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Scandi Set in a side-by-side sheath
Large knife is a Stromeng Sameniv 7" - Called a Leuku in the UK or a Saami knife in Scandinavia.
These robust tools are excellent camp knives and can be used for everything from gathering fire wood to preparing a meal. A big knife but surprisingly light in the hand they are also more than capable of being used for fine work such as spoon carving and are a far safer option for light chopping tasks than a hatchet. Chemically blackened Carbon steel blade.
This knife blade had a substantially robust full hidden tang and it was obvious that it was going to be fitted with a full one piece Coronet antler handle.
The small knife is a Frost of Mora laminated blade fitted out in a similar way. I dare say that this is knife is a temporary measure as I have another blade in mind for the is set.
As can be seen I've gone slightly unconventional again with the sheath. A Piggy back type sheath sticks out a bit and roll around if not worn on the belt through a wide belt loop. I wanted this set to lay flat against me whichever way I chose to wear it - hence the side-by-side configuration.
... And, I'm not quite finished with the sheath either as I have a couple of ideas I want to try out so I can carry it around my waist or over my shoulder 'Sam Brown' fashion over clothing.
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Knife set in 52100 Bearing steel
Large knife is a Leuku style - Made from SAE52100 Bearing steel made for me in Denmark by a master bladesmith. It's a full tang 375mm overall length with the blade being 250mm long, 39mm at its widest and 4mm thick.
The small knife is a first prototype - that was based on the BFK (mine is called the PFK1). The obvious difference is that the blade is in bearing steel and the grind is deeper into the blade.
The handle for both knives is made up of Red Deer Stag antler and Black Buffalo Horn over red fibre liners. The pommel is a 3mm brass plate riveted to the tang. As can be seen I haven't spared the brass fixing pins as I've put in 3 of 5mm and 3 of 3mm.
The sheath is a piggy back style made from 3.5mm veg tanned leather. A Firesteel and a sharpening steel have also been included. I have yet to decide on whether to include a leg tie hole or loop. I'm also toying with the idea of carrying it Sam Brown fashion on account that I haven't got very long legs!
I really like the combination of antler and horn finish on these two knives. The blades polished up nicely and if you look very closely you can see my reflection taking the picture in the big knife.
In use in the Bush this set proved ideal, but with hindsight the big Leuku would be a bit too big for use in the average weekend outing to the Woods in the UK. For prolonged use were no Axe is being carried, then I would recommend this set-up, otherwise a 210mm (8")bladed Leuku would be more practical. For the Bush though, this is the set you'd need!!!
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Karl's Talisman Leuku Set
This set consists of a 210mm bladed Leuku and a Talisman - both in 52100 Bearing steel of course. A matching Firesteel and a Sharpening steel have also been included. Handle style of the Leuku is complimentary to the Talisman.
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Karl's Damascus Talisman Set
This set consists of a Damascus Talisman and a Beaver together with a Firesteel and a Sharpening steel - all in Afzelia Burl over red fibre liners.
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Stephen's Damascus Talisman Set
Another nice example of a Standard Damascus Talisman set, this time for Steven MacDonald. It was agreed that the Firesteel and the Sharpening steel would not form part of the piggyback sheathe, hence the additional pouch that has a belt loop. In the pouch are carried the Firesteel, Striker and Sharpening steel.
This is what Stephen had to say after he received this set...
Hi Paul
Picked up your parcel from the post office today, arrived home and unwrapped the package…….
Wow. On your website you suggest that sheath’s aren’t your thing; I don’t agree. Shape and form – just right for me, sat on my hip perfectly. I’d wondered if the sheath would sit proud but it sits really close to my hip and thigh, the ‘form’ is spot on. And then there’s the working on the sheath and the pouch – it must have taken hours and its really impressive and unlike any other sheath I’ve got – almost too good to wear when I’m out and about. But I will, and I’m sure the character that they develop through use will make them even more treasured.
