Pen knife and general question

8

8thsinner

Joined
Sep 13, 2001
Messages
1,292
I got my pen knife this morning after it was missent to canada, but thats nothing to do with HI.

I am very pleased with the size weight and feel of this knife,
As I had suspected it does need sharpened, correct me if I am wrong but are these supposed to have primary edges only?
or primary and secondary?

I need to sharpen the mini knife, sorry I can't remember the name of it.
Also what is the best oil for high carbon, it is really my first carbon blade but I am sure I heard that most vegetable oils are great.
I can't wait till the weekend to get a chance to see what it will do.
 
Most of my khuks have a secondary bevel. If it only has a primary bevel, it could very well be OK, if you don't think the angle is too narrow. I'm not really an expert though. Some of those will be along presently.

Regarding oils, I use Turtle Wax. Gets the job done, and doesn't leave a residue in the sheath.

Have fun with the new tool toy.
 
8thsinner?

You are about to fall in love once you use the khuk.

Edge is pretty much up to you, from what I've read. What took me longest to remember was to let the blade do the work instead of treating it like a hatchet and using arm power.

Welcome.
 
Originally posted by Kismet

What took me longest to remember was to let the blade do the work instead of treating it like a hatchet and using arm power.

Welcome.
Click to expand...

+1

Grip it safely, but relax and keep your wrist loose. The speed and weight of the knife will do all the work.

Welcome to the Cantina,
Phil
 
Use a convex edge and you don't have to worry about angles. Use mineral oil from any drugstore and most supermarkets. Mineral oil doesn't go rancid and vegetable oils will.
I first used olive oil and recommended it highly, but I was so very, very wrong!!!! Personally I use Ballistol-Lube, www.ballistol.com .

Welcome aboard!:D

dayumed commas gettin in the wrong place, not that I would ever make a mistake like that!:rolleyes: ;)
 
8thsinner, Since you're in London gun will be hard to find. Try looking for the oil made for cutting boards, it wont go rancid and it should be easy to find. It'll be good for a wooden handle too.
 
Thanks for al the advice guys, you have been really helpfull.

I shall share my experience with the knife so far and until I get it sharpened and add my own review to it after testing.
SO far I have spent around three hours with 400 grit paper it doesn't do much very quickly does it, I noticed when looking from choil section to tip that the straightness of the edge is a little off so I am going to try and fix that during the sharpening process.
I tried my coarsest file on it and it felt like I was filing another file, it barely bit at all, then I moved to my cheap but working diamond 300 stone, it worked a little better so I now have the edge on one side almost even, I have decided to go for a convex sabre grind with a little help from stones.

I have been using my fingers to try and get the right edge, I am not sure yet if it is a mistake as the fingers would tend to push the paper a little further over the edge and add 10-20 degrees to it but it seems fine so far.
I tried it on the leg as previously recommended by a few ppl, I tried it on a soft surface and thought it was too damn slow.

It is not an even convex but for my first attempt at sharpening this style of blade I do not think it is too bad.
I have however put a few scratches on the side of the blade which is not straight anyway, so I might get both sides to a 400 grit finish and sharp and then run over the side of the blade with a metal hungry stone and try and level it out a bit, then work from 400-600-800-1000-1200 and 2000 grit papers and then finally apply a hand rouge to buf it up.

As for loving the khukri I think I always did ,I have a few cheapies but never had one of this quality, I am very pleased to own it so far.

It fits nicely in my hand I don't think the middle grove will prove a problem with my hands, it feels quite light and fast in the hand but I am sure she chops up stuff quite nicely.

ANother question for you, is she supposed to have a hamon, I am not sure I have read any where that it is differentially heat treated, But if she is I would like to try and bring it out in her too, I love to have the hamon showing, even though it might take me till two weeks time to finish the sharpening alone.

I am going to have to use militec tonight cause I don't know where my tuff glide is, but I am also going to try and get better oil at the weekend. It should keep her until then right?


The smal blade does seem to be very small less than 2 1/4 inches I think.
The small blade does seem a little soft, even my mini arkansas which is not that aggressive a stone brings up a super heavy bur in seconds.

I love the bone handles they are a work of art with quite a nice grain structure, Thought is is quite hard to see because of the many fine scratches, any one know the best way to polish bone?


I am also hoping to make my own sheath out of leather, the reason for this is that I simply want a survival kit built into the set, so if I ever have to grab and go I have a good basic kit to keep me going,
But does leather sheath's make carbon rust faster, I imagine it might cause of the condensation which may build up in hot climates.

I am too tired and couldn't be bothered to set it up now but I am going to arrange a set up and take pics every day or so so I can track my own progress and because everyone likes pics, I know I found very few good quality pics when I was looking for reviews originaly apart from the passaround thread which had some very nice ones.

How do you guys feel about file work on khukri's?
I love file work on knives in general but does it really suit the khuk?

I may also try to etch a dragon pattern into the tip of the blade once I get everything else done.
I have a lot in mind so it might take a while to complete but I am sure that it wil all be worth it.
I shall go now and get some more done on it.
 
Welcome to the cantina, 8thsinner! I lurk extensively over on the bali forum. Glad you're enjoying your Pen-knife.

