What a tiny knife can do-Helle Raud S review

Well, you know, politicians happen again in Germany. At the moment there is a bit of hope we might keep the sorry mess that is left of our democracy for a bit longer (but I wager, not for long) due to massive democratic and judicial protest, but who knows. 

Since I wanted a pocket knife that is capable of carving and didn't look threatening to the Karens or our Slytheen that rule us, I came across the Helle Raud S.  Normally, I would not have thought twice about a knife that small. Actually, the Vics are awesome and those are actually rarely incapable of doing things, but the proposal for the novelty offensive weapon act would have banned a Swiss Army knife, because it would be too long.  Actually, the new proposal, which still is not aborted, would ban all things not Teletubby from the public, including all kind of tools, knives, bottles or anything heavy or sharp. 

I spare you the rant.  It is pathetic, and we all know.  

Anyway, I was asking myself, could one find a capable knife with a tiny blade that were still able to do some of the things I want or need to do in the woods? Forget tactical neckknives, those are toys for people who will open boxes at the most.  And I thought, well, my Mora carving knives are actually pretty decent for a lot of things I do. But them being fixed blade knives, they still look too threatening to the Karen Teletubbies. So, a folding knife it had to be.  Originally, I thought about the Helle Kletten, but dismissed it because it would not work with a ferro rod, because of its three layer laminate steel, so it had to be the cheaper Raud S.  To be honest, I wasn't too fond of spending 120€ on a knife I normally would never have bought.  

Well, the little knife arrived. There was a rather silly #nancysapplechallenge going on in the interwebs where you tried to demonstrate that you could not cut an apple with a short knife, which is a logical fallacy, because you cannot prove a negative claim. But, anyway, apple harvest was on the way and I had to make and conserve apple sauce from 5kg of crap apples anyway, so I put it through its paces. It obviously needed some adaptation, but it proved really not as inadequate as I expected.

Also, it actually did not work too bad prepping potatoes for soup and slicing up sausage and spring onions. 

It had its shortcomings, but it is possible to use it for food prepping in a pinch.  

Where it excelled, however, was carving.  

It performs several classes above its size when carving wood. The blade shape and Scandi grind and short blade all combine to add up to a really great detail knife. 

I made wall hooks, 

spoons from seasoned oak,

a walking stick from holly, 

wallhooks from dry cherry,

And after all that hard use it still made shavings like that. 

Using it to help with cordage, foraging, mushroom hunting, it really does a lot of things. 

Its biggest advantage is obviously that it goes into the small pocket of your jeans and is so light and nimble that you do not really notice it until you need it.  The blade is 55mm long and 2.7 mm thick. It is made from 12C27 steel, tempered to 59HRC. The grind is a medium Scandinavian grind with the tiniest of micro bevels. It locks reliably by a sturdy back lock.  There is no radial or side play whatsoever. The liners are made from sturdy tempered steel (almost a millimetre thick). The handle from beautiful curly birch , which is stained red, is 85 mm long. To me, that means, the pinky gets to rest behind the handle. This led to a bit of pain in my joints of that finger after several hours of hard carving.  The handle, being rather stubby and chunky, lends itself to powerful cuts, though.  Inverse cuts, chest cut, scissor cut and all Slöjd positions need a bit of adaptation, but are perfectly doable.  

So, if you are looking for a non-offensive and light carry knife for Slöjd in the woods, and can live with the limits of such a tiny blade, this knife, apart from it being in line with the removal of your civic rights, performs admireably well for little Slöjd projects.  It might also be a really great first Slöjd knife for kids.  

So, apart from the political shitshow going on, it is a great companion that you do not notice until you need it, but that is amazingly and surprisingly capable. I currently always carry it alongside my SAK, because for carving, it performs really great. If you can afford it, and can live with its limitations, it might be a great addition to your EDC.  

Thanks for tuning in, take care and have fun!

