21" GS VS Fenceline Foliage

Big Bob

Big Bob

Joined
Oct 13, 1999
Messages
1,732
Looking out of my kitchen window, I noticed a number of decent sized trees along my fenceline that could stand to go. I decided to give my 21" GS the chance to take them down.

For at least an hour, I chopped down (and up) several trees, the thickest being about 4.25". I'm not sure what I struck, but after working on the first tree I noticed that there were two slight waves in the blade just past the sweet spot area. For about 5 to 10 minutes I tapped/hammered on the area with the chakma while also trying more conventional chakma techniques. The waves are still visible but weren't affected by the trees that I chopped afterwards. I also took on several groups of briars that tend to go around my fenceline. My GS sliced through the living ones effortlessly, which was satisfying considering that I got scratched and poked by them more than a few times. :mad:

Earlier this month I had taken some sandpaper to my GS's handle (horn). It improved the grip to where I didn't have to readjust my hold on it as often as I had to the last time I used it. The grip was comfortable and vibration from chopping wasn't bothersome. The blade was still sharp after all my hacking and chopping, but I went ahead and touched it up with 800 and 1000 grit sandpaper and my Raz-R Steel. Its as sharp as ever now. :cool:

During my fence clearing, I noticed that the buttcap had become slightly loose. I can twist it to either side about 1mm. If I feel ambitious I'll try getting a syringe to glue it back in place, but knowing me I'll probably just leave it as is. :rolleyes:

There are still trees waiting to be removed. Since I'll be off again Thursday, I'll have an opportunity to see how my M43 handles live wood.

Bob, trying to contribute to the revival to detailed review threads. :)
 
Bob, were you able to get rid of the waves? Also what is a Raz-R-Steel? Those khuks work great don't they. Thanks for an interesting post.

Ice
 
The loose buttcap is a recurring problem in my khuks. Super glue just makes a mess for me. I've used JB Quik or weld and then sanded the whole thing out after drying, but there is always a line or mark at the buttcap. I need to find a cleaner way to do this fix.

Regards,

Norm
 
Ice, the waves are still there but not as bad as they were and like I said, weren't bothered by later chopping. The Raz-R steel is made by the Edge Company. It has two steels that fold down into the handle and are adjustable for the angle (I just fold one straight out and use it like a conventional steel).

Bob
 
Thanks for the field report. The loose buttcap can be fixed by peening over the tang a bit--search the forum for peening. A ball-peen hammer and a vice work best, but I've used a regular hammer and a stump before, and it worked fine. Just go slowly and be careful.
 
Sounds like a good time, Bob.

A coworker and I managed to put a twist in a Talwar, prior to the beer can massacre. I used my vise as an anvil and spent a bit of time wailing on it with a mallet. It didn't straighten out all the way but it's better. It's still as sharp as ever and cuts just fine.

The solution for both of us, of course, is to thrash them a few more times and see if the problem gets any worse. If it does, more aggressive corrective action is called for. If it doesn't...well, hey, then it wasn't a problem.

I can't help you with the buttcap...none of mine have come loose yet, although I suppose it's only a matter of time. I'm wondering if anyone makes a really thin epoxy that would work in cracks and such - I've never seen any but I wouldn't be surprised if it existed.
 
I've used Brownells Acra-Glas for lots of repairs and swear by it. Should work for loose buttcaps too.

Ice
 
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