http://www.messer-werkzeuge.de
https://mygoodknife.com/de/

Kwakster's Collection

Survive! Knives used to be a one man operation, run by Guy Seiferd in Gettysburg Pennsylvania USA, nowadays they seem to struggle to keep up with demand.
This is his model GSO 4.1, a sturdy allround fixed blade in M390 stainless & green canvas Micarta.











Specs:

Overall length: 22,7 cm
Blade length: 11,0 cm
Blade thickness: 4,0 mm
Steel: M390 stainless (third generation powdered metal, heat treated at Peter's Heat Treat)
Hardness: 60 HRC
Handle material: Green Canvas Micarta, contoured & blasted
Weight: 185 grams
For now without a sheath
 
Knifeworks Exclusive Spyderco Military with a CPM-M4 high speed steel blade & a G10/Titanium handle.
i reprofiled the edge to a slightly convex 25 degrees inclusive with a razorsharp grit 180 Rubber Wheel finish.









Specs:

Steel: CPM-M4 High Speed steel
Hardness: 63-64 HRC
Blade length: 10,2 cm
Blade thickness: 3,57 mm
Hole diameter: 14,0 mm
Handle material: G-10/Titanium
Locktype: framelock with steel insert
Length open: 24,2 cm
Length closed: 13,9 cm
Weight: 143 gram
 
This vintage Corneta machete from the '50's or '60's of the previous century was made by Weyersberg in Solingen, Germany.
Later the brand was sold to South-America, i think to Imacasa.





The machete was completely unsharpened when i bought it, but when i saw it's tapered blade and felt the balance i just knew it had to have a good edge.
Reprofiling was done on the Tormek and refining to a slightly convex and razorsharp +/- 30 degrees inclusive edge on the grit 60 & 180 Rubber Wheels.
The chromed blade is quite flexible and the steel is both harder as well as more wear resistant than previous machetes i've sharpened.

Specs:

Overall length: 21.3 inch (54,0 cm)
Blade length: 16.0 inch (40,7 cm)
Blade thickness: tapering from 2,25 mm before the handle to 1,25 mm just before the point.
Steel: chromed carbon steel
Handle material: Natural horn with brass rivets
Weight: 307 grams
 
2013 Spyderco Forum Knife Native5 C41GPGR5









The Spyderco 2013 Forum Knife is a reflection of both the deep tradition and commitment to innovation that characterize Spyderco.
It is based on the Native5, the latest evolution of one of our most popular US-made designs.
The full-flat-ground blade is machined from premium CPM S110V steel—an ultra-high-performance, state-of-the-art alloy that includes cobalt, niobium, molybdenum, vanadium, and almost three percent carbon.
Its handle is also highly evolved, featuring full skeletonized stainless steel liners, a stainless back spacer, and a meticulously crafted backlock mechanism that took literally years of R&D to perfect.
The handle is encased in green G-10 scales with a distinctive diamond-cut texture pattern and the liners, scales, and lockbar are all expertly hand sanded for an exceptional fit and finish.
The 2013 Forum Knife will be the first production knife to use this new handle material with its very unique texture.
A polished four-position hourglass clip completes the package, supporting tip-up and tip-down carry on both sides of the body and making the knife’s operation completely ambidextrous.
A shining example of the US factory’s craftsmanship, this unique limited-edition knife is laser engraved on the reverse side of the blade with “Spyderco Forum Knife 2013.”

Specs:

Closed Length: 4.0 (Inches) / 102 (mm)
Overall Length: 6.95 (Inches) / 177 (mm)
Blade Length: 2.95 (Inches) / 75 (mm)
Edge Length: 2.42 (Inches) / 61 (mm)
Blade Thickness: 0.125 (Inches) / 3.2 (mm)
Steel: CPM-S110V
Hardness: +/- 63 HRC
Weight: 3.6 (Ounces) / 102 (Grams)
Grind: Full-flat
Edge Configuration: Plain
Lock Type: Back Lock
Handle: Green Diamond-Cut Textured G-10
R/L/Ambi: Ambi
Clip: 4-position
Origin: Golden, Colorado U.S.A. Earth

Datasheet: http://www.nsm-ny.com/files/CPM S110V.pdf
 


The HEST/F Triple Black is an extremely low-profile knife designed for law enforcement and military use where a superior cutting edge and low visual signature are priorities.
The 3.14" German Niolox corrosion resistant blade is matte black TiCN PVD coated to increase hardness and concealability.
One side of the frame is scaled in grip textured black American G10 polymer, while the other slab is 6Al4V titanium alloy that is black TiCN PVD coated.



