Knife Steel

[Nomad]

Batoning threads on knife forums go on and on ,and can get a bit heated .

For me I like to tote a strong fixed blade myself , I do have a nice light hatchet but I don’t always tote that . The fixed blade is a compromise, can do knife and hatched duties , neither as well as single purpose tool , but works well for me .

If im camping out of a car or canoe sure I’ll have an assortment of edge tools, a walk in the woods,  my fixed blade.

I posted at the end of the season ,my last stand to take down, forget it was locked ,no keys .

I found an old farm implement in the woods and picked up a chunk of steel and  beat on the back of my knife ( batoning ) with it till the cable around the tree was severed . No damage to knife .

ive dug out roots with it that interfered  with placement of    ladderstands ,I’ve , just found it nice to have a strong beater in the woods .

[DirtTime]

16 hours ago, sbuff said:

Why wouldn't you use a hatchet to chop split wood  ?? I guess I don't think of a knife for that purpose unless I was in an airplane crash in Alaska.  Good luck, the kbar above looks nice .

I used to enjoy bushcrafting, I want to start getting back into it a little. We have an axe we take, and a machete, but I want to start doing more primitive skills out there, just like anyone who prefers a stick bow over a compound for traditional reasons.

4 hours ago, grampy said:

I've had an Old Timer, 'Sharpfinger' knife for decades. Used it mostly for camping. Have used it doing some work around the farm too. Has held up perfectly and holds a fairly good edge. Fixed blade, big and small enough for most camping needs. Can be bought for under $30. 

That covers most all of your requirements Rob.

The knife I have now is an Old Timer ( IIRC, Schrade makes them actually ). Actually two out of the three knives I use for camping, bushcraft, general use are Old Timers. I will try and get a pic up.

 

I have looked at a lot of knives recently, the Ka-Bar always gets a second glance, I think the reason I am leaning away is the blade length on the ones I like. There are no flies on those knives, just not over all what I want in design.

 

[DirtTime]

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[Doc]

19 hours ago, airedale said:

The knife you are leaning toward sounds like it will fit your bill, I have one "Cold Steel" knife and can attest that mine is of very good quality.

One of the best hard use knives ever made is the USMC Ka-Bar military, they have been around forever and are still being produced, their track record for handling tough conditions and chores is hard to beat. They are semi expensive but deals can be had with some shopping, as always you will get what you pay for and they are still made in the USA down in Olean NY.

Al

This is my go-to knife that travels with me when I head into the woods. I am not a metallurgist and steel specifications are not anything that I am familiar with, but I can say that it holds an edge longer than any other knife that I have owned. it does sharpen easily, and has the ruggedness that allows rough use to the point where it can do a lot of the functions that a small hatchet would be called on to do. The only modification that I gave it was to grind down the short section of top-blade to avoid accidentally cutting myself when I am up to my elbows inside a deer carcass. This knife has butchered everything from deer to squirrels and is big enough to give you a good safe grip during any use regardless of how much blood and gooey stuff that might get on the handle.

[Hunter007]

21 hours ago, Rob... said:

I was looking into a knife that can hold up much better, and do more then my hunting knives and pocket knives while camping in my backwoods camp. So, I started looking what steel would suit my needs best, and be within' my comfort zone when it comes to the hit on the wallet. I'm not talking a full on SHTF knife, but something pretty durable.

I wanted the ability to get a good and consistent spark from a ferro rod.

Solid batoning performance.

Solid edge retention.

Durable and not chip if I drop it on a rock.

Be easy to sharpen.

Not rust the first time I wash it.

 

I didn't know much about steel, still don't know much, but learned a bit over the past few days. I looked at the steel that I would prefer in the upper range ( not top of the line ). Mainly VG-10 and N-680. Both fit my bill perfectly! Except cost. Then I looked an D2 and- ( UGH ) AUS-8. The latter from what I read, sharpens easy and it's a great thing because you can't retain an edge. So, now it came really down to price point. Did a lot of research also on SK-5. This steel looks like it will serve my purpose and fit by budget.

So, made a mention to the wife....Birthday coming up..... But If I have to drop the cash so be it- I think I'm going with the Cold Steel SRK SK-5.

 

Thoughts?

 

  at a  tractor supply store if you got them in the area , they   may have what you are looking for at a low cost .

[DirtTime]

20 hours ago, XGX7PM said:

ł picked up a cold steel tanto years' ago.

It is a great knife and was affordable when ł purchased it. Not sure what they go for now.

The SRK SK-5 runs $50-$70 depending where you buy it from. Not a bad price IMO.

8 hours ago, Pygmy said:

What's " batonning"  ??  Are you a head majorette or something  ?...<<grin>>…..

I sure am! I figure if girls can join the Boy Scouts, I can be w/e the hell I want too! We call ourselves the Hell Bringers Of Doom! We are thinking of getting a WNY branch, You want in? You can be the lead! LOL

[DirtTime]

2 hours ago, Storm914 said:

  at a  tractor supply store if you got them in the area , they   may have what you are looking for at a low cost .

