Dr. Gonzo GED
08-23-2012, 06:26 PM
So, i'm in a bit of a pickle. I'm dead set on a knuckle knife for defensive carry. Yeah, yeah "legality", well I live in a free state and the knuckers' are no worse than a regular one in the eyes of the law. In these parts you could cary a samurai sword if you wanted. Long as it's single edged.
A couple problems I'm running into trying to find a decent trench knife.
The real thing is expensive. Actuall WWI and WWII knives don't seem to be available for less than $800. Custom knives tend to run in the same ballpark. http://www.edmfknives.com/ has GREAT deals comming in under $100 but they are custom and I'll have to wait till next year if I go through them.
http://www.militaryfightingknives.com/thumbs/f17.jpg
The fakes are cheap as hell. I don't know what forge in China cranks out crappy 440 stainless steel by the mega ton but I swear the Pakistanies have cornered the market on it and are hell bent on producing the shittiest pot metal wall hangers in history. Most of the new trench knives on the market are made form this crap. Thin, soft blades. Pot metal fittings. And to make matters worse, my style of choice, the 1918 MKI is only available in this sorry state. (It is also a double edged blade so I would need a modified version...)
http://www.swordsknivesanddaggers.com/assets/images/fm-490knifeandthrower.jpg
So doing a little research I found that many enterprising soldiers produced "theater knives" from 1918 MKI handles and varrious battle field pick up blades. Some of them were complete in feld fabrications made from enemy plane parts, or actual knuckle dusters plus whatever bayonet or knife blade was on hand.
http://www.militaryknives.bizland.com/2968.JPG
Sooooo, Since I already have a brass knucle duster, I'm thinking of combining it with a blade.
So this:
http://www.olamiccutlery.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/d/a/damascus-blade-blank-0477-1.jpg
Plus this:
http://img.coolbuy.in/imed/30011565_i2.jpg
Becomes something like this:
1676
1677
1678
This example simply ties the blade to the knucks. I'm thinking of actually cutting a channel into the duster to accomodate the blade tang and schemeing some way to fix it nice and tight. Also considering adding a small hilt and some kind of nasty butt cap / pommel for breaking things with. Maybe, if I'm feeling extra industrious I'll drill holes into the knucles for steel studs. Just because I'm a bad person like that. We'll see.
What say you chaps? A worthy undertaking?
A couple problems I'm running into trying to find a decent trench knife.
The real thing is expensive. Actuall WWI and WWII knives don't seem to be available for less than $800. Custom knives tend to run in the same ballpark. http://www.edmfknives.com/ has GREAT deals comming in under $100 but they are custom and I'll have to wait till next year if I go through them.
http://www.militaryfightingknives.com/thumbs/f17.jpg
The fakes are cheap as hell. I don't know what forge in China cranks out crappy 440 stainless steel by the mega ton but I swear the Pakistanies have cornered the market on it and are hell bent on producing the shittiest pot metal wall hangers in history. Most of the new trench knives on the market are made form this crap. Thin, soft blades. Pot metal fittings. And to make matters worse, my style of choice, the 1918 MKI is only available in this sorry state. (It is also a double edged blade so I would need a modified version...)
http://www.swordsknivesanddaggers.com/assets/images/fm-490knifeandthrower.jpg
So doing a little research I found that many enterprising soldiers produced "theater knives" from 1918 MKI handles and varrious battle field pick up blades. Some of them were complete in feld fabrications made from enemy plane parts, or actual knuckle dusters plus whatever bayonet or knife blade was on hand.
http://www.militaryknives.bizland.com/2968.JPG
Sooooo, Since I already have a brass knucle duster, I'm thinking of combining it with a blade.
So this:
http://www.olamiccutlery.com/media/catalog/product/cache/1/image/9df78eab33525d08d6e5fb8d27136e95/d/a/damascus-blade-blank-0477-1.jpg
Plus this:
http://img.coolbuy.in/imed/30011565_i2.jpg
Becomes something like this:
1676
1677
1678
This example simply ties the blade to the knucks. I'm thinking of actually cutting a channel into the duster to accomodate the blade tang and schemeing some way to fix it nice and tight. Also considering adding a small hilt and some kind of nasty butt cap / pommel for breaking things with. Maybe, if I'm feeling extra industrious I'll drill holes into the knucles for steel studs. Just because I'm a bad person like that. We'll see.
What say you chaps? A worthy undertaking?