A Chakma Alternative?

Howard Wallace

Howard Wallace

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A few years ago I picked up some ceramic rods from Smokey Mountain Knife Works. They were something like 12 for $3. I've thrown them in packs and suitcases when I traveled. They are good for aligning edges and touching up blades.

I just got around to mounting one. I used a piece of whitetail crown. It's solid bone on the end. The other end got drilled about 1/2" and the rod was epoxied in place.

Antlerstick1.JPG


I really like the ceramic rods for blade touch-up and alignment. They do the alignment job of a steel, and also sharpen by taking off tiny amounts of metal. They will sharpen a blade like a steel will not. When they clog up they clean up quickly with a bit of scouring powder. I prefer it to the chakma.

It might be interesting to have a khukuri with a karda, ceramic hone, ferrocerium rod, and tinder pouch. Sort of an update to the old "toolkit."

Anything else needed in the "new model" toolkit? How about a space pen?
 
Everything you said about ceramic is true, except I and the clean up don't get along.


I usually don't carry either a karda or chakma. You'd have to be in the field a long time, or do some serious cutting and chopping to dull an HI blade. I'll touch them up when I return from wood cutting.




munk
 
I picked up a mini knife sharpener on a keychain at a gunshow for a few bucks. Easy to slip into a pocket, although a little dainty for larger kuks without some practice. Doesn't get lost like kardas, chakmaks, awls, pencils, tweezers or whatever you try to carry in the little outside holders on the traditional scabbard - can't tell you how many k's & c's I lost till I gave up on carrying them.
 
I always wondered why the tool kit didn't include a fork. Seems like a small fork would be more useful for eating than a very tiny spoon, and get more use than some of the other gizmos.
 
Howard, you did a real nice job on that. I've mounted 6 or so of the ceramic rods, 8.5 in, that I bought from Ragweed forge. I used pen blanks from eBay, walnut, maple, oak, etc. They rarely turned out as professional-looking as yours. Biggest problem I have is drilling the hole so that the rod fits perpendicular to the face of the blank. I also use a stainless steel washer for a 'guard', in case I stroke the blade too far down on the rod.
 
Howard, do you still carry the vaseline soaked cotton balls in a plastic baggie in your wallet just in case? Or was that you I'm thinking of?

I'm sure I know someone who did that? :confused:
It looks like the vaseline would deteriorate the baggie over time and then ruin the inside of your wallet but what do I know? :rolleyes:

Excellent job on the sharpener! :D :cool:
 
I picked up a ceramic rod from handamerican.com that has a leather slipcase, which also works as a strop. The one thing I don't like about ceramic is that I'm afraid of breaking it in the field. Otherwise that 800 grit rod does all my touch-up work, it really makes it easy.
They have big steels / ceramic rods here: http://www.handamerican.com/steel3.html

And small field ones here:
http://www.handamerican.com/burnisher.html

Their products are well-made and they are good to deal with.
 
I do most of my touch-up sharpening with ceramic rods that I bought from SMKW. I have several just like the one you mounted in antler. The rods usually stay in my kitchen where I can protect them better from accidental breakage and they get used on the kitchen knives about every time we do some cooking. If I can get my HI khuks really sharp (soon I hope :confused: ), I'll try touching them up with the ceramic rods.

Jeff
 
Diamond sharpeners seem to work best for me; I picture a diamond-coated chakma as the best of all worlds.... wonder if it could be made somehow.


Ad Astra :confused:
 
Berkley said:
I picked up a mini knife sharpener on a keychain at a gunshow for a few bucks. Easy to slip into a pocket, although a little dainty for larger kuks without some practice. Doesn't get lost like kardas, chakmaks, awls, pencils, tweezers or whatever you try to carry in the little outside holders on the traditional scabbard - can't tell you how many k's & c's I lost till I gave up on carrying them.
Click to expand...
Another vote for the null chakma, and null karda. I have to admit, a good quality pocketknife can do anything a karda can.

Tohatchi NM said:
I always wondered why the tool kit didn't include a fork. Seems like a small fork would be more useful for eating than a very tiny spoon, and get more use than some of the other gizmos.
Click to expand...
Some of the old Scottish dirks had a little knife and fork. I have a forged fork with antler handle I carry in my leather "purse" sometimes. Good idea. Come of the Chinese and Tibetans have a chopsticks, small knife combo they carry.

Aardvark said:
Howard, you did a real nice job on that. I've mounted 6 or so of the ceramic rods, 8.5 in, that I bought from Ragweed forge. I used pen blanks from eBay, walnut, maple, oak, etc. They rarely turned out as professional-looking as yours. Biggest problem I have is drilling the hole so that the rod fits perpendicular to the face of the blank. I also use a stainless steel washer for a 'guard', in case I stroke the blade too far down on the rod.
Click to expand...
The guard idea is a good one. I just spread a little epoxy on the cut end, but it probably does not look as nice. The hole I drilled was big enough to take out all the pourus central portion of the antler.

