Photos Kepharts...They just Work

MB>, those are some mighty fine looking blades. Are they readily available and where's the balance point?

I’ve only seen pictures. Looked like he was making a batch to take to Blade. Curious to hear some feedback myself.
 
Marchone, read Sarge's post below. He has a stack of blades and a plethora of belts. Sounds to me like he's getting ready to grind some out.

I’m sure they’ll be great but I don’t need another Kephart. I already have two.

The Dogwood Kephart pics from IG are very different that his website shows. They look much more like the originals. And Mike’s.
 
Speaking of Mike's Kephart, I came REAL close to using mine today. The dang thing is so nice I just don't wanna mess it up. I realize...
Use = patina and love
Non-Use = pristine condition
Maybe next time I'll take the plunge and show it some love.
I have never, ever, had a knife I wouldn't use before this one. It's just too dang beautiful.

 
Speaking of Mike's Kephart, I came REAL close to using mine today. The dang thing is so nice I just don't wanna mess it up. I realize...
Use = patina and love
Non-Use = pristine condition
Maybe next time I'll take the plunge and show it some love.
I have never, ever, had a knife I wouldn't use before this one. It's just too dang beautiful.


You know what the best looking knife is right? A used one. The only thing better than a used one is catching it in use in it's natural element.

giphy.webp
 
Copy that brother. I need to show it and my Infiweiler some outdoor love.
Somebody above ^^^ is poking a ticking bomb. ;) Trust me, I know from experience.
 
BLADE was great. I'm sure Saturday will be an equally great day. But I'm a one day show attender. Looked at Dogwood's Kepharts. Superb modern re-creation of the original Kephart with modern materials. He was selling them quick. For info, Dan did all the measurements and drawings for Ethan Becker prior to submitting it to Kabar for production.

Also had the opportunity to handle the new Condor Companion (Mini Kephart). It is a cool little 3 finger knife. They only had one at the show and it was not for sale until the last day. I'm going to get one. Joe Flowers told me to email him and he'd send me one.

Joe Flowers did a nice demonstration on machetes and their use. He was rubbing some bamboo sticks together inside the show... hoping to get some embers. I chuckled at that.
 
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Been away for a while, have been catching up on this thread just now. Damn! Those are some fine looking kepharts.

Although I haven't been able to use it nearly as much as I would have liked, I still really like my BK62. However, one downside is that it doesn't seem to keep an edge for very long. It's also not stainless. I wish I could just have the design of the BK62 or @Mike McCarter 's Kephart but in a more modern stainless steel. Alas, I probably can't afford such a thing right now, but I am curious if it's possible.
 
L Lodd Dogwood's kepharts are based on the original that Ethan used to take measurements for Kabar production. It has exactly the same feel as the BK-62 but using CPM-154 and I believe a couple different handle materials. He added liners to one I saw that beefed up the handle thickness a bit. Uncle Timbo would probably like the added handle thickness. Dogwood's Kepharts are quite nice.
 
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Been away for a while, have been catching up on this thread just now. Damn! Those are some fine looking kepharts.

Although I haven't been able to use it nearly as much as I would have liked, I still really like my BK62. However, one downside is that it doesn't seem to keep an edge for very long. It's also not stainless. I wish I could just have the design of the BK62 or @Mike McCarter 's Kephart but in a more modern stainless steel. Alas, I probably can't afford such a thing right now, but I am curious if it's possible.

Can you get Big Chris or one of the other makers to maybe make one for you in modern steel?

I think LT Wright has a Genesis in AEBL or 3V.
 
Can you get Big Chris or one of the other makers to maybe make one for you in modern steel?

I think LT Wright has a Genesis in AEBL or 3V.

I was going to mention the Genesis but decided it was different enough that maybe it's not quite the same. Mostly, the handle is much more round vs. the flat handle on the BK62.

