Category Archives: Edged Tools

Knives, axes, saws, machetes and any other tool with a sharp edge or point.

Knife Sharpening – Leather Strops

by Woodsbum

One of the many questions I get is about knife sharpening and how I get my knives to hold an edge as long as they do. To help you guys out, I am putting this post together about strops and how to get a great edge without too much work.

Strops have been around for a long, long time. The most common place that people run into them is with straight razors or wall hangings at an old-time barber shop.

Use of a leather strop for sharpening is a bit different that what people are used to, however. In honing or sharpening a blade, little pieces of metal are actually scraped away and thus creating an edge. In stropping, none of the metal is removed. Stropping realigns indentations in the metal instead of removing it. Most commonly a compound is applied to the leather to aid in the polishing. Variations of polishing compound from very fine to course can be applied. Personally, I have 3 that have green, black, and white compound applied.

My strops come from Flexxx at Flexxxstrops.com. You can contact him for current prices. For the compound, I use Bark River Knife and Tool compound. I have linked to their site with their US retailers.

The best way to explain would be through video. I have linked a video that explains the overall concept quite well and even includes some close up video of the knife edge. It truly explains in 13 minutes what would have taken me pages of pictures and arrows.

Happy Stropping!!!!

Adventure Sworn Mountaineer

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by Woodsbum

About 11 months ago I was completely floored and blown away by an email that I received from Cody at Adventure Sworn. Somehow I was lucky enough to have won a custom knife from they in a give away from BushcraftUSA. The knife was built to see hard use and be tougher than hobnail boots. So far it has lived up to its purpose.

Let me first give the specifications of this incredible knife.
Model: Mountaineer
Steel: O1 high carbon tool steel, 59 RC hardness
Blade Thickness: 9/64
Grind: Scandi
Overall Length: Roughly 9 inches
Cutting Edge Length: 4-1/4 inches
Handle: Brown canvas micarta, red/cinnamon red liners, brass corby bolts & tubing
Handle Thickness: 4/5
Sheath: Adventure red

Adventure Sworn Mountaineer

Once I got this knife, I immediately started playing with it and using it per its intended use. As beautiful as this knife was, I felt that it was an all out crime to not use the hell out of it. Here it is on its first outing. I was out stalking deer and took a break to harvest some moss to dry out for kindling. At this point I was not too sure if I wanted to actually scuff up the knife. Well after the first fire I made that whole uncertainty disappeared. Not only did it process fire making materials like no other knife I had ever touched to that point, but it felt perfect in my hand. It was an absolute wonder to work with.

Adventure Sworn on its first trip out

I also took it with me during my deer hunt. The next picture is me in my ground blind freezing while I wait for a deer to cross the trail in front of me. Unfortunately, no deer did cross. Playing with my knife was fun, however. It worked quite well for cleaning grouse and rabbit though.

Adventure Sworn out hunting

Fast forward through 11 months of hard use…….. This is what the knife looks like now.

Adventure Sworn Now

As you can see, it has definitely been used quite a bit. I clean it every time I get back from the woods and do an oil soak on the blade each time it gets wet. Unfortunately in the area where I live rust and moss grow on everything. It is very wet and creates a tremendous hardship on people trying to keep their equipment looking pretty. Even with how much I have used and beat this knife up, I have only had to put in on a strop a few times. This knife holds an edge like no other I have ever been around.

When I speak about “using” a knife, I must remind you what that entails. Of course it is used to cut meats and for camp chores. It also does my fire processing. This means that it makes feather/fuzz sticks, batons through wood, whittles spoons and cups, processes game, occasional pry bar, and any other number of required tasks that crop up in the field. I can attest that this knife will take it and ask for more.

If you have ever considered spending money on a custom or high quality bushcraft knife, do it. These knifes are really lifetime tools if you take care of them, even with the hard use. This bad boy will eventually be passed down and will become an heirloom item.

Once I get my GoPro purchased in the next few months, I will post some videos of this guy at work. Until then I will answer any questions I can, but my main point is that spending $400-$500 on a lifetime use item really is not that much different than spending the same on a rifle or pistol. This is really one of the highest quality tools you could ever purchase.

