Knives - modern vs traditional

[Rick]

flandersander - The tang is the part of the knife that the handle is attached to. A full tang is as Crash said. The metal of the blade extends to the end of the handle. It's one piece of metal from the tip to the butt end of the knife. The "handle" is referred to as scales and attaches to either side of the tang by screws, rivets or sometimes pins. It can also be nothing more than paracord wrapped around the tang. A full tang eliminates potential weak points where the tang attaches to the blade because it's one continuous piece.

You can also find rat-tailed tangs. The maker generally attaches a rod to the end of the blade. Today, that's commonly done by welding it on. Then the handle is slipped on over the rat-tail. Sometimes there is a decorative cap at the end that is screwed onto the rat-tail rod to hold the handle on. It's a lighter method of making the knife but a weaker method since the knife can break at the weld.

Stub tangs are really short pieces of metal or rod welded to the end of the knife. Normally not more that a couple of inches long. The handle can be glued on, pinned on or both. You'll find these in cheap kitchen knives. Now you have two weak points. The knife can break at the weld like the rat-tail OR the handle can break away from the stub. If the stub happens to be one piece with the blade you'll find the metal around the hole where it is pinned can also break on a downward cut since all the pressure is applied at that point. Not uncommon to have the blade come right out of the handle.

[trax]

FVR, klkak and Gray Wolf between them said everything anyone needs to know about knives, IMHO, a knife is a knife is a knife, get a knife ...use it...if you don't like it get a different knife. But I agree absolutely with Gray Wolf about a full tang.

flandersanders, what in God's name were you doing sticking a knife into a rabbit's breastbone to skin it?

[Beo]

Here's a bad pic of my knives for trekking and that I use in the wilderness.
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These are just tools, its just a knife, and all are full tang but the bottom one which is for used on fish and as a cooking knife in camp. Troopers is secone from bottom in knife stack. Top knife is the one I made.

[Gray Wolf]

Beo, I like that hatchet on the top.

[Bibow]

beo , how long is that hawk at the bottom?

[trax]

Really like that 'hawk at the bottom of the pic bro

[Riverrat]

Nice set Beo, like a Trax said, really like that hawk at the bottom.

[Rick]

like a Trax said

a Trax? Is there more than one? Whoa is me......

[nell67]

a Trax? Is there more than one? Whoa is me......

Nope,there is only one,unless there is something he hasn't told me???

[trax]

a Trax? Is there more than one? Whoa is me......

Hey, there's three or four just running around in my head, I don't know about any others besides those

[Riverrat]

Hee hee, oops....

[Jericho117]

Depends, I enjoy the primitive ways but I at least carry a modern knife on me, I only use crude flint blades when my knife is dull and I don't have a sharpener.

[Beo]

The pipe hawk is 18 1/4 inches long, the handle is drilled and is a working pipe also.
I'm looking at making another one, never made a hawk let alone one that is smokeable.
I'm gonna have to order the head but I'll be looking in the forests for a good wood, I
want curly maple but I don't wanna cut into the big maple tree where I hunt just for a hawk handle.

[Beo]

I got me a new lead ladle and .60 cal bullet mold so I'm gonna make my own round balls for my flinter, I was thinking of using copper instead of lead, I got a huge jar of pennies and was gonna make about 30 to see how they would fire.

[Jay]

Well guys, over here we dont have brand name knives. What I use are homemade kinves and axes. however one of the knives in the pic is from America. A friend brought it for me. can u guess which one?
I once checked out a Ka-bar about 8 years ago...it cost 7500rupees. way beyond my budget! But I find that our knives are best suited for our jungles even if they a touch crude.

[Gray Wolf]

The picture is small (yes even enlarged), but I'll guess the top left knife. What's the story behind the bottom bow?

[nell67]

The picture is small (yes even enlarged), but I'll guess the top left knife. What's the story behind the bottom bow?

if you click on it again,it will get bigger Gray Wolf
I guess the the one next to the bottom on the left?

[Gray Wolf]

Thanks nell, but I just forgot to put on my glasses.


Now that I can see, I'm stickin with the top left...

[Jay]

The picture is small (yes even enlarged), but I'll guess the top left knife. What's the story behind the bottom bow?

The bottem bow is one that I made myself from a picture I saw in a magazine about native american bows. it is made from Gauva wood. Works pretty well for small game. The second knife from the top on the right is an American kinfe. A friend got it for me from a kinfe show in Tucson, Arizona a few years ago. Nice kinife...but will not stand up to the riggors of our jungles. fairly good as a skinner....which it was ment to be I guess.

[Gray Wolf]

The bottem bow is one that I made myself from a picture I saw in a magazine about native american bows. it is made from Gauva wood.

Nice work on that bow Jay!