ML Knife...Pulled the Trigger

Q

Quirt

Joined
Oct 10, 2005
Messages
1,030
Thanks to all you guys, I took the plunge and ordered two ML Knives and while waiting picked up one of Matt's most recent blades posted on his site this week.

I've read for the last several years with interest your experiences and satisfaction with these knives. These should work well as tools for our primative wilderness outings.

Say, how are you all keeping the blades sharp? What methods are you using that is producing reliable and repeatable results? What techniques and methods are you using which I should try?

~Q

Argh! Sorry Mod's just realized I posted in the wrong section and meant to post in the gear section. This is my default spot and I didn't realize it until I pulled the trigger. Please move me if this is in the wrong forum as this is a how to sharpen question anyway.
 
You won't regret it buddy ! Which ones have ya ordered ?

Matt's knives come razor sharp and keep a great edge. For the most part I find just stropping them on my pant leg or leather belt keeps em nice and sharp but if they get beyond that then good old wet & dry will do the trick !
 
Just strop them after every day of use, and you shouldn't ever really need to do any major sharpening. Hasn't let me down yet.

And congrats on the new MLs.
 
Agreed - his is one of the few knives I have owned where I pulled it out - tested it - didn't mess with it and started using it.

LOVES my ML knives.

TF
 
Hot Dang! Thanks guys. Stropping...do you guys just use straight leather strap or do you use compound with it? If so which compound?

It is "G" under Available Knives Gallery One. Sorta a Frontier/Hunter with a bit of Hudson and Green River on the snout. Should work fine for my larger camp/wilderness blade and a heck of an Elk skinner. Myself I'm into plane jane utility and this ought to work.
 
Last edited:
The leather is just a holder for the cutting medium. If I had more time now I'd track back to some examinations under a microscope of edges that had just been stropped across plain leather and there was very little difference - real anecdote killer piece of work.

Supposing the edge is already fairly sharp green compound gives good results on a strop.
 
Quirt said:
Hot Dang! Thanks guys. Stropping...do you guys just use straight leather strap or do you use compound with it? If so which compound?

It is "G" under Available Knives Gallery One. Sorta a Frontier/Hunter with a bit of Hudson and Green River on the snout. Should work fine for my larger camp/wilderness blade and a heck of an Elk skinner. Myself I'm into plane jane utility and this ought to work.
Click to expand...

I wouldn't even use leather from the get go, just a few strops on ya jeans leg at the end of the day will work for a while !
 
as I said, get compound [probably green].

"Figure 24 presents micrographs of the blade of Fig. 23 after it was stopped on the
Butz strop in the clean condition. The stropping procedure used the same 10 4-stroke
cycles. The stropping action on the clean leather does not appear to have had much effect
on the condition of the as-ground edge. The bur shown in the edge views may be just a
bit smaller, but it is only a minor effect. The abrasive grooves along the faces appear to
be little affected by the action of the stropping. This result is typical of what was found
on additional experiments using the second clean leather strop described above..."

"The effect of loading the leather strop with the chrome oxide compound prior to
stropping is shown by comparing Figs. 24 and 26. The chrome oxide abrasive used on
the blade of Fig. 26 has produced a dramatic reduction in the size of the remnant abrasive grooves on the face of the blade..."

John D. Verhoeven
Emeritus Professor
Department of Materials Science and Engineering
Iowa State University
Ames, IA

Experiments on Knife Sharpening---PDF
 
Matt is working on my 6th one right now. Friction folder. Started with Nessmuk, then a Kephart, then Alamo Bowie, a Hudson Bay Camp knife in Mastadon Ivory, and a Kephart Fisher. Probably will get him to make another Hudson Bay for me to put to hard use (kind of keeping the Mastadon as a fondling knife). Needless to say I really like his knives, and his customer relations. Seems like a real nice guy. Hope to meet him some day.

No worries, you will be well pleased and well served by Matt's knives.

Doc
 
I don't have a family photo yet, but here are a few individuals. Will add a family photo when available;

DSCN2678.jpg

Alamo Bowie

DennisFosterHudsonbayhandledivory1.jpg

Hudson Bay with Mastadon Ivory

DSCN2602.jpg

Nessmuk

DSCN2600.jpg

Kephart

Waiting on a Kephart folder in elk horn.

Doc
 
Last edited:
OK, found the family photo....forgot about the camp hatchet.

DSC_0300.jpg


Sorry, not the best photo.

Doc
 
UPDATE:

I haven't taken possession of it yet but one of my two knives are done! This is a early frontiersman's neck knife.

Ironically, I had envisioned one style of knife when I started with the project but after specifically describing how I'll be using it and my hand size this is what Matt came up with. Also I bought one of his knives earlier this year and provided him with feedback relative to my hand size, usage, and experience. Matt is truly a class act and is very accommodating and sensitive to one's needs and desire to maintain an integrity to our early Americana heritage which I requested.

I requested a knife that would represent the "Mora" knife of the Mountain Man and Early Frontier time period sans the Scandi grind. He thinned the entire tool out so it can be used primarily for whittling, shaving, carving, and making curls for fire boards, pitch shavings, carving tools etc. The neck sheath will be plain Jane but built extra rugged. This is a working tool for my work and not a Safe Queen. I asked for something that was more functional than fashionable and could be used by a guy who is ultra tough on gear/equipment.

necknife.jpg
 
Last edited:
Talfuchre said:
Agreed - his is one of the few knives I have owned where I pulled it out - tested it - didn't mess with it and started using it.

LOVES my ML knives.

TF
Click to expand...

pitdog said:
I wouldn't even use leather from the get go, just a few strops on ya jeans leg at the end of the day will work for a while !
Click to expand...

+1 on both counts.

The edge on my ML Kephart is as sharp as any knife I've handled, and it's absolutely the easiest edge to maintain. A few passes on the strop and it just never seems to lose its edge.
 
I am hoping to get my Kephart close to the end of the Summer, or beginning of Fall. Can't wait!
 
Yea still waiting on mine. Any day now. I have another on order and will get it this fall.
 
I own one of Matt's "field and bush knife" I believe he calls it, and it is one very nice knife. I really like his work and he is a great guy to work with.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top