Spyderco Tenacious – finally sharpened it.

I’ve had this Spyderco Tenacious for about 8 years. Carried it every day and used it every day. The weird thing though is that in all that time, after an initial hone, I haven’t sharpened it once. I slice up cardboard boxes all the time - which will dull an edge like nothing else - and everything else imaginable. Stayed sharp. Last night I took it apart, cleaned it, oiled it - and what the hell, sharpened it. Definitely an improvement, but still a testament to how good it is that I could slack off for so long on sharpening it.

Opinel Factory

I’ve never owned an Opinel knife, but I do like them and will get one, one of these days.

As much as I love seeing a small scale maker crafting a knife, seeing how things are done by a company that cranks out thousands of knives per day is also interesting to me.

Hitchcraft – Microcord

When I first got into making sinnets and the like, I used 550 paracord. It’s what I had. But it is kind of bulky. The resulting fobs, zipper pulls and the like ended up a burly item. Which can be fine in certain instances, but I started playing around with thinner cord, and liked the results better. One in particular was Type 1 cord, but when I ordered it, the colour choices were very limited, and I only got OD and foliage green. I intended to order some more colour (now that the palette has increased) when next I put in an order.

While browsing around at the generally craptastic surplus store near me, I stumbled across a bunch of cord in different colours.

Atwood Micro Cord. Thinner than the type 1. For the price, what the heck, try out a few.

A not so great photo showing the difference in size between 550 cord, type 1 cord and micro cord.

I grabbed spools of black (which I think may actually be a very dark navy blue), dark grey, orange, purple and red.

One odd thing is that the purple and grey are fairly stiff, where as the other three are quite a bit more flexible.

A red and grey fob for my Victorinox Huntsman.

Purple zipper pulls on a purple fleece jacket. Nice and grippy.

Zipper pull on a pouch that holds all my cables.

Purple solomon bar over a light grey Spectra line core. With two lanyard knots at either end - the first time I’ve managed that one. The tutorials I had tried weren’t that clear, but finally found one that I could understand. That and a bit of perseverance.

That’s what I’ve done so far with this cord. I’m sure more will follow.

I think I’m in love....

.....sigh......

Kind of a country glitzy girly girl next door, that has a channel on YouTube that is really enthusiastic about and does reviews of knives, shoots firearms, goes hunting, likes the outdoors, pro 2A, has recently started making knives, has a big skull tattoo down her side, wears a T-shirt that says I ♥ Bacon....oh and did I mention she’s really easy on the eyes? Admittedly her reviews are kind of fluffy, but when the reviewer is a honey bomb, I’ll overlook it.

Makers: Mick Strider

I have some misgivings about Mick Strider, and I’m also not hugely enamoured with the style of knives he makes - the sharpened pry-bar school of knifemaking. I know there is a place for them, but I guess I’m not his target market. They’re undeniably well made, and for those who have a need for them - or who can afford them as safe queens - have at it.

That being said though, this look into his shop is drooly. If I win the lottery I would set up a shop like this to make a few blades and axes.

Bob Kramer Damascus Kitchen Knives

I’ve been a happy user of Zwillings knives for 25 years. While I’m not in the market for these knives, I thought they were nonetheless very nice, and enjoyed seeing a little bit of the manufacturing process.

No you can’t use my knife

I like to think I’m a reasonably friendly and helpful guy. I like that whole aspect of random acts of kindness, etc. If I can be of assistance somehow, great.

I will lend you a CD, a book, $20, a shirt. 
My knife? 
Nope.

After several negative experiences, I’ve decided not to let anyone use my knife.

I’ve had someone use my knife as a prybar, busting off the end. As a wise man once said “a knife is the most expensive and least effective pry bar you will ever own.” Or in this instance, what someone else owned. Me. They replaced it, but it still annoyed the hell out of me.

Some folks I’ve handed my knife to, have this look of fear on their face, and the way they handle it makes you think they regard it as a step down from a rattlesnake, that it is going to hurt them somehow.

Another time a guy asked to look at the knife clipped into my pocket. Reluctantly I handed it over. Immediately he starts flailing his arm around. I keep the pivot tightened down to a good degree. He told me that I should loosen it so it could be flipped out easier.

