Salish

Brian_T

Brian_T

Joined
Oct 7, 1999
Messages
1,746
I just received one of these today from Christine and have to say I'm thoroughly impressed with all aspects of the package. Having a Camillus Talon and using it I've always wished I could get it in S30V with a bit thicker stock and a bit more blade length. Apparently somebody was peeking into my dreams 'cause this is a darned good shot at what I wanted.

I haven't actually USED the Salish yet but it's slated for a workout this weekend and I promise it'll have some scars before I'm done. For now, however, I thought I'd share just a couple of images I shot earlier today.

Click the thumbnail for a larger image
 
Can't wait to hear a field report back from a user on the Salish. It was a strange trip in the making but should turn out to be a great hunter/utility.

Looking forward to your feedback.
 
I'm interested too, as to what's similar and different between a Salish and an Urban Raven.
 
To me the Salish is a hunting version of the Urban Raven, so the are very similar in many aspects. The handle scales are exactly the same. The blade length is the same. And the blade shape is very close. We took out the recurve and added a little belly. Took out the top false edge and top guard. We also rounded out the bottom guard. To that the Salish is also a hair thicker stock than the Urb. We also took out the rear exposed tang area and thong hole to give a more stream line package.
 
Nice side by side with the Talon. I am really looking forward to getting a Salish. It looks like it would make an awesome backpacking blade, and I'm a sucker for coyote G10 :cool:
 
I DIG the Salish... "IF" there was a hole in the Simonich line that knife filled it perfectly. That is a fantastic Ute blade, and just BEGS to be used... :cool: :cool:


Take Care
Trace..
 
What a day to spend outdoors. The Salish performed like a champ. I spent an hour doing various knifework just to determine whether or not it would cause hot spots and to see how it worked in various bushcrafting hand holds.

First I carved up a fuzzy stick for firestarting. Long tight curls are a sign of a sharp blade.



Next I peeled the bark off a stick and used the Salish to drill a hole in some deadwood. Once the hole was done I carved down the tip of the stick and made myself a fire drill. I got smoke but no fire. That was fine as it was plenty dry out there and starting a fire while surrounded by dry dead leaves is NOT a very good idea.

I further tested the tip strength with a series of 20 reverse-grip stabs into the same deadwood. I couldn't even scratch the finish...

After an hour of non-stop knifework I had no blisters or hot spots. I used the knife for a variety of tasks common in bushcrafting which utilized several grips and stressed the blade in several ways. The only thing I couldn't get this knife to do was throw sparks from a Doan firestarter. I suspect it is because the spine has been rounded for comfort.

I am really enjoying this knife. I actually look forward to my next foray into the woods so I can bring it along for some more work.

Here's a few more pics I shot today:
Click the thumbnail for a larger image



Thanks for reading,
 
Just one more pic for now. I just can't help myself. ;)



By the way, that's the first leather sheath I've made and I had quite a bit of help. I DID stitch it though. :)

B
 
Another weekend of use and this knife is still at the top of the heap when it comes time to grab a blade and go.

I haven't done too much more "testing" of the blade but now find myself using it for the mundane tasks like cutting paracord, slicing cheese and sausage, and keeping the patchy arm hair touched up so folks think I've got mange. :D

I'm extremely happy with how well this blade carries. I swapped out the synthetic sheath for custom leather and have plans to make another design that will be even more "rustic" and less tactical. The knife is light enough that I don't constantly notice it being there and the sheath is secure enough I don't have to worry that it's not there.

The knife is a really great size for woodsbumming and, paired up with a small axe or some other kind of chopper, would make a great "survival" knife. On my weekend hikes I am currently carrying a Bark River Knife & Tool Golok, the Simonich Salish, and a Victorinox Farmer. I'm finding the Salish to be just the right tool to fill that niche between the big chopper and the small utility piece.

It's been three or four weeks now since I first received and started carrying the Salish and in that time I've done quite a bit of carving, slicing, and stabbing. The S30V has given me NO problems with rolling, chipping, or indentation. As a matter of fact, other than stropping on my pants leg from time to time, this knife has not needed any edge work.

Despite all that work the knife is still looking nearly new. I've got to find something that will really scratch up that finish and give my Salish some real good character marks. ;)

Some pics from yesterday's outing:
(Click thumbnails for larger image)



Thanks for reading,
 
Yes they are in production and are currently for sale. You can order then directly from Simonich Knives, just drop Christine a line I am sure she will be happy to help you out or answer any questions. :)
 
The Salish made it through another weekend of heavy testing in the woods without missing a beat. I'm finding it more difficult to come up with valid tests for the Salish than I am actually doing those tests.

The Long Version:
First test, tip strength:
I have recently broken or been blamed for breaking several knife tips doing various tasks both in the woods and around the house. The Salish endured 100 full-strength stabs into a fallen tree and then 50 prying full-strength stabs. The resulting hole was quite sizeable and the knife would consistently sink down 1-1.5" into the wood. The result:a shiny tip.

Second test, chopping:
After clearing some 1" saplings to make room for a hammock I limbed the saplings and used the Salish to chop them down into 10" sections. Holding the Salish with my index finger and thumb behind the second hollow pin I had enough force to snap the blade through the sapling in a single chop most of the time. Slightly thicker sections might require a second chop and the occasional poor chop might miss the sapling entirely. (Full disclosure here. I'm not too embarassed...) Result:No noticeable rolling, chipping, or even dulling of the blade.

