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The Great Throwzini Newsletter: Issue #9

by Scott Gracia
sgracia@wi.rr.com
http://www.throwzini.com


=======================================
IN THIS ISSUE
1. What's New
2. Notes On Homemade Knives - Part 1 of 3
by K.E. Sackett
3. L&H Throwing Dirk
4. Introducing Our New Travelling Knife Throwing Reporter
Chuck Fogarty
5. Contact Info/Reprint Guidelines
=======================================

1. WHAT'S NEW

Hello everyone,

First I'd like to say "good luck" to all the
throwers in the upcoming IKTA competition.

It sounds like its going to be quite an event!

I was lucky enough to receive a sneak preview of the
custom knives being awarded by John Goss.

Each of the top 3 finishers will receive one of
these knives.

I don't want to spoil the surprise so I'm waiting
until after the competition to post some
pictures :-)

For more information you can check out the
UPCOMING EVENTS Department on our homepage:

http://www.throwzini.com

If anyone wants to share their experience, comments,
results or anything about this competition, I'd love
to hear them!

Email them to me or you can always post them on
our Discussion Forum!

Thanks again to everyone that submitted their info/pics!!!

========================================

2. GUEST COLUMN

NOTES ON HOMEMADE KNIVES - Part 1 of 3
by K. E. Sackett

A WORD ABOUT DESIGN
Above all else, a throwing knife must be durable.
A few minutes' practice will convince you of this.

A thrown knife absorbs a lot of punishment,
especially when it doesn't stick; that ringing blang!
when a knife hits sideways or handle-first is
something you have to get used to.

Steel that is tempered too hard will develop cracks,
or simply break without warning. Fragile handles,
guards, and narrow points will tend to disintegrate
pretty quickly under the stress of throwing.

Just about everybody starts throwing with a knife he
or she didn't make, sometimes casually with a
hunting or kitchen knife (that seldom lasts long),
sometimes with one of the numerous commercial
throwing knives on the market.

Don't get me wrong: I have nothing against
store-bought throwing knives. But I believe that
you'll soon develop ideas of your own about what a
throwing knife should look like.

Maybe you'll search the cutlery catalogs and sporting
goods stores for a knife that fills the bill, and
maybe you'll find it.

But when you see what it costs, and reflect that
good practice calls for two, three, six, or more
knives, you'll start thinking in terms of
Homemade And Proud Of It.

MAKING YOUR OWN KNIVES
Now don't complain that you aren't handy with
metal-working tools. Neither am I.

All you need to make first-rate throwing knives are
a supply of flat steel stock of the right dimensions,
a vise, a hacksaw, a file, and a bench grinder with
one medium stone and one wire brush wheel.

If you intend to drill holes in your knife, you'll need
an electric drill and a bit.

First, draw a full-size knife pattern on paper. For
symmetrical designs, fold the paper lengthwise, pencil
the design on one half of the paper, and cut out along
the pencil line.

Then unfold, and there's your perfectly symmetrical
pattern.

It's a good idea to assess your paper pattern by
gripping it as if it were steel.

If a blade is too wide (anything over two inches will
be awkward to throw by the blade) or a handle too
narrow, if the general appearance doesn't please
you, cut some more paper and try again; paper cuts
easier than steel.

You can even determine the balance-point with a paper
pattern: just mark the center and balance the pattern
across your index finger exactly as if it were metal.

Be careful that you don't get so intrigued with
patterns that you never get around to the steel at
all. This can happen.

When your pattern is satisfactory, carefully glue it
to the metal stock you intend to use for making your
knife, and hacksaw around the edge of the paper.

Small-radius curves where a hacksaw won't reach can
be finished with the grinder or file.

A POINT ABOUT ELABORATE DESIGNS
At the paper pattern stage, it's fun to add flamboyant
shapes and prongs.

At the hack sawing stage, complex outlines become
less appealing. Many a fancy curlicue winds up
angrily sawn off and kicked into a corner.

Generally speaking, simple shapes and straight lines
will be easier to make, especially in quantity.

Also, it's a common occurrence for a knife to strike
another knife that's already sticking in the wood.

Projecting guards will make this happen oftener than
you'd like. Take note that the knives thrown by
professionals usually have very simple, smooth
profiles, to reduce the chance of on-target
collisions.

STEELS
They can be sawn out of quarter-inch (6.35 mm)
cold-rolled steel, edged quickly with a bench
grinder, and used without further muttering or
shuffling.

While you're still experimenting, this is a good
enough way to go. However, plain cold-rolled steel
will make rather unbeautiful knives, and they'll
bend easily.

A more satisfying procedure is to start with
higher-grade steel and harden the finished product
just enough to provide some resiliency.

Key stock is a good choice, since it can be bought
in practically any dimensions. A thickness of 3/16",
or 7/32" (~ 5 to 6 mm) is enough when working with
tempered steel, because of its greater strength
compared to cold-rolled steel.