“Uh huh. Do you have a knife of your own? No? Didn’t think so. Tell you what. When you get a knife of your own, you can do that to your heart’s content. Don’t do that shit with others peoples knives.”

Others I’ve handed my knife to can often figure out how to open it, but then struggle to figure out how to close it. Watching them grab it all sorts of awkward ways as they try to deduce the “arcane mystery” of a liner lock, and one time someone almost closed it with their fingers in the way of the blade (averted just in time).

And then there was the prize winner who upon asking to use my knife, promptly ran his thumb over the blade. Uuuhhhmmm....to see if it was sharp, I guess. Guess what? I keep my knives sharp. Very sharp. His thumb promptly split open, blood started flowing forth. “Why didn’t you warn me it was sharp?” he said to me with a panicked look as he rushed off to find a bandaid.” I sort of knew this guy wasn’t the sharpest knife in the drawer, but in the annals of dumb things people have said to me, that one took the prize.

After these experiences, I just realized that if someone lacks the wherewithal to carry a knife on themselves as a matter of course, they invariably lack the wherewithal to use it safely or properly. That whole blend of discomfort with using it, awkward handling, inappropriate treatment, and just plain thoughtlessness.

I’m sure that makes me a jerk in some people’s eyes. So be it. I carry a knife every day.  Nothing big or scary. Nothing with any nefarious intents in mind. And I have for many years. I honestly don’t think a day has gone by where I haven’t used it for something. Usually something utterly mundane - take the rind off an orange, open a recalcitrant package, cut a piece of cheese, etc. I don’t understand how any one gets through their day without using a knife.

And another annoyance is when I have let someone use it, shortly thereafter they ask again, and several days later, ask again. I’m one of those people that figures if I need something once, and then shortly thereafter have cause to use it again, and then a little while later need it once more, this is what a detective calls a clue. I figure that maybe I should carry that around with me. If you need to ask someone else to use their tools, a tool that to my mind seems like a common place, functional tool, maybe you’re being handed a clue. If you need to ask me more than once if you can use my knife, I figure there is a hint there you should take. Get your own knife.

I like to think I’m an accommodating guy. But for some reason, lending out my knife is no longer a way I choose to help people. Sorry, but it’s time for people to start carrying their own.

Good gawd! There’s 2 of him!

Obviously some sort of rift in the space time continuum.

I gave my nephew a couple of gifts this weekend. One is a bracelet of wooden Tibetan beads. It was too small to fit me, and I knew it would fit him. You can make it out on his right wrist.

He tells me how cool he thinks my hydration bladders are on a regular basis. I bought him a pack a few years ago, when he was four. (Somewhat similar-ish to this, but not quite.) It came with a Source 3L bladder, but I didn’t think he was ready for it at that age. Still not entirely sure he is now, but what the heck. I gave it to him and he was thrilled.

I had also bought him a Swiss Army Knife about six years ago. I was buying a knife from an online retailer and I got the My First Victorinox for him at the same time, figuring at some point in the future, the time would be right. Being quite the negotiator, he is forever asking his dad and I when we think he can have one. He had been given a small, unspeakably crappy, dollar store multi-tool, that he was using to separate parts when we were playing Lego a while ago. I was pleased to see that he was using it very safely and responsibly. Figured it was time. (That is the reason I got my first pocket knife - to separate stubborn Lego pieces. Still use it for that purpose actually. Yeah, I’m a dork all right?)

He got a very stern talking to, told what to do and not do with it, and warned that the slightest infraction of the rules would see it disappear, post-haste. (It’s funny that I was about his age when I got my first knife and carried it to school in my pocket every day from that point on. I’ve never threatened or stabbed anyone with a knife in the intervening 35 years - imagine that! But sadly, we now live in a lamer era. I mean.... a safer time of gentle, socially responsible, political correctness.)

It’s perhaps because of my disgust with these foolish and misguided efforts, that I want him to learn how to use a knife safely and properly. There is nothing wrong with a boy learning to use one of the oldest and most basic tools, for the tasks it was meant for. When I see grown men who are about as handy as a beached whale, I know I definitely don’t want him to grow up to be like that. To me a simple pocket knife is emblematic of that - a mentality of self-sufficiency.

