http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/ en Fri, 24 May 2013 10:43:57 GMT vBulletin 60 http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/images/misc/rss.png http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/ http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1071226-Southern-California-Hanging-out-at-a-Creek-amp-Waterfall-Hunting-w-JK-Knives-ViKtim?goto=newpost Thu, 23 May 2013 19:36:48 GMT Mission #1: Creek Exploration Operatives: Junglas and Girlfriend of Junglas Location: San Bernardino Mountians Equipment: JK Knives ViKtim #9 Image: http://i.imgur.com/MXGrnmS.jpg Image: http://i.imgur.com/tCEBz3r.jpg Image: http://i.imgur.com/5feLadz.jpg Mission #1: Creek Exploration
Operatives: Junglas and Girlfriend of Junglas
Location: San Bernardino Mountians
Equipment: JK Knives ViKtim #9







My GF looking for gold....









JK Knives ViKtim











]]> Junglas http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1071226-Southern-California-Hanging-out-at-a-Creek-amp-Waterfall-Hunting-w-JK-Knives-ViKtim http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1071145-Yaking-it-up?goto=newpost Thu, 23 May 2013 15:26:11 GMT Well it's Wednesday and already had a couple of great trips this week. Monday three of us set out in the swamp for a three hour trip down a creek, into the river system and back. Round trip about 7 miles.
Leaving out



The creek, saw several alligators, thats one on top of the water on the right causing the ripples.



Out of the creek and into the lakes



Osprey chicks are hatching, saw several nests full.



Paddle 5




Yesterday four of us hit St Joe State Park and paddled the peninsula. Bay on one side, wilderness preserve in the middle, and Gulf of Mexico on the other.

Leaving out from the launch.



Perfect weather, hardly any wind, and crystal clear water in the bay. Stingrays everywhere. Saw mullet, ladyfish, trout, and a couple of sharks.




Beaching at one of the trailheads.



The wilderness area view from a dune. Primitive camping sites and hiking trails all the way out to the point.









Short walk from one side to the other.




The gulf side.









Back on the bay to paddle back. Took our time and fished a little on the way back.


Kept a couple of speckled trout for the grill.
]]> fishshooter http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1071145-Yaking-it-up http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1070826-Rabbits-ate-my-blueberries!-ARGH!!-What-s-a-good-bait-for-the-lil-devils?goto=newpost Wed, 22 May 2013 16:23:21 GMT Hey Survival Guys an' Gals,

-_- I hate rabbits. The little devils ate my blueberries. My ding-a-ling helper forgot to tie plastic bags to a pole beside each one. The little suckers ate the leaves!! (The bags have long worked to keep rabbits out of my garden.) Ugh.. Nasty little vermin. :-) Heh. That's ok. What's a good bait to work with the "Have-a-heart" traps? I'll get those little suckers.. Trapping them shouldn't be too hard. Question is:Do I kill the rabbits or relocate them? Personally, I'd rather flour and fry them, myself. ]]> bored2deth http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1070826-Rabbits-ate-my-blueberries!-ARGH!!-What-s-a-good-bait-for-the-lil-devils http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1070543-Just-checking-in-!?goto=newpost Tue, 21 May 2013 19:34:11 GMT Hey hope everyone is enjoying getting out and about now the weather is picking up a little.
I've not been posting for a while so thought I'd better just drop by and show that me and my girls are still all alive and kicking, LOL !

Sorry the pics from today aren't great but they were took with my phone.





The Tiny terror is still just as crazy !



Maisy is still the best dog ever !



And these are basically the only knives I've been carrying just lately. Often just the SAK. A buddy of mine gave me a rabbit he'd shot with his crossbow last week and I skinned and gutted it using the Swampwarden, I'd not done anything like this for quite some time but I have to say the little Warden really impressed me. I quickly realized why people don't advocate Paracord wraps on knives you are using for gutting animals with, I doubt I'll do any more for quite some time though so the Paracord stays on !