Third test, fuzzy sticks:
Having a pile of 10" sticks I got the idea to fuzz as many of them as the Salish would handle before the edge would no longer make nice long curls. I use the first inch or so of the knife (tip end) and use a push-cutting motion to form the curls. Result:A big pile of fuzzy sticks ready to catch a spark and a knife that was ready for more work.

Fourth test, finer work:
I've read some pages on the Internet about carving birds (roosters mainly) from y-branches and I wanted to see how the Salish would do with such a task. I have to admit that I read the article but it's been a while and I didn't pay enough attention when I did read it so my chicken/rooster may not be quite right. It looked enough like a bird to impress the Woodsbums though--at least until it fell victim to an unlooking sitter. Ugh. The Salish chopped the y-branch down to a manageable length, curled the "tail" and the "comb," split the "legs," and carved them to shape. This test uses several different hand holds and I found the knife and the Gunner Grip to be extremely comfortable for extended use.

Conclusion:
The Salish is finally getting some nice character marks. I have had to strop it on my pant leg a time or two and finally had to break out a leather strop loaded with Black Magic to bring it back to a level best described as "scary." I'm pleased with the overall size of the knife, the length and thickness of the blade, and the texture of the handle. I found the meat of my hand securely planted into the divots of the Gunner Grip during the stabbing portion of the test and the integral guard was a nice touch adding confidence for such a potentially dangerous operation. The blade has the right geometry to push-cut through larger saplings using a method described in the Cody Lundin book (among several others.)

I think the knife would be comfortable in a tactical environment but excels in a more outdoor/utility role.

The Short Version:
I'm still really digging this knife. :)

Some additional pictures:
Click thumbnails for larger version:



Thanks for reading,
 
Hey Brian! Good to see ya using good knives as is the norm for you... :cool: GREAT REVIEW bud!!!! And what a great knife!! :cool: That thing is the HEAT!!!
 
Thanks guys. This knife has been a real joy to use.

After the past few weeks of pushing this blade I am now confident that it will fill the role of Woodsbumming knife very well. What that means is the knife now falls into the more mundane tasks associated with my weekly outings and the much less frequent overnight trips.

I've been carrying/using this knife now since the day it arrived and continue to marvel at the design, the details, the fit and finish, and all those little intangibles that make a knife like this beg to be used.

Relegating this blade to food prep, cutting cordage, and whittling seems a shame but I can't go out into the woods every week and try to break it. Treating a knife as the tool that may one day make the difference between getting out of the woods and not is, in my opinion, a much more valid test. Obviously that doesn't mean babying the blade but it also doesn't mean chopping cinderblocks, smashing it with an axe, or any number of other asinine tests that have been performed. (Am I ranting? Yeah, a little...)

From here I'll continue to update the thread with the Salish's latest adventures but don't expect too many exciting stories. If I use it to defend myself against an angry squirrel you can bet I'll let you know. ;)

In the meantime, please enjoy a few more pictures of my now well-used and well-loved Simonich Mid-Tech Salish:



Thanks for reading,
 
Another couple of weeks and nothing new to report. The Salish is carried and used every day and just keeps on cutting. I look forward to my time in the woods every week at least in part because I can put the Salish to some harder work than it will see during the week.

Today I broke down and put my own convex edge on the knife. I use a belt sander with a Scotchbrite belt to begin the process, follow with 600 grit, and finish with 800. This leaves a nice little wire edge letting me know that it's as sharp as it's going to get. The knife gets dipped in nice cool water after every pass as I don't want to affect the temper.

Once the wire edge runs the length of the blade I take it to my buffer and run it 4-4-3-3-2-2-1-1 on a wheel loaded with Black Magic and then a single pass on a wheel loaded with green stropping compound. Now the knife as received was very sharp but this process left the edge :eek: -sharp.

It'll be a few weeks before I know whether or not I've changed the knife's cutting ability positively or negatively but, having applied this same process to other maker's knives I know it not only works but the blades cut like crazy when I'm done.

This week I managed to snap a few pics of the knife with the leather sheath I helped to make and it's getting some nice character marks now. The veg-tanned leather is heated and then coated with SnoSeal until such time as it no longer soaks in. The treatment helps to stiffen the leather and, when burnished with 000 steel wool, gives it a nice older-sheath look.



Thanks for reading,
 
I've been enjoying my Salish for a couple weeks now. I carry it everyday while in uniform. I use the supplied kydex sheath with a modified bladetech. I carry it horizontal in the small of my back.

The first thing I did was cut a zip-tie to ensure there wasn't going to be any trouble with the S30V like I, and others have had. It sounds silly, I know, but there have been isolated trouble with micro-cracks in the cutting edge. No trouble with the Salish, though.

Next, after a couple days of general use, I re-profiled the Salish with an edgepro. I decreased the angle by about 4°. With a "thickish" blade such as is on the Salish. this left quite a bit of bevel, but it gives it alot better slicing action. The edge geometry on the Salish is pretty conservative, in my opinion. Time will tell if I was wrong, and then I'll let all of you know I was wrong.

I think it will do quite well in the desert. I'll post pics after a couple months.
 
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