What is it with Nail Pulls on Custom Slipjoints?

Durwood

Durwood

Joined
Dec 10, 2003
Messages
1,620
I've seen many a nice custom slipjoint that I otherwise liked and then...I looked at the pull on the blade/blades. Why do some makers struggle so much in that area? Are they trying to make something that doesn't look "factory" or have they just not found a technique that works for them. Also, I notice a lot of inconsistency from one knife to the next from the same makers...indicating to me they haven't settled on a technique.


Any insight?
 
not sure if this answers your question..but often when rendering the classic patters multi blade makers will try and be as faithful to the original.

makers like Shadley Boses Rogers Chamblin Cover Ruple are pretty exacting and are perfectionists to an incredible degree
 
The most common type of pulls I see that really turn me off are the ones that look like someone took a dremel tool with a flat disc (and probably did) and just made straight, shallow groove that doesn't resemble a traditional nail pull in any manner. The reason it troubles me is as I've said...I've seen so many like this that were on otherwise very nice knives.
 
Durwood,

Seeing craftmenship from one knifemaker to another is what makes custom knives interesting. I believe, the makers who have eye pleasing looks to there nail nicks are using either a milling machine with a fly cutter. An etched nail nick, which can also look nice. A forged nail nick. Which they can shape the nick to there own die design. Like a match strike nail nick. And then there is the dremel. Your out the door for under sixty dollars tool.
Cost may play a role in the design. A milling machine, is a large cost for just nail nicks. Forging, would be the cost of the die and the correct strike. As not to damage the blade. And the etched nick, works but it is very shallow. And then there is the dremel.
Then some people want handmade with as little machine work and DRO, as possible. And that can make a big difference in the layout of the handmade knife.
 
I don't know much about knife making, but I read that nail nicks are difficult for all the reasons given above. Some makers give/attend teaching sessions on that subject alone. As a knife lover, I've noticed that the quality of the nick and its placement gets better as the price of a slipjoint goes up.
 
RAN said:
not sure if this answers your question..but often when rendering the classic patters multi blade makers will try and be as faithful to the original.

makers like Shadley Boses Rogers Chamblin Cover Ruple are pretty exacting and are perfectionists to an incredible degree
Click to expand...
Well said RAN, I know that many in that group put quite a bit of effort into their nicks. (and I will add Bailey).

Took a look at all of my Custom slippies last night, yup some of em (Nicks) are not as well thought out as others, but the ones from those folks without exception look great and are positioned well on the blades.
 
Hey Guys, heres my 2 cents worth. When I first started making slipjoints I struggled with nail nicks. My first ones were done with a dremmel and boy did they look like it. I realized early on that no matter how good a job you do making the knife it is ruined with an ugly nail nick. So I bit the bullet and bought a mill. I do most of my nicks with a fly cutter in the milling machine.
I have also ground them in on the surface grinder and I have also used the milling machine to grind them in. For me the fly cutter does the cleanest job.
As for placement of the nick well thats really simple on a single blade knife or even a double blade but becomes tougher when you start dealing with 3, 4 or 5 blades. I always try to place the nick as far out on the blade as possible. This makes the blade easier to open. On some knives thats hard to do since you have to have access to all the nicks on the knife. By the way I feel honored to be mentioned in the list above.
Bill Ruple
 
i have passed on a number of otherwise beautiful slip joints because of poorly applied nail nicks. they were obviously done with a dremel and were "fatal flaws" as far as i was concerned

it behooves anyone who makes such a knife to buy an appropriate jig or machine to apply them ...or be a master of the dremel disk.
 
Wow, this is the kind of response I had hoped for :D Not so much the quantity but the quality of the comments.

I appreciate the comments from collectors and makers who knew what I was talking about! I would never criticize a makers work to them, or name names. I just see a lot of slipjoints that I'd love to own, made by fantastic artists, and then I see the old dremeled nail nick :barf:
 
This thread certainly sits well with me. I have only just started making knives and the nailnick on a slipjoint has me stymied. For a start, I have no immediate chance (absolutely none at all, according to my wife ... :D :D ) of getting a milling machine. A Mill would improve the precision on a wide range of jobs - the nail nick is just one of those jobs. For the moment, I am using the Scagel-styled hole in the blade variation of the nailnick simply because I can't make a nice looking nail nick at the moment.

So in short, I agree with you. If I can't make a good nail nick, I won't do it... I'll try some other way... :) Jason.
 
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