KARAMBIT Combat Fish Bone Knife and Bottle Opener (inspired by Mrballeng, Vitizop, & Bartolo)

Intro: KARAMBIT Combat Fish Bone Knife and Bottle Opener (inspired by Mrballeng, Vitizop, & Bartolo)

Looking around I find ALOT of awesome ideas on Instructables....so I decided to marry a couple of my favorite.

 I had recently broken a handle off a hedge trimmer and recalled the instructable from  BARTOLO:                           https://www.instructables.com/member/bartolo/ to make a D.A.R.C. - Defence Attack Rescue Claw.
***************************************And I thought...hey thats cool...now what?!*****************************

Then I recalled the instructable from Vitizop https://www.instructables.com/member/Vitizop/ and how to make a Survival Knife from a secateurs...
****************************************and im thinking...ok, getting better!*************************************

Then I see the 'ible from Mrballeng https://www.instructables.com/member/Mrballeng/ and how he made a Fish Bone - Knotless Gear Tie...
****************************************Now Im thinking...lets make this menage trois happen!***************

and so my Survival/Combat Fish Bone Karambit was Born.

STEP 1: First, Trim Some Hedges, Break a Tool...thensmile

I was trimming some hedges, and thought i could trim a branch that was WAY to thick, and SNAP!

So now I have a one legged hedge trimmer...NOT SO FUN.
Gather your lame trimmer and start to disassemble..


You will only need:
- the blade side of the trimmer
- a set of files ( small triangular, small round, and a fine flat)
- Drill and/or Drill Press with 5/8 bits, i had to use 2 becuase i have cheep bits...if you are a baller, get the good ones.
- a hack saw with a carbide thread blade 
- a bench vice
- a beer (optional)
- and the template from the attached photo (thank you MrBalleng) ( it will measure 1/2" x 2" when cut out) I tweaked the design to fit the small portion of the blade piece. .... you'll see

STEP 2: Follow My Method or Mrballeng

You can follow my method or Mrballeng's

Either way, the results should be the same.

Here are pictures from Mrballeng https://www.instructables.com/id/Fish-Bone-Knotless-Gear-Tie/step6/Metal-Model/
Now remember, he used aluminum, we are using hardened heavy thick steel...so be EXTRA careful

_____________________

1.) Print a cut out the template from Mrballeng's fish bone design
2.) Trace/scratch the design on to the slender part of the hedge blade handle
3)  Center punch where the holes will be drilled.
4.) Clamp the blade to the drill press(if using) and begin to drill your marked holes...this can get banshee loud, so pace yourself and clear debris!
5.) Once your finished drilling the holes, clamp your blade in your vice and begin to saw through the metal with your awesome hacksaw skills. If you have a band saw, or other mean of cutting hardened steel, well..i'm envious. If using the hacksaw, go slow, this takes muscle and patience. The pay off is rewarding.
6.) Once you have cut through to the holes, break out your files and begin fine tuning. carve out the design with the files, shaping as you go.
......

STEP 3: Fine Tuning to Awesome Sharpenedness!

Now you have your FISHBONE all scraped, sawed, and etched out...

on to the blade.

Some people like using a grinder...this is a BAD IDEA!
The metal will over heat and make your blade brittle and can destroy all your hard work. Take some time and use your files!

The Blade is only sharp on one side, but we want both sides to take an edge.

Start with your FLAT, FINE FILE. 

NOTE: this is only a means to BEGIN the blade shaping. Since this is a recently abused blade, it will have knicks and dings. We need to get it back to a state to where it can be sharpend on a stone. 

1.) Clamp your Blade in your vice, BLADE UP AND FACING YOU.
2.) With even and steady motions, begin to shape your blade at a +/- 17 degree angle (this does not need to be exact, I assume you know what a knife blade looks like, so make that shape as best as you can)
3.) Once you have shaped your blade to look like a sharpened knife, turn it over and grab your TRIANGULAR FILE....for the NEXT STEP

STEP 4: SLIPPERY IF WET...not for Long

This is where you need the TRIANGULAR FILE!

To make sure your knife doesnt slip when zombie slashing, game skinning or defending your country you need to make some "thumb stop" notches so blood splatter, water, or whatever doesnt make your AWESOME SURVIVAL KNIFE slip out of your hands.

1.) Grip your blade handle and mark where you grab the knife and hold it with your thumb and finger. Do this on the side with the FISH BONE and with the blade
2.) Clamp your blade in the vice and using one of the pointed side of your TRIANGULAR FILE, File down about 1/16th of an inch. Follow the pattern of where your thumb and index fingers grip the knife. You may need to unclamp and check periodically if you have notched enough places.

