History of an iconic Austrian knife

 "A rechta Bua hoat a feitl, feia und a schnua", is an old Bavarian and Austrian saying.  It translates loosely as "a true boy has a jackknife, fire, and some cordage". 

Not long ago it was customary for gents, boys, but also girls and women, not to leave one's home without some basic implements.  My grandma always carried a small kitchen knife, a bit of twine and a lighter in her apron dress. My father carried two knives, twine and a lighter whereever he went, even when just going out onto the property, not to mention my grandfather and granduncle and grandaunt. 

Pocket knives, contrary to popular beliefs, are actually really old.  A knife from Hallstatt  shows striking similarities to really modern pruning knives: 

(Picture from Österreichisch

es Nationalmuseum) 

The knife shown in the picture is dated to the iron age, maybe to the Latène period. 

In the Roman empire, there were simple knives like the aforementioned example, but also far more eloquent pieces: 

(Copyright by Fitzwilliam Museum, https://data.fitzmuseum.cam.ac.uk/id/image/media-33274) 

The picture shows what is often called a "Roman Swiss Army knife", which is perfectly relateable.  

Other examples from the Roman empire offered a single blade, but a no less eloquent handle.  

(Picture Copyright by https://coriniummuseum.org/object/1980-109-22-2/) 

The knife, which was found during excavations in Bath, offers a rather distinct blade. It could be called a "clip point ", because, well, that presumeably is how it was made.  

The word "Feitl", usually referring to a simple knife with no spring or locking mechanism, might refer to Middle High German "viddelen" (to play on a fiddle, to mess about, to tinker). It might also have sexual implications. We will see later on that there are children's culture rituals that might hint of such an implication. 

(Picture Copyright by Feitlclub Trattenbach) 

Looking at a contemporary example of a typical Feitl from the Trattenbach region in Austria, it bears striking similarities to those examples from Hallstatt and the Roman empire.  Even the blade shape is almost identical to the example from Bath.  Actually there is a huge number of similar pocket knives from the Roman empire with a more or less eloquent handle, but almost identical blades. 

This has something to do with the manufacturing process.  

In the video, you can see that the steel sheets are clipped and the edge line is forged (cold) to shape.  This method is maybe not the most sound way to do it, metallurgically speaking, to put it politely, but there is no mistaking the fact that it really is economically efficient.  We do not know how the Roman knives were forged, but there are few other ways to do it economically efficient than like that, and given that there are a lot of finds from the iron age like that, it is probable they did it in a very similar way.  

Which puts the little knife in a very interesting position. There seems to be some kind of continuity from the Hallstatt period to the 21st century. The thing is, quite possibly the use of a pocket knife has not changed too much. It is safe to say, by the way, that it is part of the things that make up human culture. 

Assuming that the etymology I postulated is correct and hints of the process of "fiddling with something" or "tinkering", it becomes evident why that might be.  It was used for whittling, cutting cordage, making shavings for fire starting, but also for games that hint of an older, maybe folkloristic context.  

There are different blade shapes, too.  

(Picture Copyright by https://www.momentothek-oberwart.at/detail/4868-herr-rudolf-wagner-erzeuger-des-woadafeitl-warter-feitel) 

The knife shown in the picture was made in a different community in Austria, the village of Oberwart, in the year 1954 by one Rudolf Wagner. The handle was made from lacquered horn.  The bolster design bears striking resemblance to another kind of Austrian knives, the often quoted "Drudenmesser" variety.  

And while the Feitl is obviously an utility knife, the use is not always utilitarian.  Several house manuals from the 16th to the 20th century hint of an apotropaeic function of simple utility knives, too.  Means, the eloquent knife handles and speciality blades of the Drudenmesser might have not been exactly cheap.  

(Picture Copyright by https://www.domquartier.at/hintergrundgeschichte/fraisenkette-und-drudenmesser/) 

Often forged and tempered to very specific requirements, some of them sometimes a bit superstitious, the handle made from chamois horn and heavily decorated with inlays, sometimes bone or mother of pearl, silver and brass, a common farmer might have been hard-pressed to afford a knife like that.  Instead, there are also a lot of examples that appear to be decorated after buying.  

The original Trattenbach Feitl was none too shabby, either, though. They were, as opposed to other contemporary pieces, forged from highly refined steel, the so-called "Scharsach" steel, which originally was reserved for weapons, scythes and scissors. 

(Picture Copyright by https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Museumsdorf_Trattenbach_Museum_in_der_Wegscheid_14.jpg) 

Those knives were of legendary quality and the edge retention qualities must have been quite outstanding. They were sold far and wide, even to the American colonies where they became known as "penny knives". 

Have a look at Keith's awesome blog for more info: 

http://woodsrunnersdiary.blogspot.com/2013/02/more-on-clasp-knives.html 

http://woodsrunnersdiary.blogspot.com/2018/11/more-information-on-penny-knife.html

Also, there are several videos about these knives in the longhunter period in the American colonies. Look at this example: 

These knives were a treasured possession, a staple utility knife and a source of entertainment.

Kids and adults alike in Austria and Bavaria used the knife in several games of blades. In the Trattenbach region there was the game of "Messerln". A half-opened knife was thrown into a wooden chopping block or table or bench from a height of about 50 cm. The one whose knife opened in the process to stand more or less perfectly upright, won. Given the knife is working on friction alone and rather light, this would require technique, a lot of force and finesse, so it was a feat of strength and skills, but also intelligence and coordination.

This doesn't seem in any way special, like many games like that, worldwide, but especially in the Alpine countries. Games like that are, in a way, part of human nature.  

