Middle Earth Ranger Forum

I have here, to show off, Eric C's interpretation of a ladie's dagger, or Stiletto, which was made for my wife.

First of all, I have to say, for those of you who have been around quite awhile and have seen a number of Eric's knives, be it in person or on the boards...













...you ain't seen nuthin' yet.

What we have here is a triangular cross-sectioned blade (which is wicked sharp, and could serve as a straighforward dagger in a pinch, despite how narrow it is), with a guard and pommel worthy of a full-size fighting dagger. All of it is Eric's design; I had nothing to do with it. I don't know what material the lighter wood in the handle is, but I'm positive the dark brown is Walnut. There is a small leather spacer between the guard and grip.








Some Specs:
OAL: 12 1/8"
Blade Length: 7 1/2"
Blade Width: 11/16"
Grip: 3 3/8"
Guard Width: 3 3/4"
Weight: 155 g/5.46 oz
POB: 1/2" behind the guard.

All in all, it feels very comfortable, and is very quick in the hand. The POB puts virtually all of the weight inside your hand...feels a bit like a hand load for bare-knuckle, actually. The finish is lovely on the blade, the fittings are all solid, and it feels nothing like the toy-ish feel I've gotten from several MRL and similar daggers I've handled. Eric, you've outdone yourself.

I remember seeing this on Fb and thinking how neat it looked! A great job and glad that it has a good home!

Ken

Greg wrote: All of it is Eric's design; I had nothing to do with it. I don't know what material the lighter wood in the handle is, but I'm positive the dark brown is Walnut.

Is that a disclaimer?!

Greg, you're too kind. I am humbled by your words.

The darker wood is indeed Walnut. The lighter wood is actually White-tail antler. The blade is made of coil spring steel. The guard and pommel are mild steel. There were a few "firsts" in this blade. First time using spring steel, first time using antler, first guard and pommel of that style (not the last ), first time using more than one natural material in a handle, first blade of that style, first time pressure fitting a guard... I'm sure I can think of a few more firsts.

For some reason this knife stumped me for 3 years! I hope it paid off in the end though. Greg has been more than patient as he waited on it. Really a top-notch guy to deal with if you haven't yet.

A truly beautiful blade Eric! May it serve its wielder well!

Thank you Laothain. As I have not been active in quite a while, I missed your coming into our ranks. Welcome! It is nice to make your acquaintance.

We had suspicions. I knew you wouldn't have used basswood in a handle...too soft. It turned out lovely.

The attention to detail is very evident. Today, I discovered that the handle is almost perefectly parallel for the first half, coming away from the guard, and then tapers ever-so-slightly from the second ring of antler to the third, at the pommel. It's clearly deliberate, and added a nice touch, when it could have been straight the whole way and no one would have been the wiser.

I thought tapering the back end of the handle would be a nice touch. It is my theory that it will help the grip a bit too if the blade is used for its intended purpose (let's hope that never has to happen )

The grip on my Bristol features this, though a bit more dramatically, and it's quite comfortable. Lori says it fits her hand well, and that's all that matters.