Custom knives

[sagittarius]

Anyone here collect custom knives ?
Here's my latest from Ray Rogers.
It's a beast of a folder.
It is 10" in overall length, has stabilized Mammoth Ivory Scales, 416 stainless bolsters, Titanium frame and lock, 3 1/2" S30 V blade, and weighs 15 ozs.
Took only 23 months to get it.

Post some pics of your own customs or factory knives if you wish.
Love to look at knife pics.

[sagittarius]

Here's another custom folder I got from Ray last year.
It has an all titanium frame and liner lock.
Took only 16 months to get this one.

[Buckrub]

I will try to get a picture, but I use Legler Knives.........guy out of KC, MO. Very nice stuff. I can't afford but one or two, but they are a cut above the off-the-shelf stuff, for sure. They have a nice website.

www.leglerknives.com/gallery1.html

I have the gut-hook Wellington.....and a nice custom scabbard with my initials.

[mshm99]

Hey Sag , bring that over and I'll put an edge on that with my bench grinder! ;D ;D ;D

Very nice. Out of my league. Marbles is as far up the scale as I'll go!

mshm

[ET]

For my 50th birthday my cousin in Europe who took up knife making gave me this sweet hunting knife he made. Blade is 5-1/2” long and construction design is just meat and potatoes. This is the kind of knife you really want in the wild.
Then my other cousin here in Canada who does leather work decided to give me a belated present of a custom sheath. Yep 2003 was a great year.





Ed

[Harley]

While not a "custom" knife, the Russell is not "everyday", either. I've had an original 1964 Russell Belt Knife since 1964, and just jumped on this folder model when it was first offered. If they could find a way to include a gut hook, I'd think I'd gone to knife heaven. I was told, though, that the blade would be weakened by adding a gut hook.

www.grohmannknives.com/pages/r300s.html

Harley

[jims]

Harley: I have a fixed blade DH Russell. A good knife as you say, the only thing I regret is I ran it through the Chef's Choice Sharpener, I would have been better served with the Lansky I think.

[Harley]

Then you know, Jims, there has never been a knife that feels so "right" in your hand.

Harley

[orion]

Thats a really nice looking knife, it looks and sounds pretty heafty for a folder which is nice, since so many are really flimsy. I am amazed at the different steels all the guys use and the arguments that ensue about which is better, tougher, sharper, etc.

I just sold a Randall R1 with Stag handle. Had to part with it, one of those things in life you know you will regret later. Like a lot of guns I have sold or traded over the years. But some times you gotta do what you gotta do.

There are quite a few great custom knife makers out there. I was thinking about buying a book on how to make my own and giving it a try some time.

Regards

[Harley]

Orion, I'm not pushing the Russell, but since you admired it, I should tell you I believe Russell sells components from which to build/assemble your own.

Funny thing: I bought the Russell folder pictured on my posted link, kept it unused in a box for about three years. Couldn't bear to scratch it; so, this past Christmas I sent it to my son. It's a knife to pass on after a generation of using, not keeping in a box.

Harley

[sagittarius]

Almost forgot this thread; thanks for the comments, guys.
Here's a Busse Battle Mistress from their custom shop I bought last year.
Later had buyers remorse and sold it to a guy at bladeforums.
It was too rich for my blood.
It has brass bolsters and liners, plus Mammoth tooth scales.

[sagittarius]

Here's a monster chopper I had Ray build me, that, I received after 19 months.
It has an 11 1/2" CPM 3V blade, with a 1/2" thick spine, and micarta handles.
It weighs 5lbs.
Decided it was too heavy and sold it to a new happy owner at bladeforums.

[ozark]

I am in the market for a quality foldig knife that has a quality blade that will take a keen edge. I don't like any part of the blade to be serated. I would like the blade to be about 3 1/2 inches long and a lock open system when the blade is opened. I will pay up to a hundred bucks but don't want to wait on a custom knife to be made. Any good leads. Ozark

[Harley]

Ozark, you can't do better than the Russell I posted about, earlier. I don't know the price, but it is probably just north of $100. Sometimes they have blems for less.

Harley

[orion]

I like custom knives alot. They really show the craftmanship, same as fine guns. All those knifes you guys have shown are pretty cool. I guess the knives really hit a primal nerve in some of us. Holy crap that Busse is something, were you crazy to get rid of that?

I have had good luck with benchmade folders, I have an old Mel Pardue model with ATS-34 which is pretty good, but I can't sharpen a knife worth a dam, I have better luck with some of the high carbon steels than the stainless versions. A lot of folks are raving about Bark River knives they look good and are made of A2 steel which is supposed to be pretty good all round steel. The VG10 and S30V are supposed to be really great in the smaller folders. Any of you guys ever use any knives with those?

Regards

[rossman40]

ATS-34 is a alloy made by the Hitachi foundry in Japan. The American version is 154CM which wasn't made in the US in any knife making sizes for a long time but is becoming available again but the price is more then the Hitachi made. While super hard it is tough to polish and other steels are out there that are better to sharpen and even hold a edge better.

S60V and S30V are alloys made by Crucible in a special process that starts off powdered. S30V was developed just for knives and is a bit better the S60V. There is a new alloy in this series, S90V which is supposed to be the best.

The true test of a master knife maker is his abilities to heat treat (harden) the metals to the right level for that alloy for that use. One of the big problems you run into is makers will try to get the steels as hard as possible and too much just makes them brittle. A good example is 440C. At 56Rc you can make a 90 degree bend with it and it will not break, 60Rc and it will break before bending.

A-2 is a good all around knife steel and a bit better to work with then D-2. D-2 while a pretty good steel doesn't finish as well as A-2.

Supposedly the largest supplier to the knife industry is Admiral Steel,

www.admiralsteel.com/

Pick your steel and they will even laser cut your blanks.

[chuck41]

I can't help but stop to drool over the custom knife displays, but when it comes down to laying down my hard earned bread I always pass. Love to look at these pieces of art and craftsmanship but always end up opting for the cheap utility blade that is merely adequate to do the job I had in mind.

Have one knife that I keep around to look at and bring it out occasionally for just that purpose. No one seems to appreciate it but me. It is an OLD TIMER that belonged to my Dad and the blades are worn down from years of repeated sharpening. He kept that thing razor sharp and as a teenager I borrowed it often. There is rust damage from my improper storage out in the barn before I realized what it was but it is still a thing of beauty to me. Every time I look at it I remember the squirrel and rabbit hunts we enjoyed so many years ago. Just like his Win model 12 16 guage that I keep in my gun case. It too comes out to view, clean and admire but not to shoot any more. Sometimes beauty truly is in the eye of the beholder.