The Great Throwzini     
Get Your FREE "101 KNIFE THROWING TIPS" Info-Pak -- Click Here for Details
HOME THE GREAT THROWZINI FREE NEWSLETTER THROWING HAWKS TARGETS
LOCAL THROWERS INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEO THROWING SPIKES CLUBS/EVENTS SAFETY
THROWING MISC. THROWING ARTICLES THROWZINI STORE THROWING KNIVES PAST NEWSLETTERS
Return to PAST NEWSLETTERS Index

The Great Throwzini Newsletter: Issue #10

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 2 of 3
by K.E. Sackett
3. Recreational Knife Throwing Video
4. Ya Just Never Know... by Scott Gracia
5. Contact Info/Reprint Guidelines
=======================================

1. WHAT'S NEW

Hello fellow throwers!

We've got a few updates to tell you about on our
homepage, but first...

I got some new knives in the mail this week :-)
16", handle-throwing, mega-meaty knives!

These knives are awesome! You have to check them
out! They are made by Jeff Koch. Jeff has lots
of great designs and ideas.

You can see them here:

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

Now on to the updates:

NEW WEB POLL
Be sure to stop by and cast your vote in our newly
updated Web Poll. It's on the home page. Bottom
right. Thanks!! (Results of our last Web Poll are
listed below.)

OTHER UPDATES
When you visit the site you'll also 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

PREVIOUS WEB POLL RESULTS
Following are the results from our last Web Poll.

The question on our last Web Poll was:

"What Type of Target Do You Throw At?"

All of the materials listed make great targets...
in certain situations.

Say for instance you wanted to show your girlfriend's
parents that you REALLY can throw anything...

From coat hangars to 10 lb. jack-hammer drill bits!

Now I doubt if they're going to let you haul a 200 lb.
log round into their living room to show them the
jack-hammer toss, but you might get away with a
dart board or piece of cardboard and a few wire
coat hangars :-)

Anyway, thanks to everyone who participated. The final
results were as follows:

What type of target do you throw at?

Cardboard - 17.2%
Dart Board - 6.9%
Plywood - 24.1%
Log End - 34.5%
Other - 17.3%

Total Voters: 368

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

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

2. GUEST COLUMN:

NOTES ON HOMEMADE KNIVES - Part 2 of 3
by K. E. Sackett

After heat treating, the knives may require a final
polishing, again with a wire wheel, to a smooth
satin finish.

Avoid giving them a high polish, as this tends to
become clammy from the sweat of your hand, and
will cling when the knife is thrown, hindering
a smooth release.

(Some buckskinners leave their throwing knives
file-roughened, to increase the friction between
blade and target. This helps keep knives from falling
out of the wood during competitions.)

Another approach to knife making, one that appeals
to growing numbers of hobbyists, is to buy steels
already tempered to the correct degree of springiness,
work them by cutting and grinding, and bypass the
heat treating step altogether.

Consult with other hobbyists (the good old Internet is
tailor-made for this) to locate suppliers, determine
the best choice of steels, and exchange experiences.

Remember that when it comes to the best temper for
throwing knives, soft and springy is better than
hard and brittle.

A knife that bends a little can be straightened
(lay it on the ground and step on it), but a knife
that broke is junk.

HANDLES
About handles on throwing knives: Most experienced
knife throwers don't bother with them, first to
reduce expense, and second because handles tend to
break.

But for many of us amateurs, there's something
unsatisfying about calling a simple steel blank a
knife.

Also, throwing with a handle grip is sometimes
more comfortable if the bare tang of the knife is
helped out with some kind of material.

Remember that durability is the most important
feature of a throwing knife.

This means that riveted grips are a bit chancy;
rivets can crystallize and break, and many handle
materials are too brittle to withstand the shock of
throwing.

On the other hand, riveted handles look classy and
give a knife a substantial feel.

If you want to try riveted handles, use large steel
rivets -- a 3/16" shank is not too big.

