Chopping/batonning in COLD weather?

Joined
Oct 13, 2006
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Here is a photo taken from a thread in WS&S that got me thinking about cold weather knife usage (though, to be fair, the poster said he doesn't believe it was the cold that did the blade in, since it was 20 degrees F):

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My BWMLE is 0.22" thick - same thickness as the BRKT golok - and I want to make sure it can handle batonning and chopping in cold weather.

Who's done it and with what INFI?

Is it necessary to warm up the blade prior to chopping, like with axes?
 
I have used a Chopweiler as a baton through winter with absolutely no worries. If SR-101 can handle winter chopping and batoning, INFI certainly can! Rest easy, cause if anything happens to your Bushwacker during normal usage...Busse Combat will compensate you; its a beautiful thing.
 
Wow......sometimes, I am thankful it only gets to about 30 degrees 2 maybe days a year.
 
Rest easy, cause if anything happens to your Bushwacker during normal usage...Busse Combat will compensate you; its a beautiful thing.

Rest easy because a Busse WONT break during normal usage. I buy Busse because I don't want to even THINK about this happening when I am out in the woods.
 
Here is a photo taken from a thread in WS&S that got me thinking about cold weather knife usage (though, to be fair, the poster said he doesn't believe it was the cold that did the blade in, since it was 20 degrees F):

picture.php


My BWMLE is 0.22" thick - same thickness as the BRKT golok - and I want to make sure it can handle batonning and chopping in cold weather.

Who's done it and with what INFI?

Is it necessary to warm up the blade prior to chopping, like with axes?

Well THAT sucks!!
 
In regards to Bark River--Mike Stewart stands behind his knives as well(and is one hell of a nice man)

But I agree---Busse can and does take abuse like no other knife can.
 
Rest easy because a Busse WONT break during normal usage. I buy Busse because I don't want to even THINK about this happening when I am out in the woods.

LOL! Good point J. The thought never even enters my mind.
 
We hadn't seen 20 degrees F :rolleyes: for weeks when I did this. I had to beat the limb out of the ice just to chop it. This is in my front yard.



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INFI on frozen wood makes a cool sound. :thumbup:
 
Rest easy because a Busse WONT break during normal usage. I buy Busse because I don't want to even THINK about this happening when I am out in the woods.

Yeah, that's what I hope to expect from Busse. I know BRKT has a similar warranty (and I own their knives, too), but still, breaking a knife sucks.

Jimmy - that is awesome. Thanks!
 
There had to be something wrong with that golok for that to happen just because it was cold. Oh yeah it is'nt made of INFI!!! :D


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I've chopped extensively with a CG FBM I had a few years ago and have used a baton on my SFNO LE's in 0-20F temps with no issues. All on frozen, long dead wood. Zero problems. Not just a quick trip out for a chop but rather days spent outside all day and night in bitter cold.
Go out and beat it regardless of temps.
 
This was at about zero last year on a frozen birch log. First BWM workout and it took about 15 seconds to resharpen to hair whittling sharp.

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Mike Stewart(bark river) makes great blades. They are strong and sharp. They are however not Busse strong. That looks like a metal failure of some sort. Also looks like more happened. I dont know how it would just shear off chopping.
 
I wonder if that was a previous generation Golok. I've seen a few of those that broke in warmer weather conditions (or I should say I've seen a few people post pictures of them), infact they changed the type of steel for the most recent run to make them tougher.

I've got one of the new ones, but I haven't used it yet. Sold my old one a while back, this new one has an upswept point... looks a bit like a scimitar. ;)
 
You can even cut up your chicken bones with no problems.

It was a Purdue chicken. :rolleyes:

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I wonder if that was a previous generation Golok. I've seen a few of those that broke in warmer weather conditions (or I should say I've seen a few people post pictures of them), infact they changed the type of steel for the most recent run to make them tougher.

I've got one of the new ones, but I haven't used it yet. Sold my old one a while back, this new one has an upswept point... looks a bit like a scimitar. ;)

This. ^

I understand there were some scattered reports of failure in the 2nd Gen Goloks (made of 1095) and did hear that the 3rd Gen would be a different steel. I chopped some hard maple with my Gen 2 Golok, and could hear the edge 'singing' but it suffered no damage. Great knife! :thumbup:

INFI is very tough, and you have nothing to fear of this kind of failure. As Gravelface said, you don't have to have hope and faith in the warranty, because under any normal use, the steel will not let you down.

And the warranty is there for those other times. ;)
 
I've used both my NMSFNO and FFBM in cold weather without anything major, the only thing was when I chopped some ice with my FFBM and "dented" the edge a bit, but it was pretty much the factory edge.

Then again, I haven't tried anything to extreme weather wise, nothing like 20 below. You never know, some steels do odd things in extremely cold weather.
 
Here is a photo taken from a thread in WS&S that got me thinking about cold weather knife usage (though, to be fair, the poster said he doesn't believe it was the cold that did the blade in, since it was 20 degrees F):

picture.php


My BWMLE is 0.22" thick - same thickness as the BRKT golok - and I want to make sure it can handle batonning and chopping in cold weather.

Who's done it and with what INFI?

Is it necessary to warm up the blade prior to chopping, like with axes?


No you don't have to warm up your blade. The low temperature around and the temperature of your blade is not an issue. The problem is that wood contains water which freezes inside of it during night in extremly low temperatures and it won't melt during day neither. Then if you want to chop thru it is at least three times harder to get thru it than in summer. But if you are using your BWM I wouldn't be worried about braking it. Busse knife should withstand abuse like that. And warranty got you covered.
 
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