Hi fellas,
Any experience or advice on who does a top job in NZ for custom hunting blades?
Any feedback on not so flash also appreciated.
Cheers
Jase
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Hi fellas,
Any experience or advice on who does a top job in NZ for custom hunting blades?
Any feedback on not so flash also appreciated.
Cheers
Jase
I have Ripi knives and Steve Wheeler...happily referred either
Sent from my SM-G996B using Tapatalk
There are so many its frightening actually - spoilt for choice really.
Auckland Knife Show on 24-25th September at the Ellerslie Event Centre in Auckland.
There will be at least 30 custom makers.
Brent Sandow
Richard van Dijk
Colin Hair
Leif Haseltine
Nick Turner
Dylan Harding
Aaron Green
Frank Schatz
Caleb Smit
Peter Birch
Matt James
Colin Nicol
Brett Martin
Justin Williams
AJ Prime
Rick Jochem
Stu Lind
Shea Stackhouse
Skye Eilers
and last but not least,
John Worthington.
and Von Gruff, thanks :)
There are probably plenty of others, I just cant think of them at the moment.
If you want contact details I can obtain them for you although most are on the web and easy to find.
@viper right here on the forum is making superb knives .. .. anda second for Von Guff
@ Tentman , thanks for the kind words but I am not really in the same league as people like John Worthington who mentors me.
I have a long ways to go yet.
bottom line is...YOU ARE....... go and book in and make your own one.......all the fellas above make a wonderful knife,but custom is a personal thing,made to your specs with your needs in mind. Im not saying my effort is better in any way than what these guys make because it is not...but its MINE and MADE BY ME so its personal. the other bottom line is if you going to spend $300 plus on a knife of anysort,there will be tears if you loose it or chip blade doing dumb shit.
The same could be said of anything of value which makes the point moot but I definitely agree with making your own if you have the ability/means or can attend a workshop to make one. Money well spent as you get a knife and the basic skills of knifemaking.Quote:
Originally Posted by Micky Duck
well yes n no.....its not moot point as OP could go a buy a $16 bacho to do the same job....... if you going to spend decent chunk of the housekeeping money you better look after the plurry thing!!!! which is what I was aiming at with comment.
the nice fella who ran course I was on has a few very very nice knives on display and forsale......there must be loads more backyarders out there turning out good product.
My point was you could buy cheap or expensive (insert product here) and lose it - losing it shouldn't be a factor.Quote:
Originally Posted by Micky Duck
Besides, you (read: most people) are more likely to look after a $300 knife than a bacho!
Thanks for the feedback fellas. Cheers
Bill Nikl
I don’t have one, but want one!
Just a point, some knife makers specialise ( and sometime excel) in one area more than another.
It could be a folder Vs fix blade.
Kitchen knife Vs hunting knife
Forged Vs stock removal
Super steel Vs Damascus
…etc
And there is also what the knife maker enjoy to make and which one may already have some designs that you like.
Asking a knife maker who specialises in folders to make a big camp knife would never come to my mind.
Going to the blade show would be an awesome idea. Each maker has their own style. A few of the makers listed above have wait lists, and AJ Prime is out for a bit as he had a bit of an argument with a grinder.
Also if you have a steel preference find a maker who works with the types of steel you like.
John Worthington (Ripi) made mine.
I wanted a Candian style knife made to fit my medium hands. And I wanted it in CPM-3V with micarta scales.
I drew it out on card and sent it to him
It is wonderful. What an edge it takes.
Shame Hamish isn't making any more sheaths...
Attachment 201732
I do have one and will never get rid of it . Its magic .Quote:
Originally Posted by 7.62
Attachment 201733
Thanks guys for the updates and photos. Cheers
Nice looking blade mate, something like that would be perfectQuote:
Originally Posted by Nathan F
I might have to track Bill down one of these days as I understand he’s still making knives, although he’s getting on a bit
Bills not "past it", but by his own admission is getting close. Get in sooner rather than later
If you only focus on the function of knife, the sharpness for example, not the looking, then most of machining shop can make good blade but you have to know them well I think. Truck leaf spring is good material, the older the better, with right heat treatment, it can be used as shaver.
leaf spring is what mine was made from....new shop bought piece of leaf spring steel.... still have to find a deerzie willing to test out its cutability...wallabies are hardly a test for a good blade.
Are you running a machining shop? Do`t know in NZ, Time ago.........there are many machining shops in my city, they did everything for business or for personal use like ice fishing tools, farm tools, even firearms, shotgun mostly.Quote:
Originally Posted by Micky Duck
nope,recently did a knife making course Attachment 201796 my humble efforts produced this...
Scandi grind. My favourite:-)
I just wanted to leave as much of the rustic forged bit as I could.....IF I did a 2nd one,would grind it right away like everyone else,but it will probably be the only one I will do.... hell of a lot of fun...the peumatic power hammer was AWESOME bit if kit..a 50 kg sledgehammer controlled by foot pedal thumping up and down as fast as a horny schoolboys hand!!!! Attachment 201797
leave it cold enough, use angle grander trim it to whatever you like it, and then four times heat treatment....I was told. hope this could helpQuote:
Originally Posted by Micky Duck
its as it will stay....... touch one of my knives with an angle grinder and suffer the consequences ........ hint,it wont be pretty.
seen far too many good blades buggered up by grinders of different sorts over the years.... I already HAVE trimmed it to what I liked at the time..... any grinding was done well before the final shaping and heat treatment.
Huh?? that's pointless unless you didn't do it properly the first 3 times...Quote:
Originally Posted by Black Rabbit
Don't forget to face north east and say 3 prayer to hephaestus before quenchQuote:
Originally Posted by terryf
Another description worthy of a broadcast....Quote:
Originally Posted by Micky Duck
I mean 3 times of tempering in different temperatures, and one final quenching on the edge. I was told by a Japanese metal engineer long time ago.Quote:
Originally Posted by terryf
Double and triple tempering is effective with certain specific steel types in conjunction with cryo but its definitely not a one size fits all and for the most parts it shouldn't be necessary. Another thing to consider is that the more you temper the lower the final HRC will be.
I have a Von Gruff, I've seen another.
What I will say is he has a great reputation on the African forum and has sold high quality knives to many members.
That's not discounting others name here.
@cobber an NZHS member is a knifemaker too.
That's a process called normalising. It's used to refine the grain structure of the steel after forging and before austenitizing (hardening)Quote:
Originally Posted by Black Rabbit
Essential process for a forged blade, you get big grain growth during forging due to the high temps which if left unchecked creates a brittle blade
