rcmodel
Member in memoriam
In keeping with THR definition of Custom Knife, I will not call these Custom knives.
Because I didn't make the snaps or rivets, raise the cow from a calf, skin the cow, tan the raw leather, make the nylon thread, the brass bar stock, or the Micarta bearing block.
I will just call them homemade knives.
I did make the knives & sheaths completely from scratch from old files and scrap materials 45+ years ago during the Vietnam war era though.
And I made more then one of each, pretty much all the same designs, which went to Vietnam with some of my closest friends.
These are the first two I made and carried in service, and still have in my collection.
My first home built 7 ½” fighter - 1966
Made from a 12” Nicholson file when I was 22 years old.
File was annealed, ground to shape on a bench grinder, rubbed out by hand, then oil quenched and differently torch tempered with the edge harder than the spine.
Handle is Westinghouse Micarta bearing block from work.
Sheath was scrap Latigo Chaps leather a saddle & tack guy sold me cheap, and I used copper rivets to put it together because I didn't know how to hand sew leather yet.
A male snap on the knifes butt cap matches a female snap keeper on the sheath.
It can be securely carried up-side down on a pack strap, or any position on a belt, CCW inside the pants, etc.
Yet drawn quickly & easily just by popping the snap.
I thought that design was "special" for the time, as I had never seen anything like it then, and still don't!
(Modern "One-Way" snaps used by the holster makers would make it even better & more secure.)
My first Boot Knife - 1968
5 ½” blade, annealed, ground, & re-tempered from a Nicholson 00 Warding file like the one in the photos.
Steel guard, leather washer handle, aluminum butt cap.
Thumb-break Sheath has snap-off belt loop, or interchangable boot pull strap attachments.
rc
Because I didn't make the snaps or rivets, raise the cow from a calf, skin the cow, tan the raw leather, make the nylon thread, the brass bar stock, or the Micarta bearing block.
I will just call them homemade knives.
I did make the knives & sheaths completely from scratch from old files and scrap materials 45+ years ago during the Vietnam war era though.
And I made more then one of each, pretty much all the same designs, which went to Vietnam with some of my closest friends.
These are the first two I made and carried in service, and still have in my collection.
My first home built 7 ½” fighter - 1966
Made from a 12” Nicholson file when I was 22 years old.
File was annealed, ground to shape on a bench grinder, rubbed out by hand, then oil quenched and differently torch tempered with the edge harder than the spine.
Handle is Westinghouse Micarta bearing block from work.
Sheath was scrap Latigo Chaps leather a saddle & tack guy sold me cheap, and I used copper rivets to put it together because I didn't know how to hand sew leather yet.
A male snap on the knifes butt cap matches a female snap keeper on the sheath.
It can be securely carried up-side down on a pack strap, or any position on a belt, CCW inside the pants, etc.
Yet drawn quickly & easily just by popping the snap.
I thought that design was "special" for the time, as I had never seen anything like it then, and still don't!
(Modern "One-Way" snaps used by the holster makers would make it even better & more secure.)
My first Boot Knife - 1968
5 ½” blade, annealed, ground, & re-tempered from a Nicholson 00 Warding file like the one in the photos.
Steel guard, leather washer handle, aluminum butt cap.
Thumb-break Sheath has snap-off belt loop, or interchangable boot pull strap attachments.
rc
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