Best Safari Knife Shoot Out - 2017

[rookhawk]

So from that @rookhawk I take it you found that for a right handed person the prefered placing for the sheath is in front of the left hip at about a 30* angle for a knife like the Esee camp lore.
I hadnt been considering a camp chair when I opined on the sheath position and had been going more on my experience of vehicle seats so I can readily see (and can sympathise with) your reasoning

@Von Gruff I was thinking for a right hand person, left hip or further forward, cross draw for a right hand person, but not at 30 degrees, at completely horizontal.

Many sheaths exist that hold such knives securely and are opened with one snap that releases the leather wrapped around handle behind guard that allows for instantaneous removal of the knife. Bushcraftstore UK sells such sheaths for example. JRE industries also makes them.

 

[nztimb]

So is this the one you are sugesting @rookhawk
http://www.thebushcraftstore.co.uk/tbs-leather-multi-carry-knife-sheath-15677-p.asp

 

[rookhawk]

So is this the one you are sugesting @rookhawk
http://www.thebushcraftstore.co.uk/tbs-leather-multi-carry-knife-sheath-15677-p.asp

Yes, I had excellent results carrying the esee rb3 knife on my left hip with that sheath. That sheath did not fit the Arthur Wright bushcraft knife it came with nearly as well. Thankfully it worked with the better knife.

I intend to buy both that sheath and the rb3 for personal use in the coming months unless I can muster an ABS master blade smith to make me a bespoke copy of an RB3, but thicker, in a better steel, for my lifelong use.

No funds for such endeavors presently as I'm still licking my financial wounds from past safaris.

 

[nztimb]

@rookhawk, give me a couple of weeks to finish the batch of knives I am doing at the moment and I will make my interpretation if the esee knife from some 5mm O1 steel with olive micarta handle scales in a sheath like the one pictured and see what you think of it. What would your prefered heat treat hardness be?

 

[cagkt3]

There you go @rookhawk! Von's knives look amazing if you haven't check out his thread! @Von Gruff if you feel like making more than one, let me know!

 

[rookhawk]

A tremendous offer from a very noted blade maker and fellow member. He is a remarkable craftsman. PM sent.

 

[nztimb]

Thanks for the pm @rookhawk I have answered it so will see where it leads.
@cagkt3 I guess there may be something noted here in a while.

 

[Shootist43]

Rookhawk, one of the knives Von Gruff is currently finishing is for me. I asked him to leave the spine with 90 degree edges so it can be used with a Ferro rod to start a fire. Normally there would be a slight radius on the edges of the spine rendering it all but useless for generating sparks.

 

[rookhawk]

Rookhawk, one of the knives Von Gruff is currently finishing is for me. I asked him to leave the spine with 90 degree edges so it can be used with a Ferro rod to start a fire. Normally there would be a slight radius on the edges of the spine rendering it all but useless for generating sparks.

Great to hear, @Shootist43 . @Von Gruff and I have been in discussions on what the ultimate "Safari Knife" would be and he has agreed to forge one that incorporates the best features from the prior tests in order to have it reviewed against the common criterion. I'm pretty excited to see his work so stay tuned. Also, very excited to see your completed hunting knife from him and hope you'll post pictures and a bit of a review when you get it and have a chance to use it.

 

[nztimb]

This is the latest design I have come up with for @rookhawk to consider as a patern for the safari knife that will be O1 steel at 59-60R in a horizontal carry sheath.

 

[Rule 303]

I have a question for the knife aficionados here. Do you prefer a straight, convex or concave bevel leading to the cutting edge
and why?

My preference is a convex bevel as to me it seems to cut/slice easier.

Von Gruff how fine abrasive-if this is the correct term- do you use on the cutting edge before honing?

Cheers

Greg

 

[rookhawk]

I have a question for the knife aficionados here. Do you prefer a straight, convex or concave bevel leading to the cutting edge
and why?

My preference is a convex bevel as to me it seems to cut/slice easier.

Von Gruff how fine abrasive-if this is the correct term- do you use on the cutting edge before honing?

Cheers

Greg

Greg, so many grinds, so little time! If they are done with good geometry and appropriate steel for the given task they all seem to be fine. The bigger question would be "how amazing of a knife sharpener are you?". If the answer isn't "I'm friggin' amazing!" then you're probably going to reach for some quickie sharpener that puts two sides edges on at the same time and you'll in time have a secondary bevel because of it.

For these reasons, I really like knives with Scandinavian (Scandi) grinds. If the knife is razor sharp and if there is sufficient mass behind the edge it will slice through everything like butter. I'd rather have that then a moderately sharp convex or hollow grind hoping edge geometry somehow makes a dull blade cut anyway.

