A seaxy new blade!
- Thread starter Sam1911
- Start date
- Status
Sam1911
Moderator Emeritus
Specs:
0.11" CPM 3V semi-full-flat grind -- hardened to Rc 59.8 by Bos
1-1/8" wide at the hilt.
Blade: 5"
OAL: 9-1/4"
Handles are Jade G10 with brick red liners and stainless pin and lanyard tube.
Finish is Deep Flat Black Gun Kote.
This is currently the sharpest knife I've made.
And, as a teaser, this is the "baby" one!
0.11" CPM 3V semi-full-flat grind -- hardened to Rc 59.8 by Bos
1-1/8" wide at the hilt.
Blade: 5"
OAL: 9-1/4"
Handles are Jade G10 with brick red liners and stainless pin and lanyard tube.
Finish is Deep Flat Black Gun Kote.
This is currently the sharpest knife I've made.
And, as a teaser, this is the "baby" one!
Last edited:
bikerdoc
Moderator In Memoriam
Nice.
I am current working on some thing similar, but with a sabre point.
Yours are so much nicer,
I am current working on some thing similar, but with a sabre point.
Yours are so much nicer,
Gordon
Member
I don't like that direction at all , in form or materials ! I think you are a wonderful builder BTW. Oh well to each there own.
Sam1911
Moderator Emeritus
That's cool -- it wouldn't be my style for a lot of purposes, either. But an interesting variation with both historical precidents and a certan modern appeal as well.Curious as to the materials issue. 3V is some amazing stuff.
Sort of a seaxy kiadashi.
Where's the balance point?
Let's see the shoulders of the bevels to see if you Quasimodoed it.
Where's the balance point?
Let's see the shoulders of the bevels to see if you Quasimodoed it.
Gordon
Member
And from the best spine treatment in the world designer of the Camp Defender
Valkman
Member
Nice work Sam! Almost looks like a kitchen knife to me.
TimboKhan
Member
I like it!
Sam1911
Moderator Emeritus
Balance point on this one is back at the choil. The material is thin and doesn't weigh much. The G10 scales and the pins probably equal the weight of the whole blade, so I can only do so much with balance. The tang is slightly skeletonized, but I'm leery of going too extreme with that because I've seen a few nice blades broken through the tang when drilled out too much.
There's another waiting to be finished which will present the opposite problem. So much blade that it will balance pretty far forward. Just have to wait and see that one!
There's another waiting to be finished which will present the opposite problem. So much blade that it will balance pretty far forward. Just have to wait and see that one!
Sam1911
Moderator Emeritus
I'll try to get some close-up pics ... though I'm not quite sure what that means.
Sam1911
Moderator Emeritus
Ok, so I tried to get some close ups. My camera skills apparently do not extend to that.
Best I can do are these:
Does this give you any more info about whether or not I worked in a hunchback? (I'm just not familiar with that skill, design, or term.)
The grind is flat, parallel to the edge. Meaning that the top of the grind dies right at the break of the spine, where it angles down to the tip. There is a full-thickness spine of blade above that line which forms a long, narrow triangle as the blade widens back toward the hilt. But that flat finish makes it really hard to see, even with the naked eye.
Best I can do are these:
Does this give you any more info about whether or not I worked in a hunchback? (I'm just not familiar with that skill, design, or term.)
The grind is flat, parallel to the edge. Meaning that the top of the grind dies right at the break of the spine, where it angles down to the tip. There is a full-thickness spine of blade above that line which forms a long, narrow triangle as the blade widens back toward the hilt. But that flat finish makes it really hard to see, even with the naked eye.
Attachments
Last edited:
Sam1911
Moderator Emeritus
Awww, shucks!
I'm blushing!One of the cool things about making blades, I'm finding, is that I can try out all kinds of different stuff just to see if I like it -- or to please someone else's tastes.
This blade would make an awfully nice kitchen knife as Don said. You could slice a mountain of veggies!