Yvsa said:
Howard, do you still carry the vaseline soaked cotton balls in a plastic baggie in your wallet just in case? Or was that you I'm thinking of?

I'm sure I know someone who did that? :confused:
It looks like the vaseline would deteriorate the baggie over time and then ruin the inside of your wallet but what do I know? :rolleyes:
Click to expand...
Yes, that's me. It's been a few years and my wallet's not wrecked yet. Of course, just a a precaution I make sure there's never any money in it. ;)

Mr.BadExample said:
I picked up a ceramic rod from handamerican.com that has a leather slipcase, which also works as a strop. The one thing I don't like about ceramic is that I'm afraid of breaking it in the field. Otherwise that 800 grit rod does all my touch-up work, it really makes it easy.
They have big steels / ceramic rods here: http://www.handamerican.com/steel3.html

And small field ones here:
http://www.handamerican.com/burnisher.html

Their products are well-made and they are good to deal with.
Click to expand...
Thanks for the sources. They seem to last forever unless they hit something hard and shatter.

cliff355 said:
Outstanding tip and very synchronous in my case. Last night I was stirring through my goods and found two of Ragnar's short ceramic rods and a pair of forkhorn whitetail antlers. Your post just put two and two together for me.
Click to expand...
Cool. Please post a picture when you're done.

devo55 said:
I do most of my touch-up sharpening with ceramic rods that I bought from SMKW. I have several just like the one you mounted in antler. The rods usually stay in my kitchen where I can protect them better from accidental breakage and they get used on the kitchen knives about every time we do some cooking. If I can get my HI khuks really sharp (soon I hope :confused: ), I'll try touching them up with the ceramic rods.

Jeff
Click to expand...
Good luck with the sharpening. There are some tips on the sharpening page of the FAQ on the HI site.

Ad Astra said:
Diamond sharpeners seem to work best for me; I picture a diamond-coated chakma as the best of all worlds.... wonder if it could be made somehow.
Click to expand...
I have a diamond sharpener that is inside a brass tube. You unscrew it, take out the sharpener, and the tube becomes the handle. They are commercially available and work really well. They do take off more metal than ceramic though.

BruiseLeee said:
When I first glanced at the pic, I thought,"Leftovers from dinner. Pix and deal."

:)
Click to expand...
Caught! I was thinking of calling the thread "Sharpening with leftovers" but I didn't think anyone would open it.
 
I've also thought about this. I put together a 16.5" WWII, a flat grind Norweigan neck knife (a Bark River Mini or Mikro would be even better), a modern burnisher (designed for woodworking scrapers), an awl, a ferro rod, and some modern tinder. It was my version of the "modern khukuri toolkit." I was thnking of putting together a kydex sheath for it and bringing myself into the third millenium...but it's just a rainy day project I was toying with.
 
I've made a couple chakmas out of old butcher's steels that work really well for me in the field. Sometimes they tend to put more of a razor sharp bur on one side or the other, but when i'm out in the field I don't care WHAT part of the blade is sharp as long as it cuts;) I like ceramic rods as well. i have one that i the knives that I like to keep Uber-sharp like my JKM-1s and my kerambit. Like munk, i can never get them clean..or as clean as i would want them.
As far as the vasoline soaked cotton balls ruining a baggie, couldn't one put the soaked cotton balls in one of those Food Saver baggies and use the Food Saver machine to squish them flat and seal them from air? I would think that those heavy duty bags would hold up to a lot of abuse before they would break or leak. I was just thinking about that as I'm SURE i'll get something along the lines of a food saver for a wedding gift. I don't leave leftovers when I eat so it's not going to do me any good for anything else;)

jake
 
Tohatchi NM said:
I always wondered why the tool kit didn't include a fork. Seems like a small fork would be more useful for eating than a very tiny spoon, and get more use than some of the other gizmos.
Click to expand...

Anything you can eat with a fork can be eaten with fingers or sticks. (Be couth. Lick fingers clean after eating.) Now soup can slip through your fingers somewhat, so a spoon is called for.

The Spoon - Universal Eating Implement! Up the spoon!!!
 
bismark77 said:
I've also thought about this. I put together a 16.5" WWII, a flat grind Norweigan neck knife (a Bark River Mini or Mikro would be even better), a modern burnisher (designed for woodworking scrapers), an awl, a ferro rod, and some modern tinder. It was my version of the "modern khukuri toolkit." I was thnking of putting together a kydex sheath for it and bringing myself into the third millenium...but it's just a rainy day project I was toying with.
Click to expand...
Can we get pictures of your modern kit? Do you have it all packed in one of the traditional sheaths? Does stuff fall out?

Steely_Gunz said:
I was just thinking about that as I'm SURE i'll get something along the lines of a food saver for a wedding gift.
Click to expand...
Nuptials coming up? :)



Hey, Tohatchi and Tom, about this spoon vs. fork thing. There's always the titanium spork. We're living in a new era now.
 
Sporks. :barf: Dribble soup on beard. Evil! = Spoon designed by committee at McDonalds. :barf: :barf:
 
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