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DIY survival knife

As already mentioned, now buying a survival knife does not cause big problems, if not for one “but”: a good knife can hit your pocket hard, and a bad one can fail at the most inopportune moment. As a rule, inexpensive knives are made in China, and we all know the quality of their metal. If you still want to have a good survival knife for practically nothing, then the only way out is to make a knife with your own hands from available materials. And we will help you with this. It is worth noting that professional knifemakers use special tools and tools for their masterpieces, but we will limit ourselves to the minimum set of tools that can be found in any garage. For work we need:

Electric grinder and / or angle grinder (Bulgarian);
Grinder and / or drill attachment;
A set of needle files;
Sandpaper of different grain sizes;

The most important thing in a knife, as everyone knows, is the blade. Blade steel for a survival knife should be hard enough to hold an edge well, but not brittle, and can be edited in the field. The best option would be an alloyed tool steel having a hardness after hardening of 57-60 units on the Rockwell scale (HRC). A suitable blank can be purchased at a tool store or at the construction market.
For this workshop on making a survival knife, we purchased a suitable tool made of steel, brand 95X18, 5 mm thick, on the construction market. Since the workpiece was partially hardened, it was released, heated by a gas burner on a brick to about 500 degrees and left to cool on it. After tempering, the metal becomes ductile and easier to process.
After buying the blank, you need to draw a sketch of the future knife. To do this, you can use a graphic editor, but you can simply circle the workpiece with a pencil or make markings directly on the blade. We will use a mounted mount and a combined type-setting handle, therefore, for reliability, we leave the shank about 3/4 of the handle long. The shape, thickness and size of the blade and bolster in our case are determined by the available sheath, so for your survival knife you can choose the shape based on your imagination, limiting it only to the strength characteristics of the selected workpiece and its dimensions.

After the workpiece is marked, we give the shape of the blade on the emery, form the slopes and cut out the shank. After turning, the blade must be sanded with sandpaper. To do this, we fix it to the shank with a clamp on a wooden block and process it with sandpaper, strictly in one direction, moving from coarse to fine, periodically moistening with water. To grind this blade, 3M sandpaper was used with a grain of 120, 240, 400, 800, 1200, 1500, 2000 and 2500 in succession. In principle, at this stage it is not necessary to grind the blade with an abrasive finer than 1200.

Now you can move on to hardening. The required heat treatment modes for each specific steel grade can be found in the table or in reference books. Steel, 9X18, used on our blade, according to the table, is hardened at a temperature of 1050 degrees, followed by cooling in oil. Accordingly, self-hardening of the blade requires oil and a source of high temperature. You can use any mineral oil, which is not a pity. AT this case it was a TNK transmission. A kind of forge was used for heating.
It should be noted important nuances that must be taken into account when heating the blade:
- It is necessary to ensure the uniformity of heating. To do this, it is best to put the blade on the butt and rake up the coals on both sides.
- Supply air from the side, and in no case on the blade.
- The heating temperature of the blade can be determined visually, according to this table, but for better hardening it is necessary to use a pyrometer.

After heating to the required temperature, we remove the blade from the forge with any suitable tool and quickly lower it into oil.

After the blade has completely cooled, we take it out, wipe it off and, after letting it rest for several hours, proceed to the next milestone- leave. After hardening, the blade acquires the necessary hardness, but becomes brittle, and if not tempered, the cutting edge may begin to crumble. The tempering mode, as well as the hardening mode, is determined from tables and reference books for each steel grade. For our 9X18, tempering is required at a temperature of 150 degrees: that is, it is enough to keep the blade in a preheated oven for the required time, and then let it cool slowly. The heating temperature can be determined by the color of the tint, in accordance with this table.
After heat treatment, we grind the blade clean and form the cutting edge. In addition, you can decorate the blade by etching, or apply a pattern galvanically. For information on how to do this, read on. Our blade has been etched in vinegar.

When the blade is completely ready, we wrap it with masking tape so as not to cut our hands or scratch it, and proceed to the installation of the handle.
Before making a survival knife handle, you need to decide on the shape and material. The knife that we collect is intended for a girl, so we make the handle not thick and as beautiful as possible, based on the available materials. We used:

Copper plates of different thicknesses for the manufacture of bolster, butt and spacers;
Roe deer horn;
Multi-colored fiber for gaskets (can be replaced with thick craft paper);
Wood for the handle. For the handles of our survival knives, we choose birch burl or burl. This material is very beautiful, durable, and has wonderful energy.

In addition, you will need:

So, the material is selected, the blade is ready - let's start manufacturing.
The first thing you need is a bolster. For it we use a thick copper plate. At the request of the future owner of this survival knife, the bolster and butt plate are finished under mokume (how to do this is described on), here we will tell you how to make a bolster from a simple copper plate. This is not difficult. We draw the alleged bolster on cardboard, cut it out, try it on, cut it, repeat until you like it. Then we translate the resulting shape onto a copper plate and cut it out with a grinder or cut it out with a chisel, grind it on emery. Now you need to make a landing hole. To do this, mark it according to the template and drill several holes:

After that, we cut down the partitions with a chisel and align the shape and size with needle files. We grind. We polish. Bolster is ready.

Now we will make a spacer from the horn. We saw off a piece of the horn of the desired size, mark and form the landing hole - drill and select the excess with a needle file:

We collect everything on the blade:

And we give an approximate shape on an emery or grinder, leaving about 0.5 mm for final processing.

In the same way as the bolster, we make a copper spacer, only we don’t grind the planes, but we coarsen them with a large sandpaper, or some other tool, so that the surface is rough and sticks together better. We cut all the necessary spacers from fiber or paper. We form a landing hole in the burl bar. There are many ways to do this, but the easiest is to drill several parallel holes and remove the jumpers with the same drill. The main thing at the same time is to constantly check the fit, so that in the end the shank enters it completely, but tight enough and without backlash. We seal with masking tape all surfaces ready for finishing, so as not to smear with glue and scratch.