In children's culture rituals in the region, the loser of such a game often got the handle of his knife "intersected", together with mocking, satirical rhymes. This might hint of an older ritualistic background. It is, of course, neigh on impossible to say, but one might be able to postulate a ritual of fertility behind the rustic, but somewhat innocent endeavour.  And of course, to postulate a continuity reaching back to the iron age is outright silly, for lack of evidence. 

The use of even the humblest of utility knives as apotropaion, however, is so well documented for every human culture on earth, that it is almost commonplace. Sigmund Freud also documented the connection between knives and sexual impulses empirically.  

The game quite certainly is reserved for boys and young men. But there are also rituals with a "Feitl " documented for girls. One folk custom is to go out in the night of the winter solstice alone, and without speaking a word, and carving a heart into an evergreen tree with the blade of the Feitl.  Returning home in silence again, it is said that that the would-be bride sees her future husband in her dreams. 

A possible interpretation of the name itself and the action of "fiddling with something" also has some rather rustic sexual connotations. To "fiddle" with a woman is a metaphor for sexual intercourse.  Nowadays, the connection to weather rituals in folk customs doesn't seem obvious, but the connection e.g. between rain and the knife seems no longer too far off if you take into account another etymological interpretation.  In Nether German there still is the term "fiseln/fisseln/fieseln" which refers to a light drizzle. It derives from Old Nether German and Old High German *fîsil/fithîl, which literally means "penis". The German dialect word "pieseln" is a verb  referring to a lighter intensity of urinating, but also to a light drizzle referring to rain. Thing is, Middle High German and Old Nether German *fîthil could become Feitel in Early Modern High German according to Verner's laws of diphtong change. It is of course a rather daft analogy to associate a knife with a penis and a penis with rain or even storm. But even today we call rain names like that in a colloquial or dialect context. 

My theory is getting further emphasis by the existence of folk customs like throwing a knife into the storm with the blade towards the wind in a similar manner as in said game.  Or into the soil in order to attract rain. 

Another custom was to write incantations like AGLA or 

SATOR

AREPO

TENET

OPERA 

ROTAS

on the blade and to stick it into a roof beam in order to fend off evil spirits like Drak and Trud/Drud or the Tut-Ursel, a spirit akin to the Béan-Sídhe, or, more prosaic, lightning strike.  

There are, of course, several more folk customs centered around knives in the Alpine regions, but also the rest of Germany and Austria.  

Any Feitl could be an Apotropaion, not only the more specialized "Drudenmesser", and these customs were followed often until the late 20th century. 

The cult of Mammon-Satan, aka Miltonesque capitalist society, put an end to a lot of these cultural customs and led to a loss of a whole lot of intangible cultural heritage, in a rather prosaic way.  Of several hundred manufacturing sites in Trattenbach, only two still produce the original Trattenbach Feitl on site, and they honestly work to rather modest standards of quality. But in 2015 the process was somewhat slowed, or, hopefully, even halted.  The manufacturing process is now part of the intangible cultural heritage of the UNESCO which is a beacon of hope, so to say. 

Actually, the use of the knife should also become part of that protection.  

What gives me some hope, is that young knifemakers in Austria start to discover the topic, too, without trying to compete for cheap price policies from abroad. 

(Copyright by https://www.kalderum.com/product/87-damaszenerstahl-feitl-alle-verkauft) 

Examples like that might be close to the original image of the original standards of quality, before they became "penny knives ". 

The culprit is, on one hand, this is a knife that really prominently shows the cultural relevance of simple utility knives as an everyday item, but also as a part of our humanity and culture. On the other hand, this is also humbling, because this is, what people carried, who were depending on their tools to a much higher degree, than we modern couch-potatoes can even imagine.  With but a knife like that, flint and steel and a bit of twine, the boys of these times were able to brave the mountains. And maybe it often was making all the difference between thriving and death.  

I do have a lot of fun researching the topic, a right rabbit hole, and maybe that is not the last you have read about it here...😉

Another rugged and very traditional German pocket knife- El. Herder Hippekniep

This is a very traditional knife from Solingen.  In Solingen it is called a Hippekniep or Notschlachter (emergency butcher's knife), but it has seen worldwide recognition.  In the US and UK it is called Sodbuster, in France it is known as a "Mineur". 

At http://fimbulmyrk.blogspot.com/2023/04/some-thoughts-on-traditional-knife.html 

I have already written about its possible historical roots. Suffice to say right now that it is a rather interesting knife and an integral part of the working man's culture. Typically a solid tool, but often with a quality on the somewhat rustic side of bling, so to say, but nearly indestructeable.

Which was actually a necessity given its intended use. It was often a farming and mining tool and an often heavily abused resident of the tackle box. 

At the moment, fortunately, there is a push towards preserving the tradition of making these wonderful tools in the city of Solingen, with some manufacturers offering wonderful quality. This is a really good thing. On the other hand, there is a certain inherent danger of this tool to become more of a fashion accessory than a working man's tool..

It took me some time to find one that had the old "tool character" , but I did. 

The knife is made by a very traditional producer of kitchen knives and tableware, El. Herder (Tucan). The blade is made from high carbon steel. I could not get detailed informations, but I estimate the hardness to 56-59HRC and guess it might be C75 or C80.  The sister corporation, Robert Herder (Windmühlen) uses C80. It is made in a traditional "glazing" technique. The grind is really clean. It has a longer ricasso than my other Hippeknieps. The length of the blade is 92 mm, thickness is 2,5 mm tapering towards 2.2 mm in the tip.  Thickness above the edge is 0,5 mm. Edge angle is 15-20°. Out of the box, it shaved, but did not come hair-popping sharp. I fixed that in no time, however.  

