The North Star

Specs:

Blade Length: 4 3/8" Weight:   oz.

Blade Thickness: .167" Sheath: Leather

Overall Length 8.5" Blade Steel: A2

Rc: 59-60

    The North Star is a model that was born on the Bark River forum at www.knifeforums.com. The Idea behind the North Star was to design a American bushcraft style of knife.  The knife was to have a Spear Point blade, no guard, and a straight convex ground edge. The final version is true to the original design for the most part. One change that stands out is the addition of an extension to the blade tang for a lanyard.  As you can see from the table shown below this knife can be had in several different flavors.

    There are some materials being used on these which some may not be familiar with such as Fibermascus, G10, and the Acrylics. Below you will find some information on each of the three.

    The first material I will cover is Fibermascus which was developed by Gary Riner. According to Garys web site (www.fibermascus.com), "Fibermascus is a composite material made from layers of fabric arranged in color combinations and shapes that can mimic those in pattern welded steel (aka Damascus)." To some this may sound like Micarta but really it's not at all. According to the FAQ section on the www.fibermascus.com site the processes employed in the manufacture of the Fibermascus material are different as are the resins which are used.

        The next material I want to cover are the Acrylics. The Acrylics can be quite attractive. Many that you will see on knives have a pearl look. Care really must be taken with these as they are not as durable as some of the other types of materials one finds on knives. They are quite stable though and will not break down over time. It's best to treat a knife with a handle in this material like you would one that has real a pearl handle.

    The next material I want to touch on is G10. The basic black version of the material has been used quite a lot in the past few years on knives.  The material is really quite similar to Micarta though the main material used is glass cloth.

    The last material I want to cover is Micarta. Now most people who have been around knives especially custom knives for any length of time are probably familiar with this material. However many do not know the history behind the material. The info shown below comes from the current owner of the Micarta name Nevamar. I myself did not know much about the history of the material until forumite  riddleofsteel posted info about the material on the BRKT (http://www.barkriverknifetool.com/index.html) forum at www.knifeforums.com.

    "In 1995, Nevamar, merged with the Micarta Division of Westinghouse Electric Company in Hampton, SC. This union brought together two giants of the laminate industry, both with a legacy of innovation.

The roots of Micarta can be traced back to 1905, when George Westinghouse was looking for low-cost insulating materials for his electrical apparatus. It was then that he purchased Swiss patents to an insulating sheet using shellac to bond paper and mica, which Westinghouse trademarked under the Micarta name. Later, refinements in the technology would produce industrial laminates that would find dozens of important applications as diverse as safety helmets, electrical insulation on the space shuttle and rocket launching tubes.

    But it was 1913 when Westinghouse engineer D.J. O’Conor first fused a colorful printed top sheet to regular paper, producing the original decorative laminate. Recognizing the potential of his new product, O’Conor left Westinghouse to found the Formica Corporation, which quickly became its chief competitor!

    By the 1930’s, the rumblings of war in Europe diverted Micarta’s attention to support the military by developing new applications for its products, such as aircraft pulleys for American warplanes, ship propeller bearings, helmet liners to fit inside the steel outer helmet used by infantrymen, shipboard insulators for the Navy and curved airplane parts.

    At the end of World War II, the return of servicemen brought a boom in the construction industry with housing and furniture in great demand. Micarta diverted its attention to civilian opportunity and created the first post-forming grade decorative laminates, using the same technology they developed to manufacture curved airplane parts for the war. Over the years and with so many product developments, Micarta came to be recognized as a pioneer in laminate technology."
 

    Below is the list of knives that were scheduled for the first production run. By the time the run was completed there were several changes that occurred due to dealer requests. At this time I don't have a list of what actually was made.

Below is the very first North Star blade blank that was ground.

photo courtesy of  BRK&T/Mike Stewart.

This next photo shows several knives which have had the handles and pins installed. Now it's time to wait for the Epoxy to dry.

photo courtesy of  BRK&T/Mike Stewart.

    The top knife shows what the knives look like after the first round of shaping on the handles  has takes place. The Bottom knife shows what the knives look like after the handles have been attached, and the epoxy has dried.

photo courtesy of  BRK&T/Mike Stewart.

The same knives from the top photo showing what the Spine looks like.

photo courtesy of  BRK&T/Mike Stewart.