Pour the glue into the mounting hole in the cap, put it on the shank, removing the leaking glue, remove it, grease the shank with more glue, add a little into the hole, and put it on completely, without squeezing it very much. Let the whole structure lie down for 10-15 minutes, so that the glue is absorbed into the wood and paper, and squeeze it with a clamp for a couple of days. Usually the glue is fully cured after 24 hours, but it is better to keep everything under pressure for some more time.

When the shape of the handle is displayed, we make the back. From the copper plate we cut it out according to the template. Solder the pins of thick copper wire. It is best to solder with refractory solder PSR or copper-phosphorus. Drill holes in the handle.

Cut out the required number of spacers and assemble everything together. Don't forget to wrap the handle with masking tape.

Now we glue everything with epoxy and clamp it in a clamp for a day. When the resin hardens, we grind the butt plate, without overheating, on a grinder, or better in the old fashioned way - without a machine - with a file, we derive the final shape.

We proceed to the final processing. Sandpaper P180 - P240 remove large scratches and bumps. Smaller - smooth the surface and reach the grit P600. After processing it, we cover the wooden part of the handle with the Mahogany water stain, using a brush or swab, and let it dry for several hours.

When it dries, we process it with P1000 sandpaper and again cover it with stain. So we repeat with sandpaper P1500 - P 2000 - P2500. After processing P2500, we do not cover it with stain. The surface becomes even and smooth. We polish the metal parts of the handle with GOI paste, trying not to stain the wood and the horn.

Now you need to soak the handle with linseed oil in order to show the texture of the wood and protect it from moisture. This can be done by immersing the handle in a container with oil for some, quite a long time, or with a brush, periodically lubricating it, impregnating it, putting it on polyethylene. It is necessary to impregnate until the oil is no longer absorbed. After impregnation, leave the knife for several days until the oil dries.

After the oil is completely dry, rub the handle thickly with beeswax...

Thus, we get a high-quality and beautiful survival knife with minimal material costs. In addition, you can always be sure of a survival knife made by yourself, since you set all its properties yourself - in the process of manufacturing and selecting materials.

The last step in the process of making a survival knife with your own hands is sharpening. We’ll make a reservation right away: you can sharpen a knife yourself without special tools, but it’s better not to rely on special quality. If you don’t have sharpening tools and a set of bars with different grits at hand, you can do this with the same sandpaper. Tear off a strip of about 40x150 mm, put it on a wooden block and sharpen it. For relatively high-quality sharpening, it is advisable to go through sandpaper P240 - P400 - P600 - P1200 - P200 - P2500.

First of all, it is worth noting: learn to make knives from improvised means - pieces of iron, ceramics and, first of all, stones, of course. Survival conditions are conditions for which for some reason you are not ready, and you may not only have a knife with you, but nothing at all. Therefore, I advise in ordinary campaigns, not only to train to make fire with your bare hands, but also to learn how to find hard flint stones, distinguish them from a pile of other stones, and make primitive fishing tools out of them: knives, scrapers, arrowheads. In general, everything is like primitive people. Such skills will come in handy even if you have a knife with you.

Personal Features

The knife should be comfortable for you - carefully select the size, balance, shape of the handle and blade. The easier it is for you to recover with a knife, the greater the chance of survival. The handle should fit comfortably in both your dominant hand and your secondary hand, with different grips. From this it follows that the handle should be symmetrical, without one-sided bevels. Sharpening should also be symmetrical. You should be able to handle your knife easily and freely. I also recommend developing a double hand, in case one of the hands loses functionality due to injury. One psychological point is also very important - good command of your own knife will give you confidence in yourself and in the future.

Functionality

Here you can argue about a lot, now there are many different materials, steel grades, you can buy, order a knife to your liking from the master, I'm just thinking based on my own experience. The example below falls into the category of edged weapons, but the article is not about that.

1) Fulltang and only fulltang

The handle can burn, melt, crack in the cold, split when dropped, in short, lose its shape. It should be possible to dial the handle on your own in field conditions. The fultang increases the weight of the knife, but gives strength to the handle, allows you to use the knife as a chisel, pierce various pieces of wood by striking the head.

2) Massive head with corrugation and through hole

The head should allow you to stun animals, break off pieces of stones, straighten tin, break locks, latches, break car glass, in general, be a hammer. Hole for lanyard, cord, paracord. I think there is no need to explain that if there is a hole, it is more convenient to make a spear or a harpoon.

3) Handle

As it was written earlier, a handle made of refractory material that is comfortable for both hands and various grips is needed. A small emphasis on both the side of the blade and the side of the head.

The material must prevent the knife from slipping out of the hand under a variety of climatic conditions, be it rain, heat, frost.

There should not be any hollow separate welded handles with repair kits and NAZ. The hollow handle breaks more easily when loaded or dropped from rocks. As a child, I gouged the handle just by throwing a knife at a tree. Therefore, the handle material should not be fragile. If the hilt is already hollow, then it should be forged from the continuation of the blade blade to form a single whole with it, not be too thick and round.

The color of the handle is poisonous yellow or orange, so that the knife can be easily found under water, on sand, on snow, in stones, in the dark, etc. The color should be different from the natural background, to unmask the knife. On the black recesses that you see in the picture, you can wind the fishing line.

4) Garda

The guard is necessary. I met the opinion that the guard interferes in everyday life (although this, in my opinion, is complete nonsense, you just need to train more in everyday terms ...), but its protective function is simply necessary, especially if there is no lanyard, and the hand is frozen or weakened from hunger.

