How is your knife?

S

SuzukiGS750EZ

Joined
Dec 30, 2008
Messages
4,563
Lets hear what youve put johns knives through. The good, the bad and the ugly. Mine takes whatevers handed to it from chopping to whittling to cutting. It does it all. And im sure i didnt have to sharpen it after every other use, but im anal :-) what can i say.
 
My JK knives see plenty of trail time, and I am not afraid to use them. They stand up well to all sorts of outdoors cutting and chopping, and they work nicely in the 'camp kitchen', too.

It's hard to say whether I have put my Anniversary Knife or my Hudson Bay through more intense use. The Hudson Bay is a chopper / camp knife, so it has certainly done more in the way of limbing fallen trees, trail clearing, batoning, and so on. But my Anniversary Knife is my go-to belt knife for most outings, so it sees more regular use. Both of them routinely return from outings covered in snow, ice, pine sap, ash, and so on - and they bounce back nicely after a bit of TLC. Neither of them look 'fresh off the line' anymore, but they perform just as well as the day I got them, and I look forward to many years of use.

My HB, helping to get a fire going in Algonquin Park.

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And clearing a trail through the bush on Blue Mountain.

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And on a snowshoe outing, cleaning up some snapped trees.

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My AK in the summer, practising some fuzz-stick making. In this photo, it's wearing a natural patina.

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For snowshoe season, I gave it a coat of cold blue, for a bit of added rust protection. Here it is after a great half-day of trail maintenance.

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All the best,

- Mike

PS - I think that my HB is a contender for one of the most-posted knives in this forum. :)
 
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My JK Knatchet has far exceeded my expectations, a perfect survival tool I love it !

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Hi Mike -

Cool pics - thanks!

I have not taken too many pics of my Kephart lately, but I have done everything from cutting english muffins apart for breakfast (it's a little too thick for that task), to cutting up a pork tenderloin roll and then cutting pockets into them for stuffing (it worked EXCELLENT for that), to cutting up chicken for dinner -
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The knife is developing a nice patina - although slowly since I keep it rinsed off and dry.

I am going to stop and get some boiled linseed oil for the handle this evening as I want to get the handle a deeper color and protect the wood.

pitdog - I really like the knatchet - may have to order one of those later this year.

best regards -

mqqn
 
One question. I got my knife in 01 with maple burl handles and a darker leather sheath. If i were to use this setup in the rain for 8+ hours what would happen to the blade, handle and leather? Should i bring a mora? I love the knife but any abuse i can avoid is nice.
 
It would potentially rust, darkening the leather and handle. Use it. They beg to be used, not sit in a drawer.

My Lobo and kephart have batonned, pried, carved, diced, sliced, and many more things. I own about a dozen of John's knives and all have served well.
 
Oh it gets massive woods time. Starts fires.............

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For cooking, cause this is one of my favorites when out for the day.....

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It also just cut up 5 pounds of beef for jerky. No pics there though. Just finished 10 mins ago actually and now it's marinating.

:):thumbup:
 
Rockywolf said:
It would potentially rust, darkening the leather and handle. Use it. They beg to be used, not sit in a drawer.

My Lobo and kephart have batonned, pried, carved, diced, sliced, and many more things. I own about a dozen of John's knives and all have served well.
Click to expand...

But will it take a toll later on? I don't mind a well used, weathered knife. But if it will eventually hurt the handle, pit the blade or stink up the leather i'd rather not. I love the knife, it handles everything i throw at it, and for that, i don't think a 1 or 2 time use in the rain is worth the potential mess ups.
 
Hi Suzuki -

I think Stomper recommends using boiled linseed oil on the handles of his natural wood knives.

I just bought a can today and the can says mix 2 parts mineral spirits to one part linseed oil so that the oil can soak into the wood.

This should weatherproof the wood for a certain amount of time.

I'll take pictures of the process as I am about to do my Kephart.

best regards -

mqqn
 
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SuzukiGS750EZ said:
One question. I got my knife in 01 with maple burl handles and a darker leather sheath. If i were to use this setup in the rain for 8+ hours what would happen to the blade, handle and leather? Should i bring a mora? I love the knife but any abuse i can avoid is nice.
Click to expand...

Good question. I was on a hiking trip in Algonquin Park last summer, carrying my JK Hudson Bay in one of Stomper's riveted leather sheaths. We hit the trails on day one during a light drizzle, and this continued throughout the day. Ponchos notwithstanding, we were pretty damp when it came time to set up camp for the evening. On the same trip, I dove into the lake fully-clothed in order to rescue a nice Rapalla X-Rap lure that had decided to attach itself to a sunken log. My HB and sheath got soaked. The HB has also seen use during the dead of winter, in -25 C (plus windchill) conditions, and has been put back into the sheath covered in ice and snow.

Here's what I have concluded: Aside from prolonged submersion, these things can pretty much take whatever you throw at them. The leather sheath is the 'weak link' of the bunch, as it will stretch a bit if it gets totally soaked and isn't dried in a reasonable timeframe. Keeping an O-1 blade in a wet (or icy!) sheath will definitely result in minor rust spots. In my experience, these spots can easily be removed with a bit of steel wool, even after a half-week of rusting.

Ultimately, my only real advice is: if you get your sheath soaked, make a point of drying it out when you get the chance.

All the best,

- Mike
 
Well, i've been doing a lot of hiking lately and bring the JK but threats of rain the other day and now snow make me wonder if i should bring it out. I mean, i know it could go out but i love the thing too much to bring it out in rain once or snow and mess it all up. To me it's not worth it. I use lexol leather conditioner on the sheath and S100 carnuba paste wax on the entire knife.
 
Suzuki, I agree that the leather sheath is the weak link. I'm saying that I've used my knives in the snow puhlenty! and they haven't suffered. Go for it and do a little tuning up when you get done.
 
Whenever i come home i touch up the edge and clean the blade with Noxon and then coat the whole knife in that car wax i mentioned above.
 
Wow. That knife is pampered!

I guess it's up to each of us how to strike the best balance between knife protection and knife use. I have always thought of John's knives as the cutlery equivalent of draft horses - they need regular care and upkeep, but they are built for heavy work!

Best,

- Mike
 
I've always been one to over care for everything i own. I like the knife and i can't exactly see down the line how the lack of care on a knife will effect it, so i take care of them. It's an asthetic piece as well as a user so i try and keep it good looking to show/exhibit johns work but keep it functional to use. I don't baby the knife when using it, but at the end of the day it looks and functions the same as when it left the house. Do i really baby my knife too much? lol.
 
I must say that I have never waxed a blade,but am a firm believer in maintaining my equipment.
 
I have a few my go to is my urban tank just because i can use it everyday. I have not had a single problem with any knives except for the fact i almost cut my finger off with my anniversary knife hehe. Seriously though these are tough knives ment for everyday use. You definetly get your moneys worth with a JK thats for sure.
 
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