Knives..

[just_a_hunter]

Lets see some of your knives.

I'm a knife maker and thought I would share a few of mine. Just to clearify, I am not a custom knife maker, just a knife maker and none of these are for sale. I'm not trying to pimp my knives as I make very few of them. Just wanted to show them off I guess but I love knives and would also appreciate seeing some of yours.

Hand made or not, post what you got!

Todd

 

[krazy]

Wish I had something to post! Those are some awesome knives! Nice work!

 

[Flatlandr]

I'm not a knife builder but just had to comment on the beautiful knives!
Looking forward to seeing everyone's handiwork.

 

[tex270]

Great looking knives Todd. I would not take for the knife you made for me. Something that will be handed down for generations. Look forward to seeing other posts.

 

[BuzzH]

A friend of mine made these. Havent used them much since this picture was taken, but they are great knives.

 

[just_a_hunter]

Thanks, Fellas!

BuzzH,

Send me that ram head and we'll chop it up and make knife scales out of it.... What???....

It looks like your buddy builds a fine knife. Thanks for sharing.

Todd

 

[kilowatt]

Here is one that a MM member made for me and some other MM'ers have also bought from him, all great knives made by RELH.

Brian
http://i44.tinypic.com/es7x8z.jpg[/IMG]

 

[just_a_hunter]

That is a way nice knife. Thanks for posting killowatt.

Todd

 

[maverick351]

Those antler/bone handle knives are so sweet. I'd love to own something like that

 

[tex270]

Hey Todd I have some good cured out oak, pecan and mesquite. If you need any of this type of wood for some scales, send me the dimensions you need and I will bring some when we come up, for the wifes antelope hunt.

 

[Gator]

Wow those are some good looking knives.
What kind of steel are you using.

"I have found if you go the extra mile it's Never crowded".
>[Font][Font color = "green"]Life member of
>the MM green signature club.[font/]

 

[just_a_hunter]

LAST EDITED ON Aug-09-14 AT 11:41AM (MST)[p]Thanks again for the comments. Very humbling.

Gator, I use L6 and hoof rasps. Once in a while either 416c or 440c stainless. Rasps are not brittle like files are and make a great blade.

Tex,

All the wood I use is stabilized. Makes it take a shine real nice and makes it a lot stronger but thanks for the offer. Bring that knife you want a sheath made for..

A friend of mine drew the Henry Mountain Buffalo tag this year after 25ish years of trying.

He doesn't know its coming but I made him this knife. Buffalo horn scales. I had a hard time finding it and a big enough end piece without having to purchase a whole skull. It was an expensive experiment but man does it go well on a knife. Cross draw holster and buffalo nickel concho.

Happy hunting and thanks again.

Todd

 

[MuleyFreak72]

Wow... You make some Great looking knives. I have quite a few knives, but have never had a custom made knife. Maybe someday once I get the kids raised! Lol..
Keep up the Awesome work.

Mike

 

[RELH]

Gator, that knife that Kilowatt posted is S30V stainless steel heat treated to 60RC. I have several reports from hunters that stated they were able to field dress and skin out two elk without having to stop and touch up the edge.

RELH

 

[2stamp]

You make some very nice tools! I'm guessing you do your own sheaths also?

Buffalo horn can be tempermental sometimes (having made a few buffalo horn powderhorns), that's a great knife right there.

 

[just_a_hunter]

RELH,

You build a beauty of a knife. I was taking mine to 60 RC but I've had problems with hunters not being able to get an edge on them and also the blades were chipping when they would get rough with them (using them as hatchets and abuse etc..) I now settle for 57 to 58 RC (according to the books, never actually tested one).. My personal knives I've made at 60 RC and love it there. Any advise? Does the hollow grind help integrity? Once again, Beautiful blade..

2stamp,

I do build my sheaths and its been a great learning experience. I am still really novice with the leather work but I've made some huge improvemnts.

The first sheath I made and man was I ever proud of it..

And the buffalo knife is the last one I made. (I don't mean to repost, just an easier side by side evoloution comparison.

They Kydex is quite a bit easier to work with.

Thanks,

Todd

 

[RELH]

LAST EDITED ON Aug-19-14 AT 09:31PM (MST)[p]Just_A_hunter;

The majority of my knives are made of S30V stainless steel and I do heat treat to a finish temper of 60RC. I have not had any complaints of the blades chipping out over the past 5 years I have been selling them.
CPM who is the sole maker of that steel, and R.J. Martin, a top knife maker who also uses S30V in his tactical knives recommend that hardness for S30V as the best for all around use.
Yes they are hard to re-sharpen at that hardness, but most of my hunters want a knife that will allow them to field dress game without having to stop in the middle of field dressing and touch up the edge. I also include a Eze-Lap 600 grit diamond pocket stone with my S30V knives as Arkansas stones are slow to use on steel this hard.
I use a hollow grind as I feel it is best for slicing meat then a flat grind. I also use a convex grind on the cutting edge as it provides more metal behind the sharp edge and helps to prevent chipping out of the edge.
I also make knives using 1095 high carbon steel that is similar to the L6 you are using. I also heat treat that to 59-60 RC with a convex grind on the cutting edge.

Try using belts to convex grind your cutting edge and I think you will see a improvement on preventing chipping out. I also have a Ames hardness tester and test all my blades to insure they are at the correct hardness I want in that blade.