Make your grip scales from vulcanized rubber or
some other slightly flexible material, to cushion
the rivets from blows and from the vibration that
causes crystallization.

Heavy cape leather comes in thicknesses up to a
quarter-inch, if you need a traditional material,
say to make your knife acceptable in a buckskinners'
competition.

Leather is not as resilient as rubber, but has some
of the same shock-absorbing properties.

If you want a non-riveted handle for your knife,
try thin scales of leather fastened with epoxy.

Leather is durable, cheap (if you can't locate a
supply of cape leather, an old shoe can provide big
enough scraps for this purpose), and easily worked.

Roughen the surface of the tang with a file before
applying the glue, and clamp the whole assembly
tightly during curing.

Finish the leather to a smooth but not highly
polished texture, to assure a smooth release when
throwing with a handle grip.

Should you treat your leather grips to some saddle
soap and oil dressing? Of course!
Note that the illustration shows handle scales stopping
short of the end of the knife's tang; they're also
narrower than the width of the tang, by a small
amount.

This is so that when the wrong part of the knife hits
the target, the handle scales don't take the direct
shock of impact.

Part 3 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. YA JUST NEVER KNOW...
by Scott Gracia

We had a problem with our Digital Cable last week
so I called the company and they told me they would
send someone out.

So the repairman gets here a few days later and
resets some things. When he is finished he has to
wait for the office to call him back and let him
know if everything is ready to go.

This looked to me like a fine opportunity to throw
some knives and maybe get someone else interested
in our sport.

He was standing in the doorway between our living
room and our *"Indoor Target" room. He turned around
and saw all the logs hanging from the ceiling in the
target room, then turned back at me and gave me a
strange look... (Imagine that ;)

I asked him if he ever threw a knife before and he
said yes. I was shocked! Thats usually not the answer
you get.

I picked up some of my Pro Target Dragons and handed
them to him. He seemed a bit surprised and then told
me it was mainly old pocket knives that he threw.

I said, "Then you're gonna love these!"

I handed him 4 knives and I kept 1 to show him the
grip and release. About 30 seconds later he stepped
up to the line with his new knowledge...

and stuck the 1st 3 knives! I think he missed the 4th
just because I started talking telling him he was a
natural!

He told me it reminded him alot of darts. Except
plastic tip darts only weigh about 16 grams each.
(The Pro Target Dragons weigh about 357 grams each.)

We threw for about 5 more minutes until the phone
rang. It was the cable office telling him everything
was done.

So I wrote down the Throwzini web site address for him
and told him to stop back if he ever wanted to throw
again.

Hopefully he'll tell some of his friends about it!

I try to never pass up an opportunity to get someone
to try throwing. Even if its only for a minute. They
could be hooked after the first throw, ya just never
know.

We should all think like this!

If we don't get more people to notice the sport,
we're never gonna get to throw knives at some
famous model on TV :)

I think the Strongest Man contests started this same
way. First just a few competitors, and then the sport
began to grow and attract more attention.

Now its on ESPN2 all the time, with big dollar
prizes! We need some of that!!!
So let's get on it! Start promoting!!!

Until next time...

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

*Follow this link to see pictures of the Indoor Target room:

http://www.throwzini.com/walltargets.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 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

Return to PAST NEWSLETTERS Index


Get your copy of the best knife throwing Info-Pak on the Web.
It's free, and there's no obligation.

Free 101 Knife Throwing Tips Info-Pak

You'll get hundreds of free tips, articles and interviews with the biggest names in the growing sport of knife throwing.

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.
Get Your FREE "101 KNIFE THROWING TIPS" Info-Pak -- Click Here for Details
HOME THE GREAT THROWZINI FREE NEWSLETTER THROWING HAWKS TARGETS
LOCAL THROWERS INSTRUCTIONAL VIDEO THROWING SPIKES CLUBS/EVENTS SAFETY
THROWING MISC. THROWING ARTICLES THROWZINI STORE THROWING KNIVES PAST NEWSLETTERS