It comes with a really strong Slipjoint spring, made from carbon steel, most certainly C45. Stay is really great, as with most traditional Hippeknieps.  Walk is smooth except for some strange clicking sound near the root of the blade. There is no play whatsoever and no tolerances between root and spring. Talk is really distinct and affirmative.  You can really subject the knife to hard work without too much fear that it might accidentally close up on you accidentally. Of course it is still a Slipjoint and no prybar, but for sensible work it really does leave little to be desired. 

The scales are some kind of tropical hardwood (maybe Teak), certified for sustainability. They are a lot tougher than the oak scales on my other Hippekniep. The pivot and the pins are made from steel. The liners are made from steel, too, presumeably mild steel, almost 1 mm thick each. The pivot is peened over brass washers, and I guess, it could be adjusted, should any play occur. Everything rock solid, almost overbuilt. The scales came a bit dry, but really smooth and round.  No hot spots whatsoever. Carving with it for hours on end is really great and puts little stress on your hands.  

The blade is not quite centered in the handle when closed, but given it costs 26,32€, and is still hand- made in Germany, that is not too much of a problem. 

The knife really excels at most work around the house and garden, snacking, food prepping, harvesting herbs and mushrooms and even whittling and spooncarving. I modified the grind to a 20° total, 10° each and it is now hair-splitting sharp, too. It keeps an edge well and can be stropped to razor sharp in no time with household items.  

This knife is not a knife made for collectors or leisure users.  It was produced for the requirements of industry and professional users.  It has a rugged charme to it, and, compared to other Hippeknieps for leisure activities it is not that highly polished and has its shortcomings, but also comes at a fraction of the price of other models. You can make it your own and have to, actually. 

On the other hand, it is a really honest knife. It is a really rugged build with that potential of becoming more beautiful with patina and use, like that knife of your Gramps. 

You can get it here: https://solinger-messer.de/collections/messer

They also make a smaller version, legal even in the UK, and billhook pruning pocket knives.  

For bushcraft, wildcrafting, food prepping and garden work, you can not go wrong with these knives, given you do not expect the knife to be perfectly aligned or polished. 

Thanks for dropping by, have fun and take care! 

Musings on a very old German knife- 1865's Jagdnicker

 One of the oldest and most interesting knives in my collection I only got recently. 

I have been fascinated by the traditional German and Austrian hunting and utility knife, especially the Jagdnicker variety, since I was a kid.  I do have sort of a collection, always with sort of a historical approach. Most quite contemporary pieces, but also several antique pieces.  

This is a really well-preserved piece.  The stag antler is in pristine condition, the handle hasn't come loose and I doubt the blade has ever been sharpened at all.  The patina on the blade is just surface corrosion.  It hints of some kind of refined or crucible steel. 

The handle bolster and buttcap are not cold-pressed, but soldered from sheet metal and decorated with file work. The metal is either low-content silver alloy or nickle silver.  The hand-decorated bolster hints of a pre-1910 origin.

The blade is stamped "Reil". Now that is interesting, for Reil, a small community in the Mosel region in Germany, was producing iron ingots and bars in the local ironforge, from iron ore mined in the vicinity. The bars were then triple refined, amongst other methods, by re-smelting and refining in a neighbouring community, Alf.  The foundries in Reil and Alf produced highly refined steel for the gun manufacturing and weapon industry in the Old Prussian kingdom. Since 1669 there had been a concession for a foundry and mining activities.  Since 1761 the ironforge in Reil was producing raw iron and steel bars for local smithies. The production of highly refined steel took place from about 1816 until the ironforge had to close down in 1871 for economical reasons.  The old smithy in Reil was producing steel goods, gun barrels, and knives and other tools from 1790 until 1871, too.  The house still stands today and was renovated several times and there was a hardware store in it until the late 1970s or later.  Given the knife most definitely is forged from highly refined steel, it probably was made from 1816- 1871.  

The sheath is really well made from half-tanned leather, without a welt, over some kind of model.  It is composed of several layers and feels really sturdy. It is just a cover, though, that is suited for transporting the knife, but little more.  This could be due to a speciality of regional German traditional attire. The trousers of male attire offered a small pouch, especially made for a knife or cutlery set.  This varied regionally, but wasn't limited to the famed "Lederhosen" (leather pants), which actually is not a traditional German attire at all, but an invention of the Bavarian king Max I. Joseph in 1810 for the first Oktoberfest in Munich ("Wies'n"). Bavarian nobility wore those pants when hunting, but common people could never afford them.  As late as 1883 some Bavarian pub mob founded the first "traditional attire club", having extremely short "Lederhosen" tailor-made. As late as 1913, the bishop of Freising condemned them as "work of Satan". Later, maybe exactly for this reason, the new Wandervogel and Bündische Jugend (youth movement) adopted it, maybe as a symbol of rebellion. If you want to get one, it actually is quite a practical piece of garment, made from buckskin, often with a chamois lining. If it molds to your body, it really feels like a second skin. 

The knife pouch on it is really well suited for a knife like this. On a good Lederhosen every single seam and stitch is welted, sometimes double-welted. It keeps the blade in and protects the wearer even if there were no sheath at all (but of course it is much safer with a sheath), and this is one of the reasons (apart from cost-efficiency) those sheaths are often rather simple. 

