How often do I need to do this?
Bushcraft Knife Challenge
- Thread starter rpn
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How often do I need to do this?
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- Mar 6, 2008
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Chirstof,
Those look sweet!
I honestly think you read my mind on this one. When I first got my Stead Knife I though, "This would be sweet woods knife if it had about a 4 inch blade with a long clip point, and a slightly beefier handle"
That being said, I still love my Stead Knife.
Well done friend!
Brandon
Those look sweet!
I honestly think you read my mind on this one. When I first got my Stead Knife I though, "This would be sweet woods knife if it had about a 4 inch blade with a long clip point, and a slightly beefier handle"
That being said, I still love my Stead Knife.
Well done friend!
Brandon
- Joined
- Mar 29, 2007
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annually? A quick wipe with mineral oil every few months? It's hard to say, because it depends on how many soakings and how much kitchen duty with hot water and such a blade sees. once it's all soaked it's soaked in. When it starts to feel dry (like old bone or papery) is a good answer.
They both look great.
If it were up to me I'd send the one with the guard. So many bushcrafty blades don't have them, so I'd like to get a real-world, several user test of your knife with the guard to see if it helps or hinders the various tasks.
Jus' sayin'...
If it were up to me I'd send the one with the guard. So many bushcrafty blades don't have them, so I'd like to get a real-world, several user test of your knife with the guard to see if it helps or hinders the various tasks.
Jus' sayin'...
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same as the other blades, 1/8 inch 15N20. cuts great. I don't mind the lesser hand filling feel of the smaller grip for myself, though the PURE BEEF grip on the caramel micarta one is pretty stout. Like, calvary charge stout.
I'm finishing the sheath on the caramel one now, and I think that's where I'm leaning. I'm pushing time limits here and need to finish. I really am NOT sure which one is better, I prefer the "guardless" style as an all around EDC for myself, but I'm in an environment where and EDC is an everywhere, everywhen, thing. in a hiking of bush situation a knife like this would probably ride differently than my normal edc (jeans, in and out of the van, the shop, etc)
I do think I want to get the feedback on the guard situation.
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okay, details:
1/8 inch (.119 nominal) 15N20 steel with a full quench and a differential temper. I leave the forge finish on the flats with most blades of this and related types, just make some passes on it with 400 grit to smooth it out.
Grind is a convexed scandi grind, scandivex, taper, whatever anyone wants to call it.
The handle is fairly beefy, with lots of room for adjusting grips and little bits of filework here and there for indexing on. The integral guard formed by the handle scales is fileworked on the bottom. I often place a finger there when doing fine work.
Scales are micarta, caramel colored. Pin stock is stainless tubing, with plenty of attachment options for lanyards.
Spine is mostly straight for scraping and broad enough to grip with your hands when needed. The straighter spines are also nice for batoning. I did a bit of cross hatching on the spine for easier firesteel work.
The sheath is the explorer model- made by me. I included two belt hangers, one is the traditional type with the chicago screws (thread lock them as needed). The other is a wider one meant to be tied closed. I included some light "220" cord for that purpose.
There's not much else to say about the knife itself. My process, as usual, was to let it grow in my hands. (or shrink, whatever.) I knew that we'd be dealing with colder temps some of the time (here in the Great Basin as well as off in new england) and wanted to increase the handle size for glove work. I also made sure the guard section was beefy enough for frozen finger safety. The balance is very much centered on the handle, back with the index and middle fingers, for fine handling.
I rarely use patterns, and when I do it's as a visual reference. Each knife gets done and balanced in my hands as I work it. Grinds are similar. Most blades like this have a slightly variable convex grind, with a section of steeper angles at the base and a steeper final edge angle at the tip.
The particular model is named the "Great Basin Bushcrafter". The basin is a very interesting section of the continent with restricted watersheds (they drain inland and not to the seas), washboard ridges and ranges mostly running north/south, and a wide variety of climate zones in very abruptly changing sections.
One example is coming off of a peak into the Basin from the san bernadino mountains- where you can ride a tram through 5 major climate/environment zones in less than 45 minutes. 3 days easy light hiking. You need a knife built for the whole range, with the normal understanding that you don't tend to have the dense, wet forests of the PNW and southeastern US. Pine scrub, cattails and roses along the creeks, high desert, some deciduous oak and walnut foresting, plains-like flats, and such.
