHOF website if you like and you will see lots of folks throwing knives alot like the one I made. You are correct in that we sometimes have to change out the scales on a knife, but usually from being hit by a knife on a successive throw. As I write this, the above knife has been thrown 2 rounds(120 throws) by me, and a few throws by my boys to try it out with no apparent damage. A good rule of thumb on the distance is about a foot for each inch of blade the knife should turn over 1 time(14" OAL will turn 1 spin at 14 feet). You are also correct that 3/16" at 14 or 15" works very well, the 3 throwers I posted above are 14" and made from 1/4" stock for the weight. While conventional throwers do have the point in the middle of the blade, they are not allowed at some of the mountain man competitions. You must compete with a period correct knife, not unlike the one I posted. Thanks for looking and providing your input
-sd
IKTHOF #222
If a thrower is standing at the right distance from the target and throws consistently, the knife will almost never hit handle first. We throw 1/2 spin from about 8 feet, 1 spin from about 14 feet, 1-1/2 spin from about 18 feet and so on out to a 3 spin. 1,2,3 spin is thrown from the handle where the half spins are thrown from the blade. We throw 60 knives from the 6 distances at rounds with a bullseye counting 5 for a possible score of 300 on a perfect round. Check out the IKTHOF website if you like and you will see lots of folks throwing knives alot like the one I made. You are correct in that we sometimes have to change out the scales on a knife, but usually from being hit by a knife on a successive throw. As I write this, the above knife has been thrown 2 rounds(120 throws) by me, and a few throws by my boys to try it out with no apparent damage. A good rule of thumb on the distance is about a foot for each inch of blade the knife should turn over 1 time(14" OAL will turn 1 spin at 14 feet). You are also correct that 3/16" at 14 or 15" works very well, the 3 throwers I posted above are 14" and made from 1/4" stock for the weight. While conventional throwers do have the point in the middle of the blade, they are not allowed at some of the mountain man competitions. You must compete with a period correct knife, not unlike the one I posted. Thanks for looking and providing your input
-sd
IKTHOF #222
Frank Niro
KNIFE MAKER
Good for you, superdave !!! And I mean that sincerly. To make them so they work as well as they do, means you certainly know what you are making and how to do them right. Frank