The butt cap has something to do with the original function of the knife. Originally a hunting knife from a time when hunting was, deriving from Arabian, Syrian, Iraqi and Turkish hunting etiquette, a privilege of nobility, it was used to deliver the "stab of mercy " (coup de grace), accompagnied by a cry of "Halali" (May he rest in peace), deriving from Arabian "Helal/Halal" (lawful, permissive according to Islamic law). The animal, mostly roe deer, red deer and stag, were held by dogs and peasants, the chief hunter or the nobleman himself was putting a hand above the snout, pulling the head towards the chest, therefore exposing the nape of the neck, hence the German name of the knife, "Jagdnicker", deriving from the German term for the neck, "Genick",cognate with German "nicken" (nodding).  You can also find the names "Knicker" or the older "G'nicker" (*Genicker). 

(Picture from:Alfred Fritschi, Kleines Jagdlexikon, J. Neumann-Neudamm Verlag, 1937, pp. 120)

Fun fact, many of these knives share striking similarities with knives like the Persian Kard. Actually, the occasions for such a use were originally relatively rare, and it turned out that this kind of knife was also really practical. Travelling merchants had used a set, together with a fork and awl, since the medieval ages. The knife also has roots in the Messer and Hauswehr variety of knives, so naturally a lot of people had and used them for everyday tasks around the fields and farms, also since the medieval ages.  

One variety of the knife, known as "Drudenmesser" (a knife used against a special kind of witch entities, evil spirits, insomnia, storms and lightning) also served as an apotropaion.  

(Image copyright quoted from sagen.at)

This is a very old and widespread folk custom, with practices maybe transmitted from older beliefs, but in itself rather young.  Iron and iron objects, especially cutting tools like sickles, axes and knives, as apotropaion, are spoken of even as early as by Roman historical sources. We cannot actually know how old the actual folk custom is. Fact is, similar customs in the time period range geographically from Romania, Austria, Germany, Poland, Czechia, Ukraine and Russia to Finland, with different tools.  In Tyrolia and other parts of Austria there were fixed blade as well as folding knives inscribed with apotropaeic inscriptions like "IHS" (Iesus Hominem Salvator), often with nine (half-) moons and nine crosses (crucifixes as well as St. Andrew's crosses), or, more frequently, nine stars and other apotropaeic symbols like the "witch fence" or "witch bar" or even a knot. In Austria there is an incantation:" Nein sterren und nein mo, greifen olla teifen o" (Styria), which translates as "Nine stars and  nine moons attack all devils". 

The use of the knife in the "Halal" Ritual coup de grace might have contributed to the beliefs of the common people, but probably the apotropaeic function of the knife as such is going back to older beliefs. I do want to emphasize, though, that it is a bit difficult to claim a continuity for want of concrete evidence.  It is probable, but it is also very disputeable, since e.g. what little we know of Celtic culture and beliefs is very different from a Christian society of the late medieval ages and early modern times.  

We have a lot of knives with a deduceable apotropaeic function from the 18th and 19th century, but apart from that time period, little to no material evidence of such a custom before that time period.  

On the other hand, well, the knife variety is quite a fascinating topic and a deep cultural heritage.  And in contrast to the beliefs of some altright propaganda, it is not exactly suited for some Blut-und-Boden Nazi mythology. Instead, it is neither. Its cultural influences are complex and hailing from diverse backgrounds. The true story, if we even can call it that way, is even more fascinating for its cultural diversity.  As usual, the cultural aspect of food is one big part of its history.  But most certainly, for a lot of country folk it also was a do-it-all utility tool.  If you browse on Ebay or similar platforms you find a lot of older examples with blades almost used away to small slivers of metal. 

Back to my knife. I am right grateful that it doesn't belong to those examples.  It is a beautiful cutter. In spite of its age, the sharpness and edge retention is amazing.  Out of the box, it shaved right away, even though the former owner said he "had not cleaned it", and most certainly did not sharpen it. Stropping it resulted in hair-splitting properties.  Most probably after 150 years since the last TLC. 

The blade has a distal taper to it. The grind is a high convex bevel to zero. Carving with it takes a bit of practice, because it wants to really dig into the wood. Food prepping is absolutely ace with it.  No wonder that the Jagdnicker variety became the staple knife in German snacking culture (Brotzeit, Vesper). But apart from that, it really does excel at camp work, too. It works different to a Puukko and has some shortcomings compared to that style of knife in a bushcraft setting, or better, needs different technique, but there is no mistaking the fact that it really is a practical style of knife and has been refined since the medieval ages.  

I am really glad to be able to own such fine historical piece. Its story to me is really inspiring, and I love the journey the research on this topic puts me on. 

And let us be clear about one thing, too. Banning knives per se is an attack on the most profound aspects of cultural heritage.  Yes, a knife can be used for really bad things.  But the way to deal with that is education and integration.  The very history of this seemingly very German knife (which it is, only in a way that transcends what propaganda from all sides wants us to believe. It is composed of diverse cultural influences, just like German history is) spells that. Of course it is pointy and deadly sharp. On the other hand, it mostly played and still plays a really prominent role in German hospitality, good food, good products and local goods. Being able to create stuff, repair things, prepare meals. Get the gist? 

The trade of the knifemaker is on the intangible heritage list of the UNESCO for a reason. A ban on knives is an attack on the trade of the knifemakers worldwide. Even to date, the skills that made such a knife, have been lost, maybe for good. So an attack on the cultural heritage might be deduced as to be an attempt not only to breach international law, or at least, international cultural consent and might even go as far as being an attack on the concept of humanity as such. I do not want to state that, of course, because I cannot even investigate, let alone prove such an intent. But you do not need to rely on this here weirdo's opinion alone. 

"In light of the various threats facing living traditions and cultural diversity globally, the first step is to raise awareness of the invaluable significance of such diverse intangible cultural heritage as a guarantee for sustainable development and cultural exchange. " (https://www.unesco.at/en/culture/intangible-cultural-heritage/the-unesco-convention)

This knife in itself is the epitome of sustainability.  Naturally so.  Noone threw it away when its blade got some stains.  It is 150 years old.  This alone is cultural relevance.  

