The Ultimate Irish Hunting Knife

davymoore

Yes, Sat 22nd only

Also I think the addision of a Steel to the sheath would be a good idea (I saw you have them on some of the survival knives on your own site) as nothing is worse then a dull blade and a fine piece like this will certainly see alot of use and be best served if it gets a regular touch up to keep the edge keen.

That steel you see with the bushcraft knives is a "FIRESTEEL" used for lighting fires,............ not a sharpening steel

lordarpad

Maybe, I don't know yet.

I forget, did we have a false edge?

davymoore

Yes, Sat 22nd only

Yes I am going to try to add the false edge. I don't know if the blade needs it but I'll do it and post the results and we'll see

davymoore

Yes, Sat 22nd only

macadam wrote: »

Looks very short, is that 100mm long blade, great to see them all the same.

Maca

mallards

Yes, Sun 23rd only

She looks good Davy. I could already imagine using it.

Mallards

davymoore

Yes, Sat 22nd only

False edge ground in .... Do we keep it ?









It looks way better than I originally thought it would.

peter fox

Good idea let me know if i can help

davymoore wrote: »

A challenge for you ...

Some of you may have seen THIS THREAD . Well from the general comments it seems that we have varied tastes when it comes to hunting knives in Ireland. From my own experiences I have found that knife styles vary from country to country and climate to climate. Take your typical Bowie knife it's a style well liked in the Western World but not so popular in Japan or the East where the Tanto or kukri are more in favour also if you look at the Scandinavians they have their own take on knife making.

Which brings me to this point and question. Why don't we have our own knife? I mean a knife that is the ultimate Irish hunting knife, one designed for our climate, that reflects our heritage. A knife that is a real User and a knife that you would be proud to carry and showcase as "The Ultimate Irish Hunting Knife"

Ok so a proposal then ...

I suggest that YOU the Hunters, Users, design the ultimate knife.

I will help by asking a series of questions regarding shape, style, material etc. We could vote on each section or question finally narrowing the whole thing down to the final design. Once the design has been voted on and approved I will build the knife.

I will document the build and post a photo diary here.

Now comes the nice part.....

Each person who participates in the design thread is entered into a Raffle. I will draw a name from a hat at the end of the build and the winner will receive the original knife.


Are you guys up for this ?

If so let me know by reply to this thread

Some rules will obviously have to apply and if we are to go ahead with this I'll clarify these later. First thing though is to see if there is enough interest in the build and whether it's worth bothering with.

So .... over to you

Hibrion

Maybe, I don't know yet.

False edge looks really good, I think we should keep it.
It'll look even nicer with the good steel.

Keep up the good work Davy.

jwshooter

davymoore wrote: »

i dont like the shape of the blade even to cut a rope the blade is two rounded .
more like a skinning knife that ultimate irish hunting knife .

i think if you were to use this knife as your general every day knife you would get to dislike it very quick .

scuttlebutt

Davy think it looks super, as for cutting rope its a hunting knife and surely that means a all rounder.

triskell

Hi Davy, its comming on grand, without the handle and guard it looks out of proportion to me (I'm not used to seeing naked Blades), as to to the false edge I'm don't like it, it seems very skinny In my opinion either make it deeper on the blade or no false edge at all, But this is really a cosmetic issue so its down to personal taste and likes.
Great to see it becoming a real thing, Great work Davy.
When this is finished any ideas how many your going to make with the jap steel. Very limited quanities I suppose, So put my name on one now.

Smokeyskelton

Maybe, I don't know yet.

Hi Davy,

Good work. I usually don't like a false edge, but I think on this knife it looks better than without it, but as already mentioned aesthetics are a personal thing. I suppose it's a judgement call, it should let the knife pierce a hide a little easier but also weaken the tip slightly.

Personally I think the ricasso/choil is a little bit too big, again a personal preference. I know the finger guard will make a big difference, but even so I'd prefer it either smaller or just a small choil that does not give the option to "choke up" on the blade.

However I'd like to repeat - great work. The back bolster shape and pins give it a distinctive profile. Keep it up.

Smokey

Double Barrel

Maybe, I don't know yet.

Hi Davy et al

A honest critique.

I think the knife looks clunky.

It needs to be streamlined.
There is way to much belly in the blade. A very shallow blade radius would help with the knifes primary purpose "a hunting knife" and definitely help with proportional lines and visual effects.
No false edge.
Straight handle.
The knife is not long enough for the handle design at the rear bolster. The larger curved end of the handle makes the knife look short and fat- clunky -


I really believe we need to rethink the "tang issue" from the beginning .... But .... that is just my personal opinion.

lordarpad

Maybe, I don't know yet.

Double Barrel wrote: »

Hi Davy et al

A honest critique.

I think the knife looks clunky.

It needs to be streamlined.
There is way to much belly in the blade. A very shallow blade radius would help with the knifes primary purpose "a hunting knife" and definitely help with proportional lines and visual effects.
No false edge.
Straight handle.
The knife is not long enough for the handle design at the rear bolster. The larger curved end of the handle makes the knife look short and fat- clunky -


I really believe we need to rethink the "tang issue" from the beginning .... But .... that is just my personal opinion.

Or if we don't want to rethink the tang issue, think slimmer? Also I thinkt the long ricasso emphasizes the chunkyness. Can we try slimmer, longer edge, shorter ricasso?

bradnailer

Nice blade love the grind, well done.

wicklow newbie

Yes, Sun 23rd only

Nice but maybe a bit chunky?

pajero2005

jwshooter wrote: »

i dont like the shape of the blade even to cut a rope the blade is two rounded .
more like a skinning knife that ultimate irish hunting knife .

i think if you were to use this knife as your general every day knife you would get to dislike it very quick .

