Recommendations for fixed blade knife

[Glenn MacGrady]

I'll show three accessories I bought to go with my knives, all from Ebay. From top to bottom:

Ziploc packs each containing 10 Tinder-Quik Fire Tabs and a matchbook -- $1.99 for each pack. They all came in one larger ziploc. I'm not going to try to save a few bucks putting icky vaseline on 50 cotton balls. I'll think of making a video lighting these tabs with my firesteel, perhaps comparing it to an icky-ball I'll make.

Light My Fire 2.0 Army FireSteel with coco shell finger grips -- $18. I picked this color because I thought it best matched my Benchmade's buckskin sheath.

Work Sharp Guided Field Sharpener -- $23. I have a thread here that shows this product in detail.

The Benchmade 162 Bushcrafter came quite sharp, but the fine ceramic rod and small leather strop on the Work Sharp gave it a slightly better edge even with my novice fumblings.

I plan on keeping my new knives and axe sharp via stroppings with two or three stropping compounds after every use. For that reason, I'm wanting one of the highly recommended StropMan two- or four-sided bats, which take a month or so to make and deliver, or perhaps the JRE version since I'm planning to get a belt dangler from them, recommended by Rocky Mountain Bushcraft, for my Benchmade sheath.

 

[Jsaults]

Glenn, I too bought a Benchmade. I was a bit disappointed with the seemingly flimsy sheath, so I toughened it with melted beeswax and made a more more durable liner out of HDPE.

Outside of a few non-scientific tests I have little in-the-woods time with this blade. Batoning and feather-sticking are planned when weather is more appropriate.

Jim

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

Glenn, I too bought a Benchmade. I was a bit disappointed with the seemingly flimsy sheath, so I toughened it with melted beeswax and made a more more durable liner out of HDPE.

Congrats, Jim.

I like the look of the sheath, the material and it's minimalistic coverage. I like the handle showing above the sheath. However, I agree the sheath would be easy to cut if one were not careful. The factory plastic liner is open at the blade side.

I'd be interested in how you applied the beeswax and how it changed the look, and especially how you made the liner and how it looks. Any chance of some pictures?

 

[Jsaults]

I heated the beeswax in a double boiler and applied it with a dauber. Then I used a heat gun to make the leather absorb the excess wax. I will locate the knife and take a few pics. My new liner is still open on the blade side - I was more concerned with point punctures. I had a small piece of HDPE so I just traced the original liner onto the new piece.
Jim

 

[Jsaults]

The Benchmark seems to be AWOL. I will keep looking for it. In the meantime drool over a Gough Custom knife ($300). http://goughcustom.com/

 

[Canotrouge]

That is what he calls "basic" https://www.facebook.com/1656176701...5617670155873/653166288067673/?type=1&theater
I put my name on the list for one of these!! http://puukkopekka.kotisivuvelho.fi/.../helmikuu2.jpg

 

[Rippy]

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I'm getting ready to make a run of Kydex sheaths for the BuckLite knives for some friends as well as a sheath for my GB hatchet. I'll post a few pics when I do so.

It would be great to see this done. I'm always looking for new Ideas. I was going to make a leather sheath for my new axe that the internet made me buy. Maybe I'll go Kydex instead. Dave

 

[oldie moldy]

Hi Holmes and Dave, I'm really fired up over this Kydex stuff too! I've been assembling the parts for my press on the cheap. What I'm really going to need is a second pair of hands when it comes to clamping it up! On various wood projects where there was a lot of clamping, I found it useful to do a dry run and just see how all the parts come together (or sometimes not).

Holmes, maybe when you come to tell us about it, you could start a separate thread, that way somebody could find it easier.

Best Wishes, Rob

 

[wgiles]

A couple of comments on the virtuovice video: When he holds up the MORA Clipper close to the camera, you can see that there is a tiny secondary bevel, when it catches the light. I have found this common on new MORA knives. You can see the grinding striations on the bevel of the Clipper, I have also found this to be common on new MORAs. I like to take a little time to polish these marks out and bring the bevel to the edge, but they are still sharp out of the box. The stainless blade didn't show the striations, but I'm not certain if that is the he received the blade or if he had polished it. He commented that the handle of the MORA Bushcraft knife was too large for him. I think that this may be a common area of disagreement and why it's important to actually get the knife in your hands where you can feel the grip. It's also important to see how the knife feels when you are holding it with different grips. I hold the knife upside down when making a gutting cut or cutting through hide and the knife should feel good and not squirmy when held that way. I can see where the handle on the Bushcraft knife might not be comfortable when held that way. Knives are use in a number of different ways, slicing, pushing, pulling and they should feel comfortable in your grip. It's also important where you put your thumb, as he mentions. It strikes me that a surgeon would have a bit of experience with knives and I need to pay attention. I wasn't aware of these videos before and I'll have to take a look now.

Thanks for posting this.

Bill

 

[oldie moldy]

Hi Memaquay, Thinking about your sub standard "Mora" knife. I went out and checked again my knives:
One reads on the blade, GC & Co Mora Sweden. The other reads, Frost/mora made in Sweden laminated steel.

Turns out that "Mora" is a place in Sweden and perhaps a company as well? Do you suppose that the knife you got is a knock off and came from someplace else?
Anymore buying things is getting like that joke: The question isn't are you paranoid but are you paranoid enough?

Best Wishes, Rob

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

That is what he calls "basic" https://www.facebook.com/16561767015...type=1&theater
I put my name on the list for one of these!! http://puukkopekka.kotisivuvelho.fi/.../helmikuu2.jpg

I've watched hundreds of knife videos over the past several years and have collected a few of virtuovice's videos on the Pekka Tuominen.

