Firecraft testing the MP knives Striker knife.

[Woods Walker]

All of my kit is tested before being taken out into the field. Then tested again over multiple outings to see if it will be included within my gear or left to languish in storage boxes. A Striker knife is a type of knife which does double duty as both firecraft implement and knife. In many ways most knives within skilled hands are firecraft implements. They can split wood, make feather sticks, help fluff up tinder, make shavings etc etc etc. The striker knife can do the jobs of a knife but also help facilitate the actual ignition of a fire better than many other carbon steel knives. To accomplish this the blacksmith must make the striking area hard enough to toss sparks but the blade itself shouldn't be dead hard as it might snap or chip under heavy usage. There are some striker knives that are all dead hard but these tend to be on the smaller side. To me the process of forging and heat treatment is nothing short of magic. I have separated the testing into 4 parts each with it's own video. Not everyone is interested in all the methods of firecraft tested so feel free to skip right to your interest.

Before going into the firecraft testing just some general info on the knife. It's made from forged 80CRV2. Maybe the stock came from Aldo? I don't know that or anything about the steel beyond the fact it must be a higher carbon as the knife tosses sparks from the impact with the sharp edge of certain rocks. To be honest I have yet to measure or weigh anything so if that info is requested I will do so. But unlike an ESEE Izula hardly any two custom hand made knives will be exactly 100% the same. They don't call them custom knives for nothing. Also I don't publicly state prices on a custom knife as no two are alike. All I will say is the price was reasonable.

The knife came shaving sharp. This is an issue of contention for me. Some say it doesn't matter as the user can sharpen their own knife plus sooner or later it will need to be done. (Rant on) I say it's wrong to spend extra money only to receive a dull knife. As if the maker doesn't honestly know what is being sold isn't sharp. Really? Gosh darn I know if my knives aren't sharp so I am expected to believe the professional maker doesn't? Also when it comes sharp I can strop the knife keeping it sharp for a long time. Sure sooner or later I will put the blade to sand paper or stone but IMHO wrong is wrong. If someone wants to create excuses for their favorite maker that's cool but I won't buy into that. I do understand that mistakes happen but the disappointment of getting a dull knife is real and everyone knows it. (Rant off) Good job MP knives. The knife's convex edge came shaving sharp as it should be. 10 out of 10! Their website.

http://new.mpknives.com/

Part 1:

Fire from charred natural materials, striker knife, chert and tinder bundle. The tinder bundle consisted of fluffed jute cordage and fungus coal extenders. Charred punkwood is renewable within the field and IMHO produces a better coal than most charcloth. On the down side this is often too delicate of a tinder to be supported on a rock. The rock must strike the steel driving the sparks down into the tinder. This can be more difficult as the distance is greater. Also some find the motion awkward. Somehow I think tossing a spark into a larger mass of charred material is more representative of how it was done back in the day. I could be wrong but it seems improbable that people cut up their clothing in the field to make fire. It wouldn't be too long before they were naked. LOL!

The materials ready to go. The knife's roll in this was to shave off some fungus for the coal extenders and act as a striker for the chert. Metal is removed from the knife's spine unlike using a firesteel. I really didn't need the coal extenders but they sure increase the odds of success.



It took around 16 strikes to get a coal. Why so many? The greater distance means many sparks missed the tin. The knife is new to me. The chert was a bit rounded from earlier use. I didn't want to test it with a newly knapped edge as this doesn't always mirror what can be expected in the field. The coal was smoldering.....



Fire.



Here is a video of the test.

[video=youtube;zT64zEySt3Q]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zT64zEySt3Q[/video]

Conclusions.

The same attributes that will make this knife shine in later testing was a bit of a negative here. It was slightly more difficult to hold the knife for this type of firecraft than a striker knife with a grasping curl nearer to the blade. Also the spark was average but not exceptional. Now we have to keep in mind the edge of the chert wasn't perfect and it was my first time using this method with this knife. I have done it with other knives but first of anything is hardly ever perfect. All of that said it did the job and I am confident that any charred or proven uncharred tinder would indeed take a coal using this method and knife.

Initial score 7 out of 10 for this test.

 

[Woods Walker]

Part 2:

Bowdrill fire. A knife or other sharp edge plays a big part in many friction fire methods. Boards, grooves and spindles benefit greatly from having a tool. As it just so happens I did have a knife handy which is the purpose of a striker knife. For this test I am going to use an old fireboard from Tulip poplar plus spindle from Sycamore. The roll of the knife in this test will be to re-profile the spindle's blunt end from previous attempts, drill the pre burn in notch then cut the V groove. A knife is useful to remove the glaze off the blunt end of the spindle for increased friction on the board. It can resharpen the sharp end of the spindle to reduce friction at the bearing block. For this test I am using a shot glass for convenience so the later wasn't necessary. The blade's profile is a natural driller. It seems like a mix of Kephart, Bowie and standard drop point. I am sure someone will tell me I am wrong on one of more accounts but don't care. I really like the profile.

