- Joined
- Dec 31, 2004
- Messages
- 12
Anyone get the Bushcraft UK factory seconds and have taken it out in the field? How's the handle holding up? Do anything to fix the cracks?
-
The BladeForums.com 2024 Traditional Knife is available! Price is $250 ea (shipped within CONUS).
Order here: https://www.bladeforums.com/help/2024-traditional/
Bushcraft UK 2nds
- Thread starter flawedsociety
- Start date
yablanowitz
Platinum Member
- Joined
- Apr 14, 2006
- Messages
- 10,021
I have two that I have used a little. I filled the cracks with superglue, and they are holding up just fine. I haven't taken them out in the field because there isn't any bush to craft around here, but I have used them at work a little. I'm still not really sold on the Scandi grind.
- Joined
- Nov 9, 2009
- Messages
- 44,314
I used mine for some fire making and spoon carving this weekend. Did some batoning, light (it is a 4" blade) chopping, and some playing around whittling. Handle was comfortable throughout, it's a very well thought out design. Honestly I think my RC-6 (flat grind) batons better, but this is my first Scandi, so I'm still learning my way around it. FWIW, one of my scales is pristine, the other had 2 small cracks, both of which swelled up almost completely after a week in WV. I didn't bother fixing them and they didn't give me any trouble.
- Joined
- Nov 9, 2009
- Messages
- 44,314
That is classic, worthy of a signature quote. I call dibs if you have no objection Yablanowitz.
yablanowitz
Platinum Member
- Joined
- Apr 14, 2006
- Messages
- 10,021
I have no objection. Southwest Kansas looks a lot like southern Arizona without the cactus.
I did use one of my Bushcraft seconds to reduce a tree branch to managable sized pieces for disposal today. I whittled off one piece and used it for a baton to cut the rest up into pieces. It took a little doing on the larger branches, but the knife held up fine. Afterward I was counting growth rings on some of the pieces. A branch as thick as my thumb showed 15 rings. No wonder locust wood is so hard around here.
Southwest Kansas looks a lot like southern Arizona without the cactus.I did use one of my Bushcraft seconds to reduce a tree branch to managable sized pieces for disposal today. I whittled off one piece and used it for a baton to cut the rest up into pieces. It took a little doing on the larger branches, but the knife held up fine. Afterward I was counting growth rings on some of the pieces. A branch as thick as my thumb showed 15 rings. No wonder locust wood is so hard around here.
- Joined
- Nov 9, 2009
- Messages
- 44,314
Did you notice if the handle showed any difference where the cracks are? I'm tempted to baton (hard use) the knife, with a stick, but I've not glued my handles together yet. Since it's so darn dry here, the cracks on the Spalted Maple Burl are as bad as they will probably be.
I'm going to break down and spend the $25 for the black CA and see if I can salvage at least the nicer of the 2 I bought. The 2nd one came looking a bit rough, but it cleaned up pretty well. I have to bake the knife in a 130 degree oven to get the rest of the oil out of the handles before anything.
We have plentiful Acacia and Ironwood - that is plenty tough for even a Poulan ;D
I'm going to break down and spend the $25 for the black CA and see if I can salvage at least the nicer of the 2 I bought. The 2nd one came looking a bit rough, but it cleaned up pretty well. I have to bake the knife in a 130 degree oven to get the rest of the oil out of the handles before anything.
We have plentiful Acacia and Ironwood - that is plenty tough for even a Poulan ;D
- Joined
- Oct 2, 2006
- Messages
- 1,746
You can build this in your backyard:
Carve a new kitchen set:
You can do this to your neighbor's tree, imagine his reaction the next day:
- Joined
- Dec 31, 2004
- Messages
- 12
What's the issue with the Scandi edge?
- Joined
- Mar 2, 2006
- Messages
- 1,120
Hello guys. I would caution side loading the handle around the first handle rivit. I bought three of the 2nd's and they all did well this weekend except my unskilled buddies. He was making small kindling when he side smaked it near the top handle rivit and it snapped the blade off!! I about crapped. Unfortunately he tossed it into the pond about 30 minutes after he done it after expressing many explicitives. It was truley caused by smacking the knife at a downward angle and slightly from the side. I seen him do it. I would suggest that Sal not hollow out part of the tang. It is definately weak for battoning. Just a word of caution. It is a great and beautiful knife but I believe Spyderco's design team forgot about fatwood and kindling choppers with us Bushcraft guys.
- Joined
- Nov 9, 2009
- Messages
- 44,314
That really sucks. I think I am not picturing what happened correctly. He was battoning the knife near to the first rivet like at a 45 degree angle? Amnd the blade broke? I'm just going to go ahead and throw this out there...What about making BC knives out of Uddeholm RWL-34 steel? Seems to work ok for some makers, and it has properties similar to ATS-34 and 154-CM. Ideas/thoughts?
- Joined
- Mar 2, 2006
- Messages
- 1,120
I just ordered another one for him. Literally. I am that sure of this Bushcraft design by Spyderco. He had the blade stuck in the wood and hit it uneven kinda from the side about even with the top handle rivit. Then it went snap! I truly think that this is a good design except for the skeletonized tang.
yablanowitz
Platinum Member
- Joined
- Apr 14, 2006
- Messages
- 10,021
You can build this in your backyard:
Yeah, right. Even if my back yard was that big, I'd have to strip the whole neighborhood of trees to get that much wood.
Carve a new kitchen set:
Trees get that big where you live? It took fifteen years for that branch to get as big around as my thumb, remember?
You can do this to your neighbor's tree, imagine his reaction the next day:
I guess I could if my neighbor had a tree. He doesn't.
My issue with it is simple: I hate thick edges. I prefer a flat ground blade, 0.010" to 0.020" behind the edge bevel. That's what I'm used to using. Having the edge bevel wedge out to the full thickness of the blade is like using an axe.
I avoid side loading the handle at any point on any knife. That's what crowbars are for, and I've managed to break a couple of them. Maybe I know nothing about how to baton, but it seems to me striking the knife on the handle is the wrong way to go about it. The fate of your buddy's knife would seem to bear this out.
schmittie
Gold Member
- Joined
- Nov 28, 2009
- Messages
- 2,971
Well, I've had my UK bushcraft for a few weeks now and I have to say I LOVE it! The scales are beautiful for sure. I was fortunate enough to have only one crack in one scale. I've kept an eye on it and just being in the humid Midwest, it's almost gone. I've done some batoning with it and fire making of course. So far she has held up great. I am very happy with this purchase so far.
high desert
Gold Member
- Joined
- May 20, 2009
- Messages
- 3,488
I had mine out and to do some whittling light batoning. Mine had only one small crack on one side only. It did go from top to bottom but was not thru any hardware(almost unnoticable) It did not change in my local so I super glued it. This knife came to me razor sharp. This is my first scandi grind. After using it for a while I tried to touch-up the edge with a ceramic rod but was not happy with the results. I then used a hard arkansas stone and laid the knife flat engaging the whole grind surface to the stone and it was like a razor again with only a few passes. I have never owned a knife with a blade so sharp. I am impressed with this knife. As far as batoning I will use my Ratmandu for that type of work and my spyderco for any detail cutting.
Last edited: