Below are some examples of my handmade and customized knives.
Handmade: Blade is ground freehand from bar stock, heat treated and tempered. Handles, guards, pommels and sheaths all entirely made by hand.
Customized: High quality blade is purchased, re-ground and finished. Custom handles. Handmade sheath. I often embellish customized knives with filework or scrimshaw.
NOTE: These are previously sold custom knives. If you would like a similar custom knife made for you, please contact me mike@cartercrafts.com
Custom Bowie knife. This huge knife has a 13" blade, 2 1/2" wide x 1/4" thick 440C stainless steel with a hand rubbed finish. Stainless steel guard and pommel, Sambar Stag handle.
Custom order of 6 neck knives, each with scrimshaw of the customer's initials by HutcH. Handles include Mammoth Ivory, Red Coral, Speckled Amber, Red Spiny Oyster, Turquoise and Polyester Pearl. All are mounted in a custom oak display with a tooled leather backing.
This is a new design I am working on. My idea is to make something very tough and durable that could general cutting tasks and skinning as well as some light chopping yet not be too big or heavy to carry. This one weighs in just under 14 oz.
I made this one from 1/4 inch thick 420 stainless steel, hollow ground and semi polished. 420 is extremely tough and one one of the most rust resistant steels available although it does not retain an edge as well as many other steels. If people like the design I may make it from other steels but this prototype is 2 1/4 inches wide and many steels are not readily available in bar stock over 2 inches wide.
I enclosed the grip to protect the fingers for chopping. The full tang handle is also designed for pounding. It has a thick spine for batoning. The handle is "Unipearl" polymers, very tough and waterproof. In addition to the lanyard hole, there are large holes in the handle to reduce weight and for lashing to a pole for use as a spear or gig.
I semi-polished the blade to help in keeping it clean and so that it could be used for signaling.
I have not finished designing a sheath for it but it will include a Ferro Rod firestarter and maybe a pouch for tinder or other small essentials.
I will be testing this one and getting feedback on it. I'll keep you updated.
Blade: Full
tang, 4 inch long, 1 1/2 inch wide, 1/8 in thick 440C stainless steel.
Hollow ground and mirror polished.
Handle: Stabilized Myrtle Burl with birdseye pins and brass lanyard tube.
Sheath: Handmade leather fold-over right handed sheath with brass rivets.
Weight: 6.3 oz. with sheath.
Blade: Full
tang, 3 inch long, 1 1/2 inch wide, 1/8 in thick Alabama Damascus steel. Hollow
ground and semi-polished.
Handle: Indian Rosewood with copper mosaic pins.
Sheath: Handmade leather. Right handed.
Weight: 6.5 oz with sheath.
Blade: Rat tail
tang, 5 1/8 inch long, 1 3/4 inch wide, 1/8 in thick Alabama Damascus steel.
Hollow ground and semi-polished.
Handle: 1 inch thick Stabilized Southeast Asian Amboyna with red, white and blue accent spacers.
Nickel silver guard and butt cap.
Sheath: Handmade leather. Right handed.
Weight: 14.1 oz. with sheath.
Unusual but
beautiful piece. Rope filework completely around the tang.
Blade: Full
tang, 3 1/4 inch long, 1 1/8 inch wide, 1/8 in thick 440C stainless steel.
Hollow ground double edge and mirror polished.
Handle: Blue River Agate composite with mosaic pins.
Sheath: Handmade leather. Ambidextrious.
Weight: 6.3 oz. with sheath.
These little neck knives employ a neat sheath system of my own design. The rawhide neck string threads through both the sheath and the knife handle. This keeps the sheath drawn up on the knife when it is hanging by the neck string. The knife can be unsheathed and used for close work without removing it from your neck.
Blade: Full
tang, 1 7/8 inch long, 7/8 inch wide, 1/8 in thick Alabama Damascus steel.
Hollow ground.
Handle: Mammoth Ivory with copper mosaic pins. Brass lanyard hole.
Sheath: Handmade leather fold-over neck sheath with rawhide neck string.
Weight: 3.4 oz. with sheath.
My wife wanted a Nessmuk knife to use in the kitchen but she wanted a pretty one. I made this from 440C stainless steel with desert ironwood handles and mosaic pins. I redesigned the handle a little to make a finger guard.
