Miscellaneous Knives

- Stick Tang & Damascus Knives etc. -

 

 

 

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To see photos of various type of knives I made to date click on respective link below...

LARGE KNIVES   SMALL KNIVES   BUSHCRAFT KNIVES   KNIFE SETS

 

 

 

The FFH Damascus Hunter

 

 

I made and donated this knife to be sold by Auction at a fund raising charity event in aid of Fishing for Heroes (FFH), hence the name. The profile of this knife is loosely based on the Puma White Hunter.

 

The Damascus blade is a combination of 4340 and 1095 steels, which makes for a nice contrasting raised pattern. As aesthetically pleasing as this knife is, it's still a thoroughly excellent working knife that will take and hold a good edge.

 

I can vouch for the knife's sharpness, because during the last buffing stage I momentarily lost concentration and the knife spun around and caught me at the base of my left thumb, resulting in a deep cut needing five stitches at the A&E. I still like the knife though!

 

 

The FFH Damascus Hunter in Olive wood

 

 

 

I've only sourced five of these Damascus blades and have only got two blades left. No doubt one of which I'll be making up for myself, but the other one I'll be happy to make up for anyone who fancies owning such a nice piece of kit that's not only very practical, but will not be out of place in an exclusive knife collection.

 

You can choose any handle material from my list and plain brass, silver or mosaic pins and matching lanyard tube. Sheath can be black, brown or two tone antique brown finish as plain or embossed as you like. Cost is £175 inclusive of  p&p to mainland UK addresses. Other destinations at cost.

 

 

An FFH Damascus Hunter in Red Deer Antler

 

 

This is one of the two blades that I had left and it now belongs to Chris. Because of the reflection, the pattern doesn't stand out as it should, but that's only due to my limited  photographic skills. The Damascus pattern is as good and as striking as for the other knives and I'm well pleased with it's rustic charm.

 

I've already started on making up the last blade for myself and should have it showing on here in due course. For the moment at least, I shall not be sourcing any more of these Damascus blades as I've got too much on with my main range of blades to be getting on with. 

 

 

 

 

LAST OF MY FFH BLADES MADE UP FOR MYSELF IN ANTLER AND HORN

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A worthy charitable cause has come my way and I've decided to offer this, my last FFH knife, towards its fund raising activities. I enjoyed making it and was very pleased with the way it turned out. But now it gives me even greater pleasure in donating it to support an admirable charitable cause.      

 

 

Superb quality Damascus Scandi blades from  USA.

 

 

These USA 'Scandi' grind quality blades are 3.2mm thick and have a very beautiful pronounced well figured Damascus 'Twist' pattern that can actually be felt and has a nice glint to it. The photo just doesn't do them justice! 

 

The 'Stick-Tang' on most commercial knives is nothing more than a flimsy thin rod welded on to the blade part, often liable to bending and even breaking during use, which could be damn dangerous!. The hidden tang on these blades is as thick and solid as the blade and therefore as substantial and will neither bend, work loose or break in normal use!

 

These Damascus blades are designed to be worked with. Yes, they look pretty, but they take and keep a very good edge and can hold their own, or are even better, than many so called 'Bushcraft' knives.

 

      SORRY - ALL GONE   

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A LITTLE BIT ABOUT DAMASCUS

 

There's a lot of information about DAMASCUS steel online, but it takes some wading through and much of it is overdone from a knife enthusiast point of view.

 

The art of making of Damascus is centuries old, but the same Damascus steel that was highly thought of then would not compare well to modern quality controlled Damascus steel. As new steels became available over the years, Damascus steel fit to make a good working knife from just got better and better. It's a big mistake, however, to think that all modern day Damascus is of good enough quality to make a good working knife from. Damascus is nearly always pretty, but it can vary from being excellent right down to utter rubbish and not even worth considering making a toothpick from! So buyers beware, there's no such thing as cheap (as in bargain priced low cost) top end Damascus steel or finished knives etc. for that matter. With Damascus you really get what you pay for!

 

Damascus steel is made up of two or more single steels, the combination of which affect not only the contrast in patterning, but more importantly, the viability of the resulting Damascus billet in regard to how good a knife it'll make. Many a collector will be happy with almost any Damascus bladed knife as long as the patterning is aesthetically pleasing, which is why for quite a long time Damascus tended to appeal mostly to collectors rather than real users. The production of Damascus steel varies, but generally speaking it's a process that involves forging different layers of steel into one mass, the resulting end pattern being arrived at by the way the steels are layered and forged together. The patterns are named according to what they resemble for the most part. Which pattern appeals is down to personal preference as it has no significance in the final billet/blade's strength. Strength, toughness, edge holding capability, sharpness etc., is down to the correct blending of steels that go into producing the blade. Some blends work better than others, that said, even I have my preferences when it comes to steel blends.

 

As for a single steel working bladed knife, a Damascus working bladed knife should be though, has an adequate hardness level, takes a good edge and keeps it long enough to do a fair amount of work with before needing sharpening. Not much to ask for is it? But it's surprising how easy it is to buy a knife that looks the part, but in practice is absolutely useless beyond serving as a letter opener! It could be a steep and expensive learning curve for anybody inexperienced in telling one Damascus product from another. Experience is just another term for mistakes we make and I've plenty of experience I can tell you! Even so, I'm no expert on Damascus, but I've learned enough not to be fooled by silly claims that some traders make. I must reiterate that going by looks alone could cost dearly. I now rely on trusted sources and am very selective with who I do business with. There are two main types of Damascus steels I work with now, one is a high quality Carbon based steel mix and the other one, albeit very expensive, is called Damasteel, a stainless variety that is produced through a process of powder steel metallurgy.

 

Whether you're a collector or proper user, you should always aim to get the best value for your money and remember the saying, buy cheap, buy twice...

 

I'm always willing to be of assistance where I can, so if you're having trouble with choosing a Damascus knife, contact me and I'll do my best to keep you right. Mind you, that said, please do bear in mind that it's impossible for me to get involved in lengthy e-mail exchanges, so keep it short and sweet and I'll do my part and help you not to waste your money and/or feel disappointed...