That's where I got the two Old Timers in my pic. I think the two pack was like $40.

 

[Pygmy]

4 hours ago, Rob... said:

The SRK SK-5 runs $50-$70 depending where you buy it from. Not a bad price IMO.

I sure am! I figure if girls can join the Boy Scouts, I can be w/e the hell I want too! We call ourselves the Hell Bringers Of Doom! We are thinking of getting a WNY branch, You want in? You can be the lead! LOL

I dated the Head Majorette in high school...She was aptly named... I saw her at my last ( 50th) high school reunion and told her we should have run off together years ago...<<sigh>>….

[airedale]

Well that did not take very long, the Ka-Bar was in the mailbox this morning, I am impressed, "fearsome" is what comes to mind and I am so happy to have a genuine NY made Ka-Bar USMC in my collection. The reviews on these Ka-Bar knives from over two thousand verified Amazon buyers speaks for itself.

While the Ka-Bar will be for looking at and admiring I do have a hard use bush type knife that I have used quite a bit in the past in camp and on outdoor outings. It is an old Schrade Uncle Henry survival type that I have owned for around fifty years. These also were made in NY back then and are of very good quality, she still looks pretty good after all that time and I just put some Obenauf's on the sheath.

Al

Edited February 21, 2019 by airedale

[tuckersdaddy]

Just my 2 cents here.... I was becoming very disappointed with what was on the market... biggest problem was once the knife lost it original edge, it wouldn't hold an edge after resharpening.. I have some metal working background so I started making some... this is what I discovered... lots of carbon in the steel... the more the marrier... will make a very sharp edge and holds the edge after resharpening.. 1095 and 52100 will cut very well and is very forgiving in the heat treating process.. the trade off??? It's not an axe, and needs to be oiled... similar results with tool steels like d2. When you get into stainless thing start to get very precise... miss the heat treat by a few degrees or miss the back purge and the quality quickly degrigates. Quality control nowadays isn't there with most commercial manufacturers as they look to cut cost.. (and the Chinese roll of the dice).. So if you want a good knife, be prepared to air out your wallet... and buy a hatchet... here is a couple of my favorites I made.....

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[Steuben Jerry]

Very interesting thread!

[DirtTime]

I was just looking, Amazon has the SRK SK-5 for $46 and free shipping, Ebey has some for $43 with free shipping. Hmmmm....... I might do something bad..... Time to check some figures.....

[DirtTime]

I put the order in Amazon. It actually rang up at $42.68 due to a promo code I had, and free shipping. So I saved about $40.

[airedale]

So the wife comes in the gun room and spots the new Ka-Bar on my desk and she and I have a conversation about it's history. She is actually interested in this stuff and in fact one of her favorite shows to watch is Forged In Fire where Blade Smiths make all sorts of edged weapons from scratch and have them tested by the expert panel on how well they perform. So she has the Ka-Bar in her hand looking it over and gives me  the show's weapon expert Doug Marcaida's line after he disembowels a ballistic gelatin dummy, "This Blade Will Kill"! 

[Daveboone]

Amazing how personal a choice, likes and dislikes for knives develop. I like tYo think I spend a lot of time in the woods, and do a fair bit of "bushcrafting", but for the life of me...battoning baffles me. A more versatile sized/ proportioned knife could be had, without leaving the concerns for breaking the knife wacking it by simpley carrying a light hatchet. And a GOOD hatchet is a knife in itself. 

My preferred knock about bushcrafting knife is an air force survival knife (Camillus ). It is more compact and handier than the fine marine knife, but certainly does not have the solid haft. There is a huge trade off between easy sharpening steels and edge holding steels, but steels continue to improve in both areas. Some steels hold wonderful edges, but literally have to be sent back to the manufacturer if you don't keep it up. 

I have several Grohmann classics...they are my favorite hunting knife of the past 10 years or so, wonderful edges, and I just hit them with a sharpening steel after each use. Grohmann makes a heavier "woodsman, or Yachtsman version, with a much heavier blade and grip, I would love to get one when I get the extra money. the heavier knife is issued to the Canadian armed services. 

[DirtTime]

2 hours ago, Daveboone said:

Amazing how personal a choice, likes and dislikes for knives develop. I like tYo think I spend a lot of time in the woods, and do a fair bit of "bushcrafting", but for the life of me...battoning baffles me. A more versatile sized/ proportioned knife could be had, without leaving the concerns for breaking the knife wacking it by simpley carrying a light hatchet. And a GOOD hatchet is a knife in itself. 

My preferred knock about bushcrafting knife is an air force survival knife (Camillus ). It is more compact and handier than the fine marine knife, but certainly does not have the solid haft. There is a huge trade off between easy sharpening steels and edge holding steels, but steels continue to improve in both areas. Some steels hold wonderful edges, but literally have to be sent back to the manufacturer if you don't keep it up. 