Drilling the pre burn in notch.



Cutting out the V- groove. I like to remove material from the back side of the groove as shown in the pic.



The finger support near the blade is what Matt called a wide finger rest or something to that effect. Gosh darn it's comfortable but that comes a bit at the expense of grasping positions for tossing sparks. I think in this case the comfort is well worth that cost. For reasons that escape me I go into a small rant about "survival" in the video. The first coal was extinguished most likely due to operator error. I rallied on a second attempt using the same hole.



It wasn't my intention to blow this coal into flames but considering it was my first attempt using this combo I wanted to finish the process. Used a bit of partially burnt jute from the last fire on top a good amount of fungus coal extenders. As luck would have it there was a knife handy to shave the fungus into fine cuttings.



It ignited then burned down before the camera would turn back on. One of the downsides of the digital age.



Here is a video of the bowdill test:

[video=youtube;S39rJvaKGlw]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S39rJvaKGlw[/video]

Conclusions:

The knife preformed beyond expectations for a striker knife. The comfort and control is so far about any other striker knife I own as to almost make this not comparable.

Initial score 10 out of 10.

 

[Woods Walker]

Part 3:

Fire using charcloth, striker knife, chert and a tinder bundle. The tinder bundle consisted of cattail fluff, winter leaves from a Beech nut tree and a bit of left over jute.



Maybe 3 or so strikes later the charcloth took a coal. I had a bit more practice using this method with the knife. In any case the sparks flew good.



If a tinder bundle contains flash over tinder like cattail it can be revived if fast enough by stirring up the fluff which will flash over again.



Here is a video of this test:

[video=youtube;9pSd_i2P1zo]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9pSd_i2P1zo[/video]

Conclusions:

I found a fairly good grasp for this method despite the lack of a front curl. Again everything is give and take. The sparks few nicely with a coal being achieved within a reasonable number of attempts. In fact I have done it previously in one strike.

Initial score 8 out of 10.

 

[Woods Walker]

Part 4:

Fire using a firesteel, striker knife and tinder bundle. The tinder bundle consisted of cattail fluff, white birch bark and winter beechnut leaves.



Sorry to say it was a total failure. The spine of this knife didn't have a filed section with a 90 degree angle. I think certain knives especially ones like this and PSKs should come with that feature. Some makers do this and others don't. This isn't the end of the road. Doing that job yourself isn't all that hard. Speaking of hard that's exactly what this knife is therefore cracked out the diamond stones. I only filed the last 1/2 inch or so to the point. I find that flint strikes will round off the edge of the spine making it hard to toss a spark from a firesteel. With a drop point the last bit almost always remains unmarked therefore the 90 degree angle will remain. Goes without saying if a person had to the knife's edge could be used. In fact I did this a few times in the past with other knives when not packing a dedicated striker. I didn't always know the preferred method. The world didn't stop spinning because of that. Still the spine makes a bunch more sense.



As this was my first time tossing sparks from the firesteel using this knife it took 3 or 4 strikes. With a bit more refining and practice this knife should be an exceptional firesteel striker. The tinder bundle took off like it was soaked in gas.



Here is a video of this test.

[video=youtube;CgMda9UAuoc]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CgMda9UAuoc[/video]

Conclusions:

Turned failure into success on my own but wished it came with the front filed like my BHKs.

0 out of 10 turned into a 7 out of 10. That might improve over time.

Overall initial conclusions:

That's about it for this long winded review. Frankly I am surprised you're still with me. I don't have enough experience to judge it's edge retention or other durability questions beyond saying the knife is still shaving sharp. Gosh it could take months before someone really knows how a tool will preform in a multitude of conditions. This is why the words "initial" appears often in this review. Now I gotta make a sheath. LOL! Thanks for looking.

 

[mykel m]

Nice knife,I like the length of that one.I had a little tin sized striker knife once & it was a real pain to use.
Especially when the spine got chewed up from the quartz I was using it on.

I used the edge of a thickly coated knife (Swamp Warden) to strike a ferro rod to light my first matchless fire & have done it a couple of times since with other knives.
Given the softness of fire steels vs a heat treated blade I see no problem using a blade edge on a ferro rod.(occasionally that is,especially when a sharpener is handy.)
You make a good point about the dropped edge of the spine point not hitting the flint,good thing you had the diamond sharpeners with you.
I always keep a diamond sharpener tucked under a bit if inner tube on my sheath.

 

[Woods Walker]

Mykel,

I have used the blade of other knives to strike a firesteel in the past but now prefer the spine. Then again anything that is harder than the firesteel and sharp will work. This includes stones. Diamond sharpeners for the win! Thanks for commenting on my review.