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Comment by Ken Spielvogel on November 26, 2013 at 9:45

I agree with you Tobias. I do wear latex gloves when dressing out Deer. Never had a slip.

Comment by Tobias Gibson on November 26, 2013 at 9:38

I was told when I was a wee lad, that tthe grooves in the stacked leather grip of  my Marine Corps Fighting knife would cause blisters from the way it rubbed.  I've never had that happen either.   In fact the only time I've ever got blisters while cutting anything was when I was wearing just the leather shells of my Army Issue gloves and cutting up tinder with a small hatchet.  I think  knives and hatchets are more prone to slipping when wearing gloves of any type. 

I know there are times when gloves are necessary but the thinner and better fitting the better.   I know plenty of people wear latex surgival gloves when skinning or cutting up meat and vegetables.  I have to wear these occasionally when preparing food for large groups (health and sanitation rules.)   I change them frequently and have never had a problem with slippage.

As for work gloves or cold weather gloves and knives my rule is a snug fit with grippy palm surface and smooth lining. And the thinner the better. And if the gloves are going to get wet during the cutting, I'm not going to wear them.

Obviously these guidelines might  go out the window in an emergency/survival situation.

Comment by Ken Spielvogel on November 26, 2013 at 7:51

I don't ever recall a knife slipping from my hands either, I have used most all handles made. I like Bone and Stag, but I also like all handles.

Comment by Alexander Noot on November 26, 2013 at 6:57

Oh and Pete, that "torch the wrap" thing? Only a good idea if the wrap is paracord....if it's cotton like on many of mine....not such a good idea.

Comment by Alexander Noot on November 26, 2013 at 6:55

I think you'd have to do something really weird to damage a handle at the front. But that's just me.

Comment by Tobias Gibson on November 26, 2013 at 6:20

Peter all I can think of is some of my Ontario agricultural knives and also the numerous kitchen and fillet knives I have from Chicago Cutlery, Ontario, and some Japanese made knives from the 1970s and 1980s.  Some of my Kitchen knives are easily older then me because they were wedding gifts of my mom and dad!  Trust me they have been used and abused a lot more than  any knife carried in the woods for a few days a year during hunting season.  The wood is just fine, despite being thrown in junk drawers and tackle boxes.  And they've been soaked in hot soapy water or run through the occasional dishwasher. 

Also, during WWII John Ek made numerous knives for combat that lacked ccross buards and bolsters.  He felt they impeded the ability of the soldier to quickly pull the knife from the sheath.  When questioned about the possibility of the hand slipping up on the blade, he took his a wooden handled Commando knife and stabbed  it into a wooden floor with enough  that it took two hands to pull it out.

He favored maple, I believe. Below, the No 6, Commando N0 5. Commando  and No  8  Paratrooper by John Ek.  (Not mine photos swiped from the net.)  The no. 5 was the knife stabbed into the wooden floor.   The steel used in the blades was 4340 semi Stainless Steel which was a type of steel used in making aircraft landing gear,  I think. The handle use lead rivets for added weight.  Knives came with sandpaper to allow the solider to fit the grip to his hand!

Comment by peter force on November 26, 2013 at 5:35

i love the shape of the handle on that one...and love rasp and file knives all around..

 

my question is for anyo9ne who has ever owned a knife with just wood like that and no bolster as i do not own any such thing...all have bolsters or guards  ectect... MY QUESTION IS-DOES THE WOOD CHIP OR GET DAMAGED EVER where the bolster would have been?  anyone..just curios..

 

and the CORD WRAP THING IS cool in some ways to a lot of folks for lots of reasons.. if you wrap it right you will get a great grip {agree with TOBIAS a bad wrap jopb...you can feel it}   ..also CORD WRAP is so cheap that it can make a 100$ custom necker a 60$ custom necker..so their is that... and its something folks can learn easily to do online.  plus you can learn the wrap,use it,then take it off if you like in some cases{like on my new BUCKS,they are the new SKELETON knives with no wrap but they wrap up nicely.

finally if i want to keep a wrap on a knife..which has been only a few times.. i actually blow torch the entire wrap for just a few secs and it is done ,not coming off and TIGHT!!..also smooth afterwards.{this i just thought off one night after using a lighter  ro burn th KNOT...i decided to break out the mioni torch and do the entire wrap and it works...but if you want it off knife ..you have to cut cord off.

i have used the same [piece of CAMO cord over-adds to the fun!}

Comment by Alexander Noot on November 26, 2013 at 2:32

Looking forward to your thoughts Robert.

Tobias, I've never had a knife slip from my hands....not because they were slippery anyway. Maybe because I wasn't paying attention. But that could happen to anything not matter HOW anti slip something is.

Good to hear your thoughts on cordwrap handles. The "tactical" crowd seems to be all over them. Personally I only like the japanese style cordwraps. And nowadays I soak mine in somekind of glue or expoxy to make them hard and permanent.

Comment by Tobias Gibson on November 25, 2013 at 18:54

No doubt about it, I like a good guard on a knife but I've yet to have my hand slip on a knife handle or grip because it was wet or slippery. Maybe I just haven't had slimy enough hands.  

That said,  I've had oily hands, bloody hands, hands covered in gooey green swamp mud, cut up watermelon, barbecue sauce and just plain water . Same goes for knife handles.

If the knife handle or my hand have been so slimy that I thought it might slip , I've normally just wiped them on my pant leg  or shirt sleeve and moved on. No use taking chances. I firmly believe in lanyards and cross guards and wiping  goo from the hand and handle before attempting any type of use.

It's been my experience that once you get a firm grip you can usually keep it, at least when you're gripping  Micarta, Stacked Leather or Wood.

The grip between hand and handle will only loosen and get slippery if you adjust your grip for some reason.  That will allow goo to ooze in between.  At that point you need to wipe your hand and handle if at all possible. (and unless the bear is chewing your arm off or your engaged in hand to hand combat, you should be able to wipe your hand and knife grip if it is slipping!)

I'd pass on cord wrapped handle. If it isn't done right it gets loose in the rain and can cause blistering. Interesting concept, and I have a few cord wraps, but inferior to a more permanent handle.

Of course, everything changes when you're talking about griping the knife blade between your fingers while skinning an animal, cutting vegetables, or stripping bark.  I prefer doing this bare handed and wiping often.  Plain water doesn't seem nearly and slippery as animal blood or fat, vegetable juices, or even slimy tree goo. It is surprising how much liquid is under tree bark that isn't sticky sap. 

However, as all of the liquids (blood, fat, vegetable matter, etc.) begin to congeal they get sticky/nasty and also interfere with gripping . Lots of rinsing/wiping, cutting away from the body and paying close attention!

Comment by Howard P Reynolds on November 25, 2013 at 18:22

I'm all ears eyes, Robert.

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