The upper part of the guard, by the way, can be made in the form of a ring - with a wide hole (like a bayonet-knives) so that a spear shaft can be inserted into it.

5) Blade

Steel the blade and the band as a whole, since we have a fulltang, should not be too hard. Hardness is brittleness and brittleness. Naturally, the steel must be stainless. The width of the butt is 4-5 mm. Yes, there must be a thick, load-bearing blade, the knife must endure blows on the butt with stones and sticks.

Blade length- 18 centimeters (shorter in the picture). A fairly long blade, but with such a knife it is more convenient to split wood for a fire with both hands, chop bones, tendons of large game, it is easier to reach a predator that attacked you or a loop in which you are entangled. With a long blade, it is easier to go through thickets of some kind of nettle.

A little about splendor. A shiny, polished blade can give a signal, for example, to helicopter pilots. Once my friends and I were crawling over the rocks and local kites began to dive at us - quite large predator birds. Taking out our shiny knives, we waved them away. A simple example, but even simple crows can actively attack you, protecting their nesting territory. And if you show them that you have something big and shiny in your hands, they will moderate their ardor.

Another big shiny knife can be a powerful argument when meeting with the most dangerous animal at the negotiation stage...

Serrating— complicates sharpening in the field. Its functionality when cutting game tendons can be replaced by a protruding sharpened heel.

middle part blades- straight. It is easier to separate chips from logs.

Climb blade starts with a ledge. Helps to cut tight ropes, slings. The rise itself is rounded, which makes it easier to remove the skin from the carcass of the animal.

sharpening only bilateral with direct descents.

Saw on the butt - it will come in handy so as not to dull the blade once again, but at the same time keep the butt unsharpened.

Bevel- not sharpened, for your own safety, lightens the knife and increases its "pungency".

Tip it is better to harden the knife, the soft tip can bend under load, but it will still break off when unbent, so let it break off better with stronger loads.

Hole near the guard helps to fix the knife on the shaft. However, its presence can weaken the knife for a break, it is better to do without it.

6) Scabbard

Make it out of leather. Why? Well, they can be cut, boiled and eaten.

It is better if the knife sits in the sheath without additional fixation of the handle, i.e. without fasteners, because the knife should be reached in one movement and not two. But we have a large heavy knife, so the clasp will come in handy, the main thing is to keep it undone for normal upright movement and fastened for complex movement. I had such a case, I was climbing the slope in front of the group, when the wolves that quickly appeared blocked my way and stood up, as they say, “point blank”. The knife was sheathed, and the hilt was fastened, and I understood that I would not have time to get the knife if they jumped. It was lucky that at the wolf closest to me, and he was standing two meters from me, a stone jumped out from under his feet, on which he leaned. He looked down. these seconds were enough, in a second I removed the slingshot from my neck, pulled out a large pine cone that had accidentally been lying around and fired at the wolves. They, as it is not funny, got scared and ran away. But, suppose I didn’t have a slingshot, and the wolves would not be afraid and attack first. Seconds decide in general ...

Where should the knife be hung?

When hiking - on the belt from the side convenient for you. He's the least bothered. It can also be worn on the outside of the thigh, but when crossing rocky obstacles it will need to be fastened and it will be inconvenient to get it with the opposite hand. When kayaking - on the chest, but so that in case of an accidental hook, when raising arms or oars, the handle does not reach the face and neck (the knife itself should be shorter in this case, in short, this is already a rescue knife). I once got a knife hit in the tooth like this, well, not in the eye.

Conclusion

A knife should be a knife: to stab, pierce, cut, split, separate, nothing more. There are historical solutions for a long time - these are hunting and fishing knives, as well as modern bayonet-knives. These solutions are the result of centuries of practice. Therefore, inventing now special knives for couch survivalists is simply ridiculous. Flexible brains, a trained healthy body and a good experience survive. Better practice more. Learn to make cutting and piercing objects auxiliary to the main knife from improvised means. Learn how to make and use bows, slings and spears. Practice setting traps. It is always easier to get a capercaillie, a sparrow, a gopher, a squirrel, a hare, a pika, a chipmunk, a mouse, a rat, a fish, and for this a knife is not a necessity.

I repeat: hunting, fishing, army - these are real knives for survival. What is now being sold under the guise of survival knives against the backdrop of the popularity of the survival subculture are variants of real knives trimmed to legally acceptable versions. Manufacturing companies are well aware that they cannot sell knives in bulk, the possession of which requires licenses. And for mass sales, they sell various acceptable models, thus undermining the long noble history of survival.

It's good that in Russia we have a lot of recreational places where you can join the survival in a variety of conditions. May God grant you good luck in this difficult task, health, stop smoking, do not drink too much, take care of yourself and nature.

Addition

How to make a Finnish puuko knife with your own hands

Puukko is one of the main types of utility knives with thousands of years of history. This is a small (short blade, often less than the length of the handle), relatively easy to manufacture Finnish knife, the functionality of which is suitable for many tasks related to hunting and farming. Personally, I fell in love with this knife for its simplicity and austerity: in its various variations, you can find yourself an excellent working tool, in which there will be nothing superfluous.

Search for information

This was my first knife making experience at all, so the whole process started with gathering information. Thanks to the site guns.ru, I learned the terminology and the main points in the manufacture of knives from the blade to the handle, I read an article about puukko on Wikipedia and studied links to third-party resources, from which sources for inspiration were subsequently taken, I watched a lot of videos on YouTube about manufacturing and features various kinds of Finn. An approximate drawing was made. I was ready to get to work and it boiled.