Here are a group of knives that have gone through the shaping process.

photo courtesy of  BRK&T/Mike Stewart.

This is what the knives look like after the Micron polish.

photo courtesy of  BRK&T/Mike Stewart.

This group of knives is waiting to paired up with sheaths and packaged.

photo courtesy of  BRK&T/Mike Stewart.

Below are a few pictures of knives from the very first production run. In the top photo you can see the North Star logo.

photo courtesy of  BRK&T/Mike Stewart.

photo courtesy of  BRK&T/Mike Stewart.

This is a classy looking example that is also rugged with an ivory Micarta  handle.

photo courtesy of  BRK&T/Mike Stewart.

This knife features a Natural canvas Micarta handle.

photo courtesy of  BRK&T/Mike Stewart.

The strongest kind of  Micarta is the canvas type. This one has a Green canvas Micarta handle.

photo courtesy of  BRK&T/Mike Stewart.

This example is all business with its Black canvas Micarta handle.

photo courtesy of  BRK&T/Mike Stewart.

Here is a combo that you don't see in a Micarta handled knife everyday. This is Black and green linen Micarta.

photo courtesy of  BRK&T/Mike Stewart.

Antique Stag Bone. This material is a very  realistic looking alternative to the very difficult to obtain Sambar Stag.

photo courtesy of  BRK&T/Mike Stewart.

    Now here is a natural hardwood that is very durable Desert Ironwood. Desert Ironwood can be found in Arizona, California, and
Northwestern Mexico

photo courtesy of  BRK&T/Mike Stewart.

This variation of G10 is one you don't often see on knives.  The name of it is Blue Glow G10.

photo courtesy of  BRK&T/Mike Stewart.

This is a must have material for the outdoorsman. The name of this material is Blaze Orange G10. If you drop this one in the woods you will be able to find this it!

photo courtesy of  BRK&T/Mike Stewart.

Here is a relatively new version of G10. This one goes by the name of Tiger Stripe G10.

photo courtesy of  BRK&T/Mike Stewart.

This example features a new material which has hit the cutlery market recently, Green and Tan Firbermascus.

photo courtesy of  BRK&T/Mike Stewart.

Spruce and Gold Acrylic. This material is quite striking but not meant for hard use.

photo courtesy of  BRK&T/Mike Stewart.

This fine example sports mosaic pins and is handled in Myrtle. This particular type of Myrtle can be found in the western portion of the United States.

photo courtesy of  BRK&T/Mike Stewart.

    Here is another nice example with mosaic pins. The handle is of Thuya. Thuya comes from the Northern portion of Africa. In fact most of it seems to come from Morocco.

photo courtesy of  BRK&T/Mike Stewart.

This quite a fetching piece sporting a Chinese Quince burl  handle and mosaic pins. Quince Burl comes from China.

photo courtesy of  BRK&T/Mike Stewart.

Here is a nice example sporting a Madrone handle. Madrone can be found in a variety of places throughout the world.

photo courtesy of  BRK&T/Mike Stewart.

This is a stunning example of Elder Burl. Elder burls are found in a variety of Temperate & sub tropical, areas throughout the world.

photo courtesy of  BRK&T/Mike Stewart.

Here is a gorgeous example featuring a Brown Elder burl handle.  Elder burls are found in a variety of Temperate & sub tropical, areas throughout the world.

photo courtesy of  BRK&T/Mike Stewart.

Black and Brown Elder. Elder burls are found in a variety of Temperate & sub tropical, areas throughout the world.

photo courtesy of  BRK&T/Mike Stewart.

This North Star features a Curly Maple handle and mosaic pins. Curly Maple can be found in the western part of the United States.

photo courtesy of  BRK&T/Mike Stewart.

Here is a lovely example featuring a Black Maple handle and mosaic pins. Black Maple is found throughout the U.S. and as far north as Montreal Canada.

photo courtesy of  BRK&T/Mike Stewart.

Here we have a North Star handled in Ebony. Ebony is denser, and heavier than pretty much any other hardwood.

photo courtesy of  BRK&T/Mike Stewart.

This first example is handled in Snakewood. Due to problems with this particular material there are very few knives that have been made with this gorgeous wood.

photo courtesy of  BRK&T/Mike Stewart.