L Lodd I'm surprised that the BK62 doesn't hold an edge well for you. I know it's pretty thin but that usually means it holds an edge longer for slicing task. Are you losing the edge processing wood or standard cutting stuff like food prep?

The genesis is a great knife. I'm partial to the bushcrafters myself. LT did just come out with a genesis 5, which adds an inch to the blade length of the genesis. The bushcrafter Mark II is one of my favorite blades to use.

I probably already showed this pic, but it's a nice shot of the BK62, genesis, and Mark II. Mine are A2 as I enjoy it and I don't feel the price for 3V is worth it. The bushbaby was 3V, but it didn't fit me well so I traded it off. I would love some 52100 in LT's line, truth be told. Favorite non-stainless user steel.
lTMKBAPl.jpg
 
I was going to mention the Genesis but decided it was different enough that maybe it's not quite the same. Mostly, the handle is much more round vs. the flat handle on the BK62.

L Lodd I'm surprised that the BK62 doesn't hold an edge well for you. I know it's pretty thin but that usually means it holds an edge longer for slicing task. Are you losing the edge processing wood or standard cutting stuff like food prep?

The genesis is a great knife. I'm partial to the bushcrafters myself. LT did just come out with a genesis 5, which adds an inch to the blade length of the genesis. The bushcrafter Mark II is one of my favorite blades to use.

I probably already showed this pic, but it's a nice shot of the BK62, genesis, and Mark II. Mine are A2 as I enjoy it and I don't feel the price for 3V is worth it. The bushbaby was 3V, but it didn't fit me well so I traded it off. I would love some 52100 in LT's line, truth be told. Favorite non-stainless user steel.
lTMKBAPl.jpg
Anybody ought to be proud to own any of those blades. VERY nice.
 
[...]

L Lodd I'm surprised that the BK62 doesn't hold an edge well for you. I know it's pretty thin but that usually means it holds an edge longer for slicing task. Are you losing the edge processing wood or standard cutting stuff like food prep?

[...]

Both, but obviously faster when I use it for wood carving when compared to food prep. It's an allround knife, after all. It's probably just because modern steels have spoiled me. If you've been using CPM 3V or hardened customs for a while, the transition to softer 1095 probably takes some getting used to. Although I do feel it's a missed opportunity to just make this in 1095.

Ka-Bar Becker has chosen not to make the BK62 very hard, at 56-58 HRC. I've been reading Kephart's book lately (the knife inspired me to get it, still working through it). Kephart mentions the knife shouldn't be too hard, because it would break when subjected to hard obstacles, like a hard bone for instance, and you would be in the middle of nowhere with a broken knife. One should consider that 100 years aago, metallurgy waasn't at the same level it was now, so it was probably good advice for the time. Perhaps Becker set out to remain faithful to this particular aspect of the historical knife, which I can respect.

Still, with todays technology and innovations, it should be very possible to create a knife with harder steel (longer edge retention), that is still tough enough to withstand the possible mishaps of being out and about. Mr. Kepharts reservation of 100 years ago was good advice at the time, but I think we've progressed beyond this particular issue. Obviously, a lot of his advice still stands, but in reading the book, you can also see a lot of things that have been left behind in the times. It's what makes it so interesting to me.

I'm rambling, but I'll ramble a little more before ending this post. We've had a few faithful reproductions of the Kephart (colclesser bros) pattern. They were very cool and interesting as case studies: what happens if we try to make this knife a century later? Especially the BK62 is interesting in this regards, having to operate in the confines of modern production and market environments. Now, as another case study, wouldn't it be cool to try and apply all our innovations and best practices on this same pattern? To see how far we've come in the past century.
 
Both, but obviously faster when I use it for wood carving when compared to food prep. It's an allround knife, after all. It's probably just because modern steels have spoiled me. If you've been using CPM 3V or hardened customs for a while, the transition to softer 1095 probably takes some getting used to. Although I do feel it's a missed opportunity to just make this in 1095.

