Knife giveaway essays

[Spots]

Post your essays here.

Edited January 6, 2013 by Spots

[Spots]

Post your contest essays here

[TrickyNicky]

I'll post one later, but for now just wanted to congratulate you on your vendor status!! I'm sure it will pay off for you.

[DaveS]

Welcome the new Vendor...we wish you luck buddy!

 

Dave S

[UncleJak]

I will post my story  here, hoping to get others to do so.  Come on guys, take Spots up on his offer!  My Story:

 

     My heart was beating with excitement as I opened the just delivered priority mail box from Flatwoods Forge.  Ripping through the tape and tearing through what seemed like thousands of layers of tissue paper, my mind was racing in anticipation of my new custom Bowie knife.  It had only been fifteen days since I had first spoken to Spots about making this knife.  When he said he would “get right on it”, he meant it.  I pulled the Bowie from the package and instantly felt the weight behind this hand forged blade.  At sixteen and one half ounces, the Bowie was definitely not for weak hands.  The polished edge glistened as I held it up toward the sunlight that was trickling through my curtains.  It was only four in the afternoon, yet the sun was already rapidly descending.  It would be night soon and there was no time for testing, unless I wanted to test it in the cold night air.  I set the knife aside, pausing a moment to admire the solid oak handle that had been carefully charred, then sealed to “lock in” the colors.  I thought to myself that this was not only a fully functional weapon, but also a thing of beauty, like an artist’s masterpiece.  And with that thought, I laid the Bowie on my coffee table and anxiously awaited the next morning, when I would be able to really try it out.

 

     I was abruptly awoken the next morning well before the sun had risen.  A large explosion and the sound of distant sirens rattled me from an otherwise peaceful sleep.  Having been scared awake, I immediately grabbed my glasses and flashlight and headed to the window.  A quick glance at the clock indicated three a.m., way too dark for the sky to be the reddish orange color it currently showed.  The night sky was fire orange and smoke could be seen rising in the distance.  I could also hear the sound of many sirens, most likely fire trucks responding to what I believed to be a large fire.  “This must be something good”, I said out loud as I made my way to the kitchen to start a pot of coffee.  I glanced out my front door to see if the morning paper had been delivered, but it had not.  Pouring the first cup of coffee, my attention then turned to the television.  I flipped it on and my regular morning news station was showing “off air”.  I flipped the channel and it yielded more of the same. Every channel was “off air”!  My heart began to race as I quickly reached for the small kitchen radio.  It had been ages since I had last used it and I wondered if it even worked.  Dust flew off the top as I turned the knob.  The radio came to life and I immediately turned the tuner trying to get a clear signal.  I soon realized that every station was playing the same pre-recorded emergency alert.

 

     Wasting no time, I leapt into action, first grabbing my clothes and boots.  As I laced my boots up, my thoughts ran through many different scenarios.  The emergency alert was generic and I had no idea what I would be facing.  The only thing I could be sure of was that it was time to get moving.  I had a “bug-out” plan and now was the time to enact it.  I grabbed my pack, rifle, pistol, and canteen then started towards the door.  My plan was to walk the ten miles to my secret spot I had been preparing for the last two years and stay put.  I figured if I hurried I could be hunkered down in just a few hours, hopefully before and panic had fully spread. 

    

     Checking my supplies one last time, I headed for the back door.  I took one last look around, thinking to myself that it could be the last time I ever see home again.  That’s when I saw it; my new bowie knife.  It sat on the coffee table, where I had left it the night before, just begging to be used.  I thought to myself that a large knife like this could certainly come in handy.  It felt good in my hand; it was sharp, and seemed to be ready for any task.  I did not yet have a sheath for it and it seemed like I may need to leave it behind.  But something inside me told me to take it anyways.    I slid the unsheathed Bowie carefully into my pack.  Little did I know that one day this Bowie would not only save my life, but it would change the course of the whole world.  And with that, I headed out my back door, into the unknown…

[jaxjohn419]

Copied and pasted from the original posting:

 

 

I have always thought about having a Gurkha kukri-style blade (or khukuri as some say/spell it). I remember seeing my first picture of one back when I was in the 2nd Armored Division in 88-89. There was another private on our FIST-V that was as gung-ho as me. We would always discuss weapons, tactics and history.

It seems like those kukri knives would be great not only for hacking through a jungle, but also as a self-defense weapon. Just the look of it would intimidate your opponent.

 

Description of the blade from wikipedia-The kukri blade is forged from steel. Modern kukri blades are often forged from leaf springs collected from recycled truck suspension. The tang of the blade usually extends all the way through to the end of the handle; the small portion of the tang that projects through the end of the handle is hammered flat to secure the blade. A kukri blade has a hard, tempered edge and a softer spine. This enables it to maintain a sharp edge, yet tolerate impacts. They are also balanced so that they will rest in a vertical position if supported on a fulcrum, such as a finger.

