You are probably right Carl. After using the slotted wheel to buff the burr off, I wondered if I could have done the same job with just my leather strop. It was all so easy that I was really just astounded. It made me realize why these knives have survived for so long. They are a peasant or farmer's knife that he could use every day and return to a very sharp knife with no more than a smooth rock and his boot or trousers for that matter. Makes you realize that progress isn't always progress in some things. Have a Blessed day!
Blessings,
Omar
I think you are right, Omar. Progress is not always progress. I really do believe that one of the keys to why the Opinel has survived for so long, like the Mercator K55 and SAK, is that for most of the rest of the world, people just want a knife to cut something. They are not knife nuts, are not obsessed with the latest of blade steels that will skin a whole herd of deer without resharpening. They just want to make dinner, or lunch, or open a package, or cut a piece of rope. And when that knife gets dull, they don't want a big hassle getting it sharp again. Some poor working guy out in a farm field, or construction site, or loading dock, just needs a sharp tool.
I remember when I was stationed for a while in Italy. We were doing some runway extension work at an air force base, and some of us had housing just off base. Every evening, these old Italian ladies that were getting ready to make supper, would come out and strop their knives on the smooth stones of the front porch. These old stone homes had maybe been in use since the time of the Borgias, and the stones that made up the front steps were worn smooth with time. They would take those old almost black bladed butcher knives and get a good working edge in just a few minutes. My guess is those old knives were maybe a mild temper equivalent of 1095, if that. But for them it works just fine.
I think Opinels and other low priced but high value knives have their success in that the vast bulk of people who buy them are just looking for a cutting tool that will work, won't break the bank, and is easy to sharpen. Come to think of it, what more do we really need?
Opinel's, Mercators, and Douk-Douk's are those knives for the working masses, and they ahve lasted because they do work well at their intended task.
Carl.
![image[1].jpg](https://www.bladeforums.com/data/attachments/176/176539-5c9d2de3e65eb7efce81c91c3e179e0c.jpg?hash=XJ0t4-Zet- "image[1].jpg")
![image[2].jpg](https://www.bladeforums.com/data/attachments/176/176540-815cb833c6f30ef074a5211bf062704d.jpg?hash=gVy4M8bzDv "image[2].jpg")
I did a huge friction folder for a friend, wrote his name on the blade with thinned mustard and let it dry until it was hard, then wrapped the blade with kleenex soaked in vinegar until it dried. When I washed the mustard off it left his name in a spectrum of blues and reddish with a black background. If you etch the blade dark and then filework, the filework just pops against the dark etch.
