Machetes, Corn knives and other big cutters

[muskrat man]

The recent mention of machetes on the ax thread got me to thinking we needed a machete thread too. Here is my go to machete, an 18" collins legitimus. I really like the steel in these old collins knives. I rehandled it because the original was about 3" long and terribly uncomfortable, I also clipped the point and added a false edge for effect. This lightened it a bit which makes it much faster but a little more labor intensive to use on heavier stuff due to lack of forward weight. I keep it for clearing weeds, and light brush out of the trails around the property. That was also my first attempt at a PVC sheath, turned out ok and serves the purpose well. It has a nicholson 8" bastard piggybacked on it for in the field touchup that was my first kydex, I didn't have eyelets so I peened aluminum pins to hold it together . She ain't purty but she sho do work good!

[Colonel26]

I'll have to go take a picture of my pa pa's old corn knife over at momma and daddy's house.

I love that old Collins machete. I've been shopping around for a good machete myself, nothing collectable, just something to use on the brush around here.

[Dinadan]

Cool mods on that Collins!

Like I said in the ax thread, I consider the Collins to the be best machetes that I have ever used. Here is one of the last that I bought, about fifteen years ago. The plastic handle crumbled away so I made a new handle out of a broken ax handle that was laying around our equipment room. This was a 24" machete. I agree that the handles were a bit short. What I did, and still do with my work machete, is take some one inch webbing, and wrap it around the blade so that the webbing and handle are in tight contact. I keep wrapping the webbing until it is about as wide as the handle. It projects above and below the blade and forms a kind of guard. At every stage I coat the webbing with Gorilla glue. When the glue is dry the webbing will last as long as the handle, and it gives me enough handle for a hand and a half grip.

Notice that stamp. It did not seem anything special until it disappeared. I keep this machete in the garage and occasionally use it for some clearing work around the yard.

Below are the two that I keep in the work truck these days.

[muskrat man]

that's a nice old collins, mine has the same marking, I have always wanted to get one of the ones they made with a stacked leather handle to restore since they are usually falling apart but never have, maybe someday.

[Colonel26]

Are the new Nicholson Collins machetes made in Columbia any good?

[muskrat man]

Are the new Nicholson Collins machetes made in Columbia any good?

I have no experience with them but for the price you wouldn't be out much if it wasn't any count. The price kinda makes me leery, I might have to try one.

http://www.amazon.com/Nicholson-Collins ... B00DNRFX6S

[muskrat man]

A village blacksmith corn knife given new life as a lightweight machete, a more refined PVC sheath

[FRJ]

Some hurried pictures of my 22 inch Collins. I don't think anyone sharpened it.
I have obviously never cleaned it up. I need to do that at some point and sharpen it.
But I don't know what I'll do with it after that. I'll have a cared for machete. That's a good thing.
I hope that nice stamp is underneath the paper sticker.
I like the PVC sheath. I watched a guy make one on you-tube.
Are those hollow rivets?

[muskrat man]

Thats a dandy FRJ. Yes they are the same rivets used for kydex

[muskrat man]

Here are two 13" blades. These are nice light choppers I keep one strapped to each of my bug out bags. The top one of a Legitimus Collins & Co that I rehandled and stripped the ugly red paint off of. The other is one I made way back in 2007 and rebuilt in 2014.

[TripleF]

You do good work Kaleb! Wish I could afford to have you do some stuff for me......

[muskrat man]

Thank you Scott.

Here is the A.L.I.C.E / M.O.L.L.E compatible sheath for the Collins

[muskrat man]

Here's a couple my dad drug home from the flea market yesterday. A 22" blade legitimus collins columbia and a 12" bade gavilan columbia. I can't wait until I'm able to get them sharpened up and put them to use. Not bad for $15.

the collins has a very thin flexible blade that will be great in soft vegetation

[Ivoryman]

When there's serious cutting to do Tremontina, Tidioute, Cold Steel and Case get the call.