I have several Grohmann classics...they are my favorite hunting knife of the past 10 years or so, wonderful edges, and I just hit them with a sharpening steel after each use. Grohmann makes a heavier "woodsman, or Yachtsman version, with a much heavier blade and grip, I would love to get one when I get the extra money. the heavier knife is issued to the Canadian armed services. 

Having a couple knives to get things done in a survival situation where in all reality, unless you have a compound with a fence, you will be on the move more then you would be idle. So, a knife that would be able to split wood could be more of a necessity then a hatchet when it comes to the weight of your pack. You can't really gut game or clean a fish with a hatchet, at least I cant. Just my take on that one.

I just want to get back into challenging myself and not always use a matches, newspaper, and three gallons of charcoal lighter fluid for making fires.

It really is a very personal choice, I agree with that 100%. Was my choice the best for an EDC knife? NOPE! But for what want this knife for it will be just fine.

Edited February 24, 2019 by Rob...

[DirtTime]

On 2/22/2019 at 6:30 PM, airedale said:

So the wife comes in the gun room and spots the new Ka-Bar on my desk and she and I have a conversation about it's history. She is actually interested in this stuff and in fact one of her favorite shows to watch is Forged In Fire where Blade Smiths make all sorts of edged weapons from scratch and have them tested by the expert panel on how well they perform. So she has the Ka-Bar in her hand looking it over and gives me  the show's weapon expert Doug Marcaida's line after he disembowels a ballistic gelatin dummy, "This Blade Will Kill"! 

That's funny, but at the same time wrong in so many ways! LOL!

[Nomad]

Doug lives in the next town over from me ,btw .

[DirtTime]

54 minutes ago, Stay at home Nomad said:

Doug lives in the next town over from me ,btw .

Who is Doug? Not trying to be a smart ass, just  don't know who that is.

[Nomad]

the thread you quoted above . Doug Marcaidas ,from the TV show Forged In Fire .........

You should read the posts.

Edited February 24, 2019 by Stay at home Nomad

[tuckersdaddy]

Having a couple knives to get things done in a survival situation where in all reality, unless you have a compound with a fence, you will be on the move more then you would be idle. So, a knife that would be able to split wood could be more of a necessity then a hatchet when it comes to the weight of your pack. You can't really gut game or clean a fish with a hatchet, at least I cant. Just my take on that one.
I just want to get back into challenging myself and not always use a matches, newspaper, and three gallons of charcoal lighter fluid for making fires.
It really is a very personal choice, I agree with that 100%. Was my choice the best for an EDC knife? NOPE! But for what want this knife for it will be just fine.

3 gallons of charcoal fluid???? Tiki fluid works much better... you only need a gallon!! but on a more suggestive note.. I always carry a first aid kit with me. And one thing always in it is hand sanitizer. For some reason when you get cut in the wood it's never a sanitary situation, and as an add on benefit a little in a piece of cotton, cloth, or paper towel and it catches a spark very well even when wet... one of thoughts multi use carry along.

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[The_Real_TCIII]

A contractor gave me this knife but it’s beat. It’s a Canadian Air Force survival knife or something like that. The tip is missing about 1/16”. Id like to get it cleaned up and repaired someday


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[DirtTime]

43 minutes ago, tuckersdaddy said:

3 gallons of charcoal fluid???? Tiki fluid works much better... you only need a gallon!! but on a more suggestive note.. I always carry a first aid kit with me. And one thing always in it is hand sanitizer. For some reason when you get cut in the wood it's never a sanitary situation, and as an add on benefit a little in a piece of cotton, cloth, or paper towel and it catches a spark very well even when wet... one of thoughts multi use carry along.

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I was joking about the charcoal lighter fluid.

 

Dryer lint works awesome! Been using it for years! Use that and dip in some melted wax, just as good as the wax/cotton ball, and cheaper as most of us already have candles around the house.

My first aid kit has small bottles of isopropyl alchohal and peroxide.

[DirtTime]

21 hours ago, Stay at home Nomad said:

the thread you quoted above . Doug Marcaidas ,from the TV show Forged In Fire .........

You should read the posts.

I had read the post, once, but the next day I was thinking about airedale's wife's comment. Sorry for any misunderstanding.

[Jdubs]

On 2/22/2019 at 6:30 PM, airedale said:

So the wife comes in the gun room and spots the new Ka-Bar on my desk and she and I have a conversation about it's history. She is actually interested in this stuff and in fact one of her favorite shows to watch is Forged In Fire where Blade Smiths make all sorts of edged weapons from scratch and have them tested by the expert panel on how well they perform. So she has the Ka-Bar in her hand looking it over and gives me  the show's weapon expert Doug Marcaida's line after he disembowels a ballistic gelatin dummy, "This Blade Will Kill"! 

But did she say that line with Doug's accent and emphasis on the word, "kill"? 

 

Edited February 25, 2019 by Jdubs