Like the other DPx HEST/F models, the Triple Black comes with the patented RotoBlock® to lock the folder open.
Three sizes of wire strippers serve as unique and slip-proof jimping.
A removable glass breaker screws into the butt of the knife, and the hex driver in the handle may be used with the knife open or closed.



Features:

Black Titanium CarboNitride Powder Vapour Deposition Coated Sterile German Niolox steel blade in plain edge.
Sterile design - no visible logos on blade.
Sandblasted, gunmetal black TiCN PVD coated 6Al4V Grade 5 titanium alloy frame lock.
Black TiCN PVD coated combat pocket clip with Mr. DP logo.
7/64" sockets in RotoBlock and pivot screw so no special tool is required.
Tungsten carbide glass breaker with hex base and round replacement screw if needed.
Patented LionSTEEL RotoBlock system with new single spoke design and 7/64" hex socket.
American heavy grip black G10 scale.
1/4" hex socket driver.
Wire strippers jimping.
Thumb grip/bottle opener on blade (also doubles as wave function)



Specs:

Length open: 19,8 cm
Length closed: 11,5 cm
Blade length: 8,2 cm
Blade thickness: 4,75 mm
Edge length: 8,0 cm
Handle thickness: 13,76 mm
Weight: 138 gram
 
Nick Powell is an Australian friend of mine, and although he is a skilled carpenter in daily life, a couple of years ago he discovered that his true passion is making knives.

Besides making useful models for friends & colleagues in the Brisbane area where he lives & works, once in a while he tries his hand at making Scagel reproductions, purely based on pictures.
For the handles he uses the same kind of materials that Scagel himself could have used also, but for the blades he chooses various modern stainless steels like for instance CPM-S35VN.
The heat treatment is done by one of Australia's leading heat treaters, and although Nick only made a few of these models yet they are already starting to gain a following among his growing customer base.
Currently he still does one knife at a time, but as soon as he can afford a professional grinder he's probably going to make them in small series.

A few days ago the postman brought me a surprise present: a small but sturdy wooden crate containing Nick's interpretation of this original Scagel, based on the single photograph below:



And this is Nick's version:











This is what Nick himself has to say about his work:

" This knife was actually started for you shortly after doing my first Scagel, but I had given up on it many times after troubles grinding those bevels.
It is as close to the original model as I could make it, and I even counted the washers and matched them to the same amount as the original.
I used my favorite steel because I wanted you to test it out, and it's a good balance of sharpening ease in the field and edge retention: hardened to 60-61 Rockwell (so maybe 62-64 in the edge), while the finish is 600 wet and dry (but I need practice as you will see)
The pommel is navy bronze for corrosion resistance, the guard is brass, and the washers are industrial compressed paper similar to spacer material.
The leather is compressed embossing leather in black and soaked in antique dye by me.
Brass spacers , stainless steel and copper as you know, and the handle is shaped for you by eye.
The leather sheath is clear embossing leather stained with acrylic antique leather stain and finished with saddle makers sealant.
The guard locks into the sheath for close carry and so the knife won't come out if you forget to close the button stud.
My design as far as I know, but I'm sure it's been done Lol."

Specs:

Overall length: 30,7 cm
Blade length: 17,5 cm
Blade thickness: 4,75 mm (ricasso)
Steel: CPM-S35VN stainless
Weight: 305 grams
Sheath: Leather

His lovely wife Hannah even did a short "making of" video about the knife & it's sheath:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=W35G1Eykzeo
 
Vintage Puma 941 hunting folder, made in 1976 and never used, carried or sharpened.
Complete with original plastic green box & leather belt sheath.
Very hard to find in this condition.