My Pen-knife arrived (last year) with a very sharp edge, no secondary bevel. It had some rust to I sanded it to a satiny finish. I've dragged it all over creation in all kinds of weather, treated only with bore butter and deer tallow, no problems with any more rust. Your oil should keep it fine.

Mine is differentially hardened. I did a vinegar etch to bring out the temper line, I'll post a pic if I can take a good enough one to illustrate it.

I'm planning to do some filework on a couple of my knives, but need to practice a bit before I go for the real deal.
 
Great stuff, I am very glad to see that I can bring a hamon out in it.

Hey man as for file work here are a few tips for you.

1. If you use the right type of vice, a broom handle with all your files stuck to it with tape, you can rotate the handle to reach any file in seconds, it also keeps them in one place, on some vices you can use the handle section to align the broom and get the perfect angle every time

2 Polish it, the trick to good file work is simply the finish, wether it is 200 grit satin or 2000 mirror, the extra work can make bad file work look good, just jump in and try it.
I did and never looked back yet

3 do a search on Bf there are a couple of good links to vine file work somewhere.

thanks for the tips too.
 
Hey raghorn, why is it that your lurking over at the bali forum anyway?
Get in there and say hello.
Do you have a knife, getting one, wanting one?
Let us know.
 
I have been using my fingers to try and get the right edge, I am not sure yet if it is a mistake as the fingers would tend to push the paper a little further over the edge and add 10-20 degrees to it but it seems fine so far.
Click to expand...

I have had a lot of luck using a rubber sanding block to give a convex bevel. ACE hardware sells them, and also sells appropriately sized pieces of sticky sandpaper up to I think 400 grit. It bites well and doesn't wear too fast, I've been impressed so far. Good luck and thanks for the updates, don't forget to post those pics!
 
Okay I have a link here to the first two pics so far.

http://www.pbase.com/8thsinner_khukri/inbox


Work done
I have now got her pretty sharp, it goes with no effort 1 inch into an old mahagony table crossing the grain.
The edge in the pics is finished to 400 grit
the other side is in the process of achieving 400 finish.
You can see in the second pic along the lower section of the belly the scuff marks this is from a slightly too tight sheath, I think I might have to take some paper to the inside of it to sort that out.

You can also see that I have started trying to flatten out the blade it is quite deep and took a few hours just to get to that small stage.
I have decided to leave the other side a little wobbly to keep the hand made look, but I definatly want at least one edge that I can use as a mirror for shaving and stuff.
It also makes the convex edge a lot more defined, though I do not think it will be as defined when the final polish is applied.

Does any one have any ideas about quickly flattening the side of the blade I am refering to?

More pics (actuall pics) when I can get the cam set up, But I thought I owed you at least a scan or two so far.
 
8thsinner - I've said hello & posted a few times over there, I just don't often have much to add to the discussion. I've got two balis, a BM30 and a BM46, as well as a bottlefly. They add a whole new dimension to the knife obsession. I spend a lot less time sharpening them than my other knives, and a lot more time cutting myself with them. :rolleyes: :D
 
Here's the temper line on mine. It's easy to see in person but I wasn't skillful enough to get a crisp photo of it, so I put a dotted line just above it to give a better idea. Unlike most of the khukuris I've seen, the tip is hardened too.

attachment.php
 
It is not a bad pic, I think I can make it out anyway, there is a line which follows yours for a time about 3mm away

ANy one recommend otherways of bringing out hamons, I did a search last night and found nothing but etching damascuss,
Is damascuss done in the same way?
thanks
 
8thsinner-- I think vinegar works best for bringing out the temper line, but if you do a search for temper or patina on the HI forum, you'll find tons of opinions. I'll tell you how I do mine, but keep in mind, I usually shoot for more of a mottled patina for a disruptive finish (old-time tactical:D ) which tends to obscure the temper line somewhat.

First, clean the blade very well with dish soap, windex, or something else that will remove all traces of grease/oil. After you have the blade clean, don't touch it at all with your hands. Take some cheap white vinegar, and heat it up in the microwave till it is near boiling. After you take it out, add a few drops of dishwashing detergent to break up the surface tension so that when you spread it on the blade it doesn't bead up. It's not a bad idea to heat up the blade as well-- hot water will work, or you can use a hair dryer, etc. Once you are ready, spread the vinegar evenly on the blade with an old toothbrush. Keep spreading it on there, and keep and eye on your progress. I can usually see a good temper line in around five minutes or less, so don't let the blade sit there while you go eat lunch or something. The key is to keep a close watch on the process and use the toothbrush to keep the vinegar evenly spread and to brush/scrub away any surface rust that forms during the process. Keep spreading/scrubbing the vinegar over the entire blade surface until you are happy with the visibility of the temper line. Wash the blade off when you are done. It's probably a good idea to use some baking soda to neutralize any leftover vinegar. Dry the blade, and then use some Flitz or other metal polish to remove some of the surface oxidation until you can clearly see the temper line. You may have to repeat the etching process a few times. I think it was Federico who suggested many short etching periods instead of one really long one, and it's really made a difference in how I go about doing my own blades. When you are finished, wipe the blade down with a good coat of mineral oil and let it sit for a while before you wipe it down. Hopefully others will provide better suggestions.
--Josh
 
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