304 3rd Ave W, Omak, WA 98841 360.296.0451 moondogknives@outlook.com By Appointment Only

Tag: custom knives

Clarification On the Two Mike Neal Knives

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mike neal other blade
mike neals 2 blades

 It seems that there is some confusion regarding the two knives I did for Mike Neal (Pictured above – Photo by Mike Neal) – I did not forge make the ‘Forge Welded’ blades.

The Filleting Knife (At the top in the image of both knives) is a piece of American Forge Welded steel bought unworked, and it is somewhere around 512 layers. I shaped the slug and put an edge on it, an amazing edge, which should hold up well. I used some Desert Ironwood for the handle.

Mike sent the brisket/sashimi blade to me (Lower in the image of both knives and the solo image) with some incredible pieces of wood in exchange for making him a knife. He wanted to know whether it was “Real Forge Welded” steel and if I could do something with it. I tested it with Ferric Acid and ‘Super Blue’. It IS “real”, but I have no idea where it came from so I don’t know the quality of the steel. I re-beveled the edge and honed it to the best edge I could get (I use Japanese ‘Water Stones’ and ceramic rods). It took a half decent edge, but time will tell if it is made with good steel and will hold that edge. I also refinished the surfaces, then made the handle out of some of the curly Koa Mike sent me. You can’t see it in the picture, but it has a pattern similar to ‘Tiger Stripe Maple’ or ‘Quilted Maple’ which I’ve never seen in Koa before. My wife tells me Curly Koa is quite rare and very much in demand… when you can find it!

I had made 2 of the fillet knives already in ‘440C Stainless’ that Mike saw and decided that was what he wanted. Well, I really wanted to give him a ‘Nice” knife (so he’d send me more of his scraps) and wanted to do it in Forge Welded steel. But I could/can not afford to screw up on a piece of this stuff because it’s so expensive! You buy it by the inch, not foot like “regular” steel. The two stainless ones I previously made were a nightmare for me to do and I won’t be making any more of them (It wasn’t as bad as trying to get 4 bevels on one blade! I went through a lot of good steel making the Defender 01 and quite honestly, it’s selling for less than the cost of all that steel I wasted!

NOTE: Do not let your knives get dull. It is MUCH easier to touch up a sharp blade than it is to put an edge back on the blade that you can’t cut yourself with.

Kenai Moose Skinner Skins Its First Moose… In the Kenai, of Course!

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The man who helped design the Kenai Moose Skinner is an off grid musher named Bill Laughing Bear. He lives out on the Kenai peninsula in Alaska. In honor of his contributions, I gave him the first edition of the knife. Yesterday he sent me this image.

It seems he had the first opportunity to give it a workout when a moose wandered into his yard! He let me know he was able to skin the whole moose without having to sharpen the knife once! While the D2 steel is a real pain to get sharp, it stays sharp!

I will be a vendor at the Kingman Gun and Knife Show at the Mojave County Fairgrounds Saturday and Sunday, March 14 and 15, 2020. Among the knives for sale will be TWO Kenai Moose Skinners, one in South American Ziricote wood and the other in Arizona Desert Ironwood. You will find both of them on the Knives for Sale page if you’d like to preview them.

If you’re in the area, come on by and see if there is something you’d like to buy!

I will also be at the Community Fair and 5K for Chino Valley Animal Shelter in Chino Valley on Sunday, March 15th. Come on down and have some fun for a good cause and maybe buy one of my knives!

Nomads Go Everywhere

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nomad-oak-walnut-d2-copperSay “Hello!” to the Nomad, the newest addition to the MoonDog Knives line up.

This is a knife to go everywhere with you, whether you’re hunting, hiking, working on the ranch or farm, working around the house… a knife for all seasons. Small enough to be easily carried and handled by people with smaller hands but big enough to do the job comfortably for someone with bigger hands.

The version pictured here has an oak and walnut handle. The blade is flat ground D2 Tool Steel. The bolsters and pins are copper. The overall length of the knife is 71/2″. The blade is 3″ long, 1″ wide and 5/32″ thick. The sheath is handmade specificly for this knife.

