Bushcraft Style Knives - The Guardian

My Guardian # 01

This is my very own 52100 Bearing Steel Guardian, serial number 01. The handle materials are Stabilised Curly Birch and Malachite.

The Sheath is from 3.5mm Veg Tanned leather and as can be seen, very detailed. It has a standard short belt loop and also an extended loop on a 'D' ring.

I wanted to mention that the knife is fantastic and it makes most knifes look like amateur hour. I own some very nice knives but this is at the top of the list and is one solid tool. I am looking forward to using it this summer while camping in our mountains. Thanks again and I will send you an update to let you know some of my experiences.

Best Regards,

John Gager

The First production Guardian

in 52100 Bearing steel

This the very first production Guardian from 52100 Bearing steel - which I'm very pleased with.

The handle is in nicely figured Cocobolo, with three brass pins and a brass lined lanyard hole topped by a solid brass cap. This handle configuration turned out to be really nice and comfortable and will fit small and large hands alike.

The Blade is 105mm long, 28mm wide and 4mm thick. Overall the knife is 220mm long.

The Firesteel has a matching Cocobolo handle.

The Sheath is British bushcraft style in 3.5mm veg tanned leather, double row, double stitched with firesteel loop. Belt loop will take a 2" belt easily.

This one above is destined for Mike in the USA...

This is the last Guardian that I made.

The handle is quality Amboyna burl over red fibre liners. For some time I had intended to keep this knife for myself, but I've got this model in both Bearing steel and Damascus steel, I decided to let it go.

Just like the first Guardian, this one too went off to the USA to John Gager and this is what he said about it...

"I wanted to mention that the knife is fantastic and it makes most knifes look like amateur hour. I own some very nice knives but this is at the top of the list and is one solid tool. I am looking forward to using it this summer while camping in our mountains. Thanks again and I will send you an update to let you know some of my experiences"

Best Regards,

John Gager

THE GUARDIAN

(in 52100 Bearing steel)

In Cocobolo

Standard Scandi hanging type sheath with knife's cutting edge facing up, but it can also be turned to hang facing down.

Sheath with knife's cutting edge facing down and integrated Firesteel loop.

Here is a comparison between the Leuku, Guardian, Talisman and Shadow.

In comparison to the other blades the Leuku (top) stands out as being very different in size and shape.

The main difference between the Guardian and Talisman is in the handle configuration - one is flared with a flat end to take a butt plate and the other has a flat back with a round end.

The Shadow is different again, it has a longer cutting edge, slimmer profile and handle is contoured somewhat with a rounded end.

Standard specifications of:

THE GUARDIAN

The Blade:

Damascus: 125 layers of ‘Tight Twist’ Damascus steel composed of 1084 high carbon steel and 15n-20 with 2% nickel. This blade is hardened to Rockwell test 57-58 which, together with the steel composition, makes for a superior tough and very sharp edged blade.

Blade is 110mm long, 28mm wide and 4mm thick. Overall the knife is 225mm long.

Bearing Steel: The blade is hand forged from raw SAE52100 Bearing steel balls/rollers and is hardened to Rockwell test 58-59.

Blade is 110mm long, 28mm wide and 4mm thick. Overall the knife is 225mm long.

The Handle:

My preferred handle shape is the 'Coke Bottle' type. If required, I can alter the handle shape to suit individual tastes.

The handle scales can be any of the materials I have on this website, to special order or even your own. However, as this is mainly a working knife, Black Buffalo horn, Antler or dense hardwoods should be considered. If the knife is for occasional use, then any of the woods would be suitable.

The scales are epoxied over red, black or white fibre liners and further secured by three solid brass pins. A brass lined lanyard hole completes the handle. The pommel end is capped with a 3mm thick solid brass plate. Basically, the overall shape is as for the 52100 Bearing Steel version.

However, by special request only, a 3mm thick brass plates can be integrated into the bolster end as shown in the original Damascus version above.

The handle is oil finished with CCL traditional English Oils for a Satin finish. A glossy oil and wax finish is available if required, but this is not as durable as the traditional oil finish.