Specifications:

Blade Length: 8,2 cm
Length open: 19,2 cm
Length closed: 11,1 cm
Maximum blade thickness: 3,9 mm (ricasso)
Thickness behind the edge: +/- 0.3 mm
Steel: unknown stainless
Handle Material: Sambar Stag on brass liners
Lock type: backlock
Weight: 119,0 gram
Made in Solingen, Germany
 
Extremely rare Puma 929 Goldfish (also known as Rainbow), a micro-multitool meant for flyfishing.
Bought it from the unsold stock of a long gone knife & fishing store, and the tool dates back to the '60's of the previous century.
It's in unused condition.



In the green box was also the little catalogue explaining it's use.

 
Some time ago i scored this vintage 4-liner Puma 959 hunting folder made in 1986.
Still brand spanking new in original yellow/green box and complete with soft leather pouch & papers.
Never carried, used, or sharpened and always kept inside the box.
Inlayed in the front sambar stag panel is a real silver shield where the buyer could have his initials engraved.

















 
Vintage Al Mar Denali mid-backlock folding knife with hollow ground blade from the 1980's and made in Japan. (probably by Moki)
The cocobolo handle is inlayed with a gold shield picturing a fighter plane and the text "United States Navy Fighter Weapons School".
The 1986 movie "Top Gun" with Tom Cruise and Kelly McGillis was partly filmed on the grounds of this elite school for US Navy pilots.
Bernard Levine thinks this version with the gold shield was a special edition, not standard production.
The original edge measured about 35 degrees inclusive and wasn't really sharp, so i changed the angle to 30 degrees inclusive with a treetopping sharp bling & bite finish.












Specs:

Length open: 17,3 cm
Length closed: 10,0 cm
Blade length: 7,5 cm
Blade thickness: 3,0 mm
Steel: Masahiro RS30 stainless steel
Hardness: 57-58 HRC (?)
Handle material: Cocobolo wood & satin stainless bolsters on brass liners
Handle thickness: 11,0 mm
Lock type: Mid-backlock
Weight: 100 grams
 
The big bowie Paul Hogan used in the Crocodile Dundee movies was designed by a man by the name of John Bowring, who was also a licensed Puma repairman.
This is the actual knife that the movie version was inspired on, a Puma 6376 Bowie, and this is my own a vintage example made in 1978.







Specs:

Steel: Genuine Pumaster Steel (forged hard chromed carbon steel)
Blade length: 20,0 cm
Blade thickness: 6,6 mm
Hardness: 61 HRC
Handle material: Sambar Stag with aluminum guard
Overall length: 32,5 cm
Weight: 413 grams
Made in October 1978
 
Managed to score a 6377 White Hunter in good condition, the version with the hard chromed Pumaster steel blade.
The sheath was quite dry, so i cleaned it and applied a good quality wax.















Specs:

Overall length: 10.67 inch (27,1 cm)
Blade length: 5.98 inch (15,2 cm)
Blade thickness (ricasso): 5,71 mm
Steel: Pumaster Steel (hard chromed Böhler NWN80 carbon steel)
Handle material: Sambar stag with aluminum guard
Weight: 263 gram
Sheath: Leather
Made in 1976
 
Vintage Puma Scout knife from the '50's, and apart from a few details comparable to the well known Hitler Youth knife.











Specs:

Overall length: 24,4 cm (9.6 inches)
Blade length: 13,9 cm (5.47 inches)
Blade thickness: max. 6,14 mm (ricasso)
Steel: hot drop-forged carbon steel
Hardness: 60+ HRC (estimate based on sharpening)
Handle material: Chromed metal with riveted Bakelite grips & Fleur de Lis emblem
Sheath: metal with 2 steel clamp springs inside & a leather belt loop
Weight of the knife without sheath: 213 grams
Weight of the knife with sheath: 287 grams
 
Vintage Puma 3589 Jagdnicker from 1977.
The model was designed by German Oberforstmeister (Chief Forester) Walter Frevert in the '50's of the previous century, en to this day it's highly regarded by hunters because of it's efficient design handcrafted from high quality materials.