Traditional kukris usually have handles made from hardwood or water buffalo horn. These handles are often fastened with a kind of tree sap called laha (also known as "Himalayan epoxy"). With a wood or horn handle, the tang may be heated and burned into the handle to ensure a tight fit, since only the section of handle which touches the blade is burned away. In more modern kukris, handles of cast aluminum or brass are press-fitted to the tang; as the hot metal cools it shrinks and hardens, locking onto the blade. Some kukris (such as the ones made by contractors for the modern Indian Army) have a very wide tang with handle slabs fastened on by two or more rivets, commonly called a full tang (panawal) configuration.

Traditional profiling of the blade edge is performed by a two-man team; one man spins a grinding wheel forwards and backwards by means of a rope wound several times around an axle, while the sharpener applies the blade. The wheel is made by hand from fine river sand bound by laha, the same adhesive used to the affix the handle to the blade. Routine sharpening is traditionally accomplished by passing a chakmak (smaller, harder, unsharpened blade) over the edge in a manner similar to that used by Western chefs to steel their knives.

 

In terms of why I would like one for myself, I think it would be the perfect blade for the outside of my "Oh ####/G.O.O.D." bag. Keeping it within reach, I would have a nice back-up weapon while on the move with my family. (Assuming something happens, of course, that makes us ex-fil out of the house)

I have seen cheap versions in stores previously, but nothing that I would bet my life on. To have a well-made, solid piece of steel in my hand that I had confidence in, would be a good thing for sure.

 

Sorry if the "essay" isn't the best, but it is honest, and a well-made kukri IS beautiful.

 

Great little contest, and cool giveaway, Spots!

 

Congrats on being a vendor! Post away! 

Edited December 28, 2012 by jaxjohn419

[et45]

Been meaning to post this for a while so here goes.I like to fish in areas "off the beaten path".I carry a machete to clear the way and a hatchet to cut firewood to prepare my catch.I would like to have a knife to do both tasks.My ideal tool for this would be made of a single piece of 1/4 inch thick carbon steel.It would have an overall length of 18 inches with the blade portion being 12 inches.The blade would be 2 inches wide and the grip portion 1.5 inches with a round butt the same width as the blade..The spine of the blade would have a slight upsweep and the tip would be flat with a slight angle from the edge back to the spine.The edge would be convex.The grip could be wrapped in leather,grip tape or even later perhaps a set of scales.Thats it,my idea of the type of knife I'd like to have

[DaveS]

I'm not much good at writing essays, but I believe this picture from the first and only test I will do to one of his knives says it all. They say a picture is worth a thousand words....

"I sure would love a new skinning/fleshing knife".

 

 

Dave S

[buck1032]

I guess I will throw this out there as it’s probably not what you are looking for in an essay. It is a funny story now and I assure you I wasn’t laughing as it happened.

 

From what I gather this is supposed to be about a knife I would like to have made. Even today I am not sure if any knife would have helped me. Now, the rest of the story… From 1997 to 2000 I was lucky enough to get orders to SERE (Survival, Evasion, Resistance and Escape) where I spent my first two years as a Field Instructor. Basically we taught the survival and evasion phases of training. It was fun and I had a blast there doing that. So I was there for a year and a half and it was winter 98. Without giving too much of the training away let’s just say I was playing a role in civilian clothes walking around in the middle of the night. On the training course (Remote Training Site Warner Springs) there is no live ammo, period. As we moved through Fall and into Winter there had been reports of mountain lions in the area. Earlier that day the coordinator had passed the word that a mountain lion had been seen in the Northern area where we train. So as I walk around all night I have the mountain lion in the back of my head. As I said I am in civilian clothes, but I do have a rifle, an M-14 with 100 rounds of blanks. I have my Mk-3 Mod O issued knife and a 2 cell mag light. I am walking South in the San Luis Rey River, it winter so there is some water flowing but not much. At this time it’s just a small stream. I start hearing a bit of noise in front of me, maybe a 100 meters out. I am out there to perform a role, and one of those roles is suppression. I wasn’t the OPFOR (opposition force) so I am not supposed to engage the students. As I quietly work my way to the noise, please keep in mind this is about 0230 on a moonless night, I get maybe 30 meters out and stop. I am trying to pin point the noise as I obviously can’t see anything. I slowly creep up to where I am about 10 meters from the noise and at that point I realize the noise isn’t on the ground! My first thought was oh $hit, mountain lion. I am standing there in the middle of the night with 20 pounds of useless junk (M-14 and blanks). I just slowly ease the rifle to the ground, grab the mag light with my left hand and draw out the Mk-3 with my right. About the time I get the mag light up to head level and the Mk-3 in front of my chest it sounded like all hell was coming at me from the trees in front of me. I hit the light and thought my heart blew up! Something was coming down at me from a tree that I thought was 10 meters, but it was more like 5 meters. After what seemed like 15 or 20 seconds after my light came on illuminated the “object” coming at me and my mind realizing what was happening and actually identifying the object as a turkey. After the adrenalin dump, I just stood there as the turkey landed in front of me and ran off to my right. There I was preparing to go toe to toe with a big cat, and most likely lose, and a freaking turkey almost blew my heart out and caused me to defecate myself. I did learn that an M-14 is heavy and useless unless you actually have ammo and a Mk-3 would be a poor choice to wrestle a mountain lion. What kind of knife would I want to wrestle a mountain lion? I wouldn’t, I’d rather have my 44 mag. LOL

