German hunting knife on the bench

Currently in the making: My interpretation of an all -time favourite of mine, the famed German Jagdnicker hunting knife. Made from an old lathe chisel fragment I found in the woods, 97x6mm long and thick. Selectively tempered. High convex bevel to zero. The handle is Sambar stag I got from Hubertus corporation, Solingen www.hubertus-solingen.de . The Ritter family is a good acquaintance of mine and also hold up the flag of this traditional knife design. Sambar stag is very rare because the only stuff you can get is from historical Solingen storage contingents. It´s lovely because it has next to no marrow and has a wonderful colour. The tang does not reach all the way through the handle, but it is some hefty 9mm rectangular at the base and fades to 6mm towards the end. Since Sambar stag has next to no marrow and the epoxy is as strong as it is, there should not be any problem even when submitting the knife to abuse.

I carved this owl wood spirit into the integral bolster.... hope the idea shows... ;-)

Bit of filework on the spine...

and in riverso. The blade takes a polish quite well and seems to be stainless. It´s not taking as good an edge as the Wootz blades, but is still hairsplitting sharp ;-). It´s also very ductile in the edge. I slammed it into an iron rod with but minor dents that could be removed with a strop. Do I like it? ;-)

WAAAAY! ;-)

I am currently contemplating what precious stone or mojo to glue into the butt of the handle, and then it´s off for a sheath.

On the bench and no philosophy-promise;-)!

These are my current projects for a change. Above there´s a knife project I really like these days. I have done  a lot of research on German knife culture recently. I like studying different bladesmithing cultures but found I knew too little about our own traditions. Plus, I like the German hunting knife, the so - called "Jagdnicker" as an all round companion for the woods- simply out of practical reasons. It has been a design that has been around for centuries and used for bushcraft and hunting chores as long as it has evolved. I plan on writing something about this style of knife soon. In the meantime you can have a look at my pinterest pinboard : German knife culture, where I put together everything I found concerning the topic.

Anyway, the Jagdnicker is made from an old lathe chisel I found in the woods, presumeably HSS or refined steel. Handle will be Sambar stag. The blade is 95mm long, and 6mm at the base with a convex bevel and a selective temper.  

Below is the bushcraft knife that has been around for quite a while. Wootz with elk antler scales fitted with mosaic pins. The quench line shows quite nicely. The blade is 115 mmx5mm and has a balance point on the index finger.

I also made some file work for the tang... I like it and it´s now waiting for a sheath.

More details on the Jagdnicker design.

As is, I look forward to those two knives, and I will keep you posted!

New Nessie design

 I was feeling inspired by my mountain man bushcraft as well as the "Flachschmieder" by Rudolph Broch, one of those people I have learned a lot from, so, when I was at the last Hammer - In of the season, I made this blade out of spring steel. 110 mm long, the spine is 5 mm thick, and the knife has seen little stock removal as is and no power tools except for drilling the holes for the tang. I will keep working on that, too;-). The handle is made from sambar stag antler I found on a flea market, wait, is that 8 years? 8 years ago;-) it is indeed, and I am an old fart!*ggg*. I really like this material a lot for its amber colour. The pins are made from copper tube. With a length of Paracord you can fix it to a stick to harvest apples, plums or herbs normally out of reach. To me, the handle is comfortable, and I like the slightly offset edge for cutting on a level, as when snacking with a wooden board. In spite of the chunky spine thickness, it really cuts well and even works great in the kitchen. Chopping onions, slicing salami and bacon are a cinch, really. I guess it has something to do with the fact that it has no secondary bevel, and the little convex part there is is virtually non-existent. It is edge - quenched, though, and I already slammed it into a mild steel bar and unmounted a tin can;-) with it, with no dents whatsoever.

 The spine. The tang will see some filing still.

I also made a simple sheath already. Wet - formed around the handle, and hot - waxed to give a firm base, almost like Kydex! (not that this would be a good thing, mind you*ggg*.

As is, I like it. It will see some refining and polishing the edge, and then I will be in for some interesting testing again.*ggg*