Help!! Leaf Shaped Blades

B

Brian12856

Joined
Nov 5, 2001
Messages
24
Greetings,

Can anybody tell me of anymore Leaf Shaped blades: like the Spyderco Bob Lum Chinese Folder. I'm looking for a 3 inch or so blade: Fixed or Folder that I can BEAT THE TAR OUT OF. Something that has a handle NOT made of Almite and a VG-10 or better steel. I'm also interested in the history behind the Leaf blade shape of the knife: any sites out there?


Brian
 
Seen the Spyderco Temperance: The handle looks funky, and the blade is more of a spear point than a leaf. So that's out. Any other's?
 
There are two blade types for the Temperance, a leaf and modified spear point.
 
If you can still find one (and the "Exchange" here is probably one of the best places to try) the Boye Dendritic Steel folders have a very similar blade shape to the Lum Chinese. The Boye knives are a saber grind rather than flat, and are made of cast 440C that cuts like hell and is very easy to resharpen.
Supposedly the leaf blade is a very traditional shape in China.
 
History- I doubt there is one history for this shape. Possible history's are...

Man was walking through the forest/jungle/desert/savannah/etc and he gazed at a tree/flower/vine/bush and noticed the very attractive shape of the leaves, and said "When I get home I am gonna get a knife just like that." So he flaked one out/hammered one out/commissioned a smith/bought one.

The material he was working with naturally lent itself to that shape.

The technique he was utilizing lent intself to that shape.

He sat down and decided that that shape was the best for the given task.

'She' can be inserted in place of any of the 'he' at any time.

Popularly, I have heard that it is a agricultural and grafting pattern from the Orient.

In terms of getting it in a fixed blade, I would suggest you speak to Bob Lum. He is the man that popularized this shape, and he makes a fine knife. And, while I have not seen a fixed blade version of this pattern, I am sure that he can come up with something for you. He would also be able to give you information about the history of the pattern from his experience. And, since Bob Lum is a custom maker, he can probably make in any high-quality steel you might want.
 
Quandong Folder, Good grief, that's an amazing design. I wonder how it holds up? I can't get the specs to work. It's a shame more people aren't into the leaf shape. I think it's practical application's and general utility are unmatched if used properly. Not to mention the beauty of the shape.
 
Brian, you might want to check out the Boye Dendritic Cobalt lockback folder. As mentioned by johnniet, it has a sabre ground blade cast with a corrosion resistant material (DC) similar to talonite. The handle is a deep blue frn-like material. The knife comes with various opening designs (mine is the eagle wing). It's profile is nearly identical to the Spyderco Chinese Lum. See John Jensen's website for availability since I believe these knives are no longer in production (okay, I'll use the "D" word--discontinued).
 
Hey There..

How about a Rick Frigault Spear Tac...

I've got one with raised carbon scales,,and it is by far probably the most comfortable knife I own...


ttyle

Eric...
 

Attachments

  • spear_tac2.jpg
    spear_tac2.jpg
    41.3 KB · Views: 133
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top