I think I received high praise when I was told “Thanks uncle Thomas! You’re the most epic-est uncle ever!”

We headed off for a fun hike afterwards, which I was told was also “totally epic.” Which I guess is good. I don’t know any more – these youngsters and all their terms.

Helsinki Knife Store

Uh...wow!

http://www.dezeen.com/2011/08/05/martiini-shop-by-amerikka/

And the knives this store carries, by Marttiini are worth checking out too.

Artspiration - Harumi Hirayama

Japanese knifemaker Harumi Hirayama, who deviates from the usual custom knife maker tendency to make either tactical, bushcraft or oddball fantasy knives, with some delightfully whimsical pieces.

http://www.ne.jp/asahi/harumi/knives/contents.html

The cat series – wonderful!
http://www.ne.jp/asahi/harumi/knives/papamama/catF_01.html

http://www.ne.jp/asahi/harumi/knives/papamama/catF_02.html

A.G. Russell Gentleman’s Damascus Hunter

Got this knife for a friends birthday a few years ago. He’s a big fan of the trippy patterns of Damascus steel.  

There are several incredible bladesmiths offering custom knives in a variety of damascus patterns. 

A very small selection:

William Henry

Kaj Embretsen

Gaétan Beauchamp

As gorgeous as some of their creations are, in many cases, prices run into the many hundreds, often many thousands of dollars. I’m not saying those prices aren’t reasonable for the amount of work and talent that goes into the creation of these one of a kind knives. It’s just that I can’t afford them.

Browsing through knife choices online, I came across the A.G. Russell Gentleman’s Damascus Hunter. 

Coming in at a much more reasonable price, it was still a very nice knife. While others are works of art that are only meant to be safe queens, this is a beautiful knife that will actually be used.

It has a 10 cm (4") Chinese quince burl wood handle, with a hilt/guard made of nickel/silver.

The blade is made from Daryl Meier damascus steel, and is a 7.5 cm (3") drop point, hollow ground blade.  

Coming in at about 17.5 cm (6.875") overall, and with a full tang, it’s a nicely sized knife. As the name implies, a gentleman’s knife. A very functional outdoorsy knife, but considerably more attractive than a run of the mill offering. Figured it would be perfect when he took his son on camping trips and out fishing.

With a blade about as wide as the hand, it’s an ideal size for most tasks. Cleaning fish, peeling fruit, preparing food, doing a bit of carving around the fire, etc.

It’s complemented by a wet formed leather sheath.

It’s no longer offered by A.G. Russell, not because people didn’t want to buy it any more, but because the maker in Japan was a small family affair. Like so many traditional crafts in Japan that used to be handed down from generation to generation, the kids of today have little interest. When the father died or retired, his son(s) were off in the big city. So, unless A.G. Russell is able to find another maker, this particular knife may well be a collectors item now.

Vox Pocket Chisel

I have a few knives. Okay, maybe more than a few. But not nearly as many as I’d like mind you. 

The reality though is that most of what I do with my knives is a lot of pretty mundane stuff. Slicing open the tape on boxes, seam ripping, scoring cardboard or leather, scraping off stickers, drilling or deburring holes, scraping crud from under my finger nails, splinter removal, trimming a cuticle, slicing an ad from a newspaper, peeling an orange, etc. Quite unglamorous really. And as much as I hate to say it, a 4" bladed tacticool folder being whipped out tends to freak sheeple out.

When I saw this little beaut, the Vox Pocket Chisel, I was instantly smitten. Reminiscent of a Kiridashi. Small, discreet, really damn interesting looking, and capable of handling many of the day to day tasks I use a blade for.

This, and many equally intriguing blade designs are the work of Danish bladesmith, Jesper Voxnæs, of Vox Knives. He has a very distinctive style, and produces a range of very functional and just plain cool looking knives.

Some of his designs have recently been taken on by Boker knives. Being a small scale custom maker means that his production will be limited and the price higher than a mass produced knife. With Boker taking on the production they can be put in the hands of people for a bit less than he could make them for.