I added notches on top of the blade, under the blade, and on the top of the fish bone end.... but you can adjust as needed. 

STEP 5: TO FINISH...

Now you have the roughest looking...and feeling knife out there...

Lets Fine tune!

1.) Grab your Files and some Fine sandy paper
2.) File down the FISH BONE section until smooth, file the edges, and any sharp places. You dont want your FISHBONE to cut your paracord do you?
3.) With the sandy paper, give your knife a good once over to debur and smooth it out further
3.) With a wetstone begin to  hone your knife to a sharper than sharp point. Remeber a dull knife is more dangerous than a sharp knife....well...this knife will be more dangerous once it is sharp and in your well trained combative hands!

GRAB SOME PARACORD, YOUR ZOMBIE STOMPERS, YOUR NEW SURVIVAL/COMBAT BLADE.....and a bottle or 6, of beer...oh and ...the fishbone part is also a bottle opener...what!?!? Not to mention.... it is hardened steel, indestructible and YOU CAN PRY WITH IT!!!!

Thanks for viewing, VOTE, and ....go make some goodness :)

Special Thanks to Mrballeng, bartolo, & Vitizop! 

Comments

[Jake_Makes]

Your probably right, I don't know a ton about karambits, but when I looked it up on Wikipedia the definition was:

"The karambit or kerambit (Minangkabau language: kurambik or karambiak) is a small Southeast Asian hand-held, curved knife resembling a claw."

As it says, the karambit knife is 'curved and resembling a claw'. This knife just didn't seem to fit the description. Don't get me wrong, I love the idea of the knife, and thing the build is really cool. I just kinda wondered why he called it a karambit. Please correct me if I am wrong.

[Cade_Restle]

Okay. I didn't know the actual definition of a Karambit. All of the pictures i had seen had the knife held downwards, and Wikipedia does say "The karambit is held with the blade pointing downward from the bottom of the fist," but i guess this is a trait, not a requirement.

[hombileh]

bad ass!

[CianG]

sorry buddy karambit isnt defined by orientation it has a talon shaped blade so most knives with talon shaped blades can be considered a karambit

[Jake_Makes]

This is not a karambit knife

[ZaneEricB]

Hmmm.... Ok. Suggestions?

[mateo90metal]

es perfecto!

[Mrballeng]

This is intense! Feel free to break more stuff. Good work.

[ZaneEricB]

Thanks man!

i am keeping this puppy sharp. I'm wondering if some of my hunting buddies would want to try this as a skinning knife... Coupled with the fish bone part the pairing makes sense. What do you think?

.... Oh and since its hardened steel it can pry too!

i thought of adding a grip of some type but i liked the slender handle. I need to break more shears or get some steel and a plasma cutter.

[mrandle]

Wrap it in paracord for a handle! Then it stays slender ish and you always have paracord!

[Dom Toretto]

What is the one on a necklace is that the claw one

[bartworker]

Insane project! Keep that spirit alive!!!

[gecko_girl3]

If I were in need of broken tools I'd put an ad up on my local Craigslist (assuming your in the states) and then I'd make a couple phone calls to some mom & pop hardware stores. I'm fairly certain that once a store warranties a product and the manufacturer signs off on it said store simply tosses the broken bits.

Wouldn't hurt to call and ask. You may just strike gold.

Great instructable too! I'm a big fan of the fishbone and knives so to see the two together brings a smile my face.

Keep up the good work!

[Ben-jammin]

Fair play, kydex is a plastic that can be used the make custom knife/pistol sheathes

http://m.youtube.com/#/watch?v=3lczZWgN4Kg&desktop_uri=%2Fwatch%3Fv%3D3lczZWgN4Kg

[Ben-jammin]

Amazing instrucable, it might be worth getting hold of some farriers rasps there made of good steel and a lot of studs/stables just throw them away. It would be less expensive than breaking shears :P you could also make a sheath of kydex making it look even more badass

[ZaneEricB]

What is Kydex?

The thing i liked best about this steel was it was hard enough to be indestructable but soft enought to be workable, but more importantly the foot was already the perfect size to make the fishbone pattern.
This puppy has already been useful around the house, in the garden, etc. I might make another with a sheath and attach it to a BOB....

[caarntedd]

Nice work. Looks nasty.

[ZaneEricB]

Thanks! Sharp too!