cable san mai single edge boot dagger

[kevin (the professor)]

Greetings Everyone,
This one is a little different for me. I have a Mexican-American buddy who wired my shop in return for a knife. He wanted to play a joke along the ethnic theme, so he asked me to make him a concealable knife. He also liked cable and birdeye maple.

Here is the result, a single-edged cable and 1095 san mai dagger with a single edge. It has a spear point, and the first half inch of false edge is sharpened to give point really good penetrating ability without losing integrity.

6" blade
.75" wide

10.5" oal

lightly etched in vinegar.

handle sealed with linseed oil.

This was my first time using san mai construction in conjunction with cable. I like the look, and hope to try it on a much larger seax soon. Or, at least a cable back and a 1095 edge.

Thanks for looking. As always, comments are encouraged. As you all know by now, I am trying to learn without a local teacher, and I benefit greatly from the comments I receive from peers and experts here.

take care,

Kevin

[dlpierson]

I like the san mai cable a lot. I don't really like the combined profile of the blade and handle. They seem disproportionate to me. The blade sticks out of the handle instead of flowing out of it.

[kevin (the professor)]

thanks for your input. Remember, this is a long and slim knife, so when you hold the handle it does not seem big at all. In the photo, the front portion of the handle, the swell near the bolster/guard, does look a little disproportionate. It really only comes about a centimeter below the ricasso.

It feels really good in my hand, but I have a big hand.

If I was going to make this type of knife in volume, I would learn to make full-tang and just rivet really thin handle slabs to it.

Still, I like this one, too. Taste is personal, I guess.

take care,
Kevin