Main Ingredients

We will need: a workbench with a vise, a large file according to GOST 2 pcs., a wooden block (wood to taste), copper plates, an oven, emery, sandpaper, a hacksaw, a screwdriver, machine oil, pinotex, epoxy glue, marker, etc. small things.

Manufacturing

It all started with annealing in a furnace. With one of the files at a temperature of 800 degrees, a similar procedure was performed, followed by slow cooling.

Then, the blade and shank were brought to an adequate condition with a file and emery. A small jamb came out, I had to shorten the length of the blade. Cuts are made on the shank so that when inserted into the handle, epoxy glue fills them.

Since the bolster is strung on the shank first and only then the handle (suddenly), a hole was first drilled in a thick copper plate. She began to put on the shank with difficulty, which suited the role of a partition perfectly.

A hole was drilled in the block of wood a little more than the length of the shank and in the block of wood, then a slanted cut was made on its end part, which was a decision more for an aesthetic than for a practical purpose.

Both the blade and the bolster and the hilt were connected and fitted to each other in order to make sure that things were going right so far.

The blade has been hardened in an oven at a temperature of 900 degrees, followed by immersion in engine oil.

The blade, bolster and hilt were reattached and epoxy bonded. A rough markup was applied to the handle, which was further changed anyway, moving even further away from the original drawing.

All the most unnecessary was again mercilessly sawn off.

Another small joint was found in the handle, so I proceeded to fix it with the same epoxy and file. After subsequent processing with sandpaper, the knife acquired the following, almost final look.

In the end, the handle was impregnated with Pinotex.

Outcome

The product, although it came out quite rough, but still became a knife. The experience gained in the process of making this puukko is truly invaluable to me. I hope that from the information that I have collected here, someone more accurate and handy will be able to do something much better.

Imagine that you are in emergency when something threatens your life and health. What is the best survival knife to have with you in this case? Honestly, you would love ANY knife. However, if you are reading this article right now, then you have a habit of thinking about the future and planning ahead. And a hypothetical emergency is unlikely to take you by surprise with empty pockets. Moreover, you most likely will not have an old rusty pocket knife with you, but something more serious.

We all have our own personal preferences for what it means to be a "good knife" for camping trips. And in an extreme situation, you certainly would like to get the best of options. Therefore, in this article we will try to compile a list of the best survival knives so that you can choose the best one for you.

But first, let's talk a little about...

What is a survival knife?

The survival knife is a versatile tool designed for everyday outdoor use as well as for real-life survival in wild nature(which, in fact, says its name). It should be suitable for most camp activities, including arranging a shelter, making a fire, cooking, making various traps, digging, and much more. In addition, it must be suitable for self-defense and hunting (nominally - for picking up wounded animals and cutting them up).

Generally speaking, a fulltang tang fixed blade knife is a much better choice as a survival knife than a drop tang knife or even more so a folder. Indeed, due to its versatility, a survival knife can experience very serious loads that can disable a folding knife or lead to a break in a thin shank in a light fixed.

How to choose the right survival knife: 8 important points that you should definitely pay attention to.

Below we will look at several important points that you should definitely consider when choosing a survival knife, because they determine its convenience, reliability and versatility in the wild. For your convenience, we have made a list with links for quick access:

1. Blade type - how to choose the right blade for a survival knife?

Recommended types of blade profiles: A - clip point (clip point), B - spear point (spear point), C - drop point (drop-point).

When choosing a survival knife for yourself, it is worth remembering what exactly it is intended for. After all, being one on one with wildlife, you will have to use it to the maximum, and in this case, such a factor as the shape of the blade plays an important role.

Among the currently numerous forms and variations of blades, three should be preferred, namely - clip-point, spear point and drop point. The reason for this is the location of the level of the tip close to the median (conditional) line of the blade, which improves the control of the knife and, as a result, its versatility.

According to these parameters, knives with clip, spear and drop-point are superior to knives with a straight butt, not to mention other types of blade action.

Experienced wilderness survivalists divide all survival knives into three broad categories, depending on their size and purpose: cleavers, camp knives, bushcraft/utility survival knives.

Cleavers

The first category includes knives with a blade length of more than 10 inches (25 cm), with a balance shifted to the blade and (ideally) flat slopes. As steel for these knives, grades 1095, 5160 or 440s are most often chosen. In addition, the handle of the cleaver should be ergonomic, textured and should be well held even in a wet hand.

camp knives

Camp knives are medium sized knives ( minimum size their blade is about 5 inches). The ideal balance for such a knife is in the area of ​​​​the guard, and the descents will suit both straight and concave. The handle should also be ergonomic, fit well in the hand and allow you to perform a variety of actions. This category knives - the most versatile, and can be used for most jobs - from butchering game and cooking to light chopping.

Utility knives, bushcraft knives

Utility knives, bushcraft knives are small knives (with a blade around 4 inches, and sometimes even a little less) and flat descents. Ideal for small woodwork, traps, etc.

2. Fixed or folder?

Of course, this is an excellent tool for EDC, but its main problem is that it is good only in "peaceful" time, since it is not designed for serious loads. And his main problem is that he can break in a critical situation much easier than a knife with a fixed blade.
You can also cut food or gut fish / small birds with a fold, but using it to prepare a shelter, butcher large prey, or, even more so, try to dig or chop something, it will be much more difficult and with a huge risk to the integrity of the knife.

This, of course, does not mean that the "survivor" should not have a folding knife with him. Quite the opposite - it's worth it, but only as a backup and not as a replacement for the main working fixed.

3. Blade shape - how to choose it depending on the purpose of the knife

The shape of the blade (working / cutting edge, RK) of a survival knife is also one of the fundamental factors when choosing it, since it directly affects the purpose of the knife and the convenience of its use in certain situations.

So, a straight working edge is the most versatile and suitable for most tasks that can be set in a survival environment.