Thanks again to Cody and Adventure Sworn for this incredible tool. I know it will have to go back to their shop sometime next year for a spa treatment, but I am worried as to how I will get along without it while they do their thing……

The Joy of a $15 Knife

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by Woodsbum

I am a big fan of custom knives. When I say, “big fan” I am talking about 6 of them and 3 others on order. My son has 2 that I bought him. Most customs cost around $350 on average, so I have made a substantial investment in cutting instruments. My distrust of production and dedication to custom knives has become so ingrained in my being that I actually have found myself giving a “meh” to everything but a Becker at Cabela’s the other day. That only got a “it’s ok.”

There does seem to be a couple exceptions to this whole custom knife kick I am on. One exception is my EESE’s. For whatever reason, I love these knives. They are simple, tough, and keep an edge like no other production knife I have seen EXCEPT my $15 knife.

My $15 Knife

This old Mora Classic 2 has been used, abuse, sharpened with belts, new edge put on with a belt sander, dropped, kicked, drowned, and it still shaves hair with only a little bit of time on a strop or stone. This thing is amazing. If you look closely, you can see how bent the tang/handle are. It is much harder to see in pictures, but is painfully obvious when using this knife. Long story short is that I have used it so much for fuzz and feather sticks that I bent it a bit.

Bent Tang

Now many of you have already discovered the sharp steel goodness of the Mora line of knives. This was one of my first and the only one from the “old days” that somehow survived. Some were gifted to friends and family. Many more just ended up lost. I did break one while trying to baton a very hard piece of cedar that was borderline fatwood. Here is the final surviver of all the torture dished out upon the batch of Moras I got years ago.

As you can see, this has been slightly modified. I sanded down the bubble of a handle that comes on it for two reasons. One was to mellow out the bubble and the other was to get rid of the red lacquer that covers the birch handle.

Sanded and Grooved Handle

As noted by several people, this industrial strength coating stinks and is so injected into the wood that there is NO way that it could be anything but harmful to your health. The worst part is that it gets REALLY slick and slimy after living in the PNW’s squishy environment. To help make it less “hazmat on a stick” I sanded the lacquer off and carved in a corkscrew type groove around the entire handle. I found that this made a HUGE difference in making the handle more PNW friendly.

I also had to make a modification to the spine of the blade.

Squared Off Spine

So that I could use the spine of the blade to strike a firesteel, I squared off the back really well with a file. The lightly discolored area between the handle and the “dirt patina” as I call it gets the most use against a firesteel. I have actually used it so much that it is in need of a bit more squaring off and the edges have rounded out a bit.

My last modification to this knife was more for me than the knife. I built myself a sheath and made a matching firesteel. When you get your Mora it does come with a plastic sheath. Mine broke in less than 24 hours during its first camping trip. I also lost a couple knives because it fell out of the original sheath. My suggestion is to make something better immediately after getting your knife. The sheath I made has been waxed and Liquid Wrench is squirted inside the sheath to help keep the blade from rusting. This is very important here in the PNW. It gets so wet over the winter that anything you have used in the field will rust and keep on rusting. By heavily waxing the sheath and squirting oil into it very once in a while you knife will not be as apt to rust.

Mora Neck Knife

This $15 knife I ordered online has been a great knife for many years. Be aware of the following things that I have mentioned previously:

Handle needs detoxed from the red lacquer.
Original sheath is crap
Square the spine
Abuse, but no heavy batoning or it will break

Other than that, this knife is solid and will last you for years. Enjoy!!!!

Arrowcards

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by Woodsbum

A while ago I ran into a very neat little product called the Arrowcard. They come in several different configurations to include a dogtag style and a card style that fit into the bottom of a tin, such as an Altoids tin. In essence, these little cards are multi-tool devices that incorporate an actual arrow/spear head into the card.

Being the tinkering type individual that I am, I had to get myself several of these little gadgets to play with and see how they worked. All in all, I ended up getting numerous more and have them laying around the house now because I can’t break them, lose them, or wear them out. Way to go Primalware!

Here is what the dog tag style look like.

Dual saw arrowtag

Knife/saw arrowtag

The tags were around $15 when I got them and included a silencer and chain with the tag. What I did was make them into necklaces and gave them out to my family. These are the way that the necklaces looked when I was done with them.

Arrowtag necklaces

Th tags have the arrow head that pops out and can be used as either a broadhead or as a spear/javelin tip. The sides of the tag are either sawblades or knifeblades and really work well considering that it is a dogtag that you are cutting with. The arrowcards are a bit bigger and are easier to use. I got one that fits into an Altoids tin and one that fits into a larger tin. They also have different type tips. One is multiple arrow heads and one is more of a spear with a frog/fish gigging tip and arrowheads.

