Santoku Bushcraft - and some thoughts on utility

 Why is it that I keep constantly checking on reality? ;-) This is a knife I started some time ago and finally found my resolve to complete. I have worked with some pretty strange steels to date and have followed pretty weird concepts that were more art than artefact-not that they do not work, mind you. Máandevos is as good as they come and rides in my pocket constantly. It has abnormal edge holding capacity, and I also use it to remove grates from other knives, which actually made some jaws drop... ;-)....

BUT.

This is but a study for a prototype. As you well know, I keep experimenting with shape, grind, tempering and fiddle with handle designs to achieve a refinement so that I can one day make a knife that has "the" feel. I have heard that Santoku shape is all the rage at the moment with "tactical" and Bushcraft users and I wanted to find out, so I made one with my trademark Fimbulmyrk handle. I hot-punched the tang and messed up a bit, but this one was just for testers anyway. I took some high-carbon spring steel, nothing fancy, roundabout 0,6-075% carbon, some silicium and maybe some tiny amount of chromium and manganese in it, a steel that most modern-day-knifemakers would not spare a second thought about.

 Spine thickness is 4-1.5 mm, tapering, and the tang tapers, too, albeit not that much. Length is a legal 12 cm. You do not actually need anything longer for everyday camp chores apart from chopping, but I find this length helpful in batoning and even cutting bread. Ever tried to cut a loaf of bread with a 60mm - blade? Then you know what I mean... the same goes for cheese and stuff, so I used up all the length the law had to offer. It´s not that you are not allowed to own anything longer, but you have to have a legal reason to carry it in public, and since I do not want to rely on rights of reason anymore, I tend to play safe. And if you mate it with a small campsite hatchet, you got everything you need for the most of occasions.

The blade is tempered using a three-step-process, with a soft spine, and has a high convex bevel, as is almost customary for me. I find when you do it right, a high convex bevel offers the best compromise between cutting prowess and edge stability. You do not want a hatchet grind, though... it is crucial that the edge has an angle of 15-40°. In this case it has some 20-25°, good and durable still but also cutting well enough.

 I fitted some birchwood burr scales on it, fitted with mosaic pins and a brass tube for a lanyard hole.

 The balance point to date is slightly back of the index finger, but I have to finish the wood still, so that will move slightly more forward. It handles quite dexterous.

And this is the culprit: Having tested and worked it some I can say one thing. The knife certainly is nothing fancy what concerns the materials and is certainly not a work of art. But I can safely say that it will take a lot of abuse and comes back for more. It chops deer antler and carves mild steel rods, and who could ask for more? It even whittles well, can be batoned through knotted hardwood and makes short terms of dicing onions and slicing up tomatoes being held by just two fingers. After all this, it still carved curves in free-hanging printer´s paper. It is a knife that works. On the one hand I am glad that making knives like this costs me less and less effort, so that implies I am on a good path. And while I like making concept knives, sometimes you have to check on your progress and on the sense in what you do. This knife will be a companion you can rely on. Everytime, everywhere. And isn´t this what a knife should do in the first place?

Making art knives is a kind of fetish thing. You tell stories, and that is okay in a world that is devoid of stories, and if storytelling is your fetish... yap, there you go. But you always have to keep in mind that your knives still have to work. They have to be a companion and a tool, and they have to be reliable. Nothing more, nothing less.

I hope I can manage the crossover between both worlds.

International Hobbit day & Uncivilisation campout @Ahlhauser Hammer ironforge

 Blimey, what a weekend! We had a lot to do beforehand when organizing the event, and it was right stressful, but it all paid off. From 22nd to 25th of September we had scheduled the 1st International Hobbit Day and Uncivilisation Campout. The concept was simple: Have a good time and a lot of good food, do some bushcraft, crafting in wool, wood and steel, campfires, storytelling, hanging out with good folks, music and general fun.

 Nick had prepared an arrow target complete with a net and stuff to do some archery...

 Jonas, our "apprentice" was helping out.

 The finished arrow stand.

 It was still quite empty on Thursday, when people came from all over the place. They came from all over Germany and even Ireland to visit the event.

 This is exclusively for Gorges ;-), a gorgeous pig we prepared for the roast... turned out the spit could do with some mods still, but generally it could be made working.

 The magic troll amusing herself by watching Panda from Ireland smoking his axe ;-). Panda is one of my favourite human beings to date, even if I tend to like humans ever more and more less these days...

 The fireplace in all its beauty. Thanks to our senior blacksmith, the place was shining in the vibrant colours of flowers, and he added quite some hobbit flavour to the event, because he did not like at all all the dwarves spoiling his solitude...

 Erich brought this lovely water boiler... the original dates back to the Viking age... and the replica worked a cinch!

 Each and every morning Panda made us some lovely Irish pancakes for breakfast. In fact, we were eating the whole day through, just as it should be!

 Ben and Tina from the Westerwald enjoying their breakfast...

 ...as does Julia..

 Dr. Ilgenstein trying to save the life of licce piggy with matron Jan handing the tools...