The Sheath:

One can choose from four types of Sheaths; a standard British style with a fixed belt loop; a hybrid Brit/Scandi version as shown above or, either of the two Scandinavian style sheaths.

The British and Brit/Scandi Sheaths can be provided with a Firesteel loop fitted. One of the Scandinavian style Sheaths comes with a Firesteel loop already integrated, but the other is not suitable for fitting a firesteel loop to.

With the Brit and Brit/Scandi sheath, a leg tie lanyard hole and a suitable length of leather thonging is available on request.

The Sheath is made from quality veg tanned 3.5mm leather, double stitched with heavy duty strong thread. The sheath is oil and wax finished to a soft sheen.

The Firesteel:

A 9mm Firesteel can be provided if required. The handle can be made from horn or antler or, from the same materials the knife handle is made from, including a matching fibre liner!

Alternatively, the Firesteel can be provided in 'Papoose' style, but I cannot guarantee that I'll be able to make it from the same material as the knife handle.

NB: As these knives are individually hand made, all sizes are approximate and some minor variations from blade to blade and knife to knife are to be expected...

Also... Handles made from natural materials may have some very minor faults which add to the character of the finished piece. If you want as near to a blemish free perfect finished handle, please do not order a handle made from natural material. With Burl wood especially, minor voids and other irregularities are inherent.

THE GUARDIAN

(In Damascus)

This Sheath can be worn 'short' directly on the belt through the small (2 1/2") permanent loop or, 'long' by using the extension loop, which can easily be detached by undoing the 'Chicago Screw' if required - but not really necessary as the long loop tucks in behind the sheath anyway.

Notice the tight twist Damascus pattern

Updated Guardian Damascus blades

Another Black Buffalo horn Bearing Steel guardian awaiting dispatch to Richard...

A Guardian in Purpleheart

BFK Mk II Project

First batch of knives for testing

Blades in SAE52100 Bearing Steel

Arguably the best steel for a superior field knife...

These knives are upgraded prototypes of an already well known field knife, the Bearclaw Field Knife (BFK) that I have been requested to have a go at making to order by Gary Wale.

As with any knife, the knives have to undergo various practical field trials before they can be approved as a direct replacement to the original carbon steel bladed knife - hence the Mk II tag.

So far the results have been very positive, but there are going to be some minor alterations to the shape and depth of the grind. It is after all a MK II and that's what the testing is for...

Second batch of BFK II's -

with changes to grind

As can be seen when compared to the first batch of prototypes, the main difference is in the size and shape of the grind. The handle has had an upgrade too.

The most important aspect of the BFK II is that of the blade material itself, which is after all the most important component of any knife. I've chosen SAE52100 Bearing steel over 01 Tool steel as I've worked with both and I much prefer SAE52100 Bearing steel because it is superior to 01 tool steel - in my view at least. But Don't take my word for it, do your own research and satisfy yourself that I base my claim on practical and technical facts.

Now, when you compare the above 5 BFK II's to my own BFK II on the top right (I called mine PFK1 actually), you'll notice that the fixing of the handle is different. Let me explain why...

1. My brief was to try and make the BFK II's as close to the original BFK as possible because that's what people know, ordered and obviously expect. So that's what I tried to do, except for the steel upgrade of course.

2. My knife has more fixing pins because the handle is in two parts basically. While each part would have been OK with just two 5mm and one 5mm pins respectively, I went a bit further and added two 3mm to the horn and one further 3mm near the pommel end. Even if the scales were all in one piece, I would still have secured them with three pins and not two - but that's strictly my own opinion and preference.

Feedback on the second batch of the BFK II's - Nearly there, but not quite! Everything is OK except for the grind. The requirement is for a 100% straight sided Vee grind and although the knives are very sharp, when inspected closely they still have a tiny - less than 1mm - secondary bevel. On account of this, four of the five knives were sent back to me.

This project is proving more demanding than I originally thought because I'm having to try and clone another knife, not just the once, but many times over and I'm not really geared up - tool wise or temperamentally - for this sort of thing. I had hoped that as my attempt would be making a MK II version I'd have some leeway - but it didn't turn out that way.