He also has a blog I really like. Slick advertising tends to leave me a bit cold to be honest. Getting to see his shop, the evolution of it, where he live, the repairs to his house, going camping with his kids - I love seeing all that stuff. It gives me a real appreciation for the maker and his designs. The impression that this is someone I’d enjoy hanging out with for an afternoon makes me far more likely to want to support him with my business. Certainly more than glib corporate hyperbole.  

I don’t know if he makes them very often, but one day I’m going to get Jesper to make one of these for me.

The following images are from Southard Knives (an interesting blade smith in his own right - and how I originally learned about it) to show the wet form leather sheath he made for it.

Some more images and a writeup of the Vox Pocket Chisel can be found here.

Spyderco Kris

A friend really likes Kris style blades, so I got her this Spyderco Ed Schempp Kris as a Yule gift.

The Kris is a knife that commonly hails from the southern Philippine and north eastern Indonesian archipelago, although it’s found as far north and west as Thailand. Many cultures have blades that were largely utilitarian tools in nature, but that could also serve as weapons. The Kris was never anything other than a weapon. Blades were anywhere between 30 cm to 60 cm (1' to 2') in length, and with handles made of hardwood or buffalo horn.

Just like the shape and design of canoes or snowshoes or arrows would identify different tribes in North America, the number of waves and the notches in the blade near the handle, could identify the tribe, village or island where the Kris was constructed.

The Kris was used with fearsome effect in intertribal warfare, and, of course, against the United States in the early 20th century. The Moros (Filipino Moslems) fought against the presence of the U.S. armed forces in the Philippines following the expulsion of the Spanish after the Spanish American War for almost fifteen years.They used the Kris to fearsome effect. (One of the main reason why the .45 M1911 became the sidearm of the U.S. was that the .38 revolver was largely ineffectual at stopping determined Moros, who would often take multiple hits and still savage US troops with their blades.) 

The design of the blade makes for a much wider wound channel when stabbed, and it’s effective as both a slashing and stabbing weapon. The tip is also less prone to be damaged when encountering resistance, than a straight dagger would be. It’s obviously a more difficult blade to forge though, compared to a straight blade.

Ed Schempp (who besides being a knife maker and metallurgist, is also a wheat farmer - the logo etched into the blade reflects that) has produced a whole series of knives for Spyderco based on traditional ethnic knife designs, including a Barong, Persian and Khukuri, but as folders rather than the usual fixed blades. This time he tackled a Kris style blade.

I reckon this might be the first and so far only folding Kris, and as usual Spyderco has done a really nice job of it. It will certainly appeal to practitioners of Filipino martial arts like Escrima or Kali (it’s been selected as the official knife of Albo Kali Silat, endorsed and recommended by its Grandmaster (Apo Hon Tuhon) Hasting Albo), but it can also be used for very utilitarian purposes. Originally Kris’ had an angled, almost pistol grip like handle, and it shows up here as well.

The steel bolsters not only strengthen the knife at a weak point (the fold), but they’re also good when using it as a striking tool or applying pressure to pressure points.

The edges are nicely rounded, meaning it’s both comfortable when holding it and won’t damage pockets as much.

The weight is 165 grams (5.8 oz.). A bit heavy, but very nicely balanced in the hand.

The overall length is 219 mm (8.625")

The closed length is 124 mm (4.875")

The VG-10 steel blade comes hollow-ground, with a pronounced swedge grind running from mid-blade to the spine and is PlainEdged. And of course, the back edge is not sharpened, for both practical and legal reasons.

The pocket clip (embellished with a gold colored Spyderco logo) positions the folder right-handed, tip-up.

Milled Micarta handle scales are capped with polished steel bolsters.

The locking bar is equipped with a “David Boye Dent”.(This is a small arc or dent of metal removed from the lock bar lever, which lessens the possibility of gripping the handle hard enough to depress the lock and accidentally unlock the blade while using the knife.)

The length of the blade is 95 mm (3.75"), with a cutting length of 78 mm (3.0625"). The thickness of the blade is 3 mm (0.125").

The diameter of the hole is 12 mm (0.46875").

And of course, I had to adorn it with a paracord fob with a skull bead.

It’s likely a bit big and heavy for some folks to consider carrying it every day. But for someone trained in Philippino martial arts, it may be a perfect knife for them. Not to mention anyone else who might want something a little out of the ordinary, but still of excellent quality.