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KNIVES - CUSTOM

There are some considerations in selecting a blade:

  • longer blades are easier to throw
  • heavier blades require a stronger arm but are less affected by wind and don't "float"
  • heavier blades mean better penetration

There is a huge variety of knives out there but I have found most of them too small. Small knives are great for indoor throwing but there is nothing like the solid thunk! of a 13" blade burying itself in the target. The smaller and thinner the blade, the closer you have to stand to the target. Sometimes this can be too close for comfort as knives can bounce a fair distance from the target, so keep this in mind.

Making your own

Notice the cardboard template. If you intend to have any knives made, or make them yourself out of mild steel, try the design out in your hand using a cardboard template, first. It saves you having them made and then finding you don’t like the feel of them. Experiment with various designs. Knife throwing is a very instinctive sport where you get a feel for the right knife that suits you.

 The knives, above, are made from 5mm mild steel. All my knives are at least 12” long. This is as per IKTHOF rules, but as far as I am concerned it is a major safety factor. The minimum distance to throw ½ a spin is 8’ ( 7’ for ladies and youths ). If the knives were any smaller you would not be able to throw at these distances. At 8’ the chance of a bad bounce coming back at you is greatly reduced

 
I had these made from 6mm mild steel, for the longer throws, up to 3 spin. They were just too heavy. So I tried the idea of taking a lot of weight out by drilling holes in them. It wasn’t too successful an experiment.
 

Now these are heavy. 6mm mild steel and 13 “ long. They are good for the long throws but I wouldn’t like to throw a 100 of them straight off !!

 

An example of, in my opinion, an unsafe throwing knife. They are 6 ½ “ long. If you tried to throw a ½ spin you would be too near the target and there is every likelihood you would get struck by one of them.

 
These were cheapies bought off the Internet. They are only 9” long. Plus they are too light to seriously throw at longer distances. They are made off an inferior steel that bends too easily and because it is bendy will cause more bad bounces. You are better paying for a good set of knives from the outset.
 

John’s custom made tournament knives. They are 12 ½ “ long and made out of stainless steel saw blades. Some people don’t like them as they are really light ( about 10 ½ oz in weight ) but John can make them do 3 spins at 27 ‘.

Blades soon to be on sale

The knives are made from heat-treated 13.5" x 2" in a 3/16" thick spring steel. They are mixture of styles of which most can be thrown by both handle and blade. The blades have a point, not an edge so there is no danger of cutting your hands when throwing by the blade.

Above is modelled on the Harry K. McEvoy Model 80 Pro model (Tru-Balance). Harry's designs are well repected among the professionals and although Harry has passed away, Tru-Balance is still operating though I'm not sure what their output quantities are.