"Intangible cultural heritage is characterised by its recognition as part of a common cultural heritage; it forms identity through shared experiences and memories. Although they are frequently understood as rigidly conserved and passed-on attitudes, living traditions arise through the change which makes them useful for new generations and life situations. All people, in particular the younger generations, should have the opportunity to set the parameters for “sustainable development” themselves. It is precisely this creative and self-determined process of transmitting and adjusting that characterises living traditions."

So, what might be the threats that are imposed upon intangible cultural heritage worldwide? 

"Threats to the transmission of this living heritage come from such factors as social and demographic changes that reduce intergenerational contacts, for instance from migrations and urbanisation that often remove people from their knowledgeable elders, from the imposition of formal education systems that devalue traditional knowledge and skills, or from intrusive mass media. The response to such threats must come from the communities and groups concerned, assisted by local organizations, their governments and the international community as represented in the General Assembly of States Parties to the 2003 Convention for the Safeguarding of the ICH.

UNESCO’s efforts are aimed at assisting States wishing to strengthen existing transmission systems within communities, or to complement these with formal or non-formal education programmes teaching skills and knowledge to other, usually younger, community members."

Formal education systems that devalue traditional knowledge and skills and intrusive mass media, urbanization, and a lack of intergenerational transaction sounds like a Miltonesque  capitalist 's wet dream, though it is doubtful whether this is still capitalism. For capitalism is not a bad thing per se, of course.

On the other hand, repairing things, traditional farming or trades of craft are not welcomed in highly capitalistic society, for obvious reasons.  Corruption is another factor, and while it is not as bad as one might suspect, according to studies by Transparency International, the average ranking in Europe is 65 on a scale from 0(highly corrupt) to 100 (not corrupt). (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corruption_in_Germany). In Germany, the index lies at 78, pun intended.  As I said, not as bad as one might suspect, but not as good, either.  Because democracy is at threat when just one politician is bought and gets into a position where (for the most part) he can push through an agenda. 

Knives are increasingly used for really bad things.  But the culprit is, if kids associate a knife with hurting or even killing people, no matter if they are advocating such a use or are afraid of such a use against them.  

Well, the solution to the problem, or at least, part of it, is relatively simple. If you do not talk about knives with your kids, someone else will.  If they exclusively see a knife as a weapon because you told them, they will use it as a weapon. If you do not speak at all about knives, they will talk to their peers, who see it as a weapon. 

Keep in mind that the transmission of cultural heritage is not encouraged in our society. Our society is not centered around sustainability. Means, chance is, there is not that oft-quoted old conker with a pocket knife teaching kids how to whittle a stick or peel an apple instead of using a knife as an artifact of power as in a video game.

The other aspect of the problem is that there is an immense pressure on youth today. They either get rich or have no perspective at all. Without sympathizing with the phenomenon, the mass shooter just thinks this societal  pressure through consequentially. Actually the mass shooter understands the process of competition completely, but fails to understand the necessity for cooperation as completely as he eliminates his competition really efficiently.  Of course, in most cases, this is a mental disorder, but a mental disorder that is endemic to our current understanding of capitalism.  

To be frank, our society is toxic and narcisstic.  About 40% of all brokers in Germany are suffering from a clinical narcisstic or psychopathic mental disorder. This phenomenon can be witnessed with political positions as well as in society in general.  As an example, see 

  https://www.manager-magazin.de/hbm/fuehrung/narzissmus-in-deutschen-fuehrungsetagen-die-jungbullen-kommen-a-0ee3251e-0002-0001-0000-000177064950

Connection is the opposite of overcompetition.  The often quoted old conker might not be the fastest or the most efficient worker, but she or he has things to give.  If you have patience with her or his shortcomings, you can not only learn the merely technical aspects of cultural heritage, but also patience, and therefore, empathy.  Empathy is the epitome of a working society. If you have empathy with another human being, you will not stick her or him with the pointy end.  It really is that simple. 

Again, empathy and solidarity are not encouraged in our society.  

You want cultural heritage passed on? Be a rebel.  

Use your knives for having good food with people, create nice things, love what you have, but also treasure it. First and foremostly, try to understand empathy. 

And don't be as absurd as I am, writing pamphlets on a Google platform. Because these corporations play a huge part in estranging and disconnecting us from each other. Maybe a Blog a little less than Tiktok or other platforms, but still.  

I want to emphasize, though, that this knife is not controversial to me.  It is something good from a time with more empathy and little joys. I will write more about the cultural aspect of German knives from way back then in order to give you some more insight on what I mean, for I fear, it is not that simple a topic.  In the meantime, have fun for yourself, but also for others. If you meet some old conker, ask him as many questions as he will permit. Most will share their knowledge readily. 

All the best, and take care!

I forged a titanium knife

On a crafts fair ages ago I had forged a knife from titanium, an old piece of material from a  prothetics corporation, 6AL4,5V.  Fact is, I had heard it were impossible to forge a knife from it with an open coal forge, so I did. Fact is, there is a reason why we use steel for blades. Titanium is of course a finicky bstd to work with and to forge.  I would not make something that really needs to hold up repeated flex stress from it with an open coal forge. I used borax to minimize contamination, but it is of course suboptimal.  On the other hand, what you want to prevent in a setting where you deliver constant flexibility stress to the workpiece, might actually be a good thing for edge retention. Hydrogen buildup and oxide buildup make it brittle, but also harder. So I tried to keep that out during most of the forging process, cold- forged the edge and then slammed it full- tilt into the Ventilation stream of the forge, cold forged some more, put it back in and forged it far too hot on a wet anvil, but only the outer edge.  

