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!

New bushcraft whittler in the making

 So far - so good, this is the new whittler for the woods. It´s made from ancient (150years plus) leaf spring steel I found in the woods, and bog oak from a coalmine in the Muttental, Witten, an ancient coalmining area. It has a rich burgundy colour due to lying submerged in water which was rich with iron oxide for more than a hundred years. I put it together with mosaic pins and a lanyard hole. The blade is 90x3,8mm with a selective temper, the hardness is about 58 HRC. It has a high convex bevel. The balance point is right on the index finger, making for a light and lively knife in your hand. The handle is a bit short, but I had to compromise this, because it shall ride in a pocket via clipper sheath.

Still a lot of polishing work and then it´s off for the etch.

Hope that brings out the pattern of the steel...;-) my other knives from this steel show a strange scaly pattern. I find it more interesting if a blade has a bit of a structure.

That little monster will get a clipper sheath to ride in a pocket or on the waistband of some baggy, comfy pants I love for being in the woods.

I find it fascinating to go to the edges (pun intended;-)) of knife design, and in this case it is experimenting with the relation between lightness, comfortable carrying and serviceable length. The knife certainly is not a big chopper, but is designed to be a little-everyday-task and whittling knife and a companion knife for a set.

New Whittler in Progress

This is something I did for recreation... a fast semi-integral whittling knife;-). The blade is forged to shape almost 100%, the integral´s shoulders have seen no filing whatsoever but have been set with a nail device. It is made from scrap spring steel from the junkyard and stag antler from a flea market. 65x3mm, selective temper.

New Whittling - EDC - little task knife

 I was being sick of cheap-as-chips-Moras being better than my own knives:-), so I made myself this whittler. Laminate steel, wrought iron / tank bearing steel, 1,8 mm spine thickness, copper ferrule and blackthorn handle.

 It made this wood spirit with a beard and locks in five minutes and came back begging for more! I love this knife.

 Made this scandi sheath for it.

The sheath oiled and coloured. Have to fit a butt cap (or a gemstone;-))to the handle, and it´s done...

On the bench-a whittling knife

This is another blade I have in progress to date... one for a whittling knife, nice and thin blade (70 mmx2 mm), will get a scandi grind, and a handle out of blackthorn or bog oak... or maybe a mountain man mounting? I am currently thinking about that, and it might go in the same sheath as the utility I finished recently. Laminate steel, tank bearing and wrought iron, courtesy of Matthias Zwissler, my master (somehow;-)).

Forging at the Bethaus Smithy- and a new damascus neck knife / whittling knife

 I met Volker the other day at the Bethaus smithy to have a chat about the oncoming season and had the opportunity to do some quick forging, and that´s what came out (top to bottom): Leaf handle knife (spring steel), little teenie weenie whittling seven-bar damascus (tank bearing, tank cannon), and an integral En-Nep from silver steel.

 I also had quite a bit of good natured talk with Volker. Missed you, dude!

 The damascus blade cried: I want to be made! on top of its lungs, so I set to work immediately;-). Stag antler, and the coin shows how small the blade is.

 Made a sheath for it with some jewellry.

 The antler, tanned.

 The spine varies from 0,8 to 2,4 mm in thickness.

 I fitted a stone I found on the banks of the river Rhine for jewelry... like the colour.

 The other side of the blade.

 overall details...