"Abnicken" is the German word for a certain method of providing the coup de grace, in this case to wounded deer.
To perform this act the hunter bends down the head of the deer with one hand, and then stabs the knife precisely between the skull and the first vertebra with his other hand.
This severs the spinal cord which ends the life of the deer quickly and as painless as possible. (also see the last picture which describes this method in German).
For this specific purpose the Jagdnicker has a very sharp & swedged point which at the same time is relatively wide, and also placed outside of the centerline of the blade.
Due to this design the point has a strong tendency to glance off of bones and into the soft tissues, much better than a symmetric hunting dagger blade.
The 3589 Jagdnicker is further used as a strong allround hunting knife that seems to appeal to both hunters & collectors alike.



















Specs:

Overall length: 9.2 inches (23.4 cm)
Blade length: 4.72 inches (12.0 cm)
Max blade thickness: 5,3 mm
Steel: stainless
Hardness: 59-60 HRC (estimate based on sharpening)
Handle materials: Sambar stag panels, solid nickel silver bolsters & a silver medaillon (for the owner's initials)
Sheath (new): Leather
 
Puma 6310 Sportmesser (sporting knife) from around 1940.
Although the model number is in the 1940 Puma catalogue, it shows only the 4.5 " version, not this 6" bladed version.











Specs:

Overall length: 10.12 inch (25,7 cm)
Blade length: 5.98 inch (15,2 cm)
Max. blade thickness: 4,51 mm (ricasso)
Steel: hot drop-forged carbon steel
Handle material: leather and brass washers + guard & aluminum pommel
Sadly without a sheath.
 
An original MOD Tempest:



Michael Janich on his design:

The final form of the Tempest is a bit different than my original design, but I'm still very proud of it and pleased to carry mine on a daily basis.
Here are the major design features and their reasons for being:

1) A Bowie-style blade provides plenty of "belly" or curve to the cutting edge for efficient slashing, yet keeps the point of the blade on the knife's centerline.
This ensures a direct transfer of energy during a thrust and keeps the knife from drifting during penetration.
The wide blade profile produces a wide wound channel during a thrust and allows for a gradual taper of the blade bevel.
This makes the blade strong, but still allows it to be sharpened to a keen edge.

2) A 3.5-inch blade is legal to carry in most areas (in fact, it is the maximum legal limit in Colorado - a personal consideration) yet is long enough to reach vital anatomical targets such as the carotid, the brain (through the eye), the liver and spleen, and (on thinner opponents) the aorta.

3) The tapered handle shape of the Tempest allows the user to focus the strength of his grip on the last three fingers (middle, ring, and pinky) to anchor the handle to the fleshy pad of the palm.
This increases the surface area in contact with the handle and allows for efficient management of "impact shock" when the knife hits a hard target.
The tapered shape also provides a striking surface on the butt of the handle (though it is smaller than I wanted it to be) that can be used for striking with the knife open or closed.
Finally, the index finger cutout is a functional guard that, along with the tapered handle, keeps the hand from sliding forward during the impact of a thrust.

4) The pronounced ramp on the back of the handle and extending over onto the back of the blade is designed to allow the thumb to extend forward.
This further tightens the grip of the hand and provides a positive index for the thumb to guide the blade.
I'm a big believer in using the thumb as a guide to allow the blade to be employed instinctively.
This is similar to the Filipino extended thumb grip, but does not require that the thumb be held away from the back of the blade.

5) The reversible clothing clip allows the knife to be carried point up in the pocket (mine is the only MOD knife with this option).
This is my preferred carry method since it allows the user to grasp, draw, open, and use the knife without having to change his grip on the handle.
This is much faster and more reliable in the heat of a fight.

I hope this gives you some insight into the Tempest design.'