 It actually gets a lousy edge, but keeps it forever. It is surprisingly well suited for feathersticking, though, and cuts surprisingly well. Getting it up to shaving sharpness is a bit tricky, but possible. It loses that hair-popping sharpness quite fast, to a point where it actually does shave, but only with some effort, but stays that way for a long time.  

As for lateral strength, in spite of the somewhat crazy forging method, it maintained well enough strength to stand up to some equally crazy stress tests.  

So, is Titanium actually suited for a bushcraft knife? 

Well, there is still a reason we use steel.  For carving, you know my stance on Moras, and that hasn't changed a bit. I would use the knife for digging up roots or breaking apart stuff, like in the video, harvesting herbs and mushrooms.  To be honest, a Mora or similar knife can do all this, too.  But remember, that thing was forged with an utterly punk method, in next to no time, on an event, between forging with kids. There could be more potential to the material with a bit more effort and a more controlled environment.  But that would actually no longer be anything resource- efficient. With high tech equipment, you could get a better result. 

The advantages of Titanium might be lighter weight, extreme corrosion resistance, tensile strength and antimagnetic properties.  If you want to pokeydeepoke at a landmine, a Titanium knife might be the way to go. But then I do not want to poke at landmines at all. 

It looks cool, though, and maybe I will make myself a golden sickle from it. Its edge holding capabilities are a bit comparable to good cutlery bronze. So, maybe that will be a thing in the future.  

Thanks for looking, and take care! 

Why Mora is simply ace

Today, a parcel from Sweden arrived. With a good old thing in it, an old Frost's Mora knife, one with the old laminate steel and an early plastic sheath, maybe from the 50s or 60s.  

Now I certainly do not need to lose a lot of words about Moras as such, but it was somewhat of another eye-opener again.  Moras are made to be tools for house, garden and the wilderness.  I mean, real wilderness, not forest economy parks. They have been used by people for expeditions worldwide and came out begging for more.  Which doesn't come as a surprise, because an expedition might take a year or maybe two at most, but they were "designed" for years and years and decades of farm use. I set that "designed" into quotation marks, well, because I am not quite sure if you can talk about a conscious act at all. If you need to find roots of the design, you might be not too far off with Frost-Erik Ericsson, who, after working four years in the US as a lumberjack, returned home to his hometown in Sweden in 1891. There, he founded a fabrication of timber wedges, axes, sledges and knives for the use in the forests. 

 ( https://morakniv.se/en/this-is-morakniv/our-history/ is a really good read about Mora's history ) 

And if we are quite honest to ourselves, even as accomplished "bushcrafters", we cannot even imagine the level of skill these lumberjacks possessed.  I obviously do not mean any offence by that, since I explicitly do not exclude myself from that.  We do not even know most of the things they did even around the homestead. They could built an entire farm only with an axe, a saw, some other tools and a knife, and fact is, they did. Scandinavian museums are full of artifacts they made that way.  If you want to get an idea of what actual "bushcraft" looks like you  might want to watch this vid: https://youtu.be/FtHyqcwWVPs?si=-q7MFUXWCfi-87yf 

It is original footage from the beginning of the 20th century, recorded in Finland to keep these skills alive. This must have been, more or less, the stuff Frost-Erik Ericsson had to do with a knife as a lumberjack on a daily basis.  It was that commonplace that noone would even had mentioned it.  He might have been using some kind of Puukko or other utility knife, and might have developed his own ideas what his knife should or should not do.  If you look at Scandinavian knives from that time period, you see that they are all quite similar.  This is not altogether surprising, of course.  For one, the founders of the knife industries in Mora were all more or less related, and have, in spite of competition, always maintained friendly relations.  Second, if you really use your knives for that kind of work, there is something nearing an ideal form to accomplish function.  For instance, the handle of the Mora is comfortable in all basic Slöjd hand positions.  Look at this series to get my meaning: 

So, maybe it is not quite correct to talk about a design, as in something someone came up with, but more of the product of an evolutionary process.  

As I said, Moras are made to be tools, to be used and, sometimes, abused. In the Mora knife community, there is a thing we all know, the so-called "barn Moras". Typically found in some shed or barn, often with big dents and hammer marks on the spine, a lot of them rusted and dirty and neglected.  

The one I got is one of the better ones, but it was no exception.  Part of the tip was missing, and the tip was deeply rust-pitted and had some dents, albeit no big ones. 

Thing is, I wasn't in a good mood, and to be honest, a bit disappointed. But since I did not spend a huge amount of money on the knife, I thought, well, the milk's spilled anyway, why not try out something if it is that fooqued oop anyway? So I went to our pile of beautiful rocks and picked a sandstone, poured myself a cuppa coffee and used that rock to grind away. 

One cuppa later, the tip was restored. Most of the worst pitting was gone, and the biggest dents removed.  With some random sandstone.  
 

I brought out the water stones then and started to work on the blade in earnest.  But fact is, the blade already cut alright after sharpening with a rock.  Some freaking random rock. 

I gave it some love with a Japanese water stone up to 3000 grit. 

After that, I refined the spine line, putting a 90°angle on it in the process. 

Without any stropping yet, it now makes lovely curls already, but is in no way maxed out in terms of sharpness.  I will also give the handle some love, too, and a new paint job. Maybe a leather sheath, too.  

What I want to say is, well, I fell for those heebie jeebie magical sorcery knives that make you survive just by carrying them, too.  I fell for that batoning scam, too.  Even if you have read about my stance on the difference between bushcraft and survival on this blog countless times, well, I am not a stranger to being a fashion victim myself.  And it is and was always fun to try out a cool new knife.  And feeling yourself like some tough guy.  

