patch knife

[SacramentoJohnson]

Howdy!
I, too, didn't find much evidence for a tiny patch or neck knife in my search. I did find a bunch of bags with knives attached to either the body of the bag or the strap; check out "The Kentucky Rifle Hunting Pouch" by Madison Grant; essentially a picture book of original bags.
"The Knife inHomespun America" by him also, has a section on 'pouch knives' with pictures.

What I started to notice was these knives tend to be long; atleast 4 inch blades and up. (This fits with what I found out about the Eastern Indian tribes, who did wear neck knives; the pics I've seen show them to be atleast 5 or 6 inch blades; this length can be used for a myriad of jobs.)

I've switched over from neck knives to bag knives with 4-5 inch blades, fairly thin bladed so they can be used to slice, and make the sheaths out of very thick leather with large welts, which cover the blade and most of the handle and hold the knife very snuggly. I prefer them on the bag as opposed to the strap.

 

[BrownBear]

...and make the sheaths out of very thick leather with large welts, which cover the blade and most of the handle and hold the knife very snuggly. I prefer them on the bag as opposed to the strap.

That's very much the method I've come to for sheaths and secure/safe knife carry. Mine have no belt loop cuzz I don't like knives on belts. I tried mounting them outside the bag, but found that even on the back of the bag they tended to hang on things. I'm pretty much "anti-dangly" on bags due to our dense brush. These days I just drop them sheath and all inside the bag.

 

[Black Hand]

Welted rawhide sheath covered with a light leather sheath (braintan or the like) sewn with linen - Less weight/bulk and the leather keeps the sheath from slipping out of your belt/sash. I use rawhide from dog chews that I soak until soft, unroll and staple to a board until dry - the 3 ft ones give plenty of rawhide for several sheaths and can also be used to back a wooden self-bow.

The rawhide can be wet-molded to grip the blade & handle so knife stays put.

 

[Adui]

Hmmm.. I guess Im just not that concerned with "Traditional" I do cut at the muzzle, a recent change for me. I tried it when sampling a different patch thickness a friend loaned me and decided it was easier than fumbling with my premade patches.

As for knife.. I have a small lock-blade that is always sharp and always in my pocket, clip holding it at the top of the pocket for easy access. Knife isn't very PC / HC but as long as I keep it reasonably sharp it does the job every time, and folding it when not in use guarantees I am not cutting myself.

 

[Smokey Plainsman]

I'll have to say that cutting at the muzzle is really pretty fun to do.

Except that time when I was new at it and slit my finger open upon cutting the first patch of the day, and of course no bandaids were in sight. :shocked2:

 

[Tom Compton]

That’s what that extra strip of patching material is for. A very traditional band aid.

 

[nkbj]

Around the house I use a Thai bronze butter knife snagged for a dollar from the tableware bin at a resale shop. It doesn't rust from powder residues and sharpens pretty well instantly.
Older German stainless tableware can be pretty good too. Look for the grayish colored stainless.

 

[Howie1968]

After looking through my knives I found this, a friend gave it to me last year because he knew I liked muzzleloaders. It is razor sharp light and has sentimental value. ive already tested it out on some pillow ticking I had already washed and cut into strips

 

[Cruzatte]

I vow to lean more of the traditional ways. What kind of patch knife do I need? How sharp do they have to be to cut 100% cotton pillow ticking? I've got plenty of knives, and sure one of them will work, Also how wide do I need to cut my strips? Is 1 inch wide enough? I'll be shooting them out of a .50 flintlock and a .58 Cabelas Hawken

I use the knife that rides in the sheath tucked into my sash. Any knife will do, even a folding knife.

How sharp? Simply as sharp as you can get it. The sharper, the better.

Since you're cutting the patches on the muzzle, your strips ought to be a little wider than one inch. One and one half inches is good.

 

[SDSmlf]

Have used straight razors in the past for patch cutting. Nothing sharper or quicker to trim patch. Have two that I am thinking about making into/using as patch knives. Would keep in a pouch in my bag. Leaning towards folder style, but might consider fixed handle. One has a cutting edge of about 1-7/8”, the other 2-3/4”. Have not used as a straight razor in years, great shave, but needed trauma unit every couple weeks to stop the bleeding from ”˜nicks’. Thought I would make use of them. Anyone out there with specific suggestions and/or photos?

Funny story. Number of years ago when I lived in New York and was at a gun range, I was using a straight razor to cut patches at the muzzle, and was told a straight razor was illegal to own or carry around in NYS by a self appointed ”˜range marshal’. Asked him what barbers were using. He told me they only use disposal razors. Suggested he call the police and leave me alone. He then asked me to leave the range. Told him I was a member of the club and would not be leaving anytime soon. A few others openly laughed at him. Thought he was going to cry. Police never did show.

 

[azmntman]

:rotf: :thumbsup:

 

[M. De Land]

A good patch knife blade is sold by Green River. It is about 2.5 inches long, has a clip point and a full tang, is slightly curved and most importantly is ground properly with one flat side and the other chisel ground to the edge.
The blade is quite thin, holds and edge well, is easy to sharpen and cuts a patch cleanly at the muzzle without scratching up the crown face or dulling the knife edge. This is mine. All I had to do was put a deer stag antler handle on it!

 

[Howie1968]

thank you MD

 

[Rifleman1776]

That's what I use. Very popular commercial knife/blade for patch cutting. Jantz sells blades for those who wish to put their own handles on.