A scandi grind is the easiest bevel to keep sharp and the easiest to touch up anywhere, anytime, without skill and with whatever whetstone, waterstone, strop, hone or even a glass window pane you might have around you.

 

[Rule 303]

Roohawk, I am an that amazing at sharpening knives, I get a professional to do it. An old Kiwi bloke who puts the convex edge on them and they are razor sharp. Mind you has now retired so I have to find another as Lansky kit (read, the operator) leaves a bit to be desired. Grew up using the convex edge as that's what my grandfather put on his knives. About the only thing he couldn't teach me to do, for all his efforts, was to sharpen a knife properly.

 

[nztimb]

I have done the convex edge but found it dulled off more quickly than the 20 degree secondary bevel I have been putting on my blades. Having said that the knives I have been doing are for slicing meat and skin mostly so the demands are not as great as they might be for a general purpose knife.
I have been finishing the secondary bevel with a worn 600grit belt before finishing them with a strop and green compound.
If we get this safari knife oof the ground then the scandi grind will become the norm for them with them being groundwith the belts and finished with a stone but I will have to get some good fine stones as to dat I have not needed anything better than my old woodworking oilstones.

 

[nztimb]

Roohawk, I am an that amazing at sharpening knives, I get a professional to do it. An old Kiwi bloke who puts the convex edge on them and they are razor sharp. Mind you has now retired so I have to find another as Lansky kit (read, the operator) leaves a bit to be desired. Grew up using the convex edge as that's what my grandfather put on his knives. About the only thing he couldn't teach me to do, for all his efforts, was to sharpen a knife properly.

@Rule 303
If you have a strop for your convex sharpened knife, that should keep it good to go but if it gets dulled past what the strop can bring back then a soluion is to have a refreshing strop which can have W&D paper strips on it to bring the edge back.
I made mine using a piece of hardwood 13 in long and 2 in wide by 3/8 thick. Glue a 7 3/4 long piece of high density foam to the board (like from an old mouse pad etc but it definately needs to be easily compressible) ) then put a hacksaw cut accross the end to slip the W&D paper in. The pin is to secure it in there and is very simple yet effective with the suplimentary handle having the little brass pins through it to go through the other end of the paper and into the slightly
larger holes in the main board, so it is all held securely but is easily and quickly changed. I took a couple of blades with a 20 * secondary bevel and started with a strip of 220 grit paper and soon had the shoulder off and the start of the convex edge and going from the 220 through 360, 600 then 1200 grit papers I had a very good convex edge which is honed on the leather strop on the back of the board. I made a small 6 in by 1 1/2 inch one to keep in the truck with a few strips of 1200grit paper in case I needed to bring it back in the field but never had to use it. I found it to be less robust edge than the flat secondary bevel so have gone off the convex grind.

 

[nztimb]

I worked on the sheath patern today and think I have it sorted with it cutting quite economically from the hide. At the moment I have drawn in the belt loops being 4 3/8 in over all apart, but this will be up for correction after @rookhawk does his testing.

 

[edward]

i think this bob dozier knife,modeled after an elmer kieth design mite fit in the safari knife catalog.big enough and tough enough for hand to hand combat with the most dangerous game,provided your name is lord greystoke,but not wimpy me.11 inches and 1 lb 12 ozs with sheath.

 

[Ray B]

I'm confused about the various blade cross-sections. I'm familiar with the straight grind, whether it is the full blade or from mid blade, and I'm familiar with the concave grind to get a thinner edge; but a convex grind makes no sense to me and a convex edge sounds like something that is really counter to my experience with what makes a sharp edge, which is: when sharp the holder should be able to hold the blade between his/her eye and a light source and the edge perpendicular to the light. Depending on the finish of the blade there may/may not be a reflection off the blade. Then as the blade is rotated a reflection will be seen off the sharp edge. If the knife is rotated keeping the same angle between the light and the holder, the reflection off of the edge will continue. There will be no breaks in the reflection and it will be uniform. Rotating the blade along its axis, keeping the blade perpendicular to the light, the light will follow the edge to the opposite side of the knife, at which point the light will then reflect off of the other side of the edge. that reflection should also be even and continuous. the real indicator of it's sharpness will be shown by having NO reflection coming off of the edge as the blade is rotated between the light reflecting off of one side of the blade to the other. A reflection in between the two indicates a flat spot that needs to be removed as that is a spot that is dull. I don't know how a blade that has been sharpened to a convex edge would be able to show a reflection.

 

[nztimb]

I have started the blades for the safari knife but will post them on my other thread to keep all my projects in the one place.

 

[Adam Stevens]

Great profile. Very nice.