A short review of a Victorinox forester wood pocket knife

The other day there arrived a package from Nordisches Handwerk, a supplier of knifemaking goods, knives and bushcraft gear in Germany which I had long anticipated. In fact, I messed up the address, and friendly Mrs. Fischer from www.nordisches-handwerk.de rummaged through their dispatch in a frenzy for me, even if she was in no way obliged to do so. I really love that and I am very grateful for it. Opening the package I saw a webbing load strap and a bag of candy gums as a bonus even before the knife came out. It is a Victorinox forester, none too shabby a pocket knife in the first, but this one is the "wood" version with scales of lovely Swiss walnut with a wonderful grain. The knife offers a knife blade, a saw, a cap lifter with flat screwdriver and a grating and de-insulation notch, a corkscrew, an awl and a tin can opener with screwdriver, plus a saw of decent size. The blade comes in at 86mmx2,5 with a high flat grind with secondary edge bevel. 1 mm above the edge line the blade measures in at just 0.5 mm. The saw is ground thinner towards the spine, the saw teeth are ground alternatingly. Both the caplifter and big screwdriver and the blade are locked with a liner block construction with additional spine spring. Both caplifter and knife blade also offer a security stop at 90°, which is Swiss overengineering at its best. The blade came with zero axial play, but due to the nature of the liner block there is about a mm radial play. Since the tempered steel liner locks all the way over against a tempered steel billet, this does not pose a problem, and with a liner block the primary locking system is the spring, and the block is just for safety purposes. Owning several Vics with a locking system like that with similar layout I can safely say, that, sensible use notwithstanding, I have never encountered any problems. All the tools came with a mirror polish and were 100% centered in the body of the knife. The springs are stiff with good stay, but can be taken out with a sensible easiness... The blade is in the middle layer and supported against the other tools and a steel liner. outer liners are made from aluminium to keep the weight down. I was being informed it was aircraft grade duraluminium, so this should pose no problem either. That this is not a knife to use as a prybar, should be obvious in the first! Out of the box the blade came razor-sharp and I could carve curves into free-dangling paper with it. Compared with a Ranger Wood it feels a bit more nimble and more suited for EDC use. Snacking with this knife is a cinch, as is harvesting ´shrooms. The saw bites like your little sister, the awl can be used for drilling holes in wood and leather. All in all the overall package cost me 59,50 €. And, to be honest, for a bimble through the woods that does not involve batoning and other heavy tasks, this knife will quite certainly be all you´ll ever need. It´s shaving sharp, offers a sensible combination of woodworking tools, and is a joy to look at. There are some minor setbacks (the radial play, but that does in no way affect the knife´s functionality). Also, if you´re shopping for a do-it-all pocket knife for your local stroll through the woods, for snacking and a whittling session with your kids, consider having a look at the www.nordisches-handwerk.de website... might be you´ll find something else additionally there... ;-). I have grown very fond of their service. Thanks, Janet Fischer! 😍

The knife in a nice package...

Brief review of a Victorinox Rucksack folder-bargain to boot

I want to share with you a recent acquisition of mine, a flea market find, but a new one and identical to the up-to-date model. It´s a Victorinox Rucksack, and it is a somewhat nasty product policy ;-), in that it renders many custom efforts a bit futile. It´s a bit like the case with Moras. The knife has a 86 mmx2,4 mm main blade. The steel of the tools is 1.4110 (440A) with a Rockwell hardness of about 54-56 HRC. It has aluminium liners with a stainless steel bolt-lock mechanism, a saw, cap lifter and can opener, corksrew and awl.

...

Here you can see the bolt of the locking mechanism.

This bolt is spring-loaded and drawn back by the grey button. The locking mechanism is enforced by a spring as with a slipjoint. The blade has some radial play, about 0,3 mm, which is a bit annoying at first, but, as the knife stands the spine whack test with not so much of a slip, it is a matter of getting accustomed to it. The locking mechanism certainly inspires the confidence, but could be machined more precisely. There was no axial play, and the finish was awesome. The blade and saw came out of the box (it was new) razor sharp. The owner had not bothered to take it out of that box, let around fuss around with it, and I guess that was a good thing:-). 

