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This is one I made using a stag handle. The blade is mirror polished. The discloration on the blade is from the flash.

It is slightly different from the Original Russell, as it does not have a thong hole.

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Also, the concave grind goes up higher on the blade than it does on the original Russell.

Leaving off the thong hole and making a different grind was my idea. Whether or not it is an improvement over the original is open to question.

This is another that I think is a Russell design, or similiar. This one has stagged cow shin bone. Never used one of these, but it looks like it would be a good skinner.

[Linked Image]


This is an enlarged Russell. I made this one to be used as a camp/utility knife. Chopping and things like that. The scratces are from cutting roofing shingles. It worked for that, to, In addition to being hammered through a board that I could not get to with a saw. Dymondwood Handle scales. I sorta abused in on purpose, just to find out how good it would hold up under adverse conditions. So far, it has passed with flying colors. I would still have it if it wasn't for a thieving police officer.

One thing I dread when field dressing a deer is cutting around the anus to pull the gut through. One thing I had in mind when I made this knife was chopping through the pelvic bone instead of coring the rear end. Never got to use it for that. Thieving police officer came along first.



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I have several Canadian belt knives. For what it's worth, Cold Steel has a good cheap model for about $15. I gave my son one for Christmas as a companion for his Master Hunter. Good luck.

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Thats the one I was thinking of. Actually the Hawk knife has a similar handle shape with a wide drop point.
I think this would be a good coring knife due to the length and I use a sagan saw or wire saw to cut the pelvis now.
Nice knife you made!
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I'd be put off for two reasons, anyone stating hardned to rc 60-65 doesn't have much control over their hardening, and more importantly is getting the blade too hard which will lead to you breaking the knife. RC 58-60 is about ideal for a knife that will hold an edge and not be too brittle. Once you get over rc 60, you have a brittle blade no matter what the steel. I'd venture to say he isn't anealing his blades after hardening, which he should be doing and is easily accomplished.

I'd hazard a guess that the guy is just starting out and making knives part time. That isn't a bad price for a custom blade, but you could probably get a factory knife that is better made for less money, or get a top notch custom, but you'd be looking at 2-3 times the cost. Similar to custom guns, there are many gunsmiths, but many of them produce work that won't even stack up to a factory rifle.


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13579,

Not a bad looking knife you made there. What is the steel? What is the RC? and what is the blade lenght? I have a few belt knives of the same design and I like them a lot for a camp/general purpose knife. Again nice looking blade.


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Oh yeah is it a tapered tang? I think that would be dam near a perfect blance if so.


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It is a four inch blade, ATS 34, and 1/8 inches thick. I don't taper the tang on 1/8 thick steel.

Rc is about C60 or C61. I don't like to go harder than this. Makes then too brittle and difficult to sharpen, and they seem to stay sharp just as good.

I used to use 3/16 inch thick steel, or .211 (I think) when 154 CM was available, and tapered the tangs.

Although a lot of collectors have bought knives I made, I make them primarily to be used. In my opinion, for skinning, field dressing, and just plain ease of cutting, 1/8 thickness is better. Not quite as strong, but you are not supposed to pry deer and elk apart, anyway.

I haven't made many knives in the past few years, because of health reasons, but I seem to be getting a little better, now.

I might start back in a month or two.

What I thought about doing was making Russell designs, grinding, heat treating, and polishing them, and selling them to people who want to make a knife, but don't want to invest the time and money into learing knifemaking from the start. Something like a kit, but with a high quality blade as the basis.

I would make the Russell styles, or any other style someone might want, if I thought I could make it look okay. I am thinking S30V steel this time, at C59 to C60.

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That sounds like a great plan to make do it yourself finishing knives in a high quaility blade. S30V would be a great steel to use and 59RC would be plenty.

Yeah I hate seeing guys misuse knives. There are knives made to pry and abuse a hunting or belt knife is not that knife. 3/16ths is too much for a hunting knife. 1/8 is perfect.