I don't know much about hunting knives, but I would have to agree with jwshooter. It looks a bit rounded to me .

davymoore

Yes, Sat 22nd only

Ok
From the comments made it appears that the blade looks "CLUNKY" and that the deeper belly and long Ricasso are emphasizing this. It would appear that the overall idea is good but that we should go for a slimmer profile with a shorter ricasso. This to give the blade a more "AllRounder" feel rather than it's current "Skinner" appearence.

Take a look at the image below (Apologies for my photography skills) is this the profile you want ?



I think ... from what I picked up from the latest comments, that the new profile (BOTTOM) is what you would like to see in the finished blade. It certainly takes out a lot of the belly in the blade and gives it a slimmer multi-task profile. This new profile though, does not!!, in my opinion, warrant a false edge and if we go with this shape then the false edge should be scrapped.

Unfortunately I can take metal off but I can't put it back on so a new prototype will have to be made from scratch. Because the blade has already been "Hollow Ground" slimming down the profile of the current model is not an option as this would make the edge far too thick and of course I can't add material back to the ricasso area.

This sets us back a couple of weeks but I'd rather we took the extra time and got it right rather than produce something that does not do the required job. That being said I don't want to spend the entire summer redoing prototypes. Therefore I need serious / relevant input so if you have anything to say about this latest design please say it now as I'd ideally like to have some available in time for this years hunting season.

SPEAK NOW OR FOREVER HOLD YOUR PEACE

All that being said I really, really do like the current model, false edge & all and I will definitely be making this design although perhaps as the "Ultimate Irish Skinning Knife" and I will have them available for anyone who like this design and wants one later in the year so it wasn't a lost cause. Who knows maybe someone with deep pockets might even want a matched pair..

Regards

Davy

davymoore

Yes, Sat 22nd only

Double Barrel wrote: »

Hi Davy et al
I really believe we need to rethink the "tang issue" from the beginning .... But .... that is just my personal opinion.

DB

I made my opinion on this very clear from the start. I would have gone for a hidden tang rather than for the full tang and I still believe that this would have been the way to go.

However the question was asked and voted upon and the full tang won out by almost a 3/1 majority so that's that.

Full Tang it is ... I think Paul has done a marvellous job designing a handle for the knife I've seen some of his knives finished with this handle style before and trust me on this one folks, you won't be dissapointed in the finished article

lordarpad

Maybe, I don't know yet.

Hi Davy

thanks for that and yes that definitely looks more all round and more elegant. Would you mind terribly drawing in the false edge just to see what it wouyld look like?

cheers

jwshooter

getting the now davy, but i would still like the way the first blade hollow ground and the false edge. will keep the blade slim n east to put a very sharp edge to.

lordarpad

Maybe, I don't know yet.

jwshooter wrote: »

getting the now davy, but i would still like the way the first blade hollow ground and the false edge. will keep the blade slim n east to put a very sharp edge to.

seconded

davymoore

Yes, Sat 22nd only

Shown now with proposed false edge the problem is that there probably wont be enough material (Thickness left to grind this edge in. but we shall see...







What I am trying to say about the false edge on the knife is that because we are slimming down the blade, I have to go down to a 10" wheel to hollow out the blade grind properly this will leave less material on the spine of the blade and therefore might make it impossible to achieve a false edge without completely weakening the spine. At the moment I am only surmizing this and will have to wait till I have the new shape ground out before I know for sure.

Davy

bradnailer

I think you should finish your prototype before you go changing anything, it's one thing looking at a blade in 2D on a screen and a different matter altogether holding it in your hand as you can. The current long "Choil" in front of the guard allows you to place your index finger past the guard so your hand is positioned higher on the blade for when you need a more intimate level of control.
Again I think it looks great and the lack of a handle may be making the ground area look small.

And another thing that choil is going to be an asset in keeping that edged well honed lots of space.

Breachloader

No

Hey Davy,

I think the first design looks perfect (false edge and all), if you make knives of this blade design down the road, you can sign me up, I'll definitely buy one.

Looking forward to the next stage.
Keep up the good work..

Breachloader

wicklow newbie

Yes, Sun 23rd only

lordarpad wrote: »

seconded

Likewise.

Offy

Some time ago you asked for the views of designers so there one. Don't judge the component until you see the finished assembly.
Last Friday I received some sample components from a firm in India. They didn't look good. I used some very accurate optical measuring equipment to inspect them. They were damn good samples and fitted the assembly very well. Looks can be deceiving.
I like both blades but its to soon to judge the knife.

Double Barrel

Maybe, I don't know yet.

Point taken Davy. I am well aware of your preference as is evident by the knives you build and what you have written on this forum. Just stirring the pot .. ..

The profile in the background has that streamlined "pointy" look to it a la Bowie, Buck, Randell (Pathfinder, Denmark etc.)



I trust your judgement on the handle as you have seen this builders work.

Smokeyskelton

Maybe, I don't know yet.

I think I prefer the second design, but as you said, I don't think the false edge is necessary on the more streamlined blade.

I hope all your hard work pays off with orders.

Smokey

davymoore

Yes, Sat 22nd only

I'm up the walls with orders as is .... I hope we come up with a great knife

I think we will ... we already accidently came up with a great skinner