Do It Yourself DIR Knife and Sheath

[scubaredneck]

Pez de Diablo once bubbled...
When I sew, I pass the caribou bone fragments and sinew to the little lady and she does it for me. Just joking, please don't flame me for the sexist comment, I do all the sewing in my house.

I do all the sewing in my house too but I don't use bones fragments.

*amazed in the presence of greatness*

 

[budgy]

Victorinox are pretty good blades, the non serrated model the same size that will take a shaving edge. For a bit more heavy duty if you can find it the larger catering serrated stainless steel has a rounded point and will cut through just about anything. I personaly prefer trauma shears but for a cheap sharp knife that I am not bothered about losing I like Opinel no8's, though I prefer to grind a tanto point. A stainless steel push saw will also go through quite thick ropes or branches like a hot knife through butter.

 

[pcscuba]

where would be the proper place to put the knife? BC, leg?

 

[Waterborne]

Check the link for the picture at the bottom of the page.
WKPP Gear Images

 

[ScubaToneDog]

I used to make Knives as a hobbie and grinding is only OK if your planning to anneal the metal first. After you achieve the shape desired you then need to temper and then draw out the desired hardness. Grinding heats the metal destroying the temper (notice those pretty colors ranging from a light straw to midnight blue? Thats your hardness becoming soft) It may cut thru a line like butter, but will not last more than one or two slashes and may tend to bend like crazy. It would be impossible to heat treat a knife with a plastic handle, but there is an alternative to reshaping a perfectly tempered blade, like a Victronox, and keeping its hardness. Try a wet file. It takes a little longer but you will turn out a much better knife. Wrap the blade with an old dish cloth or piece of towel and clamp in a bench vise leaving no more than a half inch exposed to work on. Then use a spray bottle or simpler yet a cup to dribble some water on the cloth to keep it wet. This will keep the steel cool as you work it with a metal file. Just keep it wet while you work.

You can also get fancy and clamp it to a wood block and set up a jig to file out a Gut hook groove with a fine rat tail file. To create sharp utility edges set up at a 30 degree angle. You only need to file it from one side and lay the other side flat on a stone to remove the wire edge. Its like the edge you put on a chisel. It is easy to re-sharpen and stays that way for a long time.

Quick tip on setting up a 30 degree angle. The face of the edge will be as wide as double the thickness of the blade. So if the thickness of your blade is an eighth of an inch, then the face will be a quarter of an inch. (or 3mm and 6mm for our metric friends)

Hope these tips help.

 

[dmdalton]

Ever since I started posting D-I-Y dive gear projects, divers who are D-I-Y Challenged , have asked if I would make some of these things for them and offered to pay me for my services. I regularly explain that while I'll help someone make something, I am not interested in producing dive gear as a business for 2 reasons, 1) there wouldn't be enough money in it to make it worth my while; 2) I've got too many other things to do.

I do "feel your pain" though and even have a brother who is so afflicted. He tells me his two favorite tools are the yellow pages and his checkbook.

Regardless I'm happy to report that those among you who would rather make than buy, now have a place from which they can procure the knife/line cutter for which I posted the D-I-Y instructions several years ago. I'm also happy to advise that:

1) It is made just like the original plans, (no fuzy dice hanging from the mirrows, or flashing led's) and is extremely well made, I couldn't (and didn't) do better myself.

2) It is so reasonably priced that it will be hard to justify making your own;

3) For the fumble fingered amoung you, they will even sell replacement knives sepparately.

The cost is $15.95 for the knife and sheath with replacement knives priced at $8.95. That's a real deal given that the Halcyon sheath alone cost something like $14.

The manufacturer is Deep Sea Supply who also produces a variety of wings, backplates, harnesses, spools and other items. They also have a nicely made molded polymer spool that is a nice alternative to the $$$ delrin spools.

They don't have the knife posted yet but I'm sure it will be up within a week or so. Their web site is:

http://deepseasupply.com

Dave D

PS - No, I don't get any compensation out of the deal, I'm just happy to pass on a source that makes a reasonably priced item that no one else will bother to produce because there isn't enough money in it.

The pictures below are as follows:

1st picture - My Original/Deepsea Supply/My Current

2nd picture - My Original Knife w/high mouth sheath

3rd picture - My Current Knife w/lower mouth sheath

4th picture - Deep Sea Supply identical to my current knife/sheath