]]> pitdog http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1070543-Just-checking-in-! http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1070492-Daughter-Self-defense-as-part-of-Urban-Survival-skills-Snake-in-my-mother-in-laws?goto=newpost Tue, 21 May 2013 16:11:47 GMT Hey Forum Peoples!!,

I'm back again. So, all in all, I have to say...trying to convince my daughter to learn self-defense and urban survival
skills hasn't quite panned out. She always smiles and says, "I'll be ok.". Aaaaaaaaargh!!! -_- Meh. Pfffffffft. Blah. How
annoying. I'll give up....................for now. Hehe. I mean seriously? Am I a bad dad? I just want the girl to be safe at
school! Cripes! -_- Well, at least she's learned to park her car closer to the store entrances, and within better lit areas at night..
what little she actually goes out at night. She has at least started to learn awareness. :-)

So, in addition to the typical Urban Survival skills, what do you guys all think? Is self-defense a priority? Awareness certainly
should be, but should physical self-defense be a priority? I've trained in it for years and it's fun. Hmmm...I guess it's less
video game and tv time?

Then also there is the fact that a copperhead got into my mother-in-law's basement. I found the skin. Found the snake too, it
was already dead. Any ideas how one could get in there? It's pretty well sealed up. ]]> bored2deth http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1070492-Daughter-Self-defense-as-part-of-Urban-Survival-skills-Snake-in-my-mother-in-laws http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1070240-New-crop?goto=newpost Mon, 20 May 2013 21:27:28 GMT Went to check on the new crop of Black Walnuts on the trees in my area . Brought the Tops Tibo with me that I finely found yesterday.:D Image: http://i147.photobucket.com/albums/r318/hawkeye5_2006/Tops-%20Tibo/IMG_0375_zps9bb199e2.jpg ... Went to check on the new crop of Black Walnuts on the trees in my area . Brought the Tops Tibo with me that I finely found yesterday.:D



Well looks like we my get some Black Walnuts this fall . Maybe I can find enough to make a Black Walnut cake.:thumbup:
I hope so last year it was just to dry. ]]> Hawkeye5 http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1070240-New-crop http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1070024-First-kayak-camping-trip-of-the-year-(pics)?goto=newpost Mon, 20 May 2013 02:51:13 GMT I go on maybe 3-4 trips a year with these guys and we have a blast..Some will call this " Roughing It "..Namely our wives,who think were half crazy but as you all will see..This is far from roughing it..We always use outfitters which are surprisingly affordable and its so nice to end your journey where your truck is parked..
CD ]]> CellerDrummer http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1070024-First-kayak-camping-trip-of-the-year-(pics) http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1069936-How-to-Build-a-Raft?goto=newpost Sun, 19 May 2013 22:21:55 GMT Actually I can't show this. Just got a call from a producer. Carry on. Sorry. ]]> averageiowaguy http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1069936-How-to-Build-a-Raft http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1069886-Friday-Recon-Saturday-Adventure-Plants-Animals-Insects-Snake-(phto-Hvy-graphic)?goto=newpost Sun, 19 May 2013 20:10:09 GMT During the week when I am working I take breaks and wander around the areas looking for things of interest...plants, animals, tracks, whatever, then on the weekends I take my daughter on a hike in the areas I was working in to show her around and show her different things like plants she hasn't seen or stages she hasn't seen them in. Since the season is past mid spring, there are a lot of things going on in the wild world, so I thought I should have a pretty interesting Saturday planned out for the little one...little did I know there would be a surprise event at the beginning of our Saturday hike.