Ka-Bar Becker has chosen not to make the BK62 very hard, at 56-58 HRC. I've been reading Kephart's book lately (the knife inspired me to get it, still working through it). Kephart mentions the knife shouldn't be too hard, because it would break when subjected to hard obstacles, like a hard bone for instance, and you would be in the middle of nowhere with a broken knife. One should consider that 100 years aago, metallurgy waasn't at the same level it was now, so it was probably good advice for the time. Perhaps Becker set out to remain faithful to this particular aspect of the historical knife, which I can respect.

Still, with todays technology and innovations, it should be very possible to create a knife with harder steel (longer edge retention), that is still tough enough to withstand the possible mishaps of being out and about. Mr. Kepharts reservation of 100 years ago was good advice at the time, but I think we've progressed beyond this particular issue. Obviously, a lot of his advice still stands, but in reading the book, you can also see a lot of things that have been left behind in the times. It's what makes it so interesting to me.

I'm rambling, but I'll ramble a little more before ending this post. We've had a few faithful reproductions of the Kephart (colclesser bros) pattern. They were very cool and interesting as case studies: what happens if we try to make this knife a century later? Especially the BK62 is interesting in this regards, having to operate in the confines of modern production and market environments. Now, as another case study, wouldn't it be cool to try and apply all our innovations and best practices on this same pattern? To see how far we've come in the past century.

That makes sense. I'm sure part of the reason to use 1095CV is price, since most of Kabars heavy use knives are using the steel. If comparing to 3V, you're absolutely right. I don't think 56-58 is considered soft for 1095 or 1095CV, it just performs better at those ranges. I think it gets brittle at the higher hardness, like 60, which is what makes steels like 3V and AEBL so nice. They stay tough even at those higher hardnesses. It's why I like 52100 so much. My only beef with 3V is that it still costs a premium, but it's a good performer for sure.
 
Hello. New to this journey. Just got a Condor Kephart blade. Any suggestions as to wood type? I have seasoned Dogwood, Mahogany, Bokote, Eucalyptus etc. River Birch.
 
Hello. New to this journey. Just got a Condor Kephart blade. Any suggestions as to wood type? I have seasoned Dogwood, Mahogany, Bokote, Eucalyptus etc. River Birch.

I think that's pure preference, but I do like the looks of bocote myself. I would go with something that doesn't rot when it gets wet but still has reasonable grip. Walnut has been good to me as well.
 
....Ka-Bar Becker has chosen not to make the BK62 very hard, at 56-58 HRC. I've been reading Kephart's book lately (the knife inspired me to get it, still working through it). Kephart mentions the knife shouldn't be too hard, because it would break when subjected to hard obstacles, like a hard bone for instance, and you would be in the middle of nowhere with a broken knife. One should consider that 100 years ago, metallurgy wasn't at the same level it was now, so it was probably good advice for the time. Perhaps Becker set out to remain faithful to this particular aspect of the historical knife, which I can respect.

Still, with todays technology and innovations, it should be very possible to create a knife with harder steel (longer edge retention), that is still tough enough to withstand the possible mishaps of being out and about. Mr. Kepharts reservation of 100 years ago was good advice at the time, but I think we've progressed beyond this particular issue. Obviously, a lot of his advice still stands, but in reading the book, you can also see a lot of things that have been left behind in the times. It's what makes it so interesting to me.

I'm rambling, but I'll ramble a little more before ending this post. We've had a few faithful reproductions of the Kephart (colclesser bros) pattern. They were very cool and interesting as case studies: what happens if we try to make this knife a century later? Especially the BK62 is interesting in this regards, having to operate in the confines of modern production and market environments. Now, as another case study, wouldn't it be cool to try and apply all our innovations and best practices on this same pattern? To see how far we've come in the past century.
Ethan Becker did want to remain faithful to the original Colclesser knife designed by Horace Kephart. Frankly, Kabar did one heck of a job overall. The aspect of time and technology is primarily what draws me to the Kephart books. A secondary appeal is the fact that Colclesser was located in the area I grew up in and in fact worked at a factory in El Dorado PA (Altoona) when I was in college. Kephart resided in the Smoky Mts and was instrumental to the development of this wonderful park. What a monumental effort to create Smoky Mountain National Park in the early 1900's by citizens, businesses, and government!

