Jake Little's Custom Knives and Leathers - Unique Ideas!
CARE AND FEEDING OF YOUR KNIFE OR LEATHER GOOD(S):
"A lot of traditional materials are used in my knives and leather. Brass, copper, nickel-silver and high carbon steels will stain or corrode over time. Some people, me included, really dig the patina that comes with these materials aging. If you prefer the shiny clean look of the material, then purchase a product called FLITZ, or any quality metal polish, that you can purchase at a hardware store to polish the metal. Leather will dry out and crack over time if left untouched. The goal is the "feed" the leather with mink oil, saddle soap or wax to both clean and polish. I apply several coats of leather lacquer to most of my leather products, but even they need to be fed over time. "
Jake
ANATOMY OF A KNIFE BY JAKE LITTLE
PARTS OF THE BLADE
- The Tip or Point of a blade is simple; it’s the pointy end of the blade. You should know that by now, but I won’t blame you. Tip and point can be used interchangeably but may be used separately to describe two different aspects of the anatomy. The “point” being literally the point where the spine and edge meet and the “tip” referring to a small section at the front of the blade that leads up to the point.
- The Spine of a blade refers to the dull, unsharpened back of a blade, the opposite side of the edge. Double edged blades (daggers) do not have a spine but most knives found in the home or for outdoor use will have a spine.
- The Grind or Bevel of the blade refers to the cross section of the blade, or the section ground down to form the Edge.
- The Edge is the cutting surface of a blade that extends from point to heel. It’s the sharp part!
- The Belly of the blade refers to the curved section of the edge leading up to the tip. The belly on a blade increases the surface area of the edge and aids in making cuts or slices. Blades with large curved edges like fillet knives and scimitar style daggers have large bellies intended for strong slicing cuts.
- The Heel of the blade refers the section of the blade next to the guard or handle. The heel encompasses a small section of the grind, the Plunge Line and the Ricasso.
- The Plunge Line is where the grind stops and meets the edge, often at a right angle to the grind.
- The Ricasso is the unsharpened section of a blade, closest to the guard/handle. Some blades may have a Choil.
- A Choil is an unsharpened indent on a blade where it meets the handle or at the plunge line. The size of a choil dictates its purpose, if it’s large then it can be used as a forward finger grip. If it’s small then the choil may be there to create a stopping point when sharpening, to protect the handle.
GUARDS, BOLSTERS, HANDLES AND TANGS
- The Guard on a knife is located between the handle and the blade, sandwiched between the ricasso and the handle. The guard’s purpose is to literally guard your hand from slipping up the handle and onto the blade. Just like anything else knife related, guards come in different shapes and styles. Some are purely decorative, they line up perfectly with the handle and offering no protection and some guards are meant purely for balance. Guards that are intended to protect your hand will often have Quillions; a section of the guard that extends past the handle to protect the knife users hand from slipping onto the blade. Commonly, quillions found on outdoor style knives will extend out to the front of the knife but quillions found on more aggressive fighting or multipurpose blade will extend out from both the front and back of the blade.
- If a knife lacks a guard it may have a Bolster; a bolster is usually found between the blade and the handle (although bolsters can be found on different sections of the handle) and is often sandwiching the blade’s tang. The Bolster can provide balance to a blade and is more commonly found on full tang knives. Bolsters can also be used to “bolster” or strengthen the weak points on a knife, such as where the blade ends and the tang and handle begins. Bolster may also be shaped like a guard (with quillions) to offer protection.
- Next, we have the Handle. The handle of a knife is the portion you grip. Handles come in all shapes and sizes and can be made from countless materials and combinations. Handles are a very important aspect of a blade, I’ve heard it said “The blade is what makes a knife; the handle is what sells it”. How the handle is attached to a blade plays a large role in the actual strength and durability of a knife. The Handle of a knife can be attached in several ways. This is done through the Tang of a knife blade.
- The Tang is the stock material portion of the blade steel that extends from the blade for the purpose of attaching the handle and hardware. Tangs are an important factor when constructing a blade; they will help determine overall weight, balance and usage of the knife.
- There are several types of knife tangs, but they can be broken down simply into two categories Full Tang and Partial Tang.
- Full Tang (displayed above) refers to a knife tang that extends the full length and width of the handle and is often visible. Full tang constructed knives generally form the handle by the use of Scale Material. Scales refer to two pieces of handle material that sandwich the tang between them and are attached to the tang by adhesive and/or rivets /pins. Full Tang knife construction is generally considered the most durable and solid knife construction available and is intended for hard working knives that can take a solid beating.
- Skeletonized Tang, a tang that has portions of material removed from the tang stock. Often found on knives with full tang construction but without handle material. Skeletonized tang construction is popular on bare bones survival blades and neck knives. May feature a cord wrapped handle.
- Partial Tang refers to a knife tang that doesn’t fully extend and/or match the width of the blade and handle material. Generally considered weaker than Full Tangs, Partial Tangs have their place in the knife world and generally produce much lighter knives. Partial Tangs can be broken down further in sub categories.
- Push Tang - A shortened tang that tapers after the blade portion of a knife. Partial Tangs don’t generally run the full length of the handle and are pushed or forced into the handle material and secured with adhesive, and thru the use of a pin thru the tang.
