Integral Drop Point

I forged this knife from a coil spring, which is a 5160 high carbon steel.  The blade is a little over 6", and the overall length is 10.75".  The handle is some elk antler that I got from a rancher out of Montana.  If you have hands that are on the larger side, this is one for you. 

On this knife, I completely finished this knife before I did the heat treat.  What I mean: I ground in and finished the the bevel, and then fit the handle and did all the final shaping.  Before I fit the handle, though, I covered the tang in wax to prevent the epoxy from actually taking hold to the tang.  Once the epoxy had hardened, it created a perfect fit up for the knife to handle. This allowed me to pop the handle off with I was finished, and the knife would go back to exactly where it needs to be later on.

I did it this way because I wanted that black finish from the oil quench.  If I did the handle afterwards, I'd have to grind on the steel, which would've ruined the aesthetics I was after.  It takes a little more time to do it this way, but I really like the way it came out. 

With every single hunting or EDC knife I make, I test the tip. I have a chunk of maple I stab the blade into and then rock it back and forth. If the tip snaps, it gets tossed off to the side. This knife survived. I do this because I believe every hunting knife should be able to pop the pelvic on a deer without having to worry about looking this tip.

*The cutting edge is sharpened at a 25°.

**This knife comes with a sheath made from 7-8oz leather.