Remaining true to the original pattern is important and that pretty much was what I was after with the BK-62. Fantastic knife! Of course it can be improved on and it has by some of our custom knife makers. Kephart even mentions in his book that he had a hard time finding a fixed bladed knife that worked for him in the outdoors and had them made by blacksmiths. I think he truly loved what we call traditional knives today and he carried one all the time. Would he have welcomed some of the modern designs? I think so.

I stopped at Bob Dozier's tables at Blade and asked if they brought any kepharts..... Nope. Dan Crotts said he was asked a number of times in the first couple of hours of the show if they had any kepharts. Shows the interest in the pattern to be sure.

I like to see improvements to the kephart pattern. Depending on the changes to the pattern, I might not call it a kephart any more. But that is okay.

Added: I guess one needs to be comfortable with the pattern and use of the name in terms of modifications or improvements. Steel choice is not a change relative to the Kephart Knife..... The Kephart knife is a general use all arounder knife for the outdoors or anywhere. It was never intended to be a chopper. The knife is true to form in the sense the 4.5"-5.5" fixed blades seem to be a good balance (I would argue "best balance".) between ease of carry and use in the outdoors.
 
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Hello. New to this journey. Just got a Condor Kephart blade. Any suggestions as to wood type? I have seasoned Dogwood, Mahogany, Bokote, Eucalyptus etc. River Birch.

I think I’d go with the bocote, too. I have a Condor blade and a piece of maple, but I’m not wild about it for this knife, in part because I do not have the tools to cut it into slabs that I can shape into a handle. If you use walnut, your knife will just look like an off-the-shelf Condor (not that there’s anything wrong with that). My bocote knives look very good, sometimes spectacular.
 
I think I’d go with the bocote, too. I have a Condor blade and a piece of maple, but I’m not wild about it for this knife, in part because I do not have the tools to cut it into slabs that I can shape into a handle. If you use walnut, your knife will just look like an off-the-shelf Condor (not that there’s anything wrong with that). My bocote knives look very good, sometimes spectacular.
Hi Bikerector and Henry. Thanks for your response. I have a beautiful piece of Bokote. That settles it! I just epoxied the handle onto a Tennessee Bowie. Used Brazilian Cherry. Seems as though it will do the blade justice. Planning on a left side cross body draw 45 degree angled sheath for it. Cant zero in on stain shade. Impulse is dark Bison. Thoughts?
 
Henry Beige Henry Beige good point on the walnut, I forgot that condor uses that extensively.

Frank Perricone Frank Perricone do you want the colors to match the knife or do you want it to contrast? That's usually my first question and it at least gets you to light or dark shades. I feel like a nice deep brown, light tan/natural, or black are kind of the standards that go with anything. I do love a nice burgandy or sage color, given a good handle to match.
 
Henry Beige Henry Beige good point on the walnut, I forgot that condor uses that extensively.

Frank Perricone Frank Perricone do you want the colors to match the knife or do you want it to contrast? That's usually my first question and it at least gets you to light or dark shades. I feel like a nice deep brown, light tan/natural, or black are kind of the standards that go with anything. I do love a nice burgandy or sage color, given a good handle to match.
Nice pointed response. Depending on the knife I might contrast the sheath. For this gorgeous Bowie with a somewhat lighter handle i'm looking at dark and wet forming the top to curl around the lower part of the handle. Might sound wacky but I feel the sheath is part of the knife and its mission is to protect. Good even dark Bison Brown with a small embellishment laid in. I really like your suggestion of Sage. Never thought of that. Cool.
 
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