And then the knives – the full Talisman is perfectly sized for my hand – substantial and ‘right’. The blade is …. awesome. I’ve seen a good few Damascus blades over the years, but not like this with a polished ‘full grain’ running with the layers tip to tang – I can’t wait to get out and try it out. Same for the little Talisman – beautifully made as its bigger brother and perfect for food prep, whittling and shaving etc. The little one has a needle like point which I may work off a little; I remember being given a Spyderco with a similar point a few years ago – when he handed it over (in its box) the armourer said ‘be careful, its got a sharp point. When you've cut yourself on it bring it back and I’ll sort it!’ He was right, I prodded myself with it first time I used it, and he used a stone to just ‘ease’ it back a bit. It wont be visible but will save me stitches.
I really like the scales on both knives – buffalo looks and feels so ,,,,,, I can’t think of a word to describe it ….. perhaps ‘right’ is what I would want to say but I’ve said that already. And just sufficiently variegated so that you can tell it’s a natural product, not a plastic.
I’ll be out and about in a couple of weeks and take the knives with me to put them through their paces. I’ll let you know how they perform (although I’m very confident they’ll be fine). I think the pouch (it is ornate, as you’ve commented on your website) is spot on, although it will stand out on my belt. Thanks for going the extra and making it for me.
I’ve not measured the grind angle on the blades yet but think the full talisman has a slight convex roll on the grind ? I normally use a fine/gold stone on my Lansky sharpener after I’ve been out and about to keep the edges keen; I’d use a standard 25deg edge – I suspect they’ll not need much at all to keep them fresh. Looking at the edges you can see the Damascus footprint giving micro serrations along the edge, just as I expected – they really will cut! Have you any particular advice for these blades?
A brilliant piece of work all round Paul – I’m really grateful for your time and effort. I’ll be proud to use them, and I know my mates will be all over them in the field and as jealous as anything. I’ll keep you posted on what I get up to with them.
Thanks again.
Steve
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Big Kev's Leuku Set
This set This set consists of a 210mm bladed Leuku and a Guardian - both in 52100 Bearing steel of course. A matching Firesteel and a Sharpening steel have also been included.
The handle of the Leuku compliments the Guardian knife. Moreover, if you look closely at the way I made the handle up, you'll notice it's quite unusual. The Horn scales are solid pieces from which I cut out sufficient material and replaced with antler inserts. It was a laborious task, but the end result is unique and definitely worth the trouble.
Big Kev has got huge hands, hence the substantial size of the handles. Kev is, by trade, a highly qualified and skilled Engineer and works for RR no less! He's got an excellent eye for detail and is a very practical sort of guy, as versatile and flexible a man is hard to find. He's recently taken up knife making and is producing some very nice stuff, which pleases me no end as when we get together we're forever discussing ideas.
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My Carbon Bladed Leuku Set
This is just a standard carbon bladed set that I made up more by way of experimenting than anything else.
I tend to like substantial blades, so anything less than 3.5mm is on the thin side for me. However, much to my surprise, this set turned out very well in spite of it being rather light weight in feel. Both blades cut very easily and would serve as a very useful general camp knife set or on hunting trips.
The handles are one piece Spalted Maple, with a 3mm brass bolster and end cap. Unfortunately the picture doesn't do them justice, but trust me, they're quite nice...
In fact I was so pleased with this set that I ordered 3 more Leuku blades, but slightly bigger at 210mm and 3.4mm thick. I haven't quite decided what smaller blades to match them up with, but sooner or later something will come to mind...
Why not stick to my tried and trusted 52100 Bearing Steeled Leukus?
The answer is very simple really...
Bearing Steel blades are not only expensive, but as each blade is hand forged, getting them can take forever. My Danish Bladesmith is as much a hobbyist as I am and as a consequence he's not interested in producing blades on a regular commercial basis. If I catch him in a good mood and he's not going fishing or canoeing and god knows what else, he'll agree to make me some blades. As to try and pin him down to a 'delivery date' - it's a complete waste of time and I've long given up asking!
I stick with my Danish friend because he's not only a good man, but his work is absolutely excellent... |
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S/S Bowie Blade
I thought that for my forthcoming trip to Oz I'd better make myself a heavy duty bush/hunting combo - and the result is what you see.
