Maynard's Delkalope

Redmeadow Knives

John Conner
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Knifemaker / Craftsman / Service Provider
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I started this blade last summer and work on it here and there between projects. It's for a friend of mine that spends a lot of time hunting everything from Coyote to Elk.

Long story short, I asked him if I could make him a knife to use and give me some feedback. We discussed a design, and he said, "A hunter would be nice, for Deer, Elk, or Antelope maybe". My strange brain makes up words and shortcuts, and I said "Ok, Delkalope it is then".

Just so everyone knows, this is a long term project for me. I'm not in a rush with this knife, it's a bit out of my comfort zone and will be a learning experience. When I finish the leather work I'm doing now, I'll focus on it a bit more. It's 5/32" 1095, the plan is a pinned antler handle with a through tang, thin end cap, NS guard, stacked leather and spacers of maybe brass, nickel, blackwood, not sure yet. The pinned handle and end cap are out of my comfort zone, we'll see how she goes:thumbup:



After heat treat and the guard close to fitted. It's been collecting dust at this stage for a little while.


So that's the Delkalope part of the title. He's from Maine, and I bust his chops about it and call him Maynard. Yeah, I'm that guy that constantly busts chops.

Having said that, Maynard was a college wrestler, is in his late 20's, fit as a fiddle, a Mr. Tough Guy. Jacked up cauliflower ears that say "I mean business". Absolute outdoorsman, works hard at it, and has taken some real monsters.

But........... like a lot of guys his age, he's "sensitive" (I think thats what they call it). He has these things called "feelings"? They are some kind of things in your head that can get hurt by words, and then the pain spreads downward, and creates something called "butthurt". It sounds like a funny concept, but apparently it's a real thing, who knew?

Now, its not really noticeable in Maynard, but my skills of observation are somewhat evil and I'm used to grown men talking smack like the Barber Shop scene in "Gran Tourino".

(Offensive Content- if you're "sensitive" like Maynard, dont watch:D)

[video=youtube;GtSJOUOEJ8o]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GtSJOUOEJ8o[/video]

These sensitive types are allergic to that kind of banter, and they get that "butthurt" thing going. Maynard hasn't had "butthurt" for years, but there for a while, I'm pretty sure he thought I was an evil bastard, and that may well be true.

So if you got this far, the point of this thread is to show the progress of this knife, and bust Maynards Chops. It's all fun and games, dont get serious, but let's give him a nice ruthless Chop busting for being a sensitive little Nancy.

Just know that if he finds you, the wrestler in him will come out and he'll tie you up in a knot, I've seen it and its not pretty:eek: This knife might just end up in my chest when I hand it to him:D

I'll tell Maynard about this thread when theres a good chunk of feeling crushing material, or when the knife is done. I haven't decided yet.

Oh, and in case anyone needs some ammo, he hates snakes, can't stand it when people say "....just saying", has reddish hair that's curly like a Chesapeake Bay Retriever, and a unibrow like a giant caterpillar.

Maynard, this is for you ya big Nancy!
I loves ya brother......oh geez, get a tissue:rolleyes:
emotions.jpg


On a serious note, I'm a sentimental oaf and a big sap when it comes to a lot of things, but I don't get butthurt. Maynard is a hell of a guy, now let's have some fun at his expense.......just saying.
:D
 
Once, Maynard ran over a rabbit, tough times.
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Your words about this 'feeling' confused me. But "I feel" that knife is going to be killer!! Just saying....:D
Another "knice" cowbell production!!
 
John, I think I would do a peened tang on it like your other knife with the stacked leather handle. By the way thats really a nice looking blade design.
 
I wanted to ask you about that Scott. I want to do a through tang, peened through and end plate. I figured a pin would be necessary as well to keep everything locked up. In my head I can imagine that antler wanting to "twist" on the tang if it is just epoxied, even with the exposed and peened tang. I'd like to turn the tang round at the point it goes through the end plate and make it look like a button.

The salt from Maynard's tears, will pribably corrode the blade off before the handle would fail anyways.:D
 
The antler will never twist what so ever if you use a good epoxy like Devcon or G-flex or something similar. Peening the tang if rectangle shaped is much stronger than a round tang. The best looking ones I've seen on BFC for sale by maker are by malanika and his are oval and that will never twist on you, in fact he a knife for sale in that forum right now that shows the peened tang, very nice knife, take a look. When I first started making lives I made the mistake of using 5 minute Devcon epoxy to glue on an elk horn and stacked leather handle to a 5" drop point and it started setting before I got the handle on and couldn't get it on all the way and it left about an 1/8" gap between the antler and leather spacers. Anyhow finished that knife up and eventually decided to re-handle it, anyhow I beat on that elk horn with a carpenters hammer until the cows came home, I squeezed it in my vise as hard as I could, and didn't do shit to it. The only way I could get that handle off was grind it off, that Devcon is that tough.
 
Great to know Scott. Initially I was thinking about doing it like I've done on the leather stacks, a somewhat rounded rectangle. But the overkill in me got to thinking that the antler might want to twist, so I started considering a pin. I've been using Bladebond with good results.

Well good deal, I can avoid drilling the antler and just to slot it nice and tight and stick with the way I've peened them before:thumbup:
 
For what it's worth Randall stopped pinning their handles quite a while ago, the only reason I pin mine is tradition, it's pretty much purely decorative nowadays, Scagel's were all built prior to epoxy being readily available so his handles all had to be pinned and a lot of them even had two pins in them.
 
With the through tang and peened end, I think I'll lose the pin. Sometimes overkill gets me.
 
With the through tang and peened end, I think I'll lose the pin. Sometimes overkill gets me.

What, is Maynard and his "feelings" rubbing off on you? What is overkill? If it's going to be done right it damned well better have some overkill built in. Suck it up, buttercup!
 
What, is Maynard and his "feelings" rubbing off on you? What is overkill? If it's going to be done right it damned well better have some overkill built in. Suck it up, buttercup!

Oh fer Chrissake, we've got another crier. Hike up your britches and quit yer sniveling!

The last time I heard someone whine like that was when I stared at Maynard's Unibrow too long.
c750c3835ddb3f6b806e13a9146ffff8.jpg
 
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Just do the damned work and quit yer whinin'. What's a little extra work? Are ya gonna hurt yer widdle hands doing a little extra peening or pinning?

:D
 
What if pins have feelings too Mack, did you ever think of that?! Peening hurts, that should be a Hashbrown on facespace.
 
What if pins have feelings too Mack, did you ever think of that?! Peening hurts, that should be a Hashbrown on facespace.

I hope you're happy!!! :mad:
The coughing fit I just had from laughing hurt like hell. :D
 
Will you two quit yer gossiping and just finish the damn knife already. Maynard's feeling are hurt enough, we don't need to get everyone in the room all cried up now do we? :rolleyes: :D
 
I called to tell Maynard that I couldn't get a rainbow unicorn horn for the handle like he wanted, I had to hang up on him, the sobbing was just too much.
 
Hows about and electric one......:rolleyes:

jikm_unicorn_horn_lighted.gif
 
Maynard says that makes him sad, like a poor little unicorn is being electrocuted:rolleyes:
 
Just in case you were wondering, I for one, love the knife design. I can't wait to see the finished product. Well, actually, I can wait if it hurts your widdle feewings to be rushed.
:D
 
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