Since you use a flat grind, take your grind down to where your edge is about 30 thousand in thickness and stop there on the flat grind. Then use a belt grinder to grind the final edge with a convex grind. I start with a 100 grit belt to get the burr, then 220, 400, 600, 800 and a 1200 grit then a polishing belt to remove the fine burr. Be careful not to overheat your L6 edge and you will end up with a hair popping razor edge.

RELH

 

[just_a_hunter]

LAST EDITED ON Aug-19-14 AT 09:54PM (MST)[p]Thanks for the reply.

Once again, beautiful blades!

Thanks for the advise. I slackbelt the rasp or stainless knives to get the convex grind you are talking. I never have convexed the edge but I suspect the buffer will round it off a little when I polish the blade. I am going to try that route, thanks for the tip.

A guy has to get real physical with a knife to break or chip it at 60 RC but I stand behind my product and if a guy pays custom prices for a knife he ought to be able to use it however he wants and have it hold up. Mine have only failed when people were using the knife for far more than any knife is designed to be used such as chopping ribs out, chopping (not cutting) the head off, using a rock to hammer the knife through a pelvis etc... I dare say any knife will fail under those conditions but used as a pry bar my knives at 60RC will break. Maybe its also the narrower design of my blades. Either way, I haven't had any problems since I went a little softer. I have litterally shaved my face with one of my knives before. The beauty of L6 is how sharp you can get it.

I also dare say (and I'm probably going to step on some toes here) but most guys do not know how to sharpen a knife, hence the huge success of the havalon products. My case pocket knife is usually as sharp as my havalon paranta. Don't get me wrong, anybody can get one to where it will half assed cut but a knife should be sharpened once to the owners edge then honed the rest of its life.

Thanks again for your time!

Todd

 

[RELH]

I will warranty my knives for any defect in material or assembly of the knife, but I exclude abuse of the knife to void any warranty. So far in 5 years no complaints.
I found that the vast majority of my customers are experienced enough to know how to treat a custom knife and take care of their knives. Yes there are people out there that will abuse a knife by using it as a pry bar or hatchet or even throwing the knife. Most of those people are satisfied with cheap China made knives.
As for being able to sharpen a knife, I agree that most hunters have a difficult time doing that chore. For those guys I recommend they purchase a "Work Sharp" knife sharpener that will allow them to keep the convex edge on their knife razor sharp. Heck I bought one for my youngest son to use so he would stop bringing all his kitchen knives to me to re-sharpen. plan to get one for my oldest son as well. The wife refuses to use one and told me it is my job to keep her knives sharp. I go along with that since I want to eat dinner prepared by her and not me.

RELH

 

[maverick351]

I am curious if you would consider selling one? I'm interested in speaking with you about these knives.

 

[Aaronjhanson]

Come follow me on facebook
https://www.facebook.com/AaronJHansonCustomKnives

 

[Aaronjhanson]

Come follow me on facebookhttps://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100004674400493

 

[Aaronjhanson]

I'm a small time custom knife maker (part time). I make user knives.

 

[carnicero]

Gorgeous knives! Very good work.

 

[brokenneck]

You guys mention "NOT KNOWING HOW TO SHARPEN A KNIFE"
I fall into that category. I can get a knife sharp enough to work, but I know what a sharp knife is, and I just can never get it all the way there. Do you have any tips? I've bought a bazillion sharpeners, and just don't get them where I want them, this the reason I bought a havalon.......lol

 

[brokenneck]

I can't figure out how to add a picture.
I took a picture with my phone of a custom knife that a guy made for me for a tip on an elk hunt. Some ##### stole the knife from me for a year until I caught him using the knife (he tried claiming he bought it, wad to stupid to realize you couldn't buy this knife anywhere)
Anyway, in the meantime, he broke the marble handle on it at one of the rivets. Would any of you guys be able to make me a new handle and put on it? I would pay you. It has a lot of memory in the knife. It was a great elk hunt that I will never forget, although I have lost contact with the hunter. I would love to get it fixed!

I also have a beautiful knife made in the custom department from buck knives. It is number 105 out of 500 made I believe. Does anyone know what a knife like thus is worth? It has a antler handle, with an elk head cut clear through the blade.

I also have a knife my dad gave me 25 years ago , when I was 12 and my first year hunting. He had it engraved "to my hunting buddy , love dad.1991" it means a lot to meas well.

I wish I could post pictures. They may not be as cool as your knives, but I think a lot of them.
You guys do outstanding work! What price range do those knives cost?

 

[Aaronjhanson]

brokenneck, if you can get in touch with the guy who made the custom knife that is broken, i would ask if it can be repaired.

One would have to cut and sand off the original handle. it's not as easy as it sounds.

 

[bzobell]

PM Sent

 

[just_a_hunter]

>brokenneck, if you can get in
>touch with the guy who
>made the custom knife that
>is broken, i would ask
>if it can be repaired.
>
>
>One would have to cut and
>sand off the original handle.
>it's not as easy as
>it sounds.

Aaronj,

Nice knives and thanks for sharing!

Brokenneck,

Aaron has sound advice. It can be repaired but to be honest, the repairs would cost nearly as much as a new knife. It being marble complicates the crap out of it and you'll have a hard time finding a maker to re scale it with the same marble. You just can't saw that stuff off. Plus, the blade has been heat treated so the rivet holes are going to be a beoch to resize and finding the correct size of rivit the original maker used can be tough. That being said the knife can be repaired if you'll find a maker to do it. Not to be rude but I won't touch another custome knife. I've refurbed and repaired factory knives a bunch but working on another mans knife treads on kissing another mans wife. I know I wouldn't want any other style influence on my blades.

Happy hunting,

Todd