Only reason I asked if it was a tapered tang is because it looks like that would make it one hell a nicely balanced knife.


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I think there is a market for well-designed blades with great steel.

I'll send you some patterns, just let me know when you're ready...

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These two have tapered tangs. Desert Ironwood scales.

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Actually the knife is a very well made knife. It is heavier tooling type steel but that's why it is called a working knife. If you read backwoodsman they just did a write up on the knife in the last issue. I don't think you could go wrong with it but I am very curious as to what the notch is for.

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Hello If you are making the above designs Iam interested Thanks

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Squidman:

If I start making blades for the buyer to finish, I won't be making any that requires a guard. It is just too much trouble to make and install the guard.

I might modify the above two styles so that they would work without a guard.

The notch is to provide a break-off point for the edge when sharpening the blade. I don't see as you actually need it, but I put it there anyway, unless I forget, as on the upper three knives.

In the images below, the knife with the Wart hog tusk doesn't have a guard. I might make some of that design, but without the bolster.

The one below it, with the stag scales might be another that could be made both attractive and functional without a guard, or maybe with an intregral guard like the one shown on the very bottom.

I still had that knife, until a thieving police officer took it a few months ago.

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Originally Posted by meridian1
Actually the knife is a very well made knife. It is heavier tooling type steel but that's why it is called a working knife. If you read backwoodsman they just did a write up on the knife in the last issue. I don't think you could go wrong with it but I am very curious as to what the notch is for.


I agree the profile is more of a "working" knife than a gutting knife. At 1.5" wide, I feel it is too much for coring.

Which issue BWM was that? I saw a letter to the editor about it in one, but missed the article on the hawk knife.
The "notch" is for hooking the bail wire of cooking kettles while cooking over a fire or using it for "flint & steel".

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I have one of Bob's knives and I really like it. It really is a "working" knife in the sense that it isn't "showroom pretty". It takes a razor edge and touches up pretty quickly. The grip seems to be laminated cocobolo and feels secure with or without gloves. The balance point on mine is about at the first rivet.
It comes with a pouch type sheath that holds the knife very securely. He also throws in a Smith Abrasives 2 sided sharpener that works pretty well for touch ups in the field.
He's a very polite guy who stands behind his work. I think the knife is well worth the price. Oh, and the notch serves two purposes: it can be used with a firesteel and also to lift the bail on a cooking pot.
I don't have a camera or I would have included some pictures


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13579, I've concluded it is best if I select a proven knife form instead of attempting to come up with one of my own. Therefore I'll wait until you're ready to provide a Russel blank but I'm thinking a softer, easier to sharpen blade, from some less than exotic steel. I don't know if there would be a market for premium blade blanks in something other than the "designer" steels but am fairly certain a 52-55 hard blade would meet my needs and would be able to be sharpened in the field. I'll commit to a blade order as soon as you're ready.

I'm hoping your efforts to retrieve your stolen property is successful.

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Boise:

In that hardness range, I would recommend L6. It is not stainless.

There might be something better now, but L6 was originally used for hand saw and cross cut saw blades, and the non-carbide toothed Skill saw blades and band saw blades, but I don't think they were quite that hard.

I might have mentioned this before, but I have a friend who made knives from the super steels for a wealthy collecter, who always took a variety of them to Africa. He said the skinners don't carry sharpening stones, but pickup up a stone off the ground to touch up the blade when it needs it.

He said the D2 blades and other hard blades, when they did get dull, the skinners were unable to sharpen them, and, for all practical purposes, were useless.

I recommended he make a blade from L6 in the hardness range you mention, and he did and the hunter took it to Africa. He claimed the skinners thought it was the best knife they had ever used.

Because the animals lived in a sandy and gritty enviorment, and some of them wallowed in mud were were coated with dried mud, even the hardest and best steel would dull quickly. The L6 blades did too, but the skinners were able to re-sharpen them on with a rock.

O1 would be another good one, also.

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