A cutting edge with a recurve is less versatile, and also does not allow you to perform a number of works with high precision(for example, for accurate skinning, it is better to use only knives with a straight PK). At the same time, the recurve allows you to accurately and with less effort cut various objects with the part of the blade located near the bolster, and also provides a stronger chopping blow with the part of the blade located near the tip (compared to a similar knife, but with a straight working edge).

An example of a recurve cutting edge.

4. Blade length - how long should a survival knife be?

Choosing the right blade length is just as important as all the previous ones, since knives of different sizes are designed to solve different tasks (as already mentioned above). Speaking of choosing one single survival knife, we can advise the length of the blade in the region of 9 inches (20-22 cm).

Such a length is still not excessive for more or less comfortable butchering of game and performing small jobs (for example, arranging traps). But at the same time, it is already sufficient for tasks such as cutting branches and batoning.

5. Survival knife steel. What to choose?

The next important parameter when choosing a knife is the grade of steel from which it is made. Here it is important to decide whether to choose a knife with a carbon steel blade or opt for a stainless steel one.

So, carbon steels they have a better cut and are easier to correct in the field, but at the same time they rust even with a minimum amount of moisture. In its turn, stainless steels they are practically not afraid of dampness and hold sharpening better, but at the same time they have a less aggressive cut, and are also more difficult to sharpen in outdoor conditions.

In addition to the type of steel, its hardness also plays an important role. So, steels with a hardness in the range of 50-54 Rockwell are stronger than knives with high hardness, but at the same time they hold sharpening less. Knives with a hardness of 58 Rockwell and above hold sharpening well, but have increased fragility (besides, such knives will be difficult to sharpen "on the knee"). It is for this reason that the ideal hardness for a survival knife is 54 to 58 Rockwell.

At the same time, it should be noted that if we are talking about powerful cleavers intended mainly for cutting, then low-carbon steel, hardened to 50-54 units, should be preferred.

As good carbon steels for knives, you can recommend grades 1095, 5160, O1, A2, as well as domestic tool steels of the U series and spring steel 65G (especially for chopping tools). Good grades of stainless steel include 440C, AUS8, AUS10, and even 420HC.

6. Descents of the blade - which one to give preference to?

Different kinds cutting edge profiles.

How well a survival knife cuts depends not only on good steel, but also on the geometry of its blade, namely the slopes. The most versatile in this case are flat descents. They allow you to easily perform all basic operations, namely cutting, planing, splitting and chopping without the risk of damaging the blade. Similar in performance to flat slopes are slopes with a "reciprocating" profile.

At the same time, choosing a blade with concave slopes as a universal knife for survival is absolutely not worth it. Despite the fact that it can cut products even better than a blade with flat slopes, it is practically not suitable for power work (for example, cutting), because it gets stuck in soft wood, and when cutting hard, there is a real risk of chipping entire pieces of the blade ( and there are plenty of examples.)

If we talk about lenticular descents, then they are less versatile, and sharpening knives with a similar geometry in field conditions is also more difficult. For this reason, you should stop your choice on knives with saber or flat descents.

7. Shank - solid or slip-on?

The shank of the knife is a continuation of the blade, going inside the handle. And it is precisely the point at which the shank enters the handle that is the weakest point of the knife. It is for this reason that a knife designed, among other things, for power work (as, in fact, a survival knife) must have a really strong shank that runs along the entire length of the handle, namely, a fulltang. And there is no point in looking for any compromises here. Firstly, it is almost impossible to break such a knife (except in cases of steel overheating or local fatigue), and secondly, even with a broken handle (or rather, handle linings), such a knife can continue to be used, which cannot be said about knives with other types of shanks .

Close to a fulltang is a hidden shank (that is, running almost the entire volume of the handle, but invisible from the outside). It ranks second in terms of reliability, as well as the ease of use of a knife with a broken handle. Survival knives with a similar shank are also a good option, although it is still better to give preference to a fulltang.

8. Choosing a knife handle

The last important factor when choosing a survival knife is the material of its handle. After all, if it cracks or, moreover, breaks into pieces, then the convenience of using the knife will drop sharply, and in some cases it will not be possible to use it at all.

Currently, in the first place in popularity is the material for the handles called "micarta". It can be linen or hemp, and combines strength, resistance to dirt and virtually immunity to high humidity.

In second place are G-10 and Zytel. They are similar in properties to micarta and are also an excellent material for survival knife handles. As you can see, the list of recommended materials does not include wood. This is due to the fact that it is more dependent on changes in humidity and temperature, and also has greater fragility than composite materials.

As a handle material for large cleavers, one can recommend rubber and rubber-like plastics that dampen vibration and reduce the "recoil" acting on the hand when cutting, for example, Krayton or Hypalon. At the same time, relief elements should be applied on the handle itself to improve retention and prevent it from slipping out of a wet hand.

That's all for now. In the next part, wait for the TOP 10 best survival knives, selected based on the above criteria.

Since ancient times, a man has been protected and saved by a knife. During the development of scientific and technological progress, the need for it as a constant companion disappeared. However, in extreme conditions this item may be sufficient means to survive. The progress of technology has also touched on survival knives, but the army knife with a lot of additional functions remains its standard.

Purpose of survival knives

The best survival knives are developed by order of the armies of most states. A real breakthrough was the appearance of a hollow knife handle, in which you can place the necessary minimum of vital items.

The universal knife has become a constant companion of any tourist. It's good for a lot of things:

• obtaining and preparing food;
• construction and repair of a dwelling (shelter);
• manufacture of wooden, stone, bone and metal implements and tools;
• kindling a fire;
• production and repair of clothes;
• orientation on the ground;
• protection from wild animals and intruders;
• provision of medical care.

