4th test for the seal pup

RescueRiley

RescueRiley

Joined
Mar 22, 2006
Messages
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well got home from work today and put the seal pup through its 4th test...whittling I used it to whittle the parts to a figure 4 deadfall. This involves som intricacy due to the small notches that need to be carved for the trigger but it worked out fine...a smaller blade with a thinner profile probably wouldv'e been better but it worked...so far it's done afair anoutn of kitchen work, battoned some kidling, chopped through a 1 by 2 and whittled a trap trigger...still as sharp as it was out of the box. shaving sharp despite the aus 6 steel..granted I'm sure after battoning, and chopping and whittling day in and day out it might be different but that's why aceramic rod will ride along. while ther are many tasks it is not ideal for, it seems so far to be defnitely adequat for everything I've attempted to do with it, and shows no sign of wear except fo the finish I hope it holds up.....I'm starting to like it might try to customize later. we'll see
 
I like it when someone uses a non-marquee-name knife made of a non-super-duper-flavor-of-the-month steel and finds it works just fine.

Remember when 440C was the be-all-end-all of cutlery steel in some circles? Now people turn their noses up at it... I find this amusing.
 
In the future one of the tests has to be about sharpening it once it's dull.

The ability to hold an edge in the field is important, but also is it's ability to take an edge within reasonable time too.
When thinking about testing the ability to sharpen, also think about what type of sharpening stone or rod you wish to compare at that time too.
 
I just picked up a gatco tri-steps ceramic "dogbone style sharpener it ca sharpen both serrated and straight edges which is ideal for the pup, and it is small enought o ride piggy back on the sheath, So that'll more than likely be the one i end up using "at least at first"
 
Gibson How true!!!! certainly the newer steels have better properties...but when I was a boy growing up in the northern catskills a buck knife with 420hc steel was about the greates thing a guy could have...and the people who really had to live off the land....Aborigines/Native americans/Didn't have any steel at all untill it eas introduced to them by europeans, and the got along fine.
 
Lol RescueRiley, my EDC is an Idaho Buck 501 with a 420hc blade. They heat-treat it very well, and I feel it strikes a great balance between edge-holding and sharpenability. Also, it cost me something like $40, shipped. :)

In any case, I'm with you in your testing methods. There's no better way to learn about knives than to use them. When I first got my Master Hunter, I was a little concerned it was actually too big. So I spent a couple hours at a picnic table, sipping brews and whittling, carving, scraping, chopping, gouging and generally abusing an ugly, gnarly, tough crotch of hardwood. To see how dull the knife got, how sore my hands got, how "handy" it was and so forth. It's now one of my favorites, and has taught my to appreciate a nice wide flat grind, among other things.
 
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