Des Horn Custom Folder: Looks odd but what are your opinions?

[SpyderEdgeForever]

It has very angular lines and I was wondering, is it a good general purpose cutter, anyone who has used it or is familiar with it?

It seems like it would be hard to put alot of pressure for slicing and carving and such, it looks more like a sticker.

[Pinetreebbs]

It will cut just fine and I doubt you could find a better splinter removal tool. I love the polished G10 too.

[yablanowitz]

Are you talking about the Spyderco C153GP Des Horn collaboration knife or some unspecified custom by Des Horn? If you are talking about the C153, the grind is decent for a Spyderco, so you don't need to exert a lot of pressure to cut. The handle is long enough for me to get a full four finger grip, and the curve is very comfortable. It's no Nilakka, but you could do worse for a whittling/carving knife. For general cutting, you just have to exercise a little care not to let the blade bite too deep (it is rather aggressive) and remember the last inch at the tip is pretty thin, so it won't make a good crowbar.

[SpyderNut]

I handled one for the first time a few weeks ago at Smoky Mountain Knifeworks. Very impressed with the F&F, feathery weight, as well as the polished G-10. Definitely changed my perspective on this design.

[yablanowitz]

I bought one as soon as I could get my hands on it. I would have loved it more with a 0.010" edge instead of a 0.025" edge, but I'm funny that way.

[yablanowitz]

Old thread, but it took a while to finish what it started. Out of curiosity, I decided to turn this:



into this:



using only this:



While I generally prefer shorter blades, the C153GP did very nicely.

[Jazz]

Very nice work, Yab!

[SpyderNut]

Very impressive, Yab. I remember the one you did using a broom handle with the Nilakka. Nice job!

[Liquid Cobra]

How the deuce do you accomplish this?

[SpyderNut]

How the deuce do you accomplish this?

A lot of patience, a steady hand, and a few Band-aids.

[yablanowitz]

How the deuce do you accomplish this?

I didn't take any progress pix of this one, but I have a few of a similar project I did a while back. I'll see if I can put them up later. It required some adjustments in technique to do the whole thing with just a straight edge.

[xceptnl]

Very impressive sir and your dedication to use the less than optimal tool demands applause as well.

[mattman]

Impressive... most impressive.

[yablanowitz]

This one was just a loop without the heart. I started by laying it out on all sides and both ends.







Then I cut away everything that doesn't look like a chain.











I cheated on the plain loop and used a coping saw to cut it into quarters. On the one I did with the Des Horn, I just made deep cuts from the outside until it split so I could get to the inside of the links to finish. A lot of what I normally would do with a curved blade was instead done by reaching through the links with the tip of the wharncliffe. Most of the work was done with the first 1/2" of the blade at the tip. The blade performed much better than I anticipated (I prefer a thinner blade and a much thinner edge) and the S30V steel went longer between touch-ups than even my D2 Queen whittlers.

[jmh58]

WOW!! That is KOOL!!!! John

[MadRookie]

Excellent - applaud!

:)

[Buendia518]

Wow, thanks for the progress pics. I've tried to picture how you do that but I was way off.

[Chris_H]

Very impressive, as usual. Thanks for posting up the completed work and the other photos demonstrating the process.

[mark jeneson]

Wow. that is so rad.

[RadioactiveSpyder]

Wow. that is so rad.

Hey!

Awesome work!! I would require meds to reach that level of patience... :D