Custom knives

[JJHACK]

I have gone through so many knives in my life and more then likely 1/2 of them have been misplaced or lost in the bush. Good kinves are very much like good sunglasses for me. Neither last very long once I get them.

Over the years working in Africa I have managed to collect quite a lot of bizzare scraps and odds and ends. I had a sheet of tanned White Rhino skin and made binocular cases. I had my Buffalo hide tanned and also had custom made bino cases for my leicas and several of my friends with the Leicas and the Swarovskis. I had the same guy make me some 6 shell belt pouches for the 375 and 30/06 shells as well.

All these things are really nice and mean something to a guy like me who works and spends so much time in the bush. A few years ago we killed a few Bull Rhino on the consession. I took some of the bones and stored them away for a whole year. They were picked clean and dried safely in the rafters of the barn. This past year I was able to get a custom knife maker to use the bone to build me a few knives with the Rhino Bone as a handle.

At first glance the fact that the Rhino bone is actually the handle is cool, off the charts cool. Who has this in a hunting knife? However while mezmerized by the "coolness" of the handle I realized the thick heavy blade was sharper then a factory made broadhead blade. No surgeons scalpel could be more sharp. I never knew what sharp actually was until I held this knife in my hands. To be 100% honest with all of you, .......It scares me! Sure all knifes brand new are pretty sharp but this has gone to the next level. It's "sticky" sharp. Who amung us has not lightly drawn a finger across the blade of his knife to feel that edge? Who has not shaved hair off their arm?

You won't with this one! It's way to spooky to risk a filet of your forearm sliding off onto the floor. I'm not sure you would even feel it! To say I'm impressed with the construction of this would be a massive understatement. I now know what it means to have a custom knife. This is worth every penny of the price!



Is this awsome or what? Rhino bone, how cool is that!
If you want to see the guy who built this for me check this out:
http://www.javelinaknives.com/

[Seafarer]

Very nice knife. I checked out his site also.
What do you think makes this knife so sharp?
Thanks
Seafarer

[JJHACK]

I can only assume it's the type of steel and his skills or attention to detail.

[Graybeard]

That website of his sure leaves a lot to be desired. But I do like the looks of some of the knives in the gallery. Can't imagine not having some more or less standard models and prices listed tho.

[Brian T]

Did you go with the standard steel or the ATS-34?

[Don Fischer]

Back in the early 70's I had a knife made by Track knives of Whitefish, Mont. It was flat ground and one of thos impossibly sharp knives that refused to give up it's edge. The guy that made it told me that they flat grind for strength and the seceret to a sharp edge was to sharpen with paper, very fine grit, to polish the edge then strop it to finish it off. They never sharpened blade's with a stone and never used a steel hone. That knife served me well for year's and is now used by my son.

I don't recall the steel used except they used only carbon steel. They claimed it took a better edge, polished out better and held a better edge longer. Their test for edge holding ability was to cut a 4" hemp rope. They claimed to have done it 65 time's without resharping.

It seem's that the secret to super sharp edges was polishing them.

[Buckfever]

I am getting a knife any day from this custom builder.  he will send you an e-mail file with prices if you request.  He makes the knives out of Stainless or Tool Steel  O-1.  The tool steel holds an edge for a long time, shines just about as good as polished stainless, but takes a little more work to put the original edge on it.  He told me that one of his customers used a knife like the one in JJacks picture and dress two elk before it lost ,some of it's edge.  This man, Mike is a craftsman and he is very cordial in all of my communications.  I think his prices are very reasonable.  I am having built the same size knife as JJack with a KOA handle.  This is Hawaiian mahogany, great color, hard as can be.  I had the KOA and sent it to him.  This guy is the real deal, a younger man ( of course I am 56 almost everybody is getting to be younger), but he reminds me of the old world craftsman that were friends of my father.  The work wasn't right it didn't see the light of day.  This young guy could really go up the ladder.  

I will post when I get the knife.  I only know him by buying a knife from him and my communicatitions.  I think JJack has spoken to the quality of his product.    Buckfever

[TScottO]

Good looking knife JJ. That bone looks like it would make nice pistol stocks too.

Here is a knife I had Joel Bolden (sp), the moderator of the knife forum here at GB. It’s a traditional drop point with antique micarta stocks, mosaeic pins and nickel silver finger guards. The blade is made of 154CM SS.

The edge has held up to skinning and cutting up six whitetail deer and two hogs and will still shave hair.154CM SS is about as hard of a metal as you can go and still be able to sharpen the blade on a good stone, anything harder will require ceramic or some sort of diamond stone.

He did a real good job on this knife. I’m real satisfied and would do business with him again. He mailed me samples of liner material, proper dimensions sketches of the knife as well as the links where I could chose the type of bolsters I wanted to use.




Be Safe,
Scott

[Buckfever]

Same knife as JJack with KOA scales.  This is the sharpest knife I have ever owned.  It is 6" OAL with a 2 5/8" blade and is great for almost any job wjere you don't need a long reach.  It is made of D-2 a tool  steel, very hard steel.  Nice custom sheath.  I am totally pleased with this knife.  Guns and knives are like art to me and I am always looking for the next piece of art and artist.   Buckfever

[HuntingGuy]

JJ,

Sent you an email.

Thanks, Jason  

[JJHACK]

Did you send that Email? maybe I responded already? These forums are funny,........in that you see names here that do not match with real names or Email names,...... so its hard to keep track!

[HuntingGuy]

JJ,

The email is titled "Custom Knife" from crazy4pike@msn.com.  I sent you a PM containing the email as well.

I've just gotta make things hard on ya