Expendables Knife

**Vuk** · 06-30-2012, 21:02

My bro and I have been making knives since we were kids (I made my first knife out of an old mower blade when I was just wee laddie), so when our martial arts buddy (who is an absolute knife fanatic) got married, it seemed that the most obvious choice for his wedding present was a knife.
My bro and I made him this, as a tribute to Gunnar's knife from the Expendables:

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My bro and I are completely broke, so we had to make it out of all materials and tools we already had (which is why it has a rough sanded finish), so we made it out of the leaf spring to a '94 F150. We had to guess at the grade of steel, and harden it by sight. We ended up differentially hardening and tempering it, gave it a 20 degree edge, and a solid steel handle. Its balance point is half an inch in front of the cross-guard (not typical for bowies, but we thought more control would be needed for a 21 inch knife, so we kept the balance point a little closer to the handle)

It is very rough, but the best an unemployed man can do on a budget with scrap steel, an ancient angle grinder that keeps breaking down, and hand tools. :P
So what do you think? Would you rather our slightly larger version (nearly the same overall length, but with a shorter handle. Also, we made the blade thicker and wider), or Gunnar's sissy knife? :P
EDIT: Note, this last comment is meant as a joke. I mean no offense toward Gil Hibben or his excellent designs.

**rajpoot** · 06-30-2012, 21:14

That's a pretty awesome piece of work!

You know if you make this kind of stuff and sell it, people will be queuing up to buy. Only the other day I was checking out this website that sold replica swords....there really appears to be money in this business.

Edit:
What does it weigh?
Also did you cast the handle with aluminium or what?

**Vuk** · 06-30-2012, 21:25

Originally Posted by rajpoot

That's a pretty awesome piece of work!

You know if you make this kind of stuff and sell it, people will be queuing up to buy. Only the other day I was checking out this website that sold replica swords....there really appears to be money in this business.

Edit:
What does it weigh?
Also did you cast the handle with aluminium or what?

Thanks rajpoot! Yeah, I know there is a market for it. My bro and I are actually seriously considering starting up a business. We just need to find jobs (which neither of us have been able to since we have graduated) and put some money into tools (a real forge, rather than our half-butt one, a KMG industrial grinder, a plasma table, etc). It will take an investment, but we hope to start up a business some day.

As far as how much it weighs, I am not sure. I didn't weigh it, and I don't have it anymore (I gave it as a gift). I do know this though, it is not too heavy as to be unwieldy (that is my opinion, but I have been practicing with swords and knives since I was a kid, and I am a large person), but it is heavy enough to make its hacking and pommelling as deadly as its stabbing and slicing. As far as the handle, it is made of solid steel. We welded on two pieces of spring steel with a MIG welder (which was really tricky, as we had to do it tiny bit at a time, so as not to mess up our temper), and then ground out the handle. That thing is solid, and a pummel from it will hurt for sure.

**Voigtkampf** · 06-30-2012, 22:26

That is great work, especially given the circumstances. Well done, Wolf!

Personally, I craved the Hibben Jackal model. If I get around money at some point again, it will enter my collection.