- Hidden Tang Very similar to a Push Tang, the Hidden Tang tapers after the blade portion and is attached to the handle with adhesive and generally has no outside evidence of its attachment. Hidden Tangs can also run longer than the full length of the handle and can be secured by a pin thru the tang, or the use of a pommel/butt cap through threading and screwing like a nut and bolt or by peening the end.
- The final piece of anatomy for a fixed blade knife is the Pommel (or Butt Cap) (not shown). Not every knife features a pommel, they are most often found on hidden tang knives. A Pommel can serve multiple purposes aside from a method to attach and secure a handle and guard, a pommel can be used to add balance to a knife or it can even be used a striking surface.
BLADE SHAPES, STYLES AND USES:
- The Simple/Normal Blade A simple blade has a straight spine with a curving edge that meets to form the tip of the knife, which is on the same plane and parallel to the spine of the knife. The straight spine of this knife allows the blade to be used with both hands for safely adding pressure. This also allows the user to concentrate the force of their cut to a smaller area, which increases the cutting edge’s effectiveness. The simple blade is a very strong blade type, these knife profiles are ideal for heavier work such as batoning wood and cutting heavy rope or roots. The simple blade is a must have knife for people trying to improve their sharpening skills and knowledge.
- Trailing Point Blade A trailing point blade has a large curved edge and the spine curves upward to meet the edge forming the tip of the blade. The tip is generally found higher than the handle in profile and gave rise to the name “trailing point”. The curve of this blade allows for greater surface area of the edge (called a ‘belly’) which aids in slicing, slashing and making long, even cuts. This type of knife profile is most commonly used for fillet knives, but also seen in slashing weapons. The large surface area of the edge combined with the thin tip make it ideal for processing fish and other small wild life.
- Clip Point Blade A clip point blade is similar to the simple/normal blade where it has a (mostly) straight spine. What makes it different is that near the tip of the blade the rest of the spine is “clipped” (has a section of the blade that is seemingly removed) and forms the tip of the blade. The “clipped” section of the blade can be either concave or straight and may even posses a false edge on the spine which can be sharpened. This type of blade profile forms a much finer, or needle like tip to the blade which makes it ideal for piercing or cutting/slicing in tight spots. The tip of the blade is often either parallel to the center of the blade or parallel to the spine of the blade. A clip point blade with a tip that is parallel to the center of the blade has the advantage of more control and force when piercing. Clip point blades are very popular and can be found on a range of blades from pocket folders to large fix blade hunting and fighting knives. The iconic American Bowie is a classic example of a clip point blade.
- Drop Point Blades A drop point blade has a convex curve to the spine as it approaches the tip of the blade. Or simply put, the spine of the blade starts to “drop” towards the tip of the blade where it meets the curve of the belly (edge) of the blade to form the tip. The drop point blade profile creates a blade with a strong, robust tip that is easy to direct when cutting or piercing. Ideal for everyday carry and simple chores, the drop point profile is very popular and used on a variety of pocket knives and fixed blade knives. The popular Swiss Army Knife and many chefs’ knives feature a classic drop point profile.
- Spear Point Blade A spear point blade is a symmetrically pointed blade with a tip that is in line with the center line of the blade's axis. Generally formed with double edges, a spear point blade is primarily used for piercing and is considered a thrusting weapon known as a dagger (although dagger is a broad term used for many types of blades across many cultures). Many modifications throughout the years have produced a variety of single and double edge spear point blades on fix blades and folders but the design is generally not practical for everyday carry and is primarily used on tactical or fighting knives.
- Needle Point Blade A needle point blade can be considered a variation of the spear point blade but the symmetrical blade tapers significantly to form the needle like tip. Examples of needle point blades include stilettos and the Arkansas Toothpick.
- Tanto Blade A tanto style blade, sometimes referred to as a chisel point blade, follows the tradition of Japanese swords and daggers. This single edge blade has a straight spine and a primarily straight edge until it approaches the tip of the blade. Close to the tip of the blade, the edge angles upward to meet the spine at a straight or slightly convex angle. This produces a very strong and durable tip to the blade due to the blade thickness present at the tip, but also slightly decreases its effectiveness for piercing. Tanto style blades have become very popular for everyday carry folders and tactical fixed/folder knifes. These blades can be difficult to sharpen due to the angle presented at the tip of the blade but have found a home in modern knife culture as a very popular blade type.
- Sheepsfoot blades have a completely straight edge with a spine that convexes down to meet the edge at the “tip” of the blade. This design produces a very safe knife with no actual “tip” to pierce with. Originally used to trim the hooves on sheep, the sheepsfoot blade is popular for fine work such as woodcarving or even electrical work. Sheepsfoot blades also have a long history of being used on ships to cut rope because when a ship rocks suddenly you are unlikely to stab yourself with the blade. Sheepsfoot blades are great blades that don’t get enough use, the perfect blade type for teaching wood carving, knife sharpening and knife skills for newbies/children.
- A Hawkbill style blade is simply a blade that has a concave cutting edge and a claw like shape. Hawkbill blades don’t have much of a tip for piercing but are ideal for cutting and carving, especially long cuts like when installing carpet or linoleum. The shape of the blade and cutting edge allows the hawkbill to grab material easily and reduces the risk of accidently stabbing yourself if you slip up. Hawkbill blades also have a long history of being used as a slashing weapon in eastern cultures. The Hawkbill has also found resurgence as a defensive tool today with modern tactical/fighting blades.