Arrowcard in an Altoids tin

Spear tip arrowcard

I have played with these a bit and have used them for general tasks. Considering the fact that they cost money, I have not ripped one apart just to play with it. Lucky for me, there is a picture online of someone that used the arrowhead as a broadhead on an arrow.

Arrowtag as a broadhead

After having had these floating around in my pack, truck and around my neck for a couple years I can tell you that they are quite handy. The quality is very good. And I have no doubt that they will be capable of fulfilling their intended purposes. The knife edge on my necklace and card in my Altoids tin have seen quite a bit of use. The one in my tin as even been used to clean a couple rabbits and grouse.

My overall impression is as such: I would not hinge my very existence on one of these cards or tags, but to carry one as a backup or “ah crap” tool I could not see any better use of $15-$25. They really are a neat little product. Not only that, but Erica (the lady you contact to purchase them from) seems really nice via email……

Condor Scout Hatchet

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by Woodsbum

Because it has been extremely hot outside, I put off doing any posts that would include the whole “sweating” thing. Today, however, I decided that I needed to play with some sort of sharp tool and make a mess. To successfully tick off our cleaning people, I had Gunguy go grab his Condor Scout Hatchet so I could do some quick feathersticks and fire prep. Oh yea. Vacuums are going to be working overtime this evening!

Condor Scout Hatchet

The first thing you might notice is the wrapping around the handle and the lanyard. The lanyard is just simple parachute cord while the wrapping is a bit more. We took jute twine and whipped the handle. We then used epoxy and covered the jute twine completely, leaving a solid and smooth coat over the twine. Once that was dry, we sanded it to be completely smooth. It now has a solid wrap on the handle that gives a bit more girth to the handle for ease of gripping, but also gives just enough texture to make it less likely to slip.

Jute Whipping Coated in Epoxy

When I first came across these “baby axes” as I called them, I really thought that they were a gimmick or fad that really needed to just run its course. After playing with Gunguy’s Condor, I am now looking at getting one for myself. They definitely do fit a specific niche and would make my kuksa carving go much quicker.

First thing I want to point out is the nice weight and size of this hatchet. I personally carry a vintage Hults Bruk hatchet that has definitely been around. The problem is that it is about 50% more weight and size than these mini hatchets floating around. This makes it a bit unwieldy when it comes to fine, detailed use.

Another difference in these little hatchets that make it different than other axes is the definite convex grind. Most hatchets have a flatter grind that leaves a really thin taper to the edge, whereas these mini hatchets have a sharper and more pronounced grind to them. It seems that I can actually get this axe quite a bit sharper than mine that I normally carry. I also have found that it doesn’t roll or chip and edge as easily. Take a look at the grind on this hatchet.

Condor Scout Hatchet

To properly make the mess I desired, I started splitting off a few good chunks from one of the several split rounds I have in the back of my truck. Doesn’t everyone carry dry split wood in the bed of their truck?

Even though it is a very light axe, it split the chunks off quite easily.

Making Featherstick Materials

I then took the larger chunk and split it into a few smaller pieces so I had some good feathering material.

Making Featherstick Materials

It works very well. Even though it is hard to admit, it actually did a better job of splitting than my Hults Bruk. It would be due to the type of grind it has. This is much more conducive to splitting with the sharper angles.

Here came the real test of the hatchet. Could it take this rock hard, pitch infused, dry as British humor, piece of wood and make feather sticks enough to actually light with a firesteel?

Feathering with the Scout Hatchet

Now for the moment of truth….. Will it start?

Starting a Fire in the Parking Garage

Well, it took a bit. The wood was REALLY hard and was kind of stubborn. It did start though.

Success!

Here is my conclusion:

Many tools are available for purchase. These tools come in a variety of qualities, prices, and configurations. If you can get by with a small “baby hatchet” for most of your fire prep needs, good on you. Your tools should really reflect your skills set and preferences. Seeing as how this Condor Scout Hatchet can and will perform the tasks in which it was designed, seems to keep an edge fairly well, can be used for making cuts similar to carving, and is fairly inexpensive I would have to recommend this axe if it fits your kit.

Good luck and let us know how this axe works for you. I can definitely attest that it will successfully prep materials needed to get yourself a fire!