Live and learn?

cbach8tw

cbach8tw

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Jan 9, 2006
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i went camping recently and wanted to try and baton some small fire wood kindling from a bigger piece using my Lt Wright Bushcrafter HC, i wasn't having any luck using a wood baton so I thought, heck, I will use my small hammer on it, well needless to say after striking the spine a few times, I felt some indentations on the spine with rough edges. I will not do that again, so here it is, anyone learn by trial and error a better way to use your camping equipment?
 
cbach8tw said:
anyone learn by trial and error a better way to use your camping equipment?
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Nah . . . I read a book or two when I was like twelve and I had some good people around me so :
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PS: and one's clothes etc don't smell like a forest fire . . . not to mention the lack of holes burnt in everything. :thumbsup:

and suddenly one's knife requirement goes from this
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to this
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Don't sweat it, though you may get snarky responses.

In 2012 I picked up a bk2 (still have it) and it led me to blade forums. I was pretty abusive to knives back then, I beat that knife like it stole from me, including with a hammer.

I was breaking ice up on my roof that was rather thick and I used the bk2 as a wedge. It took the beating in stride but did mushroom a bit from being hit with a hammer. It accomplished the task and I never used it that hard again. Repaired the damage on the knife and basically retired it a few years later as a keep sake of my journey of knife use.

Live and learn is right. You're doing fine :thumbsup: , some of us learn the hard way by breaking things :D.
 
If it’s any consolation, I did something much worse. A few years ago I received an old large Boker trapper in on a trade. It was in decent shape and both blades had a gorgeous dark patina. After we sealed the deal, I took the knife home and when I inspected it a little closer I noticed both blades were slightly warped. It was hardly noticeable unless you really examined it closely.
It really bugged me because I wanted to keep the knife, so I decided to straighten the blades. After failing a few attempts, I figured it was time to clamp it down in a vise and tug on the handle to force the warp out. Well, after applying an ever so slightly amount of pressure, I heard a high pitch SNAP!!! My old Boker went from a two bladed trapper to a blade and a half.
Needless to say I wasn’t a happy camper and it was nobody else’s fault but my own. Life is full of surprises.
 
I started camping very young with my folks, so benefited from watching them. But I watched a friend, after struggling to grill a steak on a weak campfire, place it directly on the grate of a Coleman stove (white gas.) That made a pretty good mess.
 

Al Mar Pathfinder from the early 80's taught me plenty . Pic is the one sent to replace the original that shattered at the hilt and when flying into the woods (except for the handle) .

Very expensive , polished stainless machete / short sword from a big name . Despite the ad hype , it broke apart dangerously and was rendered useless within the first few minutes of wood chopping . :(

Taught me to be wary of stainless in big choppers and not to trust expensive hyped products that have great ad copy without independent verification .

To try stuff out close to home 1st before trusting out in nowhere . To not rely completely on any one piece of gear . To carry basic first aid kit . Avoid Al Mar ! :mad::thumbsdown::thumbsdown:
 
You live and you learn. Its part of life. The best thing to do when you make a mistake is to learn from it.
 
cbach8tw said:
I will not do that again, so here it is, anyone learn by trial and error a better way to use your camping equipment?
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I was taught at a early age, decades before the internet, that a good knife and a wooden batton kept the kindling box next to the woodstove full.
 
Thanks again, my wife did ask me if I had brought the ax, of course I didn't. So, before
I ruin it, the ax, how do you sharpen it, file or grinding wheel? The grinding wheel is in the garage but I am afraid to get hurt using it.
 
cbach8tw said:
Thanks again, my wife did ask me if I had brought the ax, of course I didn't. So, before
I ruin it, the ax, how do you sharpen it, file or grinding wheel? The grinding wheel is in the garage but I am afraid to get hurt using it.
Click to expand...
File and a sharpening stone. No grinding wheel!:eek:
 
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