Edit: It has been pointed out to me that I should maybe clarify this situation for those who don't actually know me. The only reason I killed the copperhead in the pictures below is because it was, in my opinion, injured well beyond any reasonable expectation of healing when it struck at the underside of the car that drove over it. It appeared to be fine up until that point. My initial goal was to do the snake and the people on the thirty or forty mountain bikers headed that way a favor and relocate the snake onto some large rocks on the opposite side of the road from where my daughter and I were going hiking. I just wanted to observe the snake's physical condition and disposition, and took a few detailed photos. Then came a car that just couldn't be bothered to go around the snake as I was motioning. It instead straddled the snake not trying to run over it. Apparently the snake was disoriented and struck at the underside of the car as it went over and that didn't work out very well for the snake. I know that Copperheads are venomous snakes, but from my experiences their numbers have drastically declined in recent years, and this was not in a populated area. I have seen enough death and bloodshed, I will only ever harm any living thing for three reasons; defense, hunger, or euthanasia. When it comes to wild animals of all types, I'd much rather observe and photograph, and just live and let live. However, once all hope of a rescue operation had passed, my severely pragmatic side took over. The analyst and scientist in me just couldn't pass up the opportunity for an up close study of the snake, and the teacher in me couldn't pass up the chance to teach my daughter some things she needs to know about this area and the creatures that inhabit it. After a brief analysis of the snake as a whole by myself and my daughter, I dispatched the snake by the quickest and most merciful method I had at my disposal at the moment. I have a tendency to document as much of any event as I can, I think my photo-heavy posts bear witness to this. The pics of the snakes euthanasia are not an attempt at cool factor, there is never anything cool about the death of an innocent. They were just a response to earlier comments from family and friends about me letting my daughter handle a venomous snake, and also in hopes of nipping any future such comments in the bud. It was my way of illustrating that though I may be a bit crazy...I am neither crazy enough, nor stupid enough to let my young daughter handle a live venomous snake or even a dead one with the fangs still present that could lead to my daughter being injured.



Friday morning, I was running late and racing the sunrise to get set up in the area I was planning on working in.












Driving down the dirt road I spotted a set of coyote tracks along the side of the road.












Not far away I found more coyote sign






Future autumn olives






May Apples







Lots of hornets in the area, I saw a few on dead trees gathering materials for their nests.






Lots of flowering plants in bloom currently, especially lots of blackberry blooms, so lots of bees and other flying insects in the area.


























Quite a few turkeys in the area too.








The sassafras is going good








So is the poison oak








Competition for sunlight gets fierce at times. Virginia creeper, grapes, and poison ivy are competing here.






Several spiders in these woods












.
End part 1 of 3 ]]> mistwalker http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1069886-Friday-Recon-Saturday-Adventure-Plants-Animals-Insects-Snake-(phto-Hvy-graphic) http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1069071-Algonquin-Park-Canoe-Trip-A-rescue-and-bad-weather?goto=newpost Fri, 17 May 2013 01:19:11 GMT Last weekend my girl friend and I met up with another couple in Algonquin Park, Ontario. It was our first canoe trip of the year. Cool weather not nice out, water temp was around 40-42 degrees that weekend. Ice out was the previous week. Canoe trip started out nice enough, a little bit of rough... Last weekend my girl friend and I met up with another couple in Algonquin Park, Ontario. It was our first canoe trip of the year. Cool weather not nice out, water temp was around 40-42 degrees that weekend. Ice out was the previous week.

Canoe trip started out nice enough, a little bit of rough water but we handled it well. Sadly the other canoeing group behind us flipped their canoe into the water. They we able to grab the canoe of there friends so they could pull them to a near by island(400 yards away). Were we raced to the island to build a fire for the guys that fell in. Got to the island and got a fire going quickly, lately I've been carrying a Bic lighter in a waterproof container. Glad I did, didn't want to be messing around with a fire steel and looking for tinder. We got the guys into dry clothes and by a nice fire. They weren't in good shape, hypothermia for sure. I've been there sadly so I know the signs well. Luckily this was close to the docks still, maybe a half mile so they still had cell reception and they called for help. Did I mention they had no life jackets on?....Foolish! If there was no one around i'm sure it would have been a body rescue and not just some hypothermia treatment needed.

So we carried on. Just finished the first portage and it began to rain....AND RAIN!!!! 32.8mm in one day. Even with all the Goretex in the world you were bound to get some what wet. And we did. But after another terrible up hill portage we made it to the final lake and canoed to camp where are friends had a tarp set up for us and our gear and fire to get warm and dry out a bit.

