- Joined
- Dec 23, 2006
- Messages
- 14,827
Guys I am really excited about this one not that I'm not excited by everyone but there are a couple of things about this one that make this piece a bit special.
First off we all know how rare it is to get a blade from Mr Wheeler he is known for his Constant pursuit of perfection and even better known for always achieving it. (Not to put pressure on ya buddy) point being Nick is very respected for being one of the most gifted Bladesmiths out there
So the perfection part is where this story comes in
One day Nick and I where discussing my love of blades that where not finished to the point of being afraid to carry and use them. We all love those blades that are hand rubbed to the point of art in itself and I believe Nicks fine hand rubbed finishes to rival any from ancient times to present but finishes can be to the point of hell ya don't wanna use the blade
So I asked Nick if he would consider doing a blade for me that would be a little dressed down not to say a rough finish but something a little more user friendly
To Nick that means a finish that is probale better than most makers best finishes
So with that premise set we then started to talk about what to make. Well Nick is well known for his fighters and rightfully so the man makes a very well balanced and gorgeous fighter in fact a fighter from Nick Wheeler is one of the finest things in life
But there was a slight problem with that. I am not a real fighter fan sure I like them and I have a few real nice ones but in general when it comes to a knife that might have to save my life I lean towards the Fighting Bowie size class knives
After slot of years playing with knives hanging out with lots of cops who see knife injuries and seeing alot of critters die I have formed some opinions on these things. Actually I have two friends both guys that you would not want to play with that have been involved in knife on knife encounters. Both almost died both where sliced to pieces and stabbed multiple times one having his lung popped. Both survived and both said they would of rather been armed with a lead pipe so that they could of tried to stop the altercation quickly. Not had a wrestling match with a guy with a sharp pointy thing stabing them and slashing them
So I am a huge fan of some horsepower something that if used correctly and quickly can try and end an altercation quickly That would tend to leave small knives out and make the larger blades Bowie size 9 1/2 and up rule the day. Right ? Absolutely but here in lies the problem it is very difficult to carry a Bowie sized knife in all situations
So there was only one solution to make a fighter sized blade that could pack a wallop. One thing we proved with the wonderful Jason Knight Founders Bowie's was we could make a 10 inch Bowie out perform a larger blade. An esteemed member of this forum Mr York tested this and was blown away.
The way to do this is by using extreme distal taper in a blade. The king of fighting Bowie's Bill Bagwell has been screaming this for years in books and articles and his work.
A blade built this way will feel light in the hand move quickly but still have the ever so important and ignored by many magic thing called momentum which equates to power something I hold near and dear in a combat blade
So the stage was set we where gonna make in my opinion the ultimate carry fighter not a Bowie but a blade that would make other fighters feel anemic and make cuts expected of a bigger blade
It would be of a finish that would be durable and beg to be carried and used. There are a few makers out there that could pull this off and I believe Nick to be at the top of this few
The proto is born and I will be posting some pics of it coming to life starting with the initial sketches and the rough ground blade then we will proceed to more pics as it comes to life. not a true work in progress thread but something to keep some interested.
The blade will finished up to a 600 cork belt finish with a convex edge sharpened clip and yes a micarta handle. I know micarta is not loved by many but it's tuff as hell and this is gonna be a carry piece for me and after the mighty P Long dresses it. you can get a wood handle on yours if ya like
The dimensions are on the drawings and the heat treat will be gone into at a later date
Here we go I don't expect anybody to be as excited about this as I am but a few of ya might be
First off we all know how rare it is to get a blade from Mr Wheeler he is known for his Constant pursuit of perfection and even better known for always achieving it. (Not to put pressure on ya buddy) point being Nick is very respected for being one of the most gifted Bladesmiths out there
So the perfection part is where this story comes in
One day Nick and I where discussing my love of blades that where not finished to the point of being afraid to carry and use them. We all love those blades that are hand rubbed to the point of art in itself and I believe Nicks fine hand rubbed finishes to rival any from ancient times to present but finishes can be to the point of hell ya don't wanna use the blade
So I asked Nick if he would consider doing a blade for me that would be a little dressed down not to say a rough finish but something a little more user friendly
To Nick that means a finish that is probale better than most makers best finishes
So with that premise set we then started to talk about what to make. Well Nick is well known for his fighters and rightfully so the man makes a very well balanced and gorgeous fighter in fact a fighter from Nick Wheeler is one of the finest things in life
But there was a slight problem with that. I am not a real fighter fan sure I like them and I have a few real nice ones but in general when it comes to a knife that might have to save my life I lean towards the Fighting Bowie size class knives
After slot of years playing with knives hanging out with lots of cops who see knife injuries and seeing alot of critters die I have formed some opinions on these things. Actually I have two friends both guys that you would not want to play with that have been involved in knife on knife encounters. Both almost died both where sliced to pieces and stabbed multiple times one having his lung popped. Both survived and both said they would of rather been armed with a lead pipe so that they could of tried to stop the altercation quickly. Not had a wrestling match with a guy with a sharp pointy thing stabing them and slashing them
So I am a huge fan of some horsepower something that if used correctly and quickly can try and end an altercation quickly That would tend to leave small knives out and make the larger blades Bowie size 9 1/2 and up rule the day. Right ? Absolutely but here in lies the problem it is very difficult to carry a Bowie sized knife in all situations
So there was only one solution to make a fighter sized blade that could pack a wallop. One thing we proved with the wonderful Jason Knight Founders Bowie's was we could make a 10 inch Bowie out perform a larger blade. An esteemed member of this forum Mr York tested this and was blown away.
The way to do this is by using extreme distal taper in a blade. The king of fighting Bowie's Bill Bagwell has been screaming this for years in books and articles and his work.
A blade built this way will feel light in the hand move quickly but still have the ever so important and ignored by many magic thing called momentum which equates to power something I hold near and dear in a combat blade
So the stage was set we where gonna make in my opinion the ultimate carry fighter not a Bowie but a blade that would make other fighters feel anemic and make cuts expected of a bigger blade
It would be of a finish that would be durable and beg to be carried and used. There are a few makers out there that could pull this off and I believe Nick to be at the top of this few
The proto is born and I will be posting some pics of it coming to life starting with the initial sketches and the rough ground blade then we will proceed to more pics as it comes to life. not a true work in progress thread but something to keep some interested.
The blade will finished up to a 600 cork belt finish with a convex edge sharpened clip and yes a micarta handle. I know micarta is not loved by many but it's tuff as hell and this is gonna be a carry piece for me and after the mighty P Long dresses it. you can get a wood handle on yours if ya like
The dimensions are on the drawings and the heat treat will be gone into at a later date
Here we go I don't expect anybody to be as excited about this as I am but a few of ya might be
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