This knife/sheath combo normally will retail for $125 but is now on an introductory offer of $95 until the end of November, so get your Holiday Season shopping done early!

Handles can be in a variety of woods so contact me at moondogknives at gmail dot com.

The Christie Cutter

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cristie-cutter

What do you give a woman who has saved your life? The Christie Cutter is one man’s answer to that question. His heart surgeon is not only a superb thoracic and heart surgeon but a woman with children and a very active lifestyle. He wanted to give her a knife that would be as special as she is and that would give her years of use and enjoyment.

The blade on this knife is full tang 416 fold Damascus heat treated to 58-60 RC so it is a strong blade as well as a beautiful one. There are 3 different steels (5160, 203E 52100, 15n20 for those of you who know steel) used to create this type of blade and it is so expensive it is sold by the inch, whereas most blade steel is sold by the foot. The blade is 2 1/2” flat ground and as already stated, full tang. It is 1/8” thick and 11/16” wide.

The handle is unusual in that it is camel bone, dyed green to emulate the look of jade! The person who commissioned it originally wanted a malachite handle, but after researching the properties of that stone, I was convinced it was not a good choice for a knife that will be used regularly. A strictly show piece? Maybe. A working knife? Nope!

The liner is two layered, one green and one cinnamon, of G-10 resin impregnated fiber.

It has a copper guard and pins.

The sheath is made of stamped and dyed cow leather with braided cord lacing and brass rivets.

The Scalliwag – A Lady’s Purse Carry

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scalliwag

Every lady needs a little protection. Many are hesitant to carry a gun. A knife is an excellent alternative!

This knife is a custom build for an amazing woman we dearly love. (The pattern will be available for others but I don’t plan to mass produce this model.) She is without a doubt the most truly Christian person we have ever met. At the same time she is a realist and a bit of a survivalist. She is perfectly capable of taking care of herself while she goes out into the community helping others.

The blade on this knife is full tang 416 fold Damascus heat treated to 58-60 RC so it is a strong blade as well as a beautiful one. There are 3 different steels (5160, 203E 52100, 15n20 for those of you who know steel) used to create this type of blade and it is so expensive it is sold by the inch, whereas most blade steel is sold by the foot. The blade is 2 1/2” flat ground and as already stated, full tang. It is 1/8” thick and 11/16” wide.

The handle is truly special! It is olive wood imported from Bethlehem and comes with a certificate of authenticity. The liner is cinnamon resin impregnated fiber. It has a brass guard and pins.

The sheath is a bit different from most I have made. Since it is designed to be carried in a purse, it does not have a belt loop. It has a locking liner like all my sheaths, so the knife does not fall out, but instead of a belt loop, it has a snap closure.

The Malone Custom Trekker

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malone

This knife is a custom special commission. It is 7 7/8″ overall with a full tang. Like the Stoneman, the person this knife was designed for needed a good all around, versatile hiking/camping blade. The 3 1/2″ long by 1 1/4″ wide flat ground blade gives him what he would need for these purposes.

The blade is 5/32″ thick D-2 High Carbon Tool Steel, considered by many to be the best carbon steel for knife blades. It has a combination of superior abrasion resistance and toughness. It holds an edge very well for a long time. It is not stainless steel so it will rust if it is not looked after!

The bolster is brass. Liners are blue and green resin impregnated fiber to off-set the giraffe bone handle. The sheath is full cow leather stained dark brown custom handmade for this knife, laced with braided cord.

The Stoneman – A Custom Trekker

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stoneman

This knife is a custom special commission. It is 7 7/8″ overall with a full tang. The person this knife was designed for needed a good all around, versatile hiking/camping blade. The 3 1/2″ long by 1 1/4″ wide flat ground blade gives him what he would need for these purposes.

The blade is 5/32″ thick D-2 High Carbon Tool Steel, considered by many to be the best carbon steel for knife blades. It has a combination of superior abrasion resistance and toughness. It holds an edge very well for a long time. It is not stainless steel so it will rust if it is not looked after!