Next day was beautiful! Fishing was slow but I did manage to score one nice trout. Canoed around the lake, even saw some otters playing on shore.

Now its Sunday, time to back up and head up. WRONG! ....SNOW! and winds. Not save to be on the water. And we were trapped for another day. Monday rolled around the weather was much nicer minus the insane winds. You'd paddle 6 feet and the wind blows you back 5 feet. But we did make it out. Took an additional 2 hours more then it should of, but we did it!

Now some pictures

Trout
[/URL]
Fire Pit
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My tent with some snow
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Snow starting
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My Nova Craft Prospector Canoe
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My dog
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Our Camp
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Snow picking up
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And Finally....Some sharp stuff!!
[/URL]
[/URL] ]]> matthew krissak http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1069071-Algonquin-Park-Canoe-Trip-A-rescue-and-bad-weather http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1068593-Woods-wisdom-weather-wise?goto=newpost Wed, 15 May 2013 14:25:32 GMT Hi guys Found this informative. Enjoy. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZDX4aDDif4 Hi guys
Found this informative. Enjoy.


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LZDX4aDDif4 ]]> ukknifer http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1068593-Woods-wisdom-weather-wise http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1068530-Knee-high-flames-in-60-seconds-using-a-knife-charred-cedar-bark-and-quartz?goto=newpost Wed, 15 May 2013 04:27:08 GMT One minute knee high flames from the *first strike *in a damp environment using a knife, quartz, cedar bark, charred cedar bark, drift wood, sticks, dead grass and White birch bark. All items were found after a rainy night on site except the striker knife and small tin used to char the bark. Built... One minute knee high flames from the first strike in a damp environment using a knife, quartz, cedar bark, charred cedar bark, drift wood, sticks, dead grass and White birch bark. All items were found after a rainy night on site except the striker knife and small tin used to char the bark. Built a platform with raised back to keep the tinder out of the wet sand. We needed the fire for night catfishing and cooking. The rather large fire ring was already on site.

Cedar bark charred earlier during the trip.



Platform, char and tinder bundle ready to go. The river was running high 10 feet away, the ground wet so didn't want to put my tinder directly on the cold wet sand. Taking no chances the bundle was also on a medium plate sized White birch bark sheet. :D



Worked out very well.



Here is a short video showing the Knife and quartz fire.



Thanks for looking. ]]> Woods Walker http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1068530-Knee-high-flames-in-60-seconds-using-a-knife-charred-cedar-bark-and-quartz http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1068503-WNY-Gathering-2013?goto=newpost Wed, 15 May 2013 02:41:07 GMT The 2013 WNY Gathering will be held August 3 rd and 4th this year. Toooj will be here once again with the Ka - Bars. It will be held at my house, and shop. The address for it is 6955 State Route 20A Perry NY 14530. Hope to see you there. Doug The 2013 WNY Gathering will be held August 3 rd and 4th this year. Toooj will be here once again with the Ka - Bars. It will be held at my house, and shop. The address for it is 6955 State Route 20A Perry NY 14530. Hope to see you there. Doug ]]> DPKnives http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1068503-WNY-Gathering-2013 http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1068324-Which-is-better-for-batoning-Scandi-or-Flat?goto=newpost Tue, 14 May 2013 15:28:54 GMT Which grind is better for hard push-cuts (ie. batoning) where edge thickness, strength and toughness are serious considerations?


Before you answer, consider this rendering:





2 knives, both 1/8" thick, 1.25" tall blade (average/typical/common dims).

1st one with a Scandi grind set at 13 degrees (26 inclusive)

2nd one with a Full Flat grind that has an edge thickness of 0.013" around 0.025" behind the edge (sharpened at the typical 30 degrees inclusive). Yes, we would consider this more of a "keen" edge, and not a "beater". But since most bushcraft/survival knife owners tend to gravitate more toward "keen" (while tactical guys prefer "beater"), then I think this is a fair comparison.