The Bowie set consists of two hand-finished custom knives that simply look stunning - no photo can ever do them justice!
Main large knife: Bowie - 10 1/2" stainless surgical steel with full tang handle made up from a one piece solid Stag crown antler. Bolster and pommel in solid figured brass. Handle is pinned and secured with 4 brass pins and a lanyard tube. For its size ( 16 1/2" overall ) this Bowie feels very good in the hand and well balanced.
Smaller knife: 3 3/4" bladed Hunter style blade from stainless surgical steel with a stick tang handle inset into a Stag crown antler handle. Bolster of solid brass. Overall length is 9".
Sheath: Hand stitched Piggy back style from good quality stiff chrome dyed leather specifically made by myself for these knives.
But... I've since changed my mind and decided to make another set (a wee bit smaller). So, someone is going to be lucky in owning a very nice combo... |
The Gift set Bowie
This set is made up of two blades I've used before (Bowie and hunter), both 200 layer Damascus steel. I never thought to get anymore of these blades, but my perseverance paid off and managed to get one more.
A mate of mine, Gary, who has more quality knives then to know what to do with, wanted a nice piggy back set made from Damascus steel - but not too fancy. He likes every type of handle material as long as it's Antler!
Oh yes, they needed to be tough just in case he's got to hack or cut something while he's out in the field. The two blades I made up for him suited the purpose very well.
It turned out a nice compact set fit for any task. I couldn't mess about with the handles, so I played around with the Sheath instead. I even put his 'Bear Logo' on the front plus a few other bits and pieces of fancy stitching. Well, it was going to be his early Xmas present from one good mate to another, so I had to make it a bit more personalised and special for him.
He liked it OK... so I'm chuffed as well. |
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The King & Duke Harlequin Damascus Bowie set
This very nice set is made up from two 200 layer Damascus steel Blades.
The large Bowie is 330mm long, 45mm wide and 5mm thick. The blade is 200mm long.
The small Hunter is 230mm long, 25mm wide and 3mm thick. The blade is 115mm long.
Handle is in Red Deer Antler sandwiched between black buffalo horn.
The Piggy-back type Sheath is all leather of course and figured. The beads are meant to signify luck and ward off bad spirits etc. - they do make for a nice contrast anyway.
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Another Harlequin Bowie Set
This set has a composite handle made from handles in Antler, Bone and Black Buffalo horn.
Even if I say so myself, this is a very nice and quite unique set.
This set was a bit tricky and fiddly to make up as I had to cut up the bone and buffalo horn to match. But hey, look at the result... it was worth it!
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A few words about Leather Sheaths
I for one, always took knife sheaths for granted whenever I bought a knife and I'm sure there are many people who think that way too.
But not anymore. It wasn't until the need arose for me to make my own that I started to really appreciate what was actually involved! It's not as easy as it looks to turn out something half decent!
I thought I could make do with using chromed leather, but although it has its place in sheathe making, I soon realised that veg tanned leather was better suited to my needs.
Now I'm full of admiration for people who can work magic with leather. I'm getting better at leather craft myself the more I practice, but if was to be honestly truthful, there are many times when I wish I could afford to have my sheaths made for me... Having said that, I'm getting to enjoy making them more, which is reflected in my work getting smarter and tidier. I really need to make a real effort to start making a leather sheath, but, and this is the weird bit, once I start I love messing about with it, playing with the designs, forming and different finishing combinations etc.
Good Leather is easy enough to come by as long as one is willing to pay. A good sheath that compliments the knife is important, but few people appreciate the cost, effort and time factors involved in making a good sheath. So take it form me, there is more than meets the eye in a hand made knife sheath...
The photos on the right show some work in progress (standard British style Bushcraft knife sheath) using 3.5mm veg tanned shoulder leather. The next step is the wetting and forming, followed by dying and finally by oiling and/or waxing depending on finish required. It takes much longer than one thinks!
I see some Sheaths on eBay for sale at £20 + and all I've got to say about that is that they're worth every penny...
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Holes punched and first few stitches made...
The two rows of back & fore stitches completed...
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