Stainless by accident;-)

 So, this is a typical Fimbulmyrk´s - gone - over - the - top-story. A knife that´s stainless by accident. I already told the tall tale of how I first thought this one to be Damascus and it turned out 440C and that I did not trust it that much and stuff. Now, with a maple handle fitted (mosaic pins, just love ´em), I have already done some testing.

The blade is somewhat on the sturdy side of slicey, ahem;-), but cuts well enough due to the high convex, almost flat grind to almost zero. It devours tomatoes and slices thin slices of onions and salami. Feather sticks are a joy. Chopping antler shows no adverse effects, it just feels right... and the balance point and ergonomics are right there. I like it.

And this is the real reality check.

It has a fine enough grain, it does almost everything my crucible, Damascus, spring, file and tool steel knives do, but is stainless in the bargain. Of course you can seldom find 440C by the roadside, but thinking of that I have made fun out of stainless steel for over a decade... I have to apologize, not that sincerely, but still:-). You can make it work, actually. Really, you can.:-) And I haven´t grown rashes, either. Of course, you can get a slightly sharper blade with carbon steel, but most people would not even notice. It shaves and cuts funny patterns out of free-hanging newspaper, what more do you want?

As I said, for a bushcraft knife, this might be one way to go in the future... but we will see.

New and baaadass Seax;-)

 During our recent hammer - In I forged a blade out of ancient spring steel I found in the woods, the same I forged the recent integral from. I tried again the hollow-forging technique that gives a good compromise between strength and cutting prowess. I look at it this way: Many bushcraft knives, and even famed ones like the Ray Mears design have a great ability when whittling or doing surface cutting, but tend to be not so good when you actually have to cut through something. This is due to a Scandi grind that does not even reach the first third of the blade and therefore acts more like a wedge than a knife. I am personally very fond of a kitchen knife of Syrian provenience in my possession, which has a blade that is at the thickest 1,3 mm in the spine, AND has a convex bevel. It is made of Wootz steel which means you can actually chop antler with it with no harm to the blade and to a lot of things I would not do to a veritable production bushcraft knife. Better knives for cutting through things are the Puukko variety, including the bush prowler by Ilkka Seikku

This led me to some deeper and weirder thoughts. The strength of a blade lies in the thickness, of course, and the edge geometry, for sure, but in production knives, this is often due to liability issues or production requirements. Hand forging, when done right, is a thermomechanical grain refinement, resulting in a tougher steel structure. If you then take a steel suitable for the task do not mess up the heat treatment you end up having a very high potential in a blade. Now I have long obstained from hollow grinds, even if I like them for the cutting feel they induce, but always was a bit suspicious because there is a profound lack of material where you want it most in a "tough" knife. But I am talking production knives, mostly out of 440C or similar steels here. Stainless steel now has comparatively coarse  grain structures (when compared to high carbon steels with no alloying or tool steels like 1.2442, 1.2842 or the famed 1095 or 15N20 steels) due to the chromium carbides which are relatively big, and most production knives with a hollow grind are laser-cut and ground into shape, not forged, to day. Normally, this would not be a problem at all, but I am talking extreme use and a hollow grind here. If you dress a rabbit once a year and use it for snacking and light whittling tasks you can be more than glad with a 440C production knife. But, when forging, I like to push my personal envelope a bit. So I took this steel which consists of iron and carbon (0,75%-0,95% estimated), and which has seen a hundred years of cold-working until seeing another 50 years of lying in summer and winter temperatures from 40 to -20° Celsius, and was very scrutinous about my temperature window and the heat treating and forged it hollow over the horn of the anvil (Blimey, have to make a tool for that!;-)). The blade is selectively tempered. The spine is a brutal 6mm thick, but that´s about it, it radically tapers to 2,5 mm and then to 1,5 mm in the middle, becoming a moderate 2mm above the edge. The edge then is set high to make a wider grind line (messed it up a bit, I must admit), and the angle is just 20°. I estimate the hardness at about 60-62 degrees Rockwell, gradually fading towards the spine (three quench lines). The tang is almost as wide as the blade at the transition towards the handle, tapering to 5 mm with just the last cm of it being filed down to draw the butt-cap in, the handle is elk antler because it has no marrow which might compromise stability. To compensate for the lack of material at the transition, the handle is wider at the bolster and a ferrule out of copper is fitted. It is glued with a dual-compound glue that hardens up to 370 N / mm² tensile strength. Only then is the butt cap glued on and the tang peened over. 