To combine all these functions in one product, development engineers have spent more than a dozen years. The blade configuration and materials were improved. Modern steel is capable of withstanding enormous loads, and the functionality of survival knives can surprise anyone.

Unique features of universal survival knives

In order to start a fire, a survival knife with a steel was developed. The hollow handle of some elite examples can accommodate medical and household needles pre-threaded, ready to use.

Large knives have a long, wide blade with a large cutting edge sharpened to the sharpness of a scalpel. The butt is wide and massive. It is strong enough to drive nails, crack nuts, flatten soft metals. No folding knife has such characteristics.

The presence of a compass causes conflicting opinions. The blade of this has to be made of a non-magnetic alloy, so the decision to equip an army survival knife with a compass is clearly not the best.

How to choose a tourist knife for extreme situations?

Any survival expert will tell you that a knife is the most important item in your outdoor gear. Therefore, its choice should be approached thoroughly, evaluating many factors of suitability, convenience, functionality and reliability.

Immediately you need to decide what system it should be. The folding knife is convenient for carrying. It is not bulky and takes up little space. Some models contain 21 items, and are capable of performing more than 30 types of work. How much you need it - decide for yourself.

Advice can be given regarding the length of the blade. It should be within 9-15 cm. A longer utility knife will be uncomfortable and heavy. The exception is if you are heading into the jungle. Then you have to use it as a machete. A smaller blade will be inconvenient due to the small length of the blade.

Cutting edges are of two types:

• smooth (smooth);
• sawtooth (serreytor).

If you choose the last type of cutting edge, you can easily cut synthetic materials, saw wood, bone, and sometimes even metal, but there is one drawback.

Sharpening such a blade requires special conditions and fixtures. This is not possible in the field. And once dulled, the utility knife turns into a high-tech metal baton. Therefore, if you are going on a hike for a long time, it is better to purchase an exhibit with a smooth cutting edge.

Blade thickness is also important. If the blade is too thick, then it is difficult for the knife to do small, painstaking work. Too thin can break. The optimal thickness range is from 4 to 6.5 mm.

Recently, carbon steel has become popular. This is due to its outstanding strength and ability to resist blunting. However, if such a knife is not used for a long time, the blade will rust. The tendency to corrosion is the main disadvantage of this material.

There are alloy additives that can provide additional wear resistance. For example, chrome does a great job with this. And in order for the blade not to suffer from the effects of aggressive environments, vanadium is introduced into the composition of the alloy. Zirconia is used by domestic manufacturers to make ceramic survival knives.

Comparison of elite copies of Western and domestic production

The iconic Jungle King survival knife can become a favorite tourist companion. It contains many useful items and is able to perform a large number of functions. The Spanish manufacturer has developed three generations of this brand. The capsule inside the knife handle contains:

• a set of needles and pins;
• a set of fishing hooks;
• tweezers;
• pencil;
• sterilized blade;
• adhesive plaster;
• pill box.

The kit is different in different versions. The equipment includes a flint and a skinner knife hidden in the sheath. It will help to remove the skin and butcher the animal, it can be used as a screwdriver, can opener, flintlock or spear. In addition, the scabbard contained:

• a rubber tourniquet for pulling injured limbs or for a slingshot mounted on retractable metal antennae;
• a mirror with pictograms-tips on how to properly send distress signals;
• a container containing iodine for disinfecting wounds;
• vial of anti-mosquito liquid.

The scabbard is wrapped with twine, which skillful hands turn into a string. The basis for the manufacture of the blade was a chromium-molybdenum-vanadium steel alloy (59 hardness units). The total length is 22 cm, of which 10.5 is the blade. The handle is hollow, and a compass is mounted in the end cap.

This monster is opposed by the domestic survival knife HB 1 01, despite the fact that it is inferior to its opponent in terms of overall characteristics. This representative of the genus is one of the best in the world in terms of functionality, reliability, unpretentiousness. General characteristics:

• blade - 160x30 mm;
• blade thickness - 4 mm;
• saw - 10 cm;
• twine - 400 cm;
• weight - 750 g;
• overall dimensions - 33x5.1 cm.

The contents of the hollow handle are also impressive:

• line for fishing;
• grater for lighting a match;
• reel for fishing line;
• weights with hooks;
• an awl with a pin and a needle;
• 4 meters of thread;
• wind matches.

Sheath sectional sliding. They hide a folding lightweight knife with a lot of functions, like a Western opponent, a bar for straightening the blade, a liquid compass, wire cutters with a diameter of up to 3 mm. At the time of its release, it was a truly great knife.

Beauty and impressiveness at the expense of functionality

There is one more exhibit worthy of claiming superiority in the fight against the previously described ones. This is an Alligator survival knife, the completeness of which is not much different from the above models. There is even a scalpel. The saw is located in a sheath, which caused a desire to test it.

However, it was not that it was impossible to saw off a branch - but it would take a very long time to do it. I just had to cut it down. The knife itself rattles with its sheath when walking. You can lay the bottom with foam rubber, but you will agree: buy a new thing, and immediately begin to eliminate defects? .. Manufacturers should have been involved in this.

The best knife for civilian tourists in 2019

This is the most eye-catching specimen of the family. Introducing the Ganzo g8012 Survival Knife. The polymer handle can be any color. And all the colors are noticeable, bright. This is good - it is almost impossible to lose it. The configuration of the handle is made "under the arm". The knife is comfortable and beautiful.

Its design provides for a flint. You can strike a fire with the help of a heel built into the butt. The scabbard is plastic. The body kit is unfinished, because it is somehow “wildly” screwed to the scabbard with two self-tapping screws - and this is in the 21st century! A sling cutter fit in the sheath - these are two converging blades.

