The Great Throwzini
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The Great Throwzini
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by Scott Gracia sgracia@wi.rr.com http://www.throwzini.com ======================================= This newsletter is a FREE service you requested. You are on this list because: * You subscribed at our Great Throwzini web site * You inquired about our products or promotions * You requested our free knife throwing tips or other information. If you'd like to be removed from this list, simply reply to this message with 'remove' in the subject. ======================================= IN THIS ISSUE 1. What's New 2. Notes on Homemade Knives Part 3 of 3 by K.E. Sackett 3. Recreational Knife Throwing Video 4. Apartment Dwellers Are Very Resourceful Knife Throwers - by Chuck Fogarty 5. Contact Info/Reprint Guidelines ======================================= 1. WHAT'S NEW I'll tell you what's new... MORE SNOW!!! Welcome to Wisconsin. If you don't like the weather just hang around for a bit... cause it'll change! It was really nice for awhile. The snow was gone, the mud was drying up. I was throwing outside for almost a week straight. And then Mother Nature "dumped" about 8" of snow on my outdoor throwing range. So its back to being cold and muddy. (Those are 2 words I don't like to use in the same sentence when talking about "knife throwing") Oh well, maybe this way I'll appreciate Summer even more when it finally gets here. (Check out the Quick Idea Dept. on the home page for a great tip about throwing in muddy areas.) Alright, I'm done complaining now. When you visit the site you'll notice a brand new QUICK IDEA and lots of great new posts on our Great Throwzini Discussion Forum! Stop by and check them out: http://www.throwzini.com Now on to the good stuff! Thanks again to everyone that submitted their info/pics!!! ======================================== 2. GUEST COLUMN: NOTES ON HOMEMADE KNIVES - Part 3 of 3 by K. E. Sackett Even if you don't require grips on your knife, it's a good idea to paint the tang a bright color. This gives the appearance of a handle, adds a bit of flash to your throwing, and makes the knife easier to find when it lands in grass or sand. A single layer of adhesive tape serves the same purpose, but this will have to be replaced pretty frequently as it gets torn and dirty. Wrap the tape starting at the pommel and moving toward the hilt (see illustration) to avoid lifted edges that can interfere with a smooth release when throwing with a handle grip. If you don't throw with a handle grip, a bright cloth or cord wrapping makes a handsome touch. Here, you can allow yourself a few flourishes with dangling tassels or ribbons (the illustration suggests some possibilities) as long as these don't create too much aerodynamic drag. Shucks, everybody likes to decorate his weapons. Don't grind sharp edges on your throwing knife. First, they aren't necessary, particularly if your knife is adequate in weight; thirteen or fourteen ounces of steel pack enough authority to penetrate well, even if a knife is only moderately keen. Second, a sharp throwing knife is a menace to yourself and bystanders; a ricochet could result in serious injury. Third, a sharp knife is difficult to throw using a blade grip. Finally, a sharp edge won't survive the rough treatment of throwing for very long, so why bother with one in the first place? Even a super-sharp point is unnecessary, for the reasons given above. Note the detailed drawing of the last inch or so of the point. This shows how the angles of the point can steepen at the very end, to achieve durability without sacrificing penetration. This last quarter-inch of the point is the part that does the work of sticking. Keep it free of burrs and bends, and it'll do everything asked of it. Professionals, who must be concerned with safety, sometimes use knives with slightly rounded points (see illustration). These will penetrate softwood boards perfectly well when thrown with a vertical grip, but are less likely to inflict dangerous wounds if they accidentally hit someone. A chisel- or screwdriver-type point can also be used. These types of point have the advantage of not breaking or bending easily. The illustration shows how the edges of most throwing knives are ground: Short, steep, and extending only two or three inches back from the point. Full-length edges, if left dull for safety, are perfectly all right too, particularly for looks, and will make it easier to adapt your throwing knife to cutting purposes if you ever need to. (For example, knives used for throwing competitions at muzzle-loading jamborees must have one full-length edge.) If your hand is small (mine is), removing some extra steel by grinding blunt edges can make a knife easier to throw with a blade grip. Your home-built knives will cost less than commercial models, and they'll give you more satisfaction, because, in fact, they'll be custom-made. 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. APARTMENT DWELLERS ARE VERY RESOURCEFUL KNIFE THROWERS by Chuck Fogarty Since nobody had moved in to our apartment building recently, I was running out of cardboard for my indoor target. My cardboard lookout, the maintenance man, told me there were a couple of mattress boxes in one of the underground garages. I dragged the boxes into our apartment and went to work. The boxes measured 82 in. by 52 inches. I cut them into thirds, stuffing the middle section and the open end section into the closed end piece and filled it up with additional pieces of cardboard until it was firm. I now have 2 very nice cardboard targets measuring 27 in. by 52 in. Actually I have 4 targets because these targets are so thick that the knives don't penetrate fully. So when one side gets tattered I can just turn it around. This works of course with any large cardboard box. This proves the old adage that "necessity is the mother of invention" and also that apartment dwellers are very resourceful knife throwers. Chuck Fogarty thechuckster@webtv.net ============================================= 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 lots of great 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 It's free, and there's no obligation. |
Want to improve your accuracy?CLICK HERE "...the ability of David to throw different turns at different distances was outstanding and the impalement acts were 1st rate..." Chuck Fogarty Countryside, IL FREE STUFF CLICK HERE for FREE 101 Knife Throwing Tips Info-Pak Want hundreds of great knife throwing tips, ideas, articles and interviews with some of the biggest names in the sport of knife throwing? Get our FREE, twice-a-month Great Throwzini Online Newsletter. Just click below and send. CLICK HERE for FREE Online Newsletter or send e-mail to: sgracia@wi.rr.com with SUBSCRIBE in the Subject Line. I respect your privacy and will never share or sell your e-mail address to anyone. |