Here is his first impression video of the Pekka Tuominen, a pure zero grind Scandi knife. He's not satisfied with the sharpness out of the box, but it eventually responds to stropping. He concludes he must give high priority to the knife in field dressing his next deer.

In this video he compares the Pekka Tuominen against an Enzo Nordic in actual deer dressing, and then tests each knife afterwards at home for edge retention.

The Pekka Tuominen is a pure Scandi zero grind. Virtuovice prefers convex grinds such as the Fallkniven F1 (which in another video he dismisses as a good hunting knife for other reasons). Note he begins the video saying no one would prefer a V-grind for wood cutting, but only a Scandi or convex. Probably most American grinds are V-grinds. Here he compares the Pekka Tuominen agains the F1 in a wood cutting test.

Actually, virtuovice prefers his asymmetrical grind -- full convex on one side and very slightly convexed Scandi on the other side -- to a symmetrical convex grind. In these two short videos he compares the full Scandi grind of the Pekka Tuominen in a feathersticking contest against his unilateral Scandi grind on one of his asymmetrical knives.

 

[Canotrouge]

Thank you Glenn, I guess I have a bunch of video to watch.... Ok I watch first two videos... In the second one, two things to consider, regarding the Pekka knife, wile field dressing. The first thing he does, with the Pekka, is to cut straight into the dear hairs, and that is a no no, cause dear hairs are full of sand and dirt( worst on a moose, but still) And the fact that the knive doesn't have a micro bevel... These 2 details will make a knife loose its "sharpness" quicker than the Enzo, But still he is really happy with it!! Let see what he have to say in the next videos!!

 

[memaquay]

buying things is getting like that joke: The question isn't are you paranoid but are you paranoid enough?

You're right about that Rob, made me laugh a little. Because of my relative geographical isolation, I buy a lot of stuff on-line. I would say I'm only satisfied about 50 percent of the time with my purchases, and I' not a picky fellow. I'll soak up the blame for the knife, that was a total impulse buy, I don't even like those ugly type knives, guess my Master Card was just feeling frisky. The axe I could have waited for and tried to get the hardware store to bring it in, then I could have hopefully found a handle with decent grain. The only internet buy lately that has made me rejoice in good old capitalist avarice and glee was the 1975 remington 30-06. My wife is looking at me funny the last few nights, when she sees me at the gun safe, stroking the stock and pumping the action a few times (the gun I mean, Rippy don't get any ideas).

Anyway, my next knife will probably be a good old six inch buck that will replace the one I have now when I lose it (this is my third one now).

 

[Jsaults]

No Title

Found the Benchmade Glenn! Surprisingly, it was in the last place I looked......... As the pics show, the beeswax darkened and smoothed the split grain leather. Time will tell if the treatment lasts. I understand that beeswax was used in midevil times to harden leather armor. Hope it works for me!
Jim

 

[Rippy]

My wife is looking at me funny the last few nights, when she sees me at the gun safe, stroking the stock and pumping the action a few times (the gun I mean, Rippy don't get any ideas).

I know the winters are long up there Mem. Maybe you just got to find the right tree like Brad did. At least now I understand that he is a lumber sexual and this might be normal in some places. Here in Iowa I'm surrounded by farmer sexuals. Mostly they just drive around looking at other peoples corn fields.

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

Found the Benchmade Glenn! Surprisingly, it was in the last place I looked......... As the pics show, the beeswax darkened and smoothed the split grain leather. Time will tell if the treatment lasts. I understand that beeswax was used in midevil times to harden leather armor. Hope it works for me!
Jim

It's amazing the things I don't know and learn here. I've used things like Sno-seal with bee's wax on boots, but I'd never heard of brushing heated, melted bees wax onto heated leather to harden it. So I looked it up, and sure enough they used the process to harden leather shields and armor in the olden days. There are a number of videos on YouTube showing different methods of applying the melted wax to knife sheaths, gun holsters and other leather products.

I'm going to just give the sheath a chance as is. There are lots of reports on the knife forums of Benchmade replacing the leather Bushcrafter sheaths for free if the customer reports any problem.

There's also a Kydex sheath now available for the Bushcrafter for $25 without the 30% discount, and a second Bushcrafter model, the 162-1 EOD, that comes with the Kydex sheath. It has beige handle scales and no liners.

 

[Jsaults]

No Title

Out of curiosity I did a search for Kydex sheaths for the Benchmade. One of the hits was for a sheath made by Bay Wind Kydex and sold on Bonanza. Apparently I got the last one at $56. Arrived today, fits perfectly, great retention and no chance of accidentally cutting the leather. Maker's website is www.customkydexsheaths.com

Jim

 

[canube]

Well Glen's been able to add M. Mcrea's pics on Pnet, but haven't seen the announcement here..... He's passed on.......I bought a great set-up Hennesy /w/underquilt for pennies from him .... God Bless....

 

[Glenn MacGrady]

Well Glen's been able to add M. Mcrea's pics on Pnet, but haven't seen the announcement here..... He's passed on.......I bought a great set-up Hennesy /w/underquilt for pennies from him .... God Bless....

Canube, there is a thread about the passing of Jim Saulters here.

http://www.canoetripping.net/forums...ussions/general-discussion/25698-​rip-jsaults

 

[canube]

Well I thank you for that update as I missed the posts. I did camp many times with others and him and was always the benefactor of adventures said around evening gatherings....