Practice has shown that this model does an excellent job with fabric (natural and synthetic), leather, thin branches. It makes great toothpicks. Otherwise, it's just an aesthetic, reliable and convenient knife that deserves to be taken with you on a hike of any complexity.

If you have any questions - leave them in the comments below the article. We or our visitors will be happy to answer them.

I am fond of martial arts with weapons, historical fencing. I write about weapons military equipment because it is interesting and familiar to me. I often learn a lot of new things and want to share these facts with people who are not indifferent to military topics.

In this article we will talk about making a homemade knife. The article dealt with the manufacture of a knife using forging, this time the manufacturing process is much simpler, only metal and woodworking are used. And it can be done with the help of an ordinary file, however, if you have access to a grinding machine or a grinder, the manufacturing process develops much faster.

Do not look at the fact that in the article we are talking about making a homemade chef's knife, using this technology you can easily make a homemade scout knife, a classic criminal finca or, say, . Just be aware! The manufacture of knives can be classified as the manufacture of edged weapons and punished by an article of the criminal code!

I got tired of constantly sharpening my Brazilian stainless steel knives while cooking, and I caught fire under New Year, arrange a gift for yourself in the form of a good knife. I got into tyrnets to look for where I could buy one, found a couple of offers, more or less, but still not quite right. Either the shape or the dimensions did not quite correspond to my wishes. Even the price did not play a special role, in the region of 10 k I could spend it, then a gift to my beloved. Yes, and my wife said, you need, look and order, I don’t mind at all. There was an option to order, with its own sizes and shapes. But at work, two of my colleagues began to master this craft in the same way, though they buy ready-made blades, and there they already conjure with handles, and their blades are too small for me at all. But they advised me one steel, x12mf, they said look for it, strong, tough. And rushed.

Having studied the properties of this steel, having read many articles and reviews, it was decided to look for a knife from it. And when I came across the video...

so generally an awl in the ass began to play. And then my colleagues bring a piece of such steel. Rolling true. But she. Having estimated the state of my arsenal of tools, the prices of the original parts, and the curvature of my hands, I decided that I would make myself a knife, the one that I needed.

It was not always possible to take a picture of all the stages, but for the most part, all processes are displayed. For the pictures, too, do not kick too much. All in different places, with different lighting and in different weather. The piece was declared as 4 mm thick, 40 wide, but took 35 cm in length, somewhere 20-22 cm for the blade, and 12-13 for the handle, but with a width of the jamb it turned out to be only 35 mm, but oh well. Then we will make a knife with a wide blade, in the summer, when it will be possible to unforge steel))) We draw either by hand or on a computer, the contours of our future knife and cut out of paper like a pattern. We apply steel to the canvas, and paint over everything that needs to be removed from the canvas with a black marker. We go to the machine and fuck. Here is the finished cutting edge. Here I have already roughly outlined the boundaries of the slopes, and began to draw them out slowly.

With the help of such a not tricky device, I made descents. This is the hardest and longest part. I melted 2 buckets of snow))) you need to cool the metal, otherwise we will overheat.

After the painful manufacture of descents, we draw the upper boundaries of the knife, that is, butt.

And we get something that looks like a knife. And with the help of that bar, very rough, we bring the descents and bring the cutting edge to the draft. Well, I walked a bit with the skin, see how it turns out.

The next step was preparing the handle. I asked the guys for a piece of red bourgeois walnut, not for free, of course. Here it is already cut into 3 parts. I thought for a long time what kind of pen to make, I wanted a cupronickel tip, but I couldn’t find a solid piece of cupronickel, only the casting was bad, but somehow it was not very suitable for my purposes. And I decided to make it purely from wood, but from 3 pieces, like a guard and a wooden handle. Yes, and holes are easier to make in small pieces. And from the blank of the knife we ​​remove everything superfluous with a grinder and emery. In parallel, I also sanded the blade a little. It turned out crumpled, I did it in the evenings and at nights. Whatever he had time for, he did.

We mark the pieces of wood, and drill and clean the holes to put on the shank. I didn’t make it out of halves, I don’t like rivets, extra bridges, slack handles. Yes, and in cold weather, they will burn the hand with frost.

There are no photos of the device, I will describe it this way, a skin is glued to a flat board on a 2-sided adhesive tape, and with it we adjust our pieces of wood to each other so that there are no gaps between them. So dressing and taking off every time on the shank. and remove these gaps.

After all the dances with a tambourine, we wrap the blade with electrical tape completely so that the glue does not get in, dilute the epoxy according to the instructions and proceed.

We collect our future handle together with a knife. I tied it with a rope, tightening it with the help of improvised means, there are no pictures ((But if you find a large clamp, then it will be easier for you.

And after a day, intended for the glue to harden, we begin to process the handle. I sawed off everything superfluous from the top of the handle with a small margin for further processing. Marked the axis of symmetry and from it already the future edges of the handle. And he began to saw off everything superfluous.

The tree is dense, it is sawn with a hacksaw for a long time, but the main thing is sawn)) and quite evenly.

Having sawed off everything superfluous on the sides, we mark the contours of the future handle. And saw off everything from the bottom.

we leave a little for further processing, in this case it is better not to finish it than to cut it.

Thanks to my labor teacher for not drinking but teaching us, and taught us how to deal with different files))) We grind everything further with rough and not very files.

We round the edges of the handle, already with small files, and with a rough sandpaper. It’s good that my wife was already asleep and didn’t see a layer of sawdust))) but I lined everything with newspapers. and then wiped the floor with a wet cloth)) cleanliness is the key to success.

We skin both the handle and the blade, leveling all surfaces. Sanded in any free time, and at work and at home.