[Spots]

Ok closed to new essays. Please vote on your favorite one between now and Sunday, Jan. 13th.

[TrickyNicky]

It was hard to pick but I ended up yielding to the desire to see a Flatwoods Forge kukri. I have a feeling Spots would be able to hammer out a great one.

[jaxjohn419]

Tricky Nicky is obviously very smart and intelligent!

 

:rofl:

Edited January 7, 2013 by jaxjohn419

[et45]

Mine would look better,kinda like the one Rambo forged out himself in the last movie

[DaveS]

Mine would look better,kinda like the one Rambo forged out himself in the last movie

Go over and vote!

 

Dave S

[buck1032]

DaveS,

While you didnt actually post an essay, your review of the passaround was great, so you get my vote.

 

ETA,

Would it be ok if I, or some one else posted a link in the General Chat to really get the votes coming in?

Edited January 8, 2013 by buck1032

[UncleJak]

Pete: Wait a minute. Who elected you leader of this outfit?
Ulysses Everett McGill: Well Pete, I figured it should be the one with the capacity for abstract thought. But if that ain't the consensus view, then hell, let's put it to a vote.
Pete: Suits me. I'm voting for yours truly.
Ulysses Everett McGill: Well I'm voting for yours truly too.
[Everett and Pete look at Delmar for the deciding vote]
Delmar O'Donnell: Okay... I'm with you fellas.

[Spots]

DaveS,
While you didnt actually post an essay, your review of the passaround was great, so you get my vote.

ETA,
Would it be ok if I, or some one else posted a link in the General Chat to really get the votes coming in?

By all means feel free. If one of y'all wants to do it then please do.

[buck1032]

It doesnt look like my post on the General board garnered much interest in the poll. Bummer. 

[jaxjohn419]

Mine would look better,kinda like the one Rambo forged out himself in the last movie

I'll have to respectfully disagree, although I am not sure what you are referring to since I stopped watching Rambo movies after the 2nd one. (What are the 27 now? Just 15 short of the total Rocky movies! :woohoo: )

A kukri-style knife if bot beautiful and frightening at once! This is a blade asking to be made by a true blacksmith like Spots (No ass-kissing intended). Read this post from that I found on the web below:

 

The Khukuri making process:
The kukri blade is forged from steel. Modern kukri blades are often forged from leaf springs collected from recycled cars/truck suspensions. A genuine authentic handmade Khukuri is made by beating and hammering a red hot steel over and over again to give it its shape. The Khukuri is then carefully sharpened by tampering the edge of the blade and the shape of the sheath is carved out. The tang of the blade usually extends all the way through to the end of the handle; the small portion of the tang that projects through the end of the handle is hammered flat to secure the blade. Then the handle made of wood, buffalo horn is attached and the blade is shined. This Khukuri is hand crafted in Eastern Nepal (Dharan) by up to 4 men (often referred to as kamis and/or biswakarma) who are the masters of inherited Khukuri who spend up to one full day for each Khukuri.

 

Spots uses leaf springs constantly, and that is the origin of a kukri.

[et45]

C Edited January 10, 2013 by et45

[buck1032]

Its looking like I am the big loser on this little game. I guess I should have voted for myself so i wouldnt be the only one without a vote. LOL

Edited January 11, 2013 by buck1032

[UncleJak]

Its looking like I am the big loser on this little game. I guess I should have voted for myself so i wouldnt be the only one without a vote. LOL

I was holding my vote.  I didn't want to vote for myself (even if I think mt story is quite entertaining) and I wasn't sure who I would vote for.  There are no losers here.  Buck1032, you have my vote.

[TrickyNicky]

Likewise I agree that there were no bad submissions, I just really want to see Spots make a BA Kuhkri. If I had put in a essay it would have been for the same thing.

[buck1032]

Thanks UncleJak. LOL While mine wasnt an essay I thought it was a rather funny time from my tour at SERE. It was and still is the best tour I had in my 20 years in. :)

[Spots]

Well looks like I'm building Jaxjohn a Kukri. Cool, thanks for participating everyone. Keep your eyes open for more giveaways