Michael Janich

Specs:

Length open: 8" (20,3 cm)
Length closed: 4.5" (11,4 cm)
Blade length: 3.5" (8,8 cm)
Blade thickness: 0.1" (3,75 mm)
Steel: 154CM
Blade coating: Titanium Carbonitride
Hardness: 60 HRC
Handle material: Mil-Spec Type III hard anodized aluminium, inlayed on the front with Kraton
Lock: Linerlock (1,9 mm thick)
Weight: 112 grams
With steel pocketclip
 
Recently i acquired this Rigid Yukon fixed blade without a sheath, as the previous owner bought it from a forgotten RIGID display case.
Rigid was started by two former Buck Knives employees, Bill Duff & Don Collum who were both supervisor on the Buck assembly line.
The first Rigid knives were made during their lunchbreaks.
This knife is one of the first that was made in the Rigid workshop in California, later the company moved to Arkansas.









The knives were made entirely by hand and have semi-hollow ground blades in 440C steel with a higher hardness than was usual in those days.
The steel can be sharpened to a very keen edge and it also holds that edge for a considerable amount of time.
Production numbers were never very high, but the knives had a good reputation among hunters and collectors alike.







Specs:

Overall length: 27,0 cm
Blade length: 14,0 cm
Blade thickness: 3,88 mm
Steel: 440C stainless
Hardness: +/- 60 HRC
Handle material: unknown hardwood
Bolsters: brass
Weight: 324 grams
 
Vintage P.Holmberg hunting knife, made in the Swedish city of Eskilstuna.
Pontus Holmberg (1852 – 1893) started his factory in 1876 (Aktiebolaget Pontus Holmberg).
When Pontus died in 1893, the company was first operated by Pontus’ brother Fritiof Holmberg (1860 – 1911) and later by Fritiof’s sons Fritiof Ragnar (1889 – 1916) and Fritiof Ruben (1893 – 1952).
In 1951, the company was sold to Heljestrands industries, and the company produced barrel knives at least until 1954.
The company closed its doors in the early 1960's.

(click each pic 2 x for more detail)

















Specs:

Overall length: 26,5 cm (10.43 inch)
Blade length: 15,4 cm (6.06 inch)
Blade thickness: 3,0 mm
Blade steel: carbon steel
Grind: scandi (+/- 30 degrees inclusive)
Handle material: brass guard, brass & leather washers, stag panels, aluminium pommel with brass nut
Sheath: leather with folded steel point protector and original red leather "button lip".

This YouTube clip by a German collector showcases the newer stainless steel version of this model:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rkjCWAqa42o

As the original edge of the knife was rather blunt i gave it a new one, after grinding the old apex flat on the Tormek by using a combination of Rubber Wheels coated with diamond grit to create the new bevels & various Paper Wheels with fine diamond compounds for the finishing steps.
Now photographing shiny metal to resemble accurately what it looks like in real life will always remain difficult (especially with a cheap camera like mine), and this edge is no exception: what at first glance may look like a polished edge is in effect just a polished toothy edge, but one that is easily hairwhittling sharp yet has noticeably more bite than expected.
The new edge is ever so slightly convex and it's apex fits in the 30 degrees inclusive slot of my Tormek WM200 angle guide.

(You can click each pic 2 x for more detail)









 
Vintage Gebr.Gräfrath Fahrtenmesser (Scout knife) from the 1930's or begin '40's.
The handle is made from Trolon, an early plastic that was also used on many Third Reich dress daggers, and which has the tendency to slowly become darker over the years.
Gebr. Gräfrath manufactured knives in Widdert (part of the city of Solingen) from 1878 until 1961, when the company was bought by Hubertus, another Solingen manufacturer owned & operated by the Kuno Ritter family to this day.













Specs:

Overall length: 22,4 cm
Blade length: 13,0 cm
Maximum blade thickness (ricasso): 4,6 mm
Steel: hot drop-forged carbon steel
Handle material: brass guard, brass & fiber washers, one-piece Trolon plastic midsection, aluminium pommel with brass screw.
Sheath: Leather
 
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