Knives & Multi-Tools

Comment

Comment by David burns on January 31, 2010 at 10:59am

Just looked at the Gator II from Gerber, has anyone tested out yet, it's an axe with removable saw

Comment by Sandra Essary on August 27, 2009 at 8:03pm

I treated my carbon steel blade in a strong solution of lemon juice and I love the results! It gives it a nice black finish.

Comment by Sandra Essary on August 23, 2009 at 2:09pm

Thanks, I understand better now. It's all about education, isn't it?

Comment by Brent Payne on August 23, 2009 at 10:07am

I think stropping is necessary to obtain the sharpest, most durable edge. When you hone an edge, you create a parallel, nearly microscopic flake of steel, known as a burr that you move from one side to the other, and widen, as you turn the blade over to sharpen each side. When a blade is sharp, the burr has become thin enough to finally break off. Now the edge seems sharp but if you were to look through a microscope you'd see that the burr didn't come off smoothly but left random jagged flakes that act like teeth to saw instead of slice through what you're cutting. Stropping removes these remaining flakes to leave the edge microscopically smooth and mirror polished.

An untreated leather strop does not actually sharpen. It polishes the edge (which makes it feel sharper). To sharpen, you must remove steel and stropping does not remove steel, only polish away the microscopic flakes left from the wire edge. It also realigns the microscopic teeth of the edge like straightening the teeth of a comb. When these "teeth" are in alignment, the edge feels sharp.

If a strop is coated with a polishing compound, it becomes a micro sharpener because it not only polishes, but because it removes steel. This is on such a micro scale that you can hardly call it sharpening but it is.

So - if you use a compound you 1) remove the remaining flakes of the burr leaving the edge smooth for its entire length, 2) realign the microscopic teeth of the edge to maximize sharpness, 3) polish the edge to a mirror shine, which make the surface as smooth as possible to slice effortlessly, and by doing all of the above, stropping actually makes sharpened edge more durable. This is because if you do not entirely remove the burr, what's remaining will soon break off after the first few uses, leaving a thickened edge which will suddenly feel dull, requiring you to sharpen the edge again.

For knife sharpening at home I use a bench strop (paddle). For stropping an axe, I use a strip of thin flexible leather on a sanding block and move the block over the ax blade instead of moving the ax over a strop. For stropping the curved blade of a crooked knife, I use a piece of thick, soft leather glued to a 3/4" wood dowel that conforms to the knife edge.
I apply a stropping compound to all of my home strops but in the field, I use the backside of my belt.

Comment by Sandra Essary on August 22, 2009 at 8:30pm

Speaking of strops, are they really necessary? And what's the difference between smooth and rough side cut -- and which is preferable? Is there any type of strop (paddle, 2-sided block, old-style, etc.) that is better & if so, why? And don't kill me, but why couldn't someone just use some scrap leather or (now really don't kill me) a belt for a strop?

Comment by Sandra Essary on August 22, 2009 at 7:25pm

The diamond/ceramic stone you recommended, Brent, is great -- I've spent some time looking at sharpening systems, and I really liked this one, so I got it. The link for the 1000/6000 Japanese stone doesn't work, however. But I can always google the product.

Comment by Sandra Essary on August 18, 2009 at 9:23pm

Thanks! Very informed, excellent advice. You've steered me in the right direction. Will let you know what I get.

Comment by Brent Payne on August 18, 2009 at 7:07pm

Dipping the blade in acidic water causes it to oxidize or tarnish, which actually serves to protect the blade from further rust (to a degree). Of course the blade will eventually tarnish anyway but not evenly or completely. Dipping it ensures a complete, even oxidation in a short time.
Folding saws are sized from small pruning saws with 6-7" blades and a weight of 3-6 oz to bucksaws with 21-24" blades. As you gain more blade length, the more efficient and faster the cut. A pruning saw is great for a backpacking/survival saw; a bucksaw is what I would take canoeing or horsepacking. The Gerber Sport Saw ($10.95) is only 3 oz and is great:
http://www.gerberstore.com/index.php?xpage=itempage&xid=431
The Bahco Laplander is also a popular survival saw but weighs and costs more than twice as much:
http://www.cspoutdoors.com/ba39foprsaw.html.
Good bucksaws are not cheap. My favorites are the Fast Bucksaw: http://www.fastbucksaw.com/index.html and the Pole and Paddle bucksaw: http://www.poleandpaddle.com/saw.html
When choosing a saw, remember the words of Mors Kochanski:
"The effectiveness of a kit component should not be sacrificed in the name of compactness. Tool design and size is an important consideration. Some kits include a small cup taking the place of a pot and a wire saw as the main wood cutting implement. When you are hypothermic, tired, and hungry, garroting your wood is the last thing you need to do when the biggest, best designed Swede saw is barely adequate. How can a razor blade do the work of a sturdy knife?"

Comment by Sandra Essary on August 18, 2009 at 3:48pm

What kind(s) of folding saws and axes do you recommend? (Inexpensive)

Comment by Sandra Essary on August 18, 2009 at 3:47pm

Brent, when you say "I like to dip a new carbon blade in a glass of water and lemon juice, high enough to cover the entire length and watch it occasionally over the part of a day, till it turns dark." -- what is the purpose of this?

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