Dirty Bob's Machete Project

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That cries out for a longer haft!
 
Kind of sounds to me like what you're after is some variant of a Woodsman's pal.

Wish they made a version of the "Military model" that was just a little longer in the blade.
I know one of the standard or "military" ones on that site would satisfy most of my needs and wants, but years ago I saw a tool hanging in a local (Central NC) surplus shop that had the handle and hook design of the woodsman's pal, with a blade the length of a standard US military issue machete. and I'd kind of like to find one again.
 
Sam...that was a funny pic! And those blades are rather "orcish" and very much "my type." I also like the "British Steel" stamp on the side. Makes me think of one of my favorite classic albums!

So, is Mondial any good? You've mentioned that Martindale's heat treat seems to result in a lot of warped blades. Is Mondial part of Martindale?

The machete project:
I've got the blade shaped and hilt finished. I just need to address the incredibly sloppy Cold Steel/Lasher bevel. I also plan to sharpen it a bit around the curve of the leading "corner." I also want to sand off the ugly paint and tarnish the blade.

Here's the machete, along with another recent project: a Marttiini (Finland) filet knife. You can see the wavy bevel on the machete. For the Marttiini project, I reduced the handle thickness, cord wrapped it, stained and polyurethaned the butt, and painted the sheath with molten beeswax, inside and out. There's an excellent plastic inner sheath that covers the blade, so I just applied wax to the first few inches of the interior of the sheath. It's small enough to carry as a neck knife (point down), but I plan to add a belt loop for inside-the-waistband carry. It's really thin and light, but the very thin, razor sharp blade is very useful. It could be a great companion to a machete, and these little filet knives are just $15 at Walmart. Not bad for a useful Scandinavian knife.

I should also add: the machete is perhaps my worst cord wrapping job ever. I got the overcoat of epoxy way too thick. I need to take a file to some of the lumpy parts and reduce them down to the cord. Oops.
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Thanks for the support!
Dirty Bob
 

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Basically finished...

I'm basically finished with the "Orc Machete" project, except for a sheath. I still plan to use either Kydex or trash can plastic, with homemade copper eyelets (a piece of soft copper tubing from the plumbing dept. of the hardware store). It's probably going to be a Rubbermaid trash can for plastic, so I have to wait for when I'm a bit more flush in terms of cash.

I've sharpened it, including the leading corner. I know that it's likely that the very edge of many machetes was "burned" in the manufacturing process, so I just sharpen them and use them. At some point, the machete starts holding an edge better. I just don't have time to try to sharpen past the burn, right at the start.

The same rule applies to the finish. As you can see, I started to sand it off, but then I decided that the finish is so fragile, it will take care of the removal for me as I start to use the machete. Once it's mostly gone, I'll finish the job with fine sandpaper, then I'll probably use some vinegar for a nice, gray patina.

It may not be "pretty," but it's worlds ahead of the machete that came out of the box this summer. The original was heavy for its length (too slow!), and the hilt was terrible: slick and too big for my hand. Now it's much quicker, and I have much more control over it, thanks to the smaller hilt with a guard and butt to help keep the tool in place in my hand.

I recommend the shortening and hilt reduction to others, although the hook is probably not for most people. I plan to use it as a belt machete for tree work and brush clearing, in addition to other tools. I usually have a machete nearby when working in the yard, thanks to many, many brushes with violence in my life, including one in my own front yard with a big guy on some kind of uppers. The orc machete will be kept close by, as much for comfort as for its usefulness as a tool.

Here it is:
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All my best,
Dirty Bob
 

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Looks like a working knife to me. Hope it does its job well and for a long time considering how much work you put into it. :) You guys have got me wanting to obtain a machete now, and I don't even really need one. Oh well, yet another tool for those rare camping trips.
 
Thanks! Here's a 20-year-old Tramontina bolo and its (equally old) trashcan sheath. I made this with a welt that goes around the blade and is between the two main pieces of plastic. I assemble my sheaths with contact cement, then rivet. This one has large paperclips turned into staples as fasteners. I installed the first two, then never got around to the rest. Twenty years later, the contact cement is still working!

This sheath has been in a garage for most of the 20 years, with temps well over 100 degrees in summer. It has received zero maintenance. Do you think a leather sheath would hold up as well?

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All my best,
Dirty Bob
 

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Looks like a pretty good finished product. Well done!


I also appreciate seeing other posters' various items. I wasn't familiar with a number of them.
 
Hunh. In the absence of maintenance, absolutely not.

I've made a lot of (ugly) kydex and (even uglier) PVC over the last couple years but never tried LDPE sheeting from a trashcan.
That is pretty clever.

Thanks! It wasn't that I neglected it, but the plastic was chosen by Rubbermaid for a variety of qualities, I'm sure, including the ability to resist the elements. I wouldn't know what to do with it, except maybe spray on some Armor-All about once a year, so I just left it alone.

I have another one that I made of the same plastic -- in 1993 -- with regular leather rivets and a brass post to allow tucking into a pants belt. It's for one of those D-handled Ontarios that I re-handled with Micarta and homemade Loveless-type steel rivets. It looks pretty much the same as when I made it.

Trashcan plastic seems a bit "softer" than Kydex, and it isn't brittle. In many ways, it seems like a very good leather substitute, and it's quite a bit cheaper than either leather or Kydex. If someone were making several machete sheaths, it could save a lot of money.

Regards,
Dirty Bob
 
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