Tag Archives: Morakniv

Rawhide Mora Sheath

by Woodsbum

A couples of weeks ago we taught another NBEF Bowhunters Education Class. While other people were teaching, I took a few minutes to whip up a sheath for my friend’s son who was going to a summer camp. The camp was called “Ranger Camp” where they taught many different skills to include quite a few bushcraft techniques. So that the poor kid was not stuck with a plastic Mora classic sheath as well as giving him a chance to be one of the “cool kids,” I took some time to get his neck knife squared away.

The first thing I did was cut off the plastic belt loop off the stock sheath. I then wrapped the sheath in rawhide and sewed it together along the back so the original sheath became an insert/frame/internal structure.

Sewn along the back of the Mora

Sewn along the back of the Mora

Unfortunately the rawhide shifted quite a bit and was difficult to keep in place considering my work bench was nothing more than a couple catalogs and a bow case across my lap. I did get a good stitch on it and it dried quite nicely.

I then did an outer wrap that was to become the belt/strap loop and attachment for a firesteel. Since his firesteel was at home and I needed one to make a loop, I went downstairs and picked him up a Light My Fire. This one had an antler handle and was pretty nice looking so it went well with the rawhide sheath design.

Belt loop/strap loop

Belt loop/strap loop

Here is the loop I did for the Light My Fire. I love how rawhide forms and hardens into shape. The way this loop formed perfectly to the firesteel made me quite happy.

Firesteel loop

Firesteel loop

All said and done, Tristan was envied by the other kids and some of the instructors for having a nice sheath for his Mora. He is a good kid that does a whole lot for his brother and parents so I really hope he gets lots of good use and many years of enjoyment out of this sheath. He definitely deserves to have good things happen for him.

AND. In case you were wondering, he did have a great time at his “Ranger Camp.” They taught him firemaking, archery, shelters, how to cook over flame, and all sorts off fun skills that anyone spending time in the woods should know. You can definitely see that this time in the woods learning bushcraft skills really fired him up to learn and try more. It really brings big smiles to my face when I see that spark in his eye.

Final Product

Final Product

  • Share on Tumblr

The Joy of a $15 Knife

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

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

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

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

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

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!!!!

  • Share on Tumblr

Gear Check Meetup (Part 2 – Neck/Camp/Chore Knives)

by Woodsbum

 

In the second part of the “series” I have broken down a few of the knives that we discussed.

Neck/camp/chore knives, by my definition, are those knives that usually hang around one’s neck for use in cutting things around camp: rope, food, packets of sheer nummy-ness, etc. They can also be used for feather and fuzz sticks or just to whittle yourself a spoon. I commonly refer to them as “camp knives” although many have adopted that term to be used for the large bladed knives that resemble the old Hudson Bay knife. The knives that I am referring to are not as thick and heavy as your hard use type knife and even patch or game knives work well for these tasks. The main thing is that they need to excel at the chores that your hard use knife doesn’t.

To be perfectly fair, you can call these “Steve” knives, hot dog stickers or thumb jabbers for all I care. The important distinction is specific to their use and not the nomenclature.

Many people feel that these knives are just as good as any other heavy duty knife and can do anything that those others can do. The big thing to remember is this: Most bushcrafters carry multiple sharps. Many do a Nessmuk trio, while others do more of a Kephart style combination. Even if you do something completely different and pair saws with knives, tomahawks, or the sort you will need a knife that you can do the more intricate work with.

Morakniv Classic

Morakniv Classic 2

Morakniv Classic 2

Morakniv has been almost synonymous with bushcraft for many years. Their knives are razor sharp right out of the package, are carbon steel so you can get a good spark if you square off the spine, and are very inexpensive. The problem is that they are not a full tang and you cannot depend on them during heavy use such as batoning or chopping. Moras do, however, make one heck of a feather or fuzz stick. They are highly recommended as a neck knife or for lighter use as a camp/chores knife. For those that believe that these never break, please check out the multiple images here.

Morakniv Companion

Morakniv Companion

Morakniv Companion

Condor Woodlaw:

Condor Woodlaw

Condor Woodlaw

This knife was on the previous page as a hard use knife. Depending on the other items you carry, this could actually be used as more for camp chores if you bring an axe to do your major chopping and fire preparation. The thing to remember is that you want one really sharp knife in addition to something you can drive through a tree if you need to.

ESEE 3

ESEE 3

ESEE 3

The ESEE 3 was also on the other page. Again, it really depends on what your other tools you carry. Like I have mentioned before, stay clear of the serrated blades. Because of the changes in blade shape serrated edges make it difficult to judge cut depth and direction. Some people practice up and can use them quite effectively, but it is going to be a practiced skill and not something that will be easily transferred from knife to knife. I am not saying that people can’t do it or don’t love them once they get used to them. It is simply an added difficulty that newer bushcrafters should steer clear of until the get more established and transferable skills developed.

Helle

Helle Eggen

Helle Eggen

Helle knives are absolutely remarkable and a dream to use. Their Scandi grind keeps the edge hair popping sharp and they are a full, but hidden, tang. For a knife that can be used for many years without worry or failure, Helle would be a great choice.

Sargent Edged Tools

Sargent Model 1

Sargent Model 1

Sargent Edged Tools is a custom knife maker that builds a great knife. His designs are very simple, but elegant. They are a bit more expensive than many other options, but are definitely worth the price.

As you can see, many of the knife choices are more Scandi ground with a bit smaller blade. They all tend to be smaller and lighter. This allows the user to use a cutting edge closer to their hand for better control. It also allows for more exacting use during activities such as carving or shaping wood.

No matter what you end up getting, make sure you have a tool for each job that will be presented to you in the field. Cover all aspects of chopping, splitting, carving, and general camp chores so that you don’t end up using the wrong tool to complete a task. This can end up being a dangerous situation. Just ask anyone that had to hike back out of the woods to get stitches.

I hope that you find this informative. Happy bushcrafting everyone!!!!

  • Share on Tumblr