Have a look at the 2 knives overlaid in cross section. There is a ton of steel "backing up" the edge on the scandi grind. That equals out to more strength, more stiffness (resistance to lateral torsion forces) and more mass (less vibration/chatter).

Then have a look at the edges zoomed in at 16x. This is all done in CAD and these drawings were done to scale...not just drawn up in Painter. :rolleyes:
If you go 0.005" behind the edge of the flat-ground blade, the 2 knives are exactly the same thickness.

So, is it worth giving up stiffness, strength and mass on a difference in thickness so miniscule you need a microscope to see it?


Next time you hear someone say a Flat grind outperforms a Scandi in batoning, point them to this thread. ;)


Is it possible for it to happen? Sure! If you take a Scandi-ground knife with a simple carbon, thin steel (1/16-3/32") grind it too thin at say 10 degrees. Then take a flat ground knife with a heavier edge thickness - say around 0.030", a better quality steel, and a steeper sharpening angle - 40 degrees inclusive. Yes, I agree that you'll see more of a difference in cross section and performance.

BUT....you still give up stiffness, strength and mass.


Personally, I think it has more to do with the way it was used, and less with the grind itself. As with most things...it's most likely operator-error.

I make a knife that matches the 2 profiles above. Same steel, same heat-treat, same blade profile, same handle. One is scandi, one is flat ground.

My testing conclusions are this:

1. both knives "get the job done"....*shrug*
2. the scandi ground edge tends to last longer
3. if you let your wrist "twist" while holding the knife being batoned, you will eventually damage your edge - regardless of grind.
4. the flat ground edge enters quicker on the first baton, but the scandi ground edge opens up faster and has less binding throughout the split.

I have video to back this up, I just need to finish editing it. ;)

I'm not saying the Scandi-grind is the only grind to baton with...I just want to put some evidence out on the table for those that are skeptical, unfamiliar, or even saying the Scandi grind is "too thin" or "too delicate" or "too keen" and cannot be used for batoning. It's baffling to me, but every once in a while I'll see someone post this on the forums.

I've put these in the hands of 12/13-year-old boy scouts and let them wail on them. If you ever need a real test (and your blood pressure can handle it), let a young, energetic, non-knife-knut person use your "nicer" knives... and give them free reign. I've done it many times and yes I have cried inside a few times (:() watching but have learned some valuable lessons about real-world performance. I have a more experienced and careful hand - from decades of knife ownership, bushcrafting, scouting and knifemaking...any test I do will be "flavored"/biased. But a 12-13 y.o. kid (even my own son)...they tend to push things to the limits and even beyond into abuse at times.

With no skills, no technique, and basic instruction = my scouts have put both the grinds through wood pieces all the way to the bottom over and over again. The scandi lasts longer and it's obvious over time that it works better and has the advantage. (apples-to-apples, all things equal except grinds)

I felt this needed to be said, to give some balance to the hearsay that sometimes trickles down (telephone-game-style) amongst users and buyers of bushcraft and survival gear.

YMMV

Daniel Koster
KosterKnives.com ]]> Daniel Koster http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1068324-Which-is-better-for-batoning-Scandi-or-Flat http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1067927-Camp-Poppycock-2-nighter!?goto=newpost Mon, 13 May 2013 04:02:58 GMT Image: http://i282.photobucket.com/albums/kk279/Bearthedog_photos/Hikes/Popycock%20Camp/IMG_7495.jpg (http://s282.photobucket.com/user/Bearthedog_photos/media/Hikes/Popycock%20Camp/IMG_7495.jpg.html) Image:...












The axe is a daytime tool…Corona 10” saw blazed through everything put in front of it.





Looking for coconuts


Low riding



A different Trio















Up to 6,400 to PoppyCock camp











Woodcraft knives



Split pretty good for a 1.25 pound tomahawk head



A gummy bear eating a sourpatch kid











Poison Oak water creek







I ain’t afraid of no ghost







]]> bearthedog http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1067927-Camp-Poppycock-2-nighter!