Well, then we take a piece of an old felt boot and make such a device: a bolt, a large washer, a felt circle, a large washer, a nut. You can lock it with one more nut. By the way, taking a circle of skins and putting it on the outside of the felt, you can polish the product)))

After all the polishing, we apply goy paste on the felt disk, and grind the blade, I was too lazy to bring it to the mirror, and I don’t really need this mirror. Yes, and there was no drill at hand, only a screwdriver, and it does not give such high revolutions necessary for better removal.

And after the blade, we take another clean disk, and with it we clean the whole tree from dust and chips. According to the correct course, at first it was necessary to bring the blade completely to a shine. And then to deal with the pen, but I repeat, I was limited in time by different conditions, and did everything at once. Having studied a bunch of impregnations, I decided to impregnate in the ancient way, albeit a long one, but reliable. I bought a couple of bottles of artistic linseed oil. Since the handle is quite large and long, I had to buy a jar of some filth. We take a small saucepan, gauze or a rag on the bottom, an opened jar on a rag. Pour oil into the jar, water into the pan, do not confuse.

We heat the oil to 60-70 degrees, no more, epoxy does not like high temperatures very much, again we wrap the blade with electrical tape a little so as not to stain it, and lower our handle into it. And we observe how small air bubbles stand out from the tree. When the bubbles stop, take it out and wipe it with a napkin. This procedure took me about an hour, with several heatings of the oil.

Lay the knife down on the windowsill Sun rays, we need ultraviolet light to polymerize the oil. But I wiped it a couple of times with a napkin with oil until the oil stopped absorbing at all. Do not forget to turn it over on the windowsill every day so that the oil polymerizes on all sides. And in the evenings we sharpen. Here I will not describe everything in detail, one more topic is enough, theories of knife sharpening. Yes, and I haven’t quite mastered it yet)) I’m still learning.

In the meantime, the oil dries, and the blade is sharpened, we will make a camping option out of our chef, we will make a sheath for it. I often go out into the countryside, and cook there, and I have to take my Brazilian stainless steel knives, twisting them around, and putting them neatly in my backpack so that I don’t hurt my hand if I need to get something, and I don’t pierce the backpack with a point. In general, hemorrhoids are still the same. And I decided, since the width of the blade is not ideal for me, then we will make a camping version out of it, I will make another one for the house. True, my wife will probably shoot me)) Well, that's another question. Again we turn to our colleagues, and take from them another small piece of wood. I decided to make everything from one tree. and handle and scabbard. Again, we figure out on a piece of paper how it will look, and what pieces it will consist of. We mark the bar, and cut into pieces. By this time, I rented a grinding machine from my brother, which grinds with sandpaper. And with this miracle device we bring the joints of the trees according to the plan into a more or less decent condition. That is, to fit exactly. No big gaps. Here at the next stage, my patience snapped. We drill a hole under the knife in each piece, I fiddled with it for a very long time, and the desire to finish everything as soon as possible was already great, and because of this, I hastily glued these pieces at night without fitting the joints well. As a result, in one place a jamb surfaced later. But certainly not critical. Yes, and I glued it on Friday night, but there was a desire to completely process the rest for the exhaust. And you still have to wait for days. and did not postpone and pasted.

I glued it with reinforcement, by the way, so that under transverse loads, it would not fall apart in the places of gluing. Reinforced with thin metal studs. 2 studs in each joint. Well, after the glue dries, we go to the garage, take a miracle grinder, and remove all unnecessary with its help. And we return to felt devices, take different skins for reduction and grind them to the maximum smoothness, and then clean them with clean felt. I decided to impregnate the scabbard in a cold way. True, he poured hot inside, there were particles of wax inside, and it was necessary to melt them, and soaked the outer part for a week, applying a small layer every day. In the first impregnation, of course, I applied layers for an hour until it ceased to be absorbed. Well, to their knife. On the windowsill. Turning constantly.

After the knife and sheath have dried out, and the oil has polymerized, albeit not completely, then more will come. We are preparing the composition for finishing. We take beeswax and our linseed oil in proportions of about 2 parts of oil and 1 part of wax, but I probably couldn’t stand it even by eye, but after reading the cooking recipes before that, I realized that there are no exact proportions, you want 1/3 you want 1 /4, and if you want clean wax process. There was an opportunity to process it with carnauba wax, but I decided to make it from our bee wax. In a water bath, melt the wax in the oil until smooth.

My task was a knife with which you can cut and butcher meat, and so that it retains its sharpness after that. I love tomatoes with meat dishes, and it’s bad to cut them with a blunt knife. I can say that the task is carried out with a bang. Brazilians can't do that. The knife, of course, turned out to be not perfect, there are a couple of jambs on the slopes, a couple of jambs on the sheath, but all these jambs are mostly aesthetic nitpicking, and do not affect practical application in any way. And I think it's forgivable for the first time)) Well, another small remark: the budget. a piece of steel - 300 rubles. wood for the handle and scabbard - 500 rubles (of course, a board of such a tree costs 5 rubles, but it is 2 meters, and I used 15-20 cm from the board in total) skin - about 500 rubles. linseed oil - 200 rubles. 1500 are further purchases for the knife, which remained at my disposal for the rest of my life, so it is difficult to consider them as the cost of the knife. files, needle files, and all sorts of little things about 1k ruble ordinary sharpening bars - 150 rubles diamond bar 1.5 k. vise small 300 rubles total about 4.5 rubles. Of course, it was possible to find a ready-made knife at such a cost, but to be left without such nishtyaks as a diamond bar. which then would have to buy anyway. Everyone, you can drink.

Text author kadiko

Gobly comments:

Cool knife!

Vaso comments:

a small correction - the oil does not polymerize on the windowsill. glass does not transmit ultraviolet radiation. the knife is really cool. respect.

VaDim