Patch Knives.. show & tell!

[hawkeye1755]

yup! thin short blade..handles,... thinkin lots of possibilties.well if i had any talent or skills! that is.. :haha: maple ones look real good,,then the leg bone ones...oh gees.. damascus blade be real nice...whoops! out my price range.. okay lil...... :hmm: :hmm: :hmm:

Now i'm confused. :shocked2:

But a beautiful wood handle sounds cool.
:hatsoff:

 

[Goldhunter]

Damascus you say?

 

[RC]

Damascus you say?

SHOW OFF! dang it thats what I's talkin bout! well least i can look at pics of em! :grin:

 

[Goldhunter]

Damascus you say?

SHOW OFF! dang it thats what I's talkin bout! well least i can look at pics of em! :grin:

:grin: :grin: :haha:

 

[deanscamaro]

Okay, here's a new idea for a patch knife. I was at an old time smoke pole guy's shop yesterday talking to him about all the things newbies ask about. I mentioned that I was trying to come up with an idea for a patch knife and he gave me one (literally). He gave me the blade (the handle wasn't there) from a straight razor, really sharp. After thanking him, I was trying to decide whether to put an antler handle on it or a wooden one. I have some beautiful cocobolo (I have lots of beautiful wood, being a woodturner). Give me some opinions (I am going to make the razor into a patch knife). :hmm: :hmm:

 

[paulvallandigham]

Straight razors make great patch knives. I have one I won in a shoot. Mine has an antler handle on it. Any kind of exotic wood will make a classy looking patch knife. It really depends on whether you want to show off your own work, or produce something that is " period correct". If the latter, than antler, lr plain wood slabs for a handle make it. If the former, use what you have. If you want to make one to sell, make it as ornate as you can. Ornate Handles often sell otherwise common blades of all descriptions, when plain handles don't draw much interest. People like being both " the same " and also " unique ".

I do recommend that you consider putting some kind of finger guard at the front of the handle, but leave enough space behind the blade so that your index finger can wrap around the guard in front of it, with the guard fitting nicely between your index finger and your middle finger. That helps you maintain a better grip and control when using this very sharp blade to cut patches off at the muzzle. There is usually a shoulder at the back of a straight razor to protect barbers from getting their fingers out on to the blade, accidentally, and this function should be carried on in the razor's use as a patch knife.

 

[deanscamaro]

Okay, Paul, I respect your knowledge and experience and I thought I would show you what I am thinking.

This is the razor and I am thinking of putting a cocobola handle on, with a curving handle down, at the hasp, that helped avoid slipping your fore-finger towards the blade, if you know what I am talking about. If you held it in your hand, your fore-finger would be at the bottom-front of the handle and might have the potential of slipping forward towards the blade (therefore, a downward curve of the handle right at the hasp to avoid that). What do you think?

 

GOLDHUNTER,

Nice curve on the crown handle bet it fits the hand well. NICE!

James Taylor

 

[paulvallandigham]

Deano: I am not sure I understand what you want to do from what you wrote. In your picture, you can see the widened area at the back of the cutting edge, intended to keep barbers from getting their fingers out on to the blade and cutting themselves.

When You put any handle, with or without a hilt or guard at the front of the handle, on this, just leave about 3/4-1" of space to allow your index finger to wrap around that flat area of the tangbehind the cutting edge, behind that widened thick area already existing at the back of the blade. The guard, if you extend it below the grip, can be then fit between the index finger and the middle finger of your hand, to insure a secure grip when using the blade.

 

[Goldhunter]

GOLDHUNTER,

Nice curve on the crown handle bet it fits the hand well. NICE!

James Taylor

thanks. It's a very comfortable handle indeed.

 

[wildeagle]

Ok RC, heres two that I made a few yrs back for the missus and me. I used two large African Milleflore' trade beads and some pattern welded scraps I had left over from another project. Had them posted way back when I first joined the forum, but it took awhile to find them. We use them as neck knives, but mine doubles as a patch cutter. Enjoy, iffen you want some more details just give a holler :grin:

 

[Harrod]

:nono: Deano, before you ruin that straight razor blade be advised that it's a collectable.

 

[deanscamaro]

It's not so collectible anymore. It was probably so old and thin and had been stooped so much that when I was stropping it last night on a belt I have nailed to my workbench, I heard this "ping" and looked down to see a chunk lying on the floor that had popped right out of the cutting edge. I guess I will have to grind the gap down now and try to salvage the edge.
:cursing: :cursing: :shake:

 

[huntman58]

:nono: Deano, before you ruin that straight razor blade be advised that it's a collectable.

I have one with a back plastic handle on it that I have used as a patch knife for over 20 years now. So ya mean I should not mess with it and get a new knife? :hmm: O wifey poo I need a new knife to go with my new rifle :hmm:

 

[deanscamaro]

An update: That chunk that came out of the blade, left a gap that was fairly sharp (probably because of the hollow grind), so it still works as a great patch knife, with a little touch-up.

 

[RC]

An update: That chunk that came out of the blade, left a gap that was fairly sharp (probably because of the hollow grind), so it still works as a great patch knife, with a little touch-up.

whatcha gonna do when someone says " damn that's nice! can ya make me one jus like it"??????????? :rotf:

 

[deanscamaro]

I'm gonna take one of his knives and throw it down on the floor and see if I can knock a chip out. Actually, that notch I now have in my patch knife helps start the cut. I guess my design was a success?!?! You don't buy it as a self-designed patch knife????
:shake: :bull: :shake: :bull:

 

[Freedom]

http://byfiles.storage.live.com/y1pwo2kWop8EsQwKXsYx6EiIqJTanmNd-3y_qwvtyTs_4wd3hlsYKZUypzMTpBJQ2v2kqFkbYELbqbAVuJLFNkPBWXW7VLmp8GP

This is my patch knife that I made from and prong horn antelope horn. I usually carry it on a neck string.

 

[bingo1952]

For utilitarian purposes those little Old Hickory knives can't be beat. They hold an edge well and are easy to sharpen when they get dull. I keep one in my shooting box.

 

[ghostdncr]

Here's one I'm currently working on:

It's made of 1060 steel mounted in a small deer antler butt. The edge is ground on one side only for a right-handed user. I'm not sure what the scrim features will be yet, but how about that pommel? I could put a family portrait on there!