So, after discussing the matter with Gary, it was agreed that on account of my health situation, I would not remain involved with the the BFK II project as it's proving a bit too much for me.

In addition to the four of the knives shown, I've some BFK II prototype blades left, which I hand ground and polished. As agreed with Gary I'll be disposing of them privately sometime during May under my own name. Thereafter, the blades in their original form will not be made available to anyone.

Generally speaking, the design concept of the original BFK is very good. However, as with any design there is always room for improvement, hence my desire to use Bearing steel. I had wanted to use three pins and not just two, for added strength bearing in mind the length of the handle. However this was one suggestion too many that deviated from the original brief.

My PFK-1

(Guardian prototype)

This one, from the second batch, is mine of course, hence the PFK1. It's in Bearing steel.

The very first Guardian prototypes I built - Top one in Bearing steel, bottom one in Damascus steel. The top knife is actually slightly smaller than my current production versions.

A note about handle shapes... While everyone knows what a hand looks like, you'll be surprised how variable the actual size and shape is between individuals. It therefore follows that there isn't such a thing as a perfect universal knife handle. To make matters worse one has to also take into account the various personal preferences... As a consequence, as many other things in life, every handle is a compromise and it is only those who make their own knives or have their knives made to suit their hand/preferences will ever come close to having their ideal handle...

I have two preferences; for medium sized knives I like the coke bottle shape with a slightly larger palm swell on the right (I'm right handed). For the large knives I prefer the slightly curved and contoured handle, once again with the right side slightly more pronounced. In all cases I choose to have a longer handle and as experience has thought me, keep a fair distance between the forefinger and the cutting edge...

The knife above will be altered some more as I want to take away the upper outward curve of the handle and make it slightly sloping down instead.

I have applied the same principles with the two specially commissioned Damascus BFK II based prototypes below.

The top knife is in Brown Malee Burl and the bottom knife is in Amboyna Burl - both over red fibre liners. The handle is a slim coke bottle shape with the incurve to the pommel being longer and gentler as I found that it works better for me.

The bolster is not in full brass, but is a 3mm plate (as for the butt) recessed and pinned within the wood scales. I wanted to see the effect of having different sized brass plates and unfortunately I can't make up my mind which I like best!

The sheath for these two knives were designed to be worn in two positions. It can be worn 'short' directly on the belt through the small (2 1/2") permanent loop or, 'long' by using the extension loop, which can easily be detached by undoing the 'Chicago Screw' if required - but not really necessary as the long loop tucks in behind the sheath anyway.

Although they can't be seen, the matching firesteel's handles are not matching in material only, but in their make up too. The handle is in two parts with a red liner in between capped with a solid brass plate through which the firesteel is inserted.

The next step is to make the next batch of blades as per the design I have in mind to make the handle more comfortable.

And here are the new Damascus Guardian blades. There are 5 of them here. One of these blades will be further experiment with as I want to see if I can make a handle shape to suit people with small, medium and large hands.

The bottom blade from above is shown made up below in yet another handle configuration. It's in natural Masur Birch and Bone with a 1.5mm thick solid brass ring over birch at the bolster for added strength and a nice contrast.

I made the slight coke bottle shaped handle taper towards the rear end so that it fits neatly in a variety of hand sizes and grips.

This knife has an extremely solid feel to it and I like it so much I might even keep it for myself...

PRODUCTION OF THE GUARDIAN HAS ENDED AS OF 17/09/09

AS MUCH AS I LIKED THIS KNIFE, IN TERMS OF LOOKS AND PRACTICALITY, VERY FEW PEOPLE APPRECIATED ITS QUALITIES. WHICH IS A SHAME AS MY VERY OWN WORKING KNIVES ARE OF THE 'GUARDIAN' CONFIGURATION. ANYWAY, SENTIMENTS OR PERSONAL PREFERENCES ASIDE, I HAVE DECIDED THAT ONCE THE CURRENT STOCK OF BLADES RAN OUT I'LL NOT BE ORDERING ANY MORE.