1/8 inch (.119 nominal) 15N20 steel with a full quench and a differential temper. I leave the forge finish on the flats with most blades of this and related types, just make some passes on it with 400 grit to smooth it out.
Grind is a convexed scandi grind, scandivex, taper, whatever anyone wants to call it.
The handle is fairly beefy, with lots of room for adjusting grips and little bits of filework here and there for indexing on. The integral guard formed by the handle scales is fileworked on the bottom. I often place a finger there when doing fine work.
Scales are micarta, caramel colored. Pin stock is stainless tubing, with plenty of attachment options for lanyards.
Spine is mostly straight for scraping and broad enough to grip with your hands when needed. The straighter spines are also nice for batoning. I did a bit of cross hatching on the spine for easier firesteel work.
The sheath is the explorer model- made by me. I included two belt hangers, one is the traditional type with the chicago screws (thread lock them as needed). The other is a wider one meant to be tied closed. I included some light "220" cord for that purpose.
There's not much else to say about the knife itself. My process, as usual, was to let it grow in my hands. (or shrink, whatever.) I knew that we'd be dealing with colder temps some of the time (here in the Great Basin as well as off in new england) and wanted to increase the handle size for glove work. I also made sure the guard section was beefy enough for frozen finger safety. The balance is very much centered on the handle, back with the index and middle fingers, for fine handling.
I rarely use patterns, and when I do it's as a visual reference. Each knife gets done and balanced in my hands as I work it. Grinds are similar. Most blades like this have a slightly variable convex grind, with a section of steeper angles at the base and a steeper final edge angle at the tip.
The particular model is named the "Great Basin Bushcrafter". The basin is a very interesting section of the continent with restricted watersheds (they drain inland and not to the seas), washboard ridges and ranges mostly running north/south, and a wide variety of climate zones in very abruptly changing sections.
One example is coming off of a peak into the Basin from the san bernadino mountains- where you can ride a tram through 5 major climate/environment zones in less than 45 minutes. 3 days easy light hiking. You need a knife built for the whole range, with the normal understanding that you don't tend to have the dense, wet forests of the PNW and southeastern US. Pine scrub, cattails and roses along the creeks, high desert, some deciduous oak and walnut foresting, plains-like flats, and such.
grunt soldier
Gold Member
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congrats sir. can't wait to see you beat rick 
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A bit more on the various odds and ends of filework. Since it came up in Big Mike's photo thread- http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=798739
On the spine, I light a bit of light thumb catching ridges. The craosshatching is there to provide a bit more for the firesteels. those are wedgebottomed cuts done with a 3-square (triangular) file. No big dieal, just a useful accent.
kgd mentioned the pinky jimping. That's realyl no big deal, it's just a tactile indexing feature. The index finger jimping is likely to be more interesting to discuss over time. That's there for people - like me!- who will in some types of fine cutting rest the index finger on the bottom of the guard area.
This is likely to get controversial if it ever gets talked about, becuase it's eliminating the safety of the guard entirely. But, in my personal definition of knife ergonomics (maximum possible number of comfortable holds) it makes sense
And Mike, you would photograph mine going through a crotch. All I can think is "crotch batoning". ... ....
On the spine, I light a bit of light thumb catching ridges. The craosshatching is there to provide a bit more for the firesteels. those are wedgebottomed cuts done with a 3-square (triangular) file. No big dieal, just a useful accent.
kgd mentioned the pinky jimping. That's realyl no big deal, it's just a tactile indexing feature. The index finger jimping is likely to be more interesting to discuss over time. That's there for people - like me!- who will in some types of fine cutting rest the index finger on the bottom of the guard area.
This is likely to get controversial if it ever gets talked about, becuase it's eliminating the safety of the guard entirely. But, in my personal definition of knife ergonomics (maximum possible number of comfortable holds) it makes sense
And Mike, you would photograph mine going through a crotch. All I can think is "crotch batoning". ... ....
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the contest model is now available. I've sold the other 4 I was working on, so I need to start more!
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?p=9445326
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?p=9445326