 I have, by the way, peened it over in a very unprofessional way which qualifies aas gross abuse. Positioning the tip of the blade at a right angle to the grain of dried and knotted heather wood, I hit the tang with a ball peen. I then levered the tip out, and it was only slightly bent, not broken. I hit it with the peen to straighten it up. I then thought alas, it´s too soft and tried the tip with a file. It slid off, taking off but marginal shavings. This steel is awesome, and I hope I can find some more! I the tried to slam it against the vise to provoque breaking off what wanted to break off after this, but it didn´t, even after this degree of abuse. SORCERY!;-)

 The shape of the handle and the blade looked awkward at first, but it´s growing on me fast. The tapered handle makes for a secure grip, and the blade has a balance that makes you want to whittle and cut.

I have chopped antler with it and carved funny curves out of freehanging newspaper afterwards, opened tin cans, made the sheath with just this one knife, and cut thin pieces of salami, onions, cheese, apples, and fresh bread. I whittled with it, pryed with it, dug with it for roots, and it does it all. I guess I have created a monster;-). It´s not eloquent, and many people would not like the raw appearance, but to me it has a history and it performs better than many of my knives and certainly better than most production knives I own. I guess, mission accomplished, so off to the toolmaking with me;-)

Short introduction of a Boker plus Colubris tactical belt knife

 Okay, I admit it. I am a geardo.

I am an inconsequent asshole jibbering and jabbering about going simple and then going along and buying the latest paraphernalia. I can tell you, I have told myself so.

But then I never stated I was completely off the grid, whatever that might mean. And I still have no TV, no fridge, no personal personal computer, I am neither facebooked, xinged or whatever still, I still forage for my food. So you might forgive me if I buy something from time to time, just because I want to;-).

Fact is, I did not need it. I could make something very close myself.

The culprit is, I just wanted it. I was on a marvellous trip to Solingen, doing some visits, renewing some very valuable acquaintances. Not the least was my visit to Tobias from Boker Baumwerk, Solingen. They have a sales shop where you can get second grades and production leftovers and one or the other proto that did not see actual production. Now Boker is famed for their tactical knife designs. I still don´t like tactical knife designs. I am not overly fond of G-10 and Micarta, and I don´t believe in this super steel prybar shrapnel designs. But, as is, I visited the shop, had a chat with Mrs. Felix, until she was going home, and Tobias came in. I was quite delighted, for we hadn´t met in a year or so. Tobias is one of those guys you may take for a thug at first sight, and he is no stranger to the martial arts, in fact... not that any martial artist is a thug, mind you!;-) But you can tell by the way he moves and walks that he knows how to take a beating and defend himself. If you get to know him, however, you will learn that the first glance at his being a  "thug" might cheat; suffice to say that he is a very nice and reflected guy with a calm, but persistent air about him. Of course, we talked a lot, and I played some knives, actually quite absently, to be honest. Then I laid my fingers on something weird, a bit like a crossover between a Nessmuk and some alien starship wreckage;-). Oh, and do you know that feeling, when you play something and it just falls in place?

This actually was the case. And NO, I didn´t get paid to write this. You all know my stance towards things that look like alien starship wreckage. Then I learned it had a 440C blade, with a legal length in the bargain (10,9cm). I at first wasn´t too fond of the spine thickness, which is at least some 6 mm, but it has a high slightly hollow grind with a flat secondary edge bevel, and a very wide blade.

 Oh, and the packaging alone is worth mentioning. You get the impression you bought some quality item, and the idea you bought a firearm, which, I daresay is not all by coincidence. The knife is designed by DJ Urbanowski (American Kami). He is a madman, I think;-). Good thing for starters, I think;-).

The way it is accomplished is a very American way of designing knives, to be true...;-)

It comes with a well - fitting kydex sheath with a Tek - Lok carrying system. I am fond of carrying systems and extra bits and gimmicks actually, ever since I got my first "LEGO" playing kit;-). Kitting aside;-), this knife feels sturdy, and comes with a blade that does even work, which is not the case with all tactical designs.