The bolster is nickel silver (white brass). Liners are cinnamon and black resin impregnated fiber to off-set the desert ironwood handle. The sheath is full cow leather stained dark brown custom handmade for this knife, laced with braided cord.

Final 3 in the PuP Series

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Here are the final 3 knives in the PuP Series. 

This series – the first – has come about by interpreting the market trend towards a “Non-intimidating” EDC (Every Day Carry). Thus the blade is 2 7/8″ in cutting edge length and is made of ‘High carbon” Stainless Steel – 5Cr15. This is the first time I’ve used a Stainless Steel. I usually use plain High Carbon Steel. Although it is somewhat harder to work with, I must say that I am pleased with the edge I was able to get. It holds it’s edge well and is easy to ‘Field sharpen’. I think you will be pleased with it as a handy EDC.

Each knife in this series is one-of-a-kind custom made with a customized handmade sheath.

All knives pictured on this page are for sale at $125.00 (Price includes knife, sheath and shipping)unless it is marked sold. Payment to be made via PayPal. Email me at moondogknives@gmail.com to place your order.

If there is a knife you like and it has been sold, let me know and I will see if I have the woods necessary to recreate it. However, keep in mind no two knives can ever be exactly alike.

PuP-08.jpg

PuP – 08

Purple Heart with Spaulted Poplar. Green G-10 liner. Nickel silver pins and logo.

PuP-09

PuP – 09

Quilted maple with American Walnut. Red G-10 liner. Brass pins and logo.

PuP-10

PuP – 10

Spaulted poplar with Black and rust colored G-10 liner. Brass pins and logo.

New Additions to the PuP Series

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Here are a few additions to the PuP Series. 

This series – the first – has come about by interpreting the market trend towards a “Non-intimidating” EDC (Every Day Carry). Thus the blade is 2 7/8″ in cutting edge length and is made of ‘High carbon” Stainless Steel – 5Cr15. This is the first time I’ve used a Stainless Steel. I usually use plain High Carbon Steel. Although it is somewhat harder to work with, I must say that I am pleased with the edge I was able to get. It holds it’s edge well and is easy to ‘Field sharpen’. I think you will be pleased with it as a handy EDC.

Each knife in this series is one-of-a-kind custom made with a customized handmade sheath.

All knives pictured on this page are for sale at $125.00 (Price includes knife, sheath and shipping)unless it is marked sold. Payment to be made via PayPal. Email me at moondogknives@gmail.com to place your order.

If there is a knife you like and it has been sold, let me know and I will see if I have the woods necessary to recreate it. However, keep in mind no two knives can ever be exactly alike.

PuP-05-australian-gum-wood-and-walnut

PuP – 05

American Walnut and Australian gum Wood with red G10 Liners and Brass pins/logo. SOLD

PuP-06

PuP – 06

Lace wood and Maple with blue G10 liner and copper pins/logo.  SOLD

PuP-07

PuP – 07

American Oak and Arizona Ironwood with Red, White and Blue G10 liners and Nickle Silver (a.k.a. White Brass) pins/logo SOLD

The Moon Dancer

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Blue Moon

I love making custom knives designed for specific people.

This knife was made for a photographer who specializes in night sky photography. She often goes out into the wilds to get her shots and I figured a nice every day carry tool that reflects her personality and interests was something she’d need. Fortunately, she agreed whole heartedly and carries it constantly, showing it off to everyone!

Sometimes knives take on their own character as they are being made and this one is a perfect example of that. It did not turn out the way I had planned, as I messed up on the initial bevel of the blade on one side, so ended up loosing about 1/2″ of blade length in re-profiling it. All in all, I think it is probably better than I had originally planned!

The handle is blue dyed California Buckeye Burl with a Damascus blade of 512 folds of High Carbon steel and High carbon Stainless Steel. The blade length is 2 1/2″ and it is 3/4″ wide. The sheath is obviously dyed leather with blue braided waxed thread.