Knives and... ?

M

mrszeontestpilot

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Mar 28, 2012
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I've been whittling for about as long as I can remember, although I never really did anything other than remove bark from sticks and sharpen them to a point, until about 8 years or so ago. It's been kind of off and on since then, but I've made a couple (rough) chess sets, some figurines... I've changed knives various times along the way, learning some were clearly better (easier?) than others. My current most used ones are a Mora 2/0, which I use mainly for roughing out and bigger jobs; a Bear and Bull congress; and a Case Seahorse whittler. I'd kind of like to have just one main fixed and one main folder, but I have a bit of a (perhaps silly) dilemma. I want the main folder to be the Seahorse, but for some reason, it seems like the congress is maybe better suited, which leads me to wonder why. I've been working on my sharpening, and have sharpened both knives myself. Perhaps it's the original grind/design of the knife? The Seahorse has that extra thick main blade, as well as thinner than normal secondary blades, while the congress has blades all the same thickness. Also, the seahorse is stainless, while the congress is carbon. Anyone have any thoughts on any of this?
I guess I kind of feel like the congress is a bit much, since it has four blades, and I really find only two necessary. Of course the seahorse has 3, but still. Also, the congress has uneven scales, which is aesthetically kind of annoying, and I haven't really been much of a fan of carbon steel - but then, I find myself wondering if perhaps it is a little better than stainless for whittling - or is it all a matter of how it's sharpened? ehh...



Just for kicks, here are a few things I've been working on.




 
You'll have to figure out for yourself what works for you, but here's my input anyway. Regarding the Seahorse, I had to thin out the main blade on a belt sander to get it to an acceptable level of sharpness for whittling. I like the thin secondaries, though and the flexibility doesn't bother me. I don't see anything wrong with stainless blades, but most of my dedicated whittling knives are carbon. As for the four blades of the congress being a bit much, it depends on what they are. I personally like having four different blade shapes to chose from and often switch from one to another for specific cuts. Some shapes work better for a certain task even if that is the only thing they are good for. Of course, my whittling box has a bunch of knives in it, totaling 24 blades, and I still sometimes pull something out of my pocket to use while I'm working on a project.
 
I agree there's no reason you can't whittle with stainless, and the thickness is likely the problem.
 
I really like my Boker Congress Carver. I definitely use the sheepsfoot and coping blades about 90% of the time, but the spey and pen blades really come in handy from time to time. The steel takes a frighteningly sharp edge, and the swayback design of the congress seems well-suited to carving.


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Yes, that is true. I've only gotten this far by trying things out. It would make sense that the main blade is just too thick, but I don't have the equipment or skill to do anything about that. I honestly prefer the thickness of the blades on the congress, and they are all the same. The congress has two sheepsfoot blades - those are like the main blades, then there is a coping and a pen. I never use the pen, and I find two sheepsfoot blades to be a bit redundant. So for me, I think either a wharncliffe/coping or perhaps a sheepsfoot/coping combo would be ideal. I prefer straight edges for whittling.

I guess I was thinking of things I've heard in the past - like some would say carbon is superior, perhaps gets a better edge than stainless? But maybe I misunderstood. I'm not a steel expert, but I think any good steel should be able to take a good edge; it's just a matter of how easy it is to sharpen, how long they hold the edge, and then things like the blade thickness and whatnot.
 
The Mora 2/0 works, but for dedicated whittling a narrower blade is better. You should check out the Mora 106.

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mrszeontestpilot said:
I've been whittling for about as long as I can remember, although I never really did anything other than remove bark from sticks and sharpen them to a point, until about 8 years or so ago. It's been kind of off and on since then, but I've made a couple (rough) chess sets, some figurines... I've changed knives various times along the way, learning some were clearly better (easier?) than others. My current most used ones are a Mora 2/0, which I use mainly for roughing out and bigger jobs; a Bear and Bull congress; and a Case Seahorse whittler. I'd kind of like to have just one main fixed and one main folder, but I have a bit of a (perhaps silly) dilemma. I want the main folder to be the Seahorse, but for some reason, it seems like the congress is maybe better suited, which leads me to wonder why. I've been working on my sharpening, and have sharpened both knives myself. Perhaps it's the original grind/design of the knife? The Seahorse has that extra thick main blade, as well as thinner than normal secondary blades, while the congress has blades all the same thickness. Also, the seahorse is stainless, while the congress is carbon. Anyone have any thoughts on any of this?
I guess I kind of feel like the congress is a bit much, since it has four blades, and I really find only two necessary. Of course the seahorse has 3, but still. Also, the congress has uneven scales, which is aesthetically kind of annoying, and I haven't really been much of a fan of carbon steel - but then, I find myself wondering if perhaps it is a little better than stainless for whittling - or is it all a matter of how it's sharpened? ehh...



Just for kicks, here are a few things I've been working on.




Click to expand...

You might find it useful to refer to a couple of the threads on this forum:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1398804-Cavalcade-of-Carvers-(preferably-folders)
 
kamagong - I'll have to keep that one in mind. I think after I finish the round of horses I currently have lined up, I'm going to go smaller, as they're pretty big projects for me - makes it a bit more challenging. In that case, I may not need the fixed blade quite as much. We'll see about that, though.

Mr. Chips - I actually have looked at those threads, prior to posting this one. Perhaps what I need is to just stop being so picky, and just do some whittlin'.
 
I'm a firm believer in "run what ya brung" so definitely get to whittling. However, it's perfectly natural for people to develop preferences in their tools, finding what does and doesn't work. Nothing wrong with changing tools as your skills and tastes evolve. I myself have discovered that I prefer a fixed blade for whittling. Folders are more convenient, no arguing that, but I do most, if not all of my whittling/carving at home. The portability of a slipjoint means little when it's stored in a roll next to a fixed blade. I'd rather use a more comfortable knife so I have better control and don't get as fatigued over long carving sessions. It's hard to find a more comfortable handle than the wooden barrel on a Mora.

It's not unusual for whittlers to reprofile the blades of their knives. Slipjoints are sharpened with the factory edges fairly obtuse. Good for typical pocketknife use, but the edge and even blade geometry are not optimized for gliding through wood. The three slipjoints that I favor for whittling have been slightly convexed to a zero edge. Made a huge difference in performance compared to fresh out of the box.

18418867672_7e84b6e642_c.jpg
 
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