pilot survival knife

[beckerhead]

Just bought a new pilot knife for my wife. I showed her several blades online and she chose it hands down over all the others. I knew it would be in need of some work, and it was, but for the $$ it is actually a pretty cool little knife. I dyed the sheath a darker shade of brown and then waxed it with some Kiwi Parade Gloss Polish. I worked on the edge quite a bit, and after the Norton India and a good stropping, it was poppin' hairs, and cleanly slicing paper. The 1095 is a bit on the soft side, but sharpening is a breeze, and carbon does take a mean edge, with alot of bite. I smoothed out the rough spots on the handle and then rubbed it down with leather conditioner, and then waxed it really good and buffed it. the grip is so much better, and the leather is at least somewhat protected. I have to admit that while I like several Camillus blades this was not one I would have ever picked, and now I just might order one myself. Sure it ships a bit rough, but I rework almost everything I buy anyway, so what the heck.

 

[GIRLYmann]

Pilot Survival Knife? By this I would presume you meant the old leather handle type? Yes, its a fine tool, only that it can rust pretty bad especially around the areas where the leather handle meets metal parts. I would advice looking out for the first signs of trouble. You could prevent that by wiping down a SENTRY SOLUTIONS TUFF CLOTH on the metal areas. Alternatively you could also coat the metal guard and butt with some hard wearing paint, preferably in matt black or dark gray tone. Happy cutting!

 

[beckerhead]

Thanks for the feedback Gm. Owning several other 1095's I know what you mean about the rust. That is one of the reasons I oiled and then waxed the leather handle to avoid it getting soaked as bad in inclement conditions. I use Remington Dri-Lube on the blade and in the nooks and crannies. It gets into tiny places and when dry has to be rubbed quite vigorously with solvent to remove even the overspray. And I try to keep a little oil or grease right on the edge.

 

[Psychopomp]

I removed the coating on mine. Looks much nicer. It came only slightly sharper than a brick and had to be reground before it was useful as a knife, but I agree that it's a great knife.

The only real complaints I've ever heard about it concerns the fragile tip, but the tip of mine has survived fairly intact for about five years of heavy use (it's my camping/hiking knife).

My only complaint is the sheath. I think it's possibly the worst sheath I've ever seen; it's too limited to mounting locations and positions, I like it as a leg knife or at least lower on a drop leg rig than on my belt (I don't like the handle jabbing me when I sit or bend over). Think about replacing it with one of the Spec Ops or Blackhawk sheathes if your wife doesn't like it after some use.