Need advice from veterans

T

Todd Robbins

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Aug 6, 2003
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Not only veterans, everyone please chime in here. I have a close friend in the armed forces who will be going to Iraq in January, and he has asked me to build him an everyday-carry, fixed blade knife to take with him. I have made quite a few hunters, skinners, and camp knives, but have no experience with tacticals. He has left all of the details up to me, except that he wants a guard on it. I have some 1084, 1095, W1, W2, and 5160 i could forge it from, or I could grind it from some D2, 440C, or 154CM. I was thinking of canva micarta for the handle, but everything is open to suggestion, especially blade design and size. I don't Know if it matters, but my friend is a helicopter pilot. Any suggestions or advice are needed and much appreciated.

Thanks Guys,
Todd
 
i think this is a question for a tactical guy but i would say an everyday carry that might not have a lot of time to keep it maintained you'd want something more on the lines of stainless. D2 being close to stainless. Indian George and Chisel have had some experience with with D2 and Chisel with tacticals. they'll steer you in the right direction. good luck
p.s. might want to pick up a copy of tactical knives magazine to get some good ideas
 
The time I spent in Nam as a grunt I only had one knife for a short time until I tossed it cause it was way to big to carry. For your friend I would think a small utility would be most practical. D-2 would be a good choice.....
 
Well...combat knives are mainly what I make...so here is my input. Make him a blade 6 to 7.5 inches out of 5160, at least a .25 in. thick. Go ahead and use micarta for the grip but since he is a chopper pilot, make sure you give the knife an extra long guard since more than likely he will be wearing Nomex gloves. It is a thing to consider how small a finger groove or a short guard becomes when wearing gloves. Should he ever have to use the knife to punch thru the chopper skin or plexiglas, then he would be glad a big guard is there.

I would edge quench the blade and it doesnt really matter if the knife is hidden, partial, or full tang. When you sharpen it, I would not high polish the edge, but leave it rather "toothy" so it can grab into and cut nylon, etc. 5160 would be a good choice for this.

Lastly, equip the knife in a Blackhawk nylon sheath, it will be more conducive to his flight equipment than most other sheath systems...unless you can find a really good kydex sheath maker.
 
Keep it simple, a sharpened prybar. There is no need for a pretty knife in a survival situation. A stylish clip point is a weak link in the system, consider a drop point. A convex grind is more durable than a hollow grind when prying and twisting. Make the handle larger than necessary for easy grip with gloves. Avoid sharp corners that could become stress risers and the starting points for cracks.
 
XRAYED,
Can you provide some info. on the Blackhawk sheaths that you mentioned? I generally use a guard similar to Ed Fowler's on my hunters. They are awful comfartable to my hands. Would this style work? Guard material can be brass, mild steel, or stainless. I have some of each. I see a lot of tacticals with false edges on the top. Is this beneficial? Seems to me that it would lessen resistence when stabbing something (opening canned food?), but would also weaken the tip for prying when necessary. Again, all suggestions are much needed and appreciated.

Thanks Guys,
Todd
 
For that kind of knife I would do a bit of a clip...not real pointy though with a top edge bevel....but not sharpened. I would want the knife to be able to penetrate material quickly. If you make the knife of 5160...strength should not be an issue...just dont let the tip become too thin.

Aircrew type knives that I have made usually have a long double brass guard without any contour to them at all....just rounded over on the edges. However...I think that this type of knife needs a top and bottom guard. Take a look at a Randall 15 or a Randall Astro knife for the idea.

I get my sheaths from this guy on ebay:
http://cgi.ebay.com/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&item=2201637176&category=20271
 
I Made these for a Capt. U.S. Army in Korera
they maybe an Idea for you..
he liked them and ordered more.

gray132c.jpg

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I'd build him one along these lines with a 5-5.5" blade, fairly thick.
Made and sent alot of them out in the last 10 years.
 

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Thanks all for the replies and advice. Probably going with a 6" blade of 5160 with a slight clipped point, or dropped a little. Brass guard, black canvas micarta handle with a palm swell and a fairly rough finish. Convex grind on a slight distal taper. I'm gonna triple edge quench and temper at 350 degrees, then try to flex the edge. I'll adjust the tempering temps from there. Now that I think of it, I'll forge two blades and use one as a test piece to help determine tempering temp.s. Again, thanks to all.

Todd
 
Originally posted by Todd Robbins
Brass guard, black canvas micarta handle with a palm swell and a fairly rough finish.
Todd
Click to expand...


I would advise against a 'rough finish' on a carbon steel blade. That type of finish tends to promote rust, plus they harbor bacteria.
A scotchbrite finish on smooth metal will suffice.
:eek: :D
 
Mike,
Thanks for the reply! I'm sorry that I wasn't clear. I was referring to the finish of the micarta handle. I think micarta looks good when it is hand rubbed to a really fine finish, but I find that it provides a better grip in wet conditions if it is left at about 120 grit. The blade will have a 600 grit, hand sanded finish.

Todd
 
Todd,

sounds liek you have all of the blade particulars sorted out. I was going to suggest something in the 4.5-5.5" range, because there's not a whole lo tof room on a chopper :) But I wanted not just to say that you might want to ask him how he plans on carrying the knife. That may make a whole lot of difference in the blade length and such. He may want something that goes on a vest or strapped cool-guy style, so a smaller than 6" blade may be better, I dunno.

Sounds like it will be a great blade anyways. I'm sure it will serve him well.
 
Don't know, I was in the Navy. We only had butter knives but I did stab a guy's hand one time with my fork for trying to grab a sweet roll off my tray.:D True story.

(Most everyone carried Buck 110s or Shrades)

A few boatswain mates had warncliffe folders for working with line (rope to you landlubbers).

Craig
 
Craig that must have been way after I was in
I had to sleep with a bayonet between my teeth every night
and with one eye open just to wart off the drunks coming in.:D :D :p
 
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