Knifemaking: The Farriers Rasp Kinfe

Farrier's Rasp Knives:

A viable alternative to for those that want to make a mean field knife that requires no forging. These knives are wicked sharp, and will cut through mild steel! I am able to achieve hair-shaving sharpness, and so far the blades are proving to have good edge holding capability.

Be sure you start out with the best file you can find: I  buy these at flea markets, pawn shops, lawn sales or on ebay. 
Look For the following:

Black Diamond

Bellota

Old Nicholson

Heller

Any German Brand

Swiss Brands

Any OLD American Brand

Here's some files at the start of the process:

First step:
We will grind and shape the knife blank.
Using a side grinder; grind off the surfaces on both sides to knock down most of the file teeth. Use a flat grinding wheel and ensure you take even cuts to ensure a flat surface.
Than make a template and use a cut-off wheel and a grinding wheel to make your knife blank:

The most important thing when working with the files, is not to overheat the steel; thereby loosing the hardness and temper. Take your time and don't overeat the steel. Cooling with water will help.

At this point, I throw the blanks into an oven and temper the steel at 425 degrees for (1) hour. Take 'em out and let air cool, than put them back in the oven at the same temp for another hour, than remove and air cool.

This should give you a good temper, while retaining adequate hardness from the original file.

Next step: 

Clean-up the blade shape and grind the bevels with an angle jig and a belt sander.

I like the "scandi / saber" type grind, which brings the bevel up about halfway on the blade.

Mark the centerline first and take your time, make even passes.

Next step:

Spot anneal the handle and lanyard holes. This will allow drilling without a carbide bit, while still retaining hardness of the blade.

Finally:

Make and attach your handles. I am using stabilized oakwood handles, fastened with stainless capscrews and handle furrles.

At this pont you can do a final sharpening with a wet stone and diamond hone.

I also sand and gun-blue the steel.

Sheath Options:

I am making Kydex sheaths, as these offer durability and more options for carry or attachment go your gear.

If you want to go the classic route, a nylon or leather sheath is always viable.

The collection; a work in progress:

These will be available in my store in the near future, so check often! 

I am taking custom orders as well, so contact me with your questions.

The Budget Fieldcraft Knife

Here is an evaluation on an interesting version of a knife that has been popular for years.
If you want a great knock around field knife in the classic style, BUY THIS KNIFE!
You won't be disappointed.

As we see, the knife is a classic example in shape, size and design. The sheath is a thermoplastic material, and the handle is a hard plastic. The color is a desert tan tone.

The sheath and nylon straps are minimal, and I recommend lanyarding the knife, or adding more strapping if you are carrying this knife under harsh conditions.

KNIFE SPECIFICATIONS:
Length: 10- 3/4" OAL, Grip: 4- 13/16" long, Blade: 6- 1/16" long, 3/16" thick steel,  Advertised as 440C Stainless steel, Grip is a hard textured plastic. Sheath is a hard thermoplastic material and has a nylon belt web system of thinner material than traditional versions.                       

Sawing apart the knife to see what's inside:

Inside we see that the full tang is of standard style design.


So now we see that aside from the materials used, the knfe is basically a faithful design and utility of the classic field knife. All things considered, this is a great buy for a knife you aren't worried about trashing, loosing or giving away as a gift.

TO PURCHASE; Go To the Store:
Fieldcraft Knife

Tactical Rail Sling Mount on a Budget

                    This $3.98 Imported Picatinny Rail Sling mount will be reviewed today:

For starters, it is a very low profile mount, that is of minimal size, and yet surprisingly rugged for what it is.

I thought what the hell, for less than $4 delivered from hongkong, it was worth a try.

                   Here it is as received from a far-away e- commerce seller, 7 days after buying.



Some other views:

As we can see: this small aluminium sling mount is minimalist, and for normal range duty it may suffice.

Here's some dimensional information:
1.230" Long, .470" Wide, .805" Tall, .276" Hole, Lug is .230" wide

Here's the mount on a rifle: I have had great luck with using surplus grenade rings as sling mounts, and this setup illustrates their utility:

Lastly, We need to put this mount to a good torture test to determine field readiness. Suggested is to loc-tite the screw, and to ensure you choose the optimal location as the low-grade aluminium threads will eventually pull out with too many location changes!
Stay tuned for the torture test!

M-Tech Update

SO, we have removed the cheesy "paracord" Handle wrap, and are in the process of creating some nice knife scales:

Next, we'll get around to fastening the scales with bolsters, finish shaping and finishing the handle assy's.
Finally, we'll get the blade into a suitable sheath!

The ITK-E Field Knife Project

Here's how we Upgrade the inexpensive imported  MTECH  MT528C into a ITK-E (Imported Tactical Knife-Enhanced) back-up or primary field knife. First- Obtain one of these babies from Amazon or Ebay at around $10.00.
Some specifications of this knife:

• 10.5-Inch overall  With a 5.5-Inch blade
• Approx. 3/32" Thick: Surprisingly has Minimal to No flexing
• 1 5/16" Widest at the bade end
• 440 stainless steel; "imported grade"
• Green Nylon Paracordcord wrap handle
• Minimalist nylon sheath  

Optimizing cheap chinese knives

                                            What to do with cheap chinese fighting knives?

As you can see: the above knife is a typical ebay find, at about $15.00 shipped. It is a reasonable 3/16" thick "440 stainless steel" knife, at 12-1/2" long. The steel is stainless, although slightly magnetic. A 5-day water bath showed no corrosion. It sharpens relatively easily, and holds an edge quite well.

The problem with these knives is the finish and the handles.

I sandblasted this one, KG Gun-Koted it, and made a new set of Teakwood handles

Came out pretty nice, and handles much better!
This is my "Field Carry"  knife that I don't mind beating the crap out of.

A cool tactical knife, for little money!