Up until a year ago, I had never heard of Tramontina, but after reading about the 14" machete and seeing pics here on BF, I finally bought one. I must say that I'm impressed. It may not be the best machete on the market, but it's the best one I ever had. In other words, it's going to be my new survival companion. I just gotta get the #&#$ing UPC sticker off of the blade without leaving sticky spot that has a half life of 500 years.
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Just got my Tramontina 14'' Machete.
- Thread starter ranger88
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The blade of your Tramontina is coated with a clear lacquer to prevent rust. This coating doesn't hold up at all under use and is only designed to prevent them from rusting before they are sold.
If you want to strip it, the finish will come off with either alcohol or acetone. Recently I've been playing around with acid etching the blades with vinegar. I'm a novice at this but it does give the blade a nice patina and if you play with it you can get some intresting patterns. I have also cold blued a few machetes. Either way you have to make sure that coating is off before you attempt any kind of finish.
Most of the time when you remove the stickers on the blade you pull off that finish. Removing the rest of it makes the blade look right again. If you leave the finish pulled off in just that spot it will rust before the rest of the blade and become permanent. Mac
If you want to strip it, the finish will come off with either alcohol or acetone. Recently I've been playing around with acid etching the blades with vinegar. I'm a novice at this but it does give the blade a nice patina and if you play with it you can get some intresting patterns. I have also cold blued a few machetes. Either way you have to make sure that coating is off before you attempt any kind of finish.
Most of the time when you remove the stickers on the blade you pull off that finish. Removing the rest of it makes the blade look right again. If you leave the finish pulled off in just that spot it will rust before the rest of the blade and become permanent. Mac
Now that you have a tramontina, you have to try a 12 inch Ontario machete.
Small machetes are a wonderfull bush/camping/survival tool. With a sak in the pocket and a small machete along, you can get by very nicely with just those cutting tools. A small machete can do the duties of a large knife, but the knife will have a hard time keeping up with a machete.
Small machetes are a wonderfull bush/camping/survival tool. With a sak in the pocket and a small machete along, you can get by very nicely with just those cutting tools. A small machete can do the duties of a large knife, but the knife will have a hard time keeping up with a machete.
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are an amazing deal for $6. Far tougher than the price would lead you to believe. Enjoy, be safe.
Frank
Frank
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I got my Ontario on eBay for cheap , like under 20$ total , it's pretty nice !
Handguard , black coated blade (teflon or something?) , crappy sheath but what do you want for 20 bones... The handle is a bit overly meaty, something I'll have to work on.
I've been impressed with everything I've heard about Tramontina , just goes to show you do not have to spend 100's of dollars for a machete of uber materials to get a good working blade.
Handguard , black coated blade (teflon or something?) , crappy sheath but what do you want for 20 bones... The handle is a bit overly meaty, something I'll have to work on.
I've been impressed with everything I've heard about Tramontina , just goes to show you do not have to spend 100's of dollars for a machete of uber materials to get a good working blade.
rebeltf said:
The handle was the main reason I went for the TRAM. (And the price of course.) The wooded handle looked like it would go easy on the hands, and it does. It's flat on the sides, not rounded. it's more like a big kitchen knife than a machete. I've read a lot of post about the handles on the Ontario being not so great compared to its blade. I'll bet if you replace them with wooden handles, you would like it even more.
The handles on my Tramontinas are OK. They are easily shaped, if necessary. I prefer the rounder handle on the 12" to the 14" Bolo. I actually have used the 12" in the kitchen for a few tasks.
I have a economy Ontario 12" machete, which is decent. The blade came pretty sharp and does great with light vegetation, not so well chopping. Presumably the slightly hollow ground blade allows some sticking. Eventually, it'll be more convex. The plastic handle is OK, but the most comfy I have is the molded one piece handle on my little Barteaux economy cane knife. It looks crude for molded plastic, but works well for me.
I have a economy Ontario 12" machete, which is decent. The blade came pretty sharp and does great with light vegetation, not so well chopping. Presumably the slightly hollow ground blade allows some sticking. Eventually, it'll be more convex. The plastic handle is OK, but the most comfy I have is the molded one piece handle on my little Barteaux economy cane knife. It looks crude for molded plastic, but works well for me.
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Geez, fellas. Don't get so worried about the finish or sticky gunk. It's a machete. Not a $1000 bowie. Use it, and it will develop its own finish (patina), and aquire plenty of sticky gunk from plants on its own. 
Am I correct in assuming your definition of "large knife" is still smaller than the machete? Given equal lengths, there are more ideal methods of construction than stamping a blade out of a flat sheet of steel.
Another nice thing about the generous sized wood handles that come on many machetes, is that you can carve and shape them to suit you.
ajcz- Not sure why you seem surprised. Blades in this size range can be extremely useful for lots of smaller tasks, too. They just require different technique.
Am I correct in assuming your definition of "large knife" is still smaller than the machete? Given equal lengths, there are more ideal methods of construction than stamping a blade out of a flat sheet of steel.
Another nice thing about the generous sized wood handles that come on many machetes, is that you can carve and shape them to suit you.
ajcz- Not sure why you seem surprised. Blades in this size range can be extremely useful for lots of smaller tasks, too. They just require different technique.
ajcz said:
I used it to cut meat and dice onions. The 12-incher is only a little bigger than my usual kitchen chopper. It's really a pretty handy size.
I did, however, find the 14" Bolo unwieldy in the kitchen. The handle protrudes slightly below the blade on that one, and the excessive length and thickness were not necessary for those chores.
ajcz said:
On a recent family cousins reunion/campout on Assateque Island National Seashore, most of the knives were saks, and a couple 12 inch machetes. Its kind of a family minimalist thing. The 12 inch Tramontina was found to be an exellent ham slicer and also did well slicing up a nice cool watermellon to follow the ham and ribs dinner.
A 12 inch machete is a very versitile tool.
Some Supermarket meat departments use 12 and 14 inch knives similar to the tramontina machetes to cut meat with. They're basicly the same knife only with white plastic handles. In fact, I onced worked in a produce department where we used a 14 inch Tramontina to cut watermelons.
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