Harrier Custom Knife Review

[@darylbrenton4839]

Aaaarrrrgh!!!!! I literally just came into the house from trying this tip cutting test on the same kind of rope. My latest hand bashed knife, the only knife I've ever made with a blade over 150mm/6 inches, didn't even cut 1/3 of the way through. I gave it a distal taper, convex edge, and a differential heat treatment. I suspect that it needs a lot more finesse than I am currently capable of. "Hand bashed" refers to my amateur efforts at forging a knife. I'm tempted to blame my tools, but that is the sign of a poor craftsman. I suspect that I didn't taper the tip sufficiently, looking at the video of you knife. Thank your for that. I will have to do some more grinding see if I can fix it. I was impressed at the cutting ability of your knives before, now I am amazed. There is a lot more craftsmanship to it than I thought at first. I have consistently avoided buying a custom knife before, because I think they are overpriced for a utility tool. Hence my "iron bashing" attempts to make my own. But, now I see that for the right product, those prices aren't too high, considering how efficiently your knives work, and how much time you must put into each one. You must have put in a lot of practice to get it this good. The only thing I didn't like about this video is that when I want to buy a larger knife (aka when I have the money), how will I choose between an Accipiter, Red Hawk, or the Harrier? You've given me a real dilemma, and a bad case of knife collector's syndrome.

[@MarsFireForge]

@@darylbrenton4839 Hey, I love that you’re really interacting with these videos and using them to refine your own processes. That’s great! Yes very likely the problem is related to taper or , even more likely, to the edge geometry. When doing convex it’s super easy to leave too much beef on there and it just doesn’t cut well. A guy had me sharpen his knife at the festival I was at and I got it shaving sharp and it would not go through the sisal rope mine were cutting through. Not with any amount of effort. Too much “niku” (and I believe Thats’ the Japanese term for how much thickness is left in their convex ground katana). And don’t worry, the knives will be around as long as I will, so You’ll have plenty of time to buy them all! Haha.

[@darylbrenton4839]

@@MarsFireForge That's a solution to my dilemma!

[@darylbrenton4839]

Success, sort of. I finally fixed the tip so that it now cuts the sisal rope cleanly, and zips through 3/8 inch cotton rope like it wasn't there. I was starting to think you were using a super-steel for your knives, alloyed with kryptonite and unobtainium! Unfortunately, I overheated the rest of the blade before quenching and the edge chipped massively during hard testing. I need a longer forge to evenly heat a longer blade. The more I try this, the more I respect your skill, Sean.

[@MarsFireForge]

@@darylbrenton4839 Good to see progress there! It’s so discouraging when a knife has a chip or heat treating problem. No cure for it but time and trying again, but beginning the process again can be a pain for sure. Glad you’re experimenting and getting more into it, and thank you!

[@darylbrenton4839]

@@MarsFireForge Yes. Large grain growth in the chipped areas, most of the straighter part. It held up to chopping through a Eucalypt branch around 1 1/2 inches, but chipped out 1/8 inch deep arcs when chopping through a Black Wattle sapling a little bigger than the base of my thumb. That heartwood is HARD!