After cutting out the basic profile, grind the edges,
smooth your saw-cuts and grinds with a file, buff
all the surfaces to a satin polish with a wire wheel,
and have your finished knives heat treated to the
right degree of hardness (ca. Rockwell 30 to 40)
by a good metals shop.

Explain to these professionals exactly what your
needs are, and provide them with information on
the type of steel you're working with; don't be
shy about requesting just the right temper for
throwing knives; metals people love a challenge.

Part 2 of 3 continued in our next issue.

Article Contributed by:
K.E. Sackett
sackett@dbo.eng.wayne.edu
http://www.commonlogic.com/knife/knives/diyknives/
sackett/homemade1.htm

=============================================

3. RECREATIONAL KNIFE THROWING VIDEO

If you want to learn the insider SECRETS, TIPS and TRICKS that the masters use to hit their mark every time, then John Bailey's Recreational Knife Throwing Video is for you.

Here is a taste of what you'll get:

- 9 inexpensive target designs
- 11 demonstrations
- How to eliminate the most common throwing error
- Master grips, stances and throws

and so much more!

For a limited time, you can have the ultimate knife throwing video for only $19.95. By acting now, you'll save 33% off the regular price of $29.95

For a full description and ordering details, follow this link:

http://www.throwzini.com/tgt_video.html

AOL USERS LINK

=============================================

4. INTRODUCING OUR NEW TRAVELING KNIFE THROWING
REPORTER!

I have been reading articles and stories written by
Chuck Fogarty for quite some time now.

Chuck has the largest target collection of any knife
thrower I know. OK, maybe not the most targets, but
it spans the most states!

He has all types of targets set up in Wisconsin,
Illinois, Colorado and California just to name a
few states.

*And has pictures to prove it!

Ya just never know... he could be in your neighborhood
next :)

Anyway, Chuck has agreed to keep us updated of his
"traveling knife-throwing adventures" :)

So anytime he travels somewhere and throws knives, if
its noteworthy, we'll here about it!

Now on to Chuck's latest journey:

KEEP AN OPEN MIND WHEN LOOKING FOR TARGETS
by Chuck Fogarty

After getting settled in my friends house in Stuart
Fla. we started looking around for some tree burls
for a target, but none were to be found.

Stuart is on Hutchison Island and some things are in
short supply.

My friend then said "I know of a great target for
you." He took me under his pier and pulled out an
old wornout windsurfing board!

We took it out and it was 12 ft long and about
2 1/2 ft wide in the center tapering to about
1 ft on each end.

It was made of thick tough vinyl with an interior of
very dense Styrofoam that was almost like wood.

It made a perfect target, we nailed it between 2
trees and the knives would penetrate the outer skin
and stick into the Styrofoam just like a piece of
wood.

We threw at that for a week until that side was
destroyed and then turned it over and started again.

It took me 2 weeks to destroy both sides! And then it
was time to leave.

On the way to the airport in Orlando, we stopped
to see John Bailey in Winter Springs. John is a
legendary knife thrower and we visited him last year
also.

John has a beautiful piece of property with multiple
targets. We moved around his yard throwing all sorts
of knives and hawks and I got to see a prototype of
some of his new knives soon to be put out by the
Boker Co. of Germany under Johns name.

(You can see some of these targets and knife designs
in his Recreational Knife Throwing Video, available
from the Throwzini Store.)

John is also the new owner of the Sunshine Knife Outlet.
John is a former Special Forces member and modestly
admits to being a 200 lb. lean, mean fighting machine.

Due to the magic of the Internet I am able to find
throwing partners wherever I go on vacation!

Thats it for now folks, until next time...

Chuck (knife-throwing reporter) Fogarty
thechuckster@webtv.net

To check out some of Chucks' targets, just follow
this link:

http://www.throwzini.com/targets.html

=============================================

If you have any questions about throwing that you would
like answered in one of our upcoming issues, simply
send an e-mail to:

sgracia@wi.rr.com

with QUESTION FOR NEWSLETTER in the Subject Line,
and your name and question in the body.

=============================================

(Copyright 2000, Scott Gracia,
The Great Throwzini.)

Reprint permission granted in part or whole when the
following credit appears in full:

Reprinted with permission from Scott Gracia's
The Great Throwzini Newsletter.
Get your FREE 101 KNIFE THROWING TIPS and
Newsletter, filled with throwing tips and ideas to help
you with your throwing game, at The Great Throwzini web site
http://www.throwzini.com

=============================================
Scott Gracia,
The Great Throwzini,
5321 4 Mile Rd.
Racine, WI 53402-9791
Phone 262-681-7942,
E mail: sgracia@wi.rr.com
http://www.throwzini.com

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Countryside, IL



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