 We stuffed the pig with dumpling dough, dried plums and apricots, celary, carrots, apples, onions, garlic and spices...

 Nick doing some physiotherapy... but alas, piggy did not actively work on its recovery...

 So we simply put it on a rod to cure in the flames.

 Kathrin and Julia were preparing dream catchers from chestnuts and wood and wool for the public which came in on Saturday.

 Jonas working on a splint for securing the pig additionally on the spit.

 Declan from Ireland (from the bonnie wee town of Ballycotton ;-)) discussing matters with Nick.

 The dreamcatchers for sale on Saturday.

 The booth of the lassies... ;-)

 ...

 Woooooool to catch your dreams.

 Socks made by Panda in naalbindning technique...

This is some lovely Viking jewelry Kathrin and Julia made from brass, copper and silver wire in Viking knit technique.

 ...

 Tina was offering tutorials in making leather pouches with the kids.

 Henning in a joyous mood... most people were relaxed and laidback, and not many quarrels in sight ;-). perfect. And I daresay a huge portion of the relaxed and laidback atmosphere is due to Henning´s intervention. He just knows a thing or two about working with people, and I cannot thank him enough for taking over this duty when my nerve failed me.

 Ben was a right pleasure to have around... dude, I´ll miss exchanging insults with you- and not meaning it. ;-)

 The ladies righteously proud of their achievement.

 Now this was an absolute highlight. On a re-enactment fair at Altena we recently met with the band "Amulett", and it turned out they were actually fond of coming, and it seems they liked it a bit...

I should say there was a friendship forged, there, beside the campfire and under the mighty oak. Look at their website to listen to some samples of their music. I found it extremely cool that there was no huge combat bagpipe that was last tuned in the factory nor a big fat drummer clothed in drumsticks in sight, and they made some actual music. I had little time to listen, but what I heard was really pleasing my ears that are a bit sore from listening to that bagpipe mayhem that´s nowadays tauted "medieval folk music". Way cool! ;-)

 Danuta enjoying the sun!

 Our new treasurer keeping an eye on financial issues. Jan really worked his arse off and even found time to persuade his granddad to come, and Mr. Diefenthal actually came to visit.

Now anyone know Bill Moran? Yeah, THAT Bill Moran, as in founder of the ABS-Bill-Moran. Now Bill Moran learned a trick or two from the "Reichsschmiedemeister" of the 3rd Reich Paul Müller. Now Mr. Diefenthal was apprentice together with this guy and thus shares the same knowledge. But while Paul Müller was a Nazi, Mr. Diefenthal was not. I had the outright privilege to talk to him, and he agreed to tell us what he knows, and I hope to be able to persuade him to make a blog post about him later on. Anyway, Jan would very much like to keep up the family tradition, and we will try our best to contribute to that!

 Julia enjoying herself...

 The campsite. The magic troll had brought our new tent, and while it was damn cold at night, I have rarely slept that much relaxation into four hours of sleep!

 Panda and Tamara, his lovely woman.

 ...and their... ahem... bunny? Bunny apparently fun himself, even if he slept most of the time. He certainly is one of the laziest hares I know.

 We partied well into the night...

 Passements by the magic troll...

 Erich enjoying a "Schlenkerla" Frankish smoked stout. That beer is one of the best I tasted, and one of the most unusual to boot. We drank gallons of it and it´s just one step short of becoming the official ironforge beer! Tina, the "landlord´s black-eyed daughter" all the while has a laughing fit. Laughing fits were easy to come by... :-)

 Henning in re-enactment attire...

 Erich shopping for honey whisky...

 ....

 Yours truly  having a sit-down and a cuppa  coffee.

 ...

 Ronja, the granddaughter of the beaming Ewald (our landowner) enjoyed the company and getting the archery and storytelling bug bad.

 Crazy Irishman being lazy... lack of potatoes, I guess ;-). (By the way, how many potatoes do you need to kill an Irishman?



---NONE---)

 On Saturday it was Jan´s birthday, and Panda made him a Pandapancakebirthdaycake...;-)

 Panda practicing his supernatural Pandapancakemaking-skills...

 ....

More axe-smoking....

 The pig was delicious...

 Erich came over with his vintage Ford van. We hid it behind the re-enactment tents, but it certainly did not deserve to be hidden.

Nick enjoying a pipe...

 ...

Pics from the camp...

 Nele watching... erm ... anyone know what became of those gummy bears? :-D

 It was a really cool weekend with really cool people. I am looking forward to next year´s events!

If you want to join in the next International Hobbit Day Event from Friday, the 22nd of September to 24th of 2017, please apply to the Ahlhauser Hammer site on facebook or at www.retzgen.de/hammer. We welcome any traditional craftsmen, bushcrafters and reenactors with the one limitation in the re-enactment camp that we want to concentrate on early, high and late medieval re-enactment (and high quality LOTR enactment) and do not want to put on a "common" LARP or MPS event, because there are enough of them around. We will also dispatch sensibly and make clear which is which.

We look forward to meeting you in person!