But fact is, what we think is bushcraft is but a very shallow pond.  I do not feel too disgraced and humbled by those old conkers in the Finnish video I shared. Instead, it is sort of a fascinating discovery and a great opportunity to learn. 

Moras have always been about sustainability and resource-efficiency, ingenuity and skill, assets that will come in extremely handy in our near future.  Not because of some SHTF scenario necessarily, but because they always were.  To rediscover those skills is not only a grave matter of survival, but something far deeper.  It really brings joy and the feeling that you can make do in a lot of situations.  It is no wonder that neo-colonialism and neo-imperialism isn't too fond of tools and crafts. But apart from political musings, ramblings and rants, a Mora is not the next big thing.  It isn't something fashionable or exciting. It is not made from some spaceship material.  

But it is something that somehow has grown into its shape for hundreds of years, slowly and steadily and humbly.  It is more of a natural thing, if that could possibly be in the first.  

But it is the same tool those old jätkän used. Means, if you copy what they did, you can safely say you messed up if you don't succeed. 😉😜

Anyway, I really enjoy the journey of this knife, its history, and look forward to the Slöjd I will try to learn with it.  

Take care, and enjoy yourself on the journey! 

Why I protest the current move towards more knife restrictions in Germany

" The law of Germany (German: Recht Deutschlands), that being the modern German legal system (German: deutsches Rechtssystem), is a system of civil law which is founded on the principles laid out by the Basic Law for the Federal Republic of Germany, though many of the most important laws, for example most regulations of the civil code (Bürgerliches Gesetzbuch, or BGB) were developed prior to the 1949 constitution. It is composed of public law (öffentliches Recht), which regulates the relations between a citizen/person and the state (including criminal law) or two bodies of the state, and the private law, (Privatrecht) which regulates the relations between two people or companies. It has been subject to a wide array of influences from Roman law, such as the Justinian Code the Corpus Juris Civilis, and a to a lesser extent the Napoleonic Code. " (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Law_of_Germany) 

Is what Wikipedia, quite neutrally so, says about the origins of the German judicial system.  

On a recent audition on the novelty offensive weapon act that is currently pushed forward by "centre left" political forces in Germany, Association Of National Criminal Investigators interns stated a connection of the current judicial system with the Third Reich. (https://www.bdk.de/der-bdk/was-wir-tun/aktuelles/brauchen-wir-ein-schaerferes-waffengesetz), which I had to learn that it is quite a historical commonplace.

Mr. Winkelsdorf also declared the entire offensive weapon act a failure and implied responsibility of diverse political agendas for the fact.  

That said, given the Nazi regime was, by international law and consensus, declared and, categorically speaking, righteously so, defined as criminal, and given its judicial system was still not evaluated and defined as keeping its validity, there have to be reasons for it. 

Let us not get too much over the top about it and keep some realism: Of course it would be a bit impractical to overturn every single law just because the villains also used it. Murder is still murder, in every single human society and culture worldwide. There are nuances, of course, but the young Republic of Germany had a lot of other pressing issues to tend to at the time. 

The other aspect, however, is a really dark thing that lies at the core of the many problems we are faced with today.  The rise of nationalism worldwide is a symptom of it.  

Relating to the works of Professor Dr. (PhD)  Eckart Conze, Marburg 2024, concerning the  biography of Alfried Krupp, a German Entrepreneur and Nazi, it becomes evident that the Nuremberg courts might have missed something. Alfried Krupp, who was sentenced for his role as a sponsor of the SS even in the Republic of Weimar, actively sponsored and promoted former SS officials into the judicial system and political positions even after his time in prison (Conze 2024). And that was just one example of heads of big corporations and high finance with a more or less Nazi background influencing political forces in the Federal Republic of Germany. To check my own bias, I also looked up other areas of the judicial system. Another example of a symptom of Nazi ideology still in effect was the institutional discrimination of people of diverse gender and homosexual persons. As late as 1990, homosexuality in Germany was criminalized.  

Another example were the racist attacks on migrants in 1984, where another form of institutional discrimination of the victims took effect.  In context of the contemporary  DVU murders, Minister of Homeland Security Hessia, Peter Beuth, played a dubious role in concealing evidence about the case.  

Herbert Reul, Minister Of Homeland Security in North-Rhine-Westfalia ordered the clearing of the protest camp of deforestation protesters in the Hambach forest, which led to the death of a journalist. According to NGO Campact e.V., he then was member of the board of RWE corporation then, without his salary being able to be deduced from a concrete business-related activity. (Campact et al). RWE is an energy provider that claimed the Hambach forest in order to mine for surface coal.

Boris Pistorius, now Minister Of Defence, is said to have played a crucial role in the so-called BAMF-Scandal (Federal bureau of immigrant affairs).(Campact, global witness, Anonymous et al).

Please do not get me wrong, I am not claiming that all this is true. I obviously cannot investigate all these political rumours, and of course one would need such an investigation from a neutral position, and I do not claim to be in such a position in the first, and would, secondly, be very, very relieved if all this were just some conspiracy nut's raving. Really, I would give a lot for that. 

What do these gentlemen, however, have in common apart from their dubious possible part in these latter events?

All of them tried to push through an even more restrictive offensive weapon act, and have done so for a good decade. In itself, that would be perfectly in line with the democratic obligation of every citizen to promote the freedom of every citizen, even if that means to accept restrictions on your personal freedom. And let me be totally clear about this: In no way do I want to illegitimate this obligation. As I said, I grew up as the son of a deputy law enforcement officer. Obeying the law is second nature to me and I have an intrinsic motivation to do so. And because of that, I would of course accept any restrictions if they secure the democratic rights of my fellow citizens. 

