Stick – The tang is much narrower than the blade to cut weight. Scaled – The handle has two pieces fastened to each side of the tang with rivets.Įncapsulated – The handle is molded around the tang.Įxtended – The tang extends beyond the handle at the butt, usually functioning as a hammer surface.
Parts of a katana full#
While full tang may be intrinsic to a survival knife, how the handle incorporates the tang varies. More than anything, this illustrates the essence of a survival knife – the emphasis on strength and durability. If there is any unanimity of opinion about survival knives, they should have a full tang, one piece of steel for blade and tang, roughly the same width and thickness, extending to the butt of the handle – in other words, one piece of steel all the way through the knife. The tang is the part of the blade inside the handle. There is one very important part of a survival knife, which needs a separate illustration – the tang. This article covers the other parts, which are also important to the overall quality and use of the knife. Obviously, the blade is the most important part of a knife, which we cover in four Survivor Knife 101 articles. Some diagrams simply identify anything protecting the hand as a guard.įortunately, for everyday use of a survival knife you don’t need to know the fine points of knife nomenclature, but in order to handle and maintain the knife you should instantly recognize these parts of a knife: point, blade, edge, spine, guard, handle, and butt (or pommel). However, if there are two at the blade in a cross formation, they are called a quillon or crossguard. Sometimes there are two bolsters, front by the blade and rear at the butt. You’ll see illustrations of the parts of a knife all over the internet and the differences in terminology may be confusing.įor example, a bolster is usually a protrusion of metal between the blade and handle that protects the hand. Essentially, all knives have two parts, a blade and a handle. The parts of a knife ( survival knife) are the same as most fixed blade knives. Parts of a Knife:Īlthough terminology can get out of hand, it’ll help to make a quick mental picture of a ‘standard survival knife’ (a slightly fictitious concept) and its associated parts. We’ll look at some of these points of agreement in detail throughout the Survival Knives 101 articles. Most people would agree that a survival knife is relatively large, in the range of 8-14 inches in total length, with a blade of 4 – 10 inches has a fairly thick blade (for strength), and is built for utility rather than looks or inherent value. The shape of the blade can vary, as can the steel and blade characteristics.
![parts of a katana parts of a katana](https://cdn1.bigcommerce.com/server5600/ovem0imu/products/928/images/19155/firemans-pole__49064.1269903931.1280.1280.jpg)
Its blade and overall length is variable. It’s fair to say there is no simple description of a survival knife. Survival knives are about versatility and strength being able to do jobs that require a lot of force, for example, chopping wood. As you’ll see, survival knives are about versatility but in a different way than a Swiss Army knife or a multi-tool. True under such circumstances, but it’s not the general way to describe a survival knife. They might say that if a folding knife is all you’ve got in an emergency, then it’s a survival knife. So if we say, for example, that “a knife that folds is not good for a survival knife” probably ninety percent of knife experts would agree, but there will always be those who dispute it. As with most things that people prize, collect, and use, almost everything about knives is up for discussion and often disagreement. Parts of a Knife: What Makes a Survival Knife?īefore discussing the parts of a knife we must first discuss what type of knife we are discussing.