The "Ask Nathan a question" thread

Hey Nathan,

No gemstones or jewels, no precious metal inlays for me, I’ll take elegant form and function over bling every day. Considering the superior design, materials, and workmanship, I would at least like a ballpark idea how much you think you would have to charge to make a run of integral daggers worth your while.
If it can be done for under 5 figures I suspect that there are quite a few folks (myself included) who would be pleased to prepay for an integral dagger (or 3) from you.

On further consideration, if you were to pursue this, then I *might* ask Chip to add his artistic flourish...
 
Just mild steel for the teeth. Cutting edge is AR400. This bucket has 833 hours on it, so, I’m good and already have two sets of replacement teeth. I want to get done with this rocky mofo before swapping out. I was just having fun pondering the question whilst I continue to carve this rocky bitch till I piss blood.
 
Good grief, there is more rock than soil. Oof.
Yeah, there actually isn’t any soil there at all. When I peel the duff back, the rocks are clean underneath. I dug a borrow pit off the side of the trail to try and get some mineral soil to surface with, but at a foot and a half down, it was still rock. We will unfortunately have to haul clean soil in to surface that part of the trail as it is for hiking only and as it sits, it’s an ankle breaking son of a bit*h.
 
Just mild steel for the teeth. Cutting edge is AR400. This bucket has 833 hours on it, so, I’m good and already have two sets of replacement teeth. I want to get done with this rocky mofo before swapping out. I was just having fun pondering the question whilst I continue to carve this rocky bitch till I piss blood.

AR400 is in the mid 40s. Delta 3V would be substantially more wear resistant and tougher.

... and also heinously expensive....
 
Yeah, there actually isn’t any soil there at all. When I peel the duff back, the rocks are clean underneath. I dug a borrow pit off the side of the trail to try and get some mineral soil to surface with, but at a foot and a half down, it was still rock. We will unfortunately have to haul clean soil in to surface that part of the trail as it is for hiking only and as it sits, it’s an ankle breaking son of a bit*h.

If that were my problem, and I'm glad as hell it isn't, one thought that would probably come to mind is surface it with chainlink fencing, then geotex, then aggregate. A buffer of topsoil on either side. Finding something local that'll grow there and hug your floating trail to keep it from moving much.

But I have some pretty ghetto ideas about how to deal with stuff, many which probably wouldn't necessarily meet any particular standard or best practice...
 
AR400 is in the mid 40s. Delta 3V would be substantially more wear resistant and tougher.

... and also heinously expensive....
For certain on both accounts. I am sure any teeth you machined out would be too damn good looking for me to use anyway.

How about that North Sword? Now THAT I would use!

If that were my problem, and I'm glad as hell it isn't, one thought that would probably come to mind is surface it with chainlink fencing, then geotex, then aggregate. A buffer of topsoil on either side. Finding something local that'll grow there and hug your floating trail to keep it from moving much.

But I have some pretty ghetto ideas about how to deal with stuff, many which probably wouldn't necessarily meet any particular standard or best practice...
Not a ghetto solution by any means. You are just making a gabian basket without the basket. If this was going to see vehicles, it would likely get something like fabric at the least. If it were bike trail, it would be good to go as it sits, it’s stable and “flat”, just a little chunky. Since it is for hikers only, we have to fill some of those voids. I’ll get off trail where the dirt is good and dig a giant borrow pit. Then we’ll have a couple guys run Canycom loads of mineral soil where we will have a micro ex grading it out and tracking it in. It will set up like concrete and be there forever.......ish.
 
Hey Nathan, whatre the chances of doing the integral dagger for the general population here? Pre order? Now that you have the KOD piece under your belt...?

Not sure you want to reference the loss-leader KOD when trying to persuade him to make the integral dagger a production piece.

^ well that and they're a demonstration piece that I haven't figured out how to make a profit on. No one would want to pay what I would need to charge for those to make sense for me.

I dunno what you would have to charge. But I did hear through the grapevine that at least one person has already paid more than $600 for one. FWIW.
 
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