- Joined
- Aug 30, 2007
- Messages
- 5,497
I think that some of the features of Fletcher Knives get lost in the photos. Sometimes, people may even miss them on knives in real life. Here is a quick thread to clear it all up.
It's important to know the anatomy of your Fletcher Knife. Otherwise, you might think, "Dylan is out of his damn mind. He smooths out some areas and leaves other sharp." Here is why. Below you'll see a letter. Next to that letter is a description. If you match these letters with the corrisponding letter on the diagrams and the areas they are pointing out, you'll now understand why everything is done the way it is.
A: The Handle
The canvas micarta scales on Fletcher Knives are intentionally left rough. I try to ensure that they are smooth enough to be comfortable and that the shaping is perfect, but I sand and buff the handles in a way that leaves them with plenty of grip. The knife should stay stuck in your grip no matter what gets on it.
B: The grind and Edge
The grind on a Fletcher Knife is almost always a Convex Saber grind and it sports a secondary sharpened bevel. A lot of convex grinds on the market these days go all the way to edge edge, giving it what is known as a "zero edge". That means that there is no secondary bevel and the primary grind of the knife goes all the way to the edge and also serves as the sharpened cutting edge. This grind/edge has its pros and its cons.
The biggest con, and the one I'm trying to avoid by giving it a secondary bevel, is ease of sharpening. A lot of people think it's very easy to sharpen a zero edge convex grind. This is true if it is done correctly, but it's also extremely easy to do incoorectly and mess your knife up.
With a secondary bevel. It's easy as can be. Just about every sharpening system in the world will work, including using the curb in a parking lot or a gnarley rock by a river. (Please don't ever use either of these tools to sharpen a Fletcher Knife unless it's an emergency.)
If you would like to have a zero edge convex grind on your Fletcher Knife, you are more than welcome to do that yourself after you purchase the knife. I will ship every Fletcher Knife (almost without exception) with a secondary bevel. If you feel you have to have the blade convexed all the way to the cutting edge, that's a modification you'll have to arrange yourself. When you mess it up, ship your knife back to me and I'll fix it for you and send it right back lickidy split. ...with a secondary edge bevel.
If you're successful, way to go. My hat's off to ya.
C: The "Guard" Area
Every Fletcher Knife has a nice groove or guard to try and help keep you from accidently slicing you fingers off. It's not that I don't trust you, it's there more for me than you. I have a bad track record. The edges on this area are slightly rounded and smoothed for your comfort.
D: The Thumb Ramp
The thumb ramp on all Fletcher Knives that feature them is meant to be nice and smooth and a natural part of the ergos. It is strategically positioned to put the added force directly over cutting edge. Many thumb ramps on the market today are absolutely useless in the real world because they are over a nice section of handle or choil. I don't know about you, but i don't use either handle nor choil to cut anything, so I don't understand why the knifemaker or manufacturer would give me a way of putting added pressure over either of these areas.
I don't put jimping on them. I don't like jimping. After extended use, even with the slightest of jimps, it rubs the skin and I don't like it.
The edges of the thumb ramps are slightly rounded and smoothed for your comfort. On knives without thumb ramps, the area where your thumb rests naturally is slightly rounded and smoothed. The only exceptions to this are earlier Pocket Kilos, which had a sharp spine from handle to tip.
E: The sharpened Spine Area
A portion of the spine on every Fletcher Knife is left sharp. The reason for this is so that you can use it as a scraper, a striker for your firesteel, etc.
So there you have it. Why are some areas sharp, rough, or smooth. Now you know. Time to go to sleep. It's 2:58AM right now. Why the hell am I even awake?
Oh yeah! Diagrams!
It's important to know the anatomy of your Fletcher Knife. Otherwise, you might think, "Dylan is out of his damn mind. He smooths out some areas and leaves other sharp." Here is why. Below you'll see a letter. Next to that letter is a description. If you match these letters with the corrisponding letter on the diagrams and the areas they are pointing out, you'll now understand why everything is done the way it is.
A: The Handle
The canvas micarta scales on Fletcher Knives are intentionally left rough. I try to ensure that they are smooth enough to be comfortable and that the shaping is perfect, but I sand and buff the handles in a way that leaves them with plenty of grip. The knife should stay stuck in your grip no matter what gets on it.
B: The grind and Edge
The grind on a Fletcher Knife is almost always a Convex Saber grind and it sports a secondary sharpened bevel. A lot of convex grinds on the market these days go all the way to edge edge, giving it what is known as a "zero edge". That means that there is no secondary bevel and the primary grind of the knife goes all the way to the edge and also serves as the sharpened cutting edge. This grind/edge has its pros and its cons.
The biggest con, and the one I'm trying to avoid by giving it a secondary bevel, is ease of sharpening. A lot of people think it's very easy to sharpen a zero edge convex grind. This is true if it is done correctly, but it's also extremely easy to do incoorectly and mess your knife up.
With a secondary bevel. It's easy as can be. Just about every sharpening system in the world will work, including using the curb in a parking lot or a gnarley rock by a river. (Please don't ever use either of these tools to sharpen a Fletcher Knife unless it's an emergency.)
If you would like to have a zero edge convex grind on your Fletcher Knife, you are more than welcome to do that yourself after you purchase the knife. I will ship every Fletcher Knife (almost without exception) with a secondary bevel. If you feel you have to have the blade convexed all the way to the cutting edge, that's a modification you'll have to arrange yourself. When you mess it up, ship your knife back to me and I'll fix it for you and send it right back lickidy split. ...with a secondary edge bevel.
If you're successful, way to go. My hat's off to ya.C: The "Guard" Area
Every Fletcher Knife has a nice groove or guard to try and help keep you from accidently slicing you fingers off. It's not that I don't trust you, it's there more for me than you. I have a bad track record. The edges on this area are slightly rounded and smoothed for your comfort.
D: The Thumb Ramp
The thumb ramp on all Fletcher Knives that feature them is meant to be nice and smooth and a natural part of the ergos. It is strategically positioned to put the added force directly over cutting edge. Many thumb ramps on the market today are absolutely useless in the real world because they are over a nice section of handle or choil. I don't know about you, but i don't use either handle nor choil to cut anything, so I don't understand why the knifemaker or manufacturer would give me a way of putting added pressure over either of these areas.
I don't put jimping on them. I don't like jimping. After extended use, even with the slightest of jimps, it rubs the skin and I don't like it.
The edges of the thumb ramps are slightly rounded and smoothed for your comfort. On knives without thumb ramps, the area where your thumb rests naturally is slightly rounded and smoothed. The only exceptions to this are earlier Pocket Kilos, which had a sharp spine from handle to tip.
E: The sharpened Spine Area
A portion of the spine on every Fletcher Knife is left sharp. The reason for this is so that you can use it as a scraper, a striker for your firesteel, etc.
So there you have it. Why are some areas sharp, rough, or smooth. Now you know. Time to go to sleep. It's 2:58AM right now. Why the hell am I even awake?
Oh yeah! Diagrams!
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