Of course, I tested it and estimate the hardness at 58-60 HRC. It carves steel rods, chops antler, and is capable of doing more delicate work. The finish of the blade consists of tiny scratches ("stonewashed"), so no harm done if you add some more. Using a firesteel and all that other abuse did not have any adverse effects on the blade. Balance point is slightly hindward of the index finger handle point, and with a lanyard will go further back. That makes for a bit of a less than ideal balance, but hey, it´s just that I have to find a flaw to make sure I am living up to my personal image;-) of being a groping moron...;-). The handle is special waste G-10, of course, but you can use  ´em to drive nails, so no complaint. Also, this product will have an exceedingly long life-cycle. It is not exactly beautiful, no sir, but has a kind of brutal aesthetics to it. If you can live with the somewhat martial appearance, it´s a great blade with a serviceable steel. I do not like to modify this opinion of mine, no sir;-), not at all, but it maybe that tactical designs might have their advantages after all;-)

I bought it, and we continued to have some chatting about mountainbiking, survival and martial arts and this and that, until I said goodbye, because I had to get my bus...

Found a knife - Boker Diablo*ggg*

Okay, this is another unlikely Fimbulmyrk tale.*ggg*

On a recent walk I found this knife, deep in the woods, off any path. I left it there first. Then I put it at the trailhead with a note for the owner to find it. Then I put it on the ladder of a hunting stand that was standing in the periphery and found out about the owner of the hunting area and contacted him. Noone missed this knife. I called the local police station to ask if this was okay, and they laughed at me. I was getting nervous from greed;-), but I was resolved to give the owner a chance to find his baby again. Turns out several days passed and nothing happened, so I took it home. Now it has seen some modifications ( a false edge and a more bushcrafty grind). The handle was in somewhat of a sorry state, too, as was the sheath, so I gave it a Puma sheath I had lying around (and will make one, too, but for now it will do) and polished the handle some (it has got Micarta scales). The blade is flat-ground 440C, and I like it very much.

It´s funny. I keep finding things...*ggg* the forest has always provided for me.

Puma IP Tosca Flea market findings and a meeting with Bünyamin

 On Sunday I set out to visit a flea market around my place, just some streets away. I packed my pack and strolled casually over. And what did I find there?;-) This is Bünyamin Erdogan´s booth. I have met him several times now, but have not seen him for a long time, some four years or so. I even had his number once and we planned to stay in contact more, but as is, there were a load of other things on my head and my life took funny directions. But, as is, fate knows to guide you weird ways;-) so we met again. I really enjoyed it, for he is a very friendly Turkish gentleman and it´s always a privilege to talk to him! He has a load of Solingen cutlery, and I got myself some great knives at a really bargain price. This is one of them:

 Puma IP, Tosca, stag antler scales, 440C, nice thin spine and a convex bevel. The knife originally was designed by Jens Nettlich, a blacksmith, working in the tribal knifemaking tradition (even makes some hollow tang "bush knives" like the ones Taigoo makes) who inspired myself a lot.

 I especially like the dynamic lines of the knife. It screams "I CUT!" at the top of its lungs. The price I paid for my treasures was outright ridiculous in a positive way.

Many people know Maitland Othello and Othello Anton Wingen knives. They are very rare. I daresay every third knife at this booth was of the variety, at very reasonable prices. Historical Solingen hunting knives, "Nicker", bowie knives, skinners, everything you could ask for or dream of. This is a collector´s wet dream come true.  I especially like the traditional Bavarian attire knives in the pic below!

 Folding knives galore... many of them very rare

 Anton Wingen or Maitland Othello, Puma and Carl Schlieper knives.

 ...

 ...

 He also showed me this Anton Wingen razor with handforged damascus blade and staghorn scales.

 Detail of the damascus blade...

 And this is a very, very rare Puma skinmaster knife with ivory scales.

 The knife in its box, along with a certificate.

We chatted quite a lot and came to the conclusion that we should stay in contact more;-). he also makes knives himself and I invited him to the Industriemuseum hammer - in... maybe even with a booth? He certainly is a most friendly guy, and I really liked to meet him again after all those years. If you want to see more of his products, visit his ebay- shop of many quality razors, kitchen knives and sharpening tools.