Sub Hilt Fighter (Sold)
Blade: 440C Stainless Steel - Mirror Polished
Nickel Silver Guard and Pommel- Pink Ivory Handle - Leather and Ostrich Sheath
Elmer Keith Skinner (Gil Hibben design)
Blade: 440C Stainless Steel - 5" x 2" x 9/32" - Mirror Polished - Rat Tail Tang
Brass Guards - Stabilized Maple Burl Handle - Leather Sheath with Ostrich Skin
Inlay
9" Overall Length - 1 lb 6 oz including sheath
Elmer Keith Skinner (Gil Hibben design) - Sold
Blade: 440C Stainless Steel - 5" x 2" x 9/32" - Mirror Polished - Rat Tail Tang
Brass Guards - Stabilized Spalted Maple Handle - Leather Sheath with Snake Skin
Inlay
9" Overall Length - 1 lb 6 oz including sheath
Damascus Dagger (Sold)
(Purchased Blade) Reground. 8" x 1.25" x 3/16" - Push Tang
Buffalo Horn Handle with Reverse Scrimshaw of Indian on Horseback and Feathers -
Brass Guard.
13" Overall Length - 14 oz including handmade leather sheath.
Thin Blade Bowie (Sold)
Blade: 440C Stainless Steel - 7' x 1.5" x 1/8" - Mirror Polished with File Work
- Full Tang
Buffalo Horn Handles with Finger Grooves and Brass Liners - Mosaic Pins -
Nickel Silver Guard
Handmade Leather Sheath with Basket Weave Design.
11.75" Overall Length - 14 oz including sheath.
Nessmuk
Blade: 440C Stainless Steel - 4" x 1.5" x 9/64"
Zebrawood Handle
8" Overall Length
Nessmuk and Baby Nessmuk
Boot Knife (Sold)
440C Stainless Steel Blade and
Desert Ironwood Handles with Mosaic Pins. Brass guard.
Boot Knife (Sold)
440C Mirror Polished Stainless Steel and
Tulip Woods Handles with Mosaic pins.
Nickel Silver Guard.
Customized Small Lockback Folder
Reground (purchased) 440C Stainless Steel Blade - 2.5" x .5" x 3/32" - Mirror
Polished with File Work
Nickel Silver liners and Bolsters - Stainless Steel Pins
Alternative Ivory Handles with Red Accent Lines - Handmade Formed Leather Full
Closure Black Sheath
Vine File Work Extends the Length of the Spine
6" Overall Length - 4.6 oz including sheath
Coffin Handle Boot Dagger (Sold)
Reground (Purchased) Blade - 440C Stainless Steel - Cryo Treated - Mirror
Polished
Blade: 4" x 1" x 1/8" - Double Edged - Full Tang
Natural Bone Handles with Stainless Steel Pins and Red Liners
7.75" Overall Length - Black Hand Tooled Leather Sheath
4.8 oz including sheath
Customized Necker
Blade -
440C Stainless Steel - Cryo Treated - Mirror Polished - File Work - Full
Tang
Blade: 2.25" x 1" x 3/32"
Mammoth Ivory Handles with Brass Pins
Leather Sheath with Rawhide Neck Strap
Unique neck sheath of my own design. Hanging tension of rawhide lace keeps the sheath secured on the knife yet allows it to be withdrawn and used without having to remove it from your neck. Off the neck, the rawhide lace serves as a wrist thong.
Necker
Blade -
440C Stainless Steel - Cryo Treated - Mirror Polished - File Work - Full
Tang
Blade: 2.25" x 1" x 3/32"
Stabilized Red Giraffe Bone Handles with Brass Pins
Leather Sheath with Rawhide Neck Strap
Unique neck sheath of my own design. Hanging tension of rawhide lace keeps the sheath secured on the knife yet allows it to be withdrawn and used without having to remove it from your neck. Off the neck, the rawhide lace serves as a wrist thong.
Customized "Cadillac" Folder (Sold)
440C Stainless Steel - Mirror Polished - File Work
Mammoth Ivory Handles with Scrimshaw
Handmade Formed and Hand Embossed Sheath
Bone Handle Bowie (Sold)
Riverboat Bowie (Not for sale)
440C Mirror Polish Stainless Steel Blade, Rosewood Handle with Ivory Inlay. Brass Guard.
Chief Two Moons Hunter (Sold)
440C Stainless Steel blade with filework, Brass guard, Buffalo horn handle with scrimshaw.
