stalker.308
Well-Known Member
A friend of mine from Germany bought this knife when on a trip over to the UK last year. Many will recognise it as a last defence knife, used to finish off boar.
When I was in Germany I noticed it sat unused on a table. He said it just never really seemed to fit together and didn’t sit in the hand well. The whole thing screwed together but however much you tried to line it up, it just wouldn’t. I offered to bring it home and send it back to the maker.
The maker wondered if it had been used harshly, which it hadn’t, or dropped and this had damaged it. The more we exchanged photos the more I noticed how out of true it was. Although we were at an impasse, as the maker couldn’t physically take it back due to postal restrictions, we discussed what was wrong with it, the more I looked the more I found. The last communication we had was when I sent measurements I took using some callipers to it to check the hole through the handle. As you can see from the photo, it was way out at both ends. This explained the knife guard being over on one side under on the other and the same with the cap at the other end.
It all showed how this knife needed some work in order to become properly finished and useable.
With communications seemingly over, I turned to @Stuart Mitchell whose work I admire and I have a knife of his. It was a bold ask to ask a knife maker if he’d mind correcting the work of another's. He begrudgingly agreed, appreciating the situation we were in.
It’s now back in my hand, legally sent in the post both ways, and wow what a job. He’s reprofiled the handle on the outside so it sits better in the hand, he’s completely sorted the skewed handle caused by the inside of the handle being drilled off centre and the guard and cap on the end sit flush now. There is epoxy through to glue it all together. It really is a functional last defence knife now.
Massive shout out also to Stuart’s go to leather man Wilebore Leather. What a lovely job making a sheath for it as well as taking a commission for a cartridge belt for me. I will use him again for sure.
Thank you @Stuart Mitchell for taking this on, I think you may have an order coming in from Germany soon!
When I was in Germany I noticed it sat unused on a table. He said it just never really seemed to fit together and didn’t sit in the hand well. The whole thing screwed together but however much you tried to line it up, it just wouldn’t. I offered to bring it home and send it back to the maker.
The maker wondered if it had been used harshly, which it hadn’t, or dropped and this had damaged it. The more we exchanged photos the more I noticed how out of true it was. Although we were at an impasse, as the maker couldn’t physically take it back due to postal restrictions, we discussed what was wrong with it, the more I looked the more I found. The last communication we had was when I sent measurements I took using some callipers to it to check the hole through the handle. As you can see from the photo, it was way out at both ends. This explained the knife guard being over on one side under on the other and the same with the cap at the other end.
It all showed how this knife needed some work in order to become properly finished and useable.
With communications seemingly over, I turned to @Stuart Mitchell whose work I admire and I have a knife of his. It was a bold ask to ask a knife maker if he’d mind correcting the work of another's. He begrudgingly agreed, appreciating the situation we were in.
It’s now back in my hand, legally sent in the post both ways, and wow what a job. He’s reprofiled the handle on the outside so it sits better in the hand, he’s completely sorted the skewed handle caused by the inside of the handle being drilled off centre and the guard and cap on the end sit flush now. There is epoxy through to glue it all together. It really is a functional last defence knife now.
Massive shout out also to Stuart’s go to leather man Wilebore Leather. What a lovely job making a sheath for it as well as taking a commission for a cartridge belt for me. I will use him again for sure.
Thank you @Stuart Mitchell for taking this on, I think you may have an order coming in from Germany soon!