Or, if you've a need to do anything stabby, it would probably work very well for that, too.It would not probably be a legendary success as a camp knife, or chopper.
To that end, as John said, there's some radically different stuff in the pipeline, probably much more to your tastes.
If you taper the tang or drill the tang under the scales you can move the balance point up a little bit, but many people will like the balance on the index finger.
Bikewer
Member
I gather that the original Seax design apparently came in many sizes; from utility knife to sword. Practical and easy to make, compared to more modern blades.
Like other such blades around the world, an all-purpose tool/weapon, equally adept at chopping wood or limbs.
Like other such blades around the world, an all-purpose tool/weapon, equally adept at chopping wood or limbs.
"hunchback"- the shoulders where the grind starts at the tang are not even, with one shoulder being offset in any direction from the opposite start of the grind.
My favorite term for "the grinds aren't even at the ricasso".
Perfectly matched bevels/grinds/plunges/ricassos are a favorite measure of mine of the skill of a maker because they're so difficult to pull off without mounting in a fixture.
My favorite term for "the grinds aren't even at the ricasso".
Perfectly matched bevels/grinds/plunges/ricassos are a favorite measure of mine of the skill of a maker because they're so difficult to pull off without mounting in a fixture.
Sam1911
Moderator Emeritus
It is drilled with a series of holes to try to lighten the tang. As I said before, I'm leery of drilling too many holes or too big. Saw a bushcraft knife from a well-known maker that had snapped through a hole in the tang and that scares me.
Tapering the tang is not a skill I've attempted yet. It scares me.
I bet I COULD, but these things take me long enough as it is!Sam1911
Moderator Emeritus
Ah HA! Yes, that's been a particular goal of mine for several months now. I knew that the straight geometrical lines of this knife would show up any goofs (I even groused to John about that when he suggested this form!
) I see a fair number of knives where the grinds don't start at quite the same spot (lengthwise) when you look at it edge-on. That kind of bugs me in my own work, so I've worked hard on it. Same goes for grinds that are lopsided side-to-side. Unless it is a chisel-grind, I think the blade should be as symmetrical as possible.But, like cutting dovetails back in my woodworking days, it's all about setting layout lines and working right up to them, and not over. It's just a different material, a different set of motions, and lots of new ways to screw up!
I'm proud to say that I did a pretty solid job on this one. (And then marred the "cheeks" of the grind a bit with the grinder putting the final edge on it!
)I've added the very fuzzy pic of the obverse (?) side so you can try and judge my hunchiness.
(Wow... micro-scale pics show up a lot! I need to clean up a bit more epoxy residue -- in case anyone's ever looking at this knife under a microscope!
)
If I get my hands on it you know I will be doing just that.
You are cleaning your epoxy right after you clamp the scales, aren't you. After getting the majority of it off you go after it with an acetone wetted Q-tip and then a dental pic.
Any maker should and every collector does. The grinds must be balanced unless they're intentionally not intended to.
You are cleaning your epoxy right after you clamp the scales, aren't you. After getting the majority of it off you go after it with an acetone wetted Q-tip and then a dental pic.
Any maker should and every collector does. The grinds must be balanced unless they're intentionally not intended to.
Kind of an angular wharncliffe sort of thing? Wonderful! I like the straight lines and angles.
I was gifted a modified wharncliffe folder a few years back. At first, I hated it because I thought it was ugly, but I fell in love with it since it worked for me so well. Having the tip so far forwards gives you more control over it, although this is more so with a shorter blade.
I'd love to make some knives something like this whenever I can get a suitable workspace and tools together.
I was gifted a modified wharncliffe folder a few years back. At first, I hated it because I thought it was ugly, but I fell in love with it since it worked for me so well. Having the tip so far forwards gives you more control over it, although this is more so with a shorter blade.
I'd love to make some knives something like this whenever I can get a suitable workspace and tools together.
sidheshooter
Member
I think that is just plain cool. Nice job!
- Status