But there is one democratic right that is the highest value of democracy: The assumption of innocence by the authorities towards any suspect. It means, every citizen is assumed innocent in case of suspicion. You are not obliged to prove that you are innocent of a crime by default, but the authorities of law enforcement must investigate whether or not you are guilty.  

Now these aforementioned gentlemen were crucial in the establishment of so-called "weapon restriction areas", mainly around railway stations and in inner cities.  I perfectly understand why someone gets the idea, but there is a very grave problem. 

For utility knives, as is the case even in the UK, are exempt from the Offensive Weapon act. Not just that, but they are defined as "useful tools " in the very text of the law and the administrative order for law enforcement personnel.  These utility knives, however, are defined as weapons in the weapon restriction areas, therefore supposing a criminal intent for every citizen that carried a pocket knife in a weapon restriction area.  The fact is made worse by introducing the possibility to prove your reliability (read: innocence) by buying (!) a "small " weapon license.  Thusly indicating criminal intent in law-abiding citizens, an original custom from the Third Reich.  Not my idea, but investigated and evaluated by several German Courts of Administration (OGV Berlin, Leipzig, Düsseldorf et al). 

The selfsame parameters of the weapon restriction areas (which have been evaluated as antidemocratic by several courts) now should become institutional, and would then no longer be an upturning of the assumption of innocence, or rather, you needed to appeal to the High Court of Constitutional Justice to make any such claim valid, which is neigh on impossible for any citizen of medium or low  income. 

Plus, law enforcement and political forces actually and explicitly state that it would be desireable to be able to do full body searches without judicial suspicion, which is the original wording of Third Reich officials.  Means, you travel through Germany as a businessman, maybe a POC, some huge copper slams you into the wall, while another holds a gun to your neck and strips you naked, and if he finds anything, from a manicure set to a small pen knife, can either put you in the box or leave you be on a whim. We had that already in Germany, we tried that, and it tickled a bit too much for my liking, no thank you.  

The fun part comes in when you inquire with political forces about this. You immediately get framed as antidemocratic.  

Which is ridiculous, of course, but it comes as no surprise.

If you talk to law enforcement personnel about your reservations and worries about the enforcement of these practices(I do and did), you often get the answer " but it will not affect you, you are not a target person "( quote). What is a target person then? Young people and people of colour or otherwise an obvious migration background is the simple and devastating answer.  

Please do not get me wrong.  There is the elephant in the room, and it is that a lot of migrants in Germany are not necessarily what they seem to be. Some are violent, some are even terrorists. But I have worked with migrants from many nations.  They are, for the most part, just people, neither good nor bad. Their cultural influence can be a really great contribution for a society to stay healthy, when in moderation.  For the most part.  But of course, they need to learn how things work in another culture. It is not even easy to live in Germany and stay sane in the process for a German.  But without someone taking you by the hand and showing you the inner workings, it is neigh on impossible. 

In the Third Reich, my grandparents, my mother and father reported, that they were affirmed, the restrictions on Jews and the deportations were none of their concern, because they were not a target person.  Until my father, as a "Pimpf " unit leader ripped his rank badge and Cord from his uniform because he refused pointless military exercises as chicanery for his unit and awaited punishment for insubordination. Actually he came out lucky, but only at hair's breadth. He was eleven years old at that point. 

This might sound a bit over the top, and hopefully it is not the same thing.  I still think that we are very privileged to live in a democratic system where I can say these things. I do not assume that this is all due to some Nazi conspiracy. But if it looks like a duck, smells like a duck, sounds like a duck, and you have looked it up in the great book of ducks and checked and counterchecked it by comparing it to grouse and goose and eagle, there is a certain probability that it is a duck. This situation looks a lot like a duck.  

The solution to less crime is social welfare, housing programs, social responsibility, education, violence prevention programs, integration offers for migrants (I worked voluntarily because the project I worked for had no funding, and was living off the woods and collecting bottle refunds, just so you get the picture). 

Plus, while I do not want to state a criminal altright background of several political forces in charge, which by the way were a bit... well... let us call it counterintuitive, because a lot of these politicians are rather known for centre-left agendas. But discrimination by law is systemic in Germany, historically speaking, for the reasons e.g. Eckart Conze evaluated. It is a bit of a beacon of hope that it was the Alfried Krupp foundation that actually funded the current research and explicitly states the will to take responsibility for the past. Not every business is fascist or fascistoid, not every politician is a liar.  And we still are very privileged to live in a democratic country. But then not every migrant is a criminal, neither is every citizen, and neither is every user of knives or even collector. 

What we desparately need is a better culture of community and communication, of solidarity and democracy.  We need trustworthy heads of state and less lobbyism and we must realize that neo-colonialism lies at the core of the great many problems we are currently facing. 

Phew, not a nice post again, and I have to admit, a bit wanting for decent quotations. Actually it is just a personal view of the topic, which is rather complex, and I would be very relieved, were it all gibberish.  But fact is, that unfortunately doesn't look very probable at the moment. It is, to disclaim any political intent, an opinion based upon informed personal evaluation and therefore protected by the first article of German constitution (Grundgesetz). 

I really wished I could trust our government again, no irony intended. At the moment, it looks like a matter of survival not to.  

If you come from Germany, you can still sign this petition: https://www.change.org/p/petition-gegen-die-versch%C3%A4rfung-des-waffengesetzes-f%C3%BCr-mehr-freiheit-und-sicherheit