Here you can see the main blade in locked mode. The bolt slips into the root of the blade. The knife overall feels light and nimble, and, I have to admit, might be as well all you need for a bimble through the local woods, maybe even an overnighter. The blade is a real cutter, and the handle comfortable enough for overall work. Whittling, cutting cardboard, packaging, cordage, making fuzz sticks and the like are a cinch, and the additional tools make for good versatility. Sold new it costs around 36 €, and at that price, it is a bargain hard to beat. It is easily up to par with knives far more expensive. It is no beater knife, and I would not exactly want to baton it hard, but then there are far better ways to split wood...;-) than batoning, that is.

It offers a solid value. The scales cry "replace me", but otherwise they are dead functional and get the job done very good. Victorinox could work on the radial play, but I have seen folders with that equipment three times the price being worse. The axial play is non-existent and I guess will take a long time to develop. The steel is no wonder material, too, but flexible even when prying, easily serviced and keeps an edge well enough.

If you are looking for an allround pocket knife for those short walks, dayhikes and even overnighters, look no further.

Study of a historical equestrian folding knife-flea market find

 It has been quite some time since I found this knife on a local flea market. It was lying submerged under a heap of trash, and you can think I was quite enthused I found it. Not exactly to use it, although I would love to, but because it is a historical piece, dating back at least to the early 1900´s. The combination of tools hints to a use as an equestrian or even post wagoners or wagoners use. The knife has beautifully aged stag antler scales, presumeably Sambar stag on nickel silver liners with a very delicate filework. It´s a slipjoint. It incorporates a hoof scraper, a corkscrew, a leather punch / awl, a saw, a main blade, a champagne hook, an oyster or walnut opener, and awl / drill, a wood chisel / scraper, and apparently a toothpick / pincer, which is missing. All blades are made from carbon steel. A manufacturing stamp is not intelligible, and the main blade obviously had been replaced by a former lockback blade, and the pivot is made from an old nail.

 The wood drill, apparantly it has seen a bit of reworking.

 The leather punch and the pivot of the hoof scraper, plus a detail of the beautifully wrought liners.

 The corkscrew apparently was hand-filed.

 A detail of the champagne hook and the oyster / walnut opener blade and the space for pincers and toothpick.

 The hoof scraper.

 Wood chisel, main blade and saw. Note the makeshift pivot and the beautiful filework on the bolsters.

 The backside and the springs.

 More detail.

This knife is a good example of a knife that was an essential and often used tool in everyday life. It illustrates a period of time not even so long ago, when a knife was a must-have for all the little tasks everyday life had to offer, from preparing food to whittling, leather tooling and whatnot. In those times it was mandatory for any gentleman to carry a knife. Self-understanding of any man (and woman, too, at that) indicated that one had to cope with what challenge life had to offer by themselves. I speculate that this has changed. The banning and deification of knives in general might have something to do with a change of attitude. If nowadays a wheel on the wagon broke, one would stand by the roadside and claim legal compensation from the manufacturer and cry so long until someone would help.;-) In those times one had to help oneself, and the more versatile and practical the tools were, the better. And even those tools were repaired with what was at hand. This knife tells the story. It had certainly not been repaired by the manufacturer, something you certainly would not see in modern times. It had been lovingly repaired and used to near extinction, by an individual who did not care for others patronizing him- or herself, but tried to put up to the challenge, in this case the breakdown of a beloved tool. Being able to do that, knowing some tricks to keep it going makes your life independant. And, it might be obvious, but this individual may have done many things, but one thing he / she certainly did not: Buy a new tool.

Dumb and unskilled and fearful people make better consumers, and consuming and throwing away are the main pillars on which our economy rests. It all comes down to the old question of being and having. This knife to me is a lesson, and I am right grateful for that.