Sojourner: Another Breeden Blade

[Mistwalker]

I am wanting one in between the length of my warthorn and my machete but with a thicker blade than the machete more suitable to the woods of this area....maybe 7/32 or 1/4 and 9 or 10 inches long and I'm leaning more towards 10 inches.

So far I liking the utilitarian size of the Sojourner very much it is unobtrusive and I hardly know it is on my belt or in my bag.

That little striker knife is actually a good little tool, it works well.

 

[Mistwalker]

Today we finally had some fair weather so I got outback for a while looking for mosquito hatcheries and getting rid of them. While I was out there I got a chance to check out the Sojourner a little.

I designed the handle to be somewhat bulbous so that it would be easy on the palm and comfortable in all "normal" uses and grips and still easy to hold on to in a rearward three finger grip. This is thanks at least in part to a conversation about "swells" I had with Rick (Magnussen) a couple of years ago, Ya know, a person can learn a lot from that guy, I know I have, thank you for that Rick. I think this is one of the most comfortable handles I have ever used even if i do say so myself.


This grip, which I was already used to using with birds beaks and with lanyards, makes a small knife a good bit more effective when doing snap cuts and chopping. We have some pretty vicious briar vines in this area and cutting through them was a breeze.

It took a couple of minutes to chop through this seasoned hickory but not excessively long and it handled it very well.

Then I batoned through another section of hickory, the knife is really stout even if made of 1/8" steel. It split through knots and all really well.

It's still shaves....

and made quick work of cutting some carrot sticks for a snack for my youngest....

I think it is going to fill it's intended role very well.
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[banana-clip]

Sweet looking knife there.

 

[Mistwalker]

Sweet looking knife there.

Thanks! I started out going for function but really like the aesthetics myself.

I hope to get a chance to check it out a bit more tomorrow...maybe a little whittling and more firecraft.

 

[sicily02]

Cool Mistwalker, that does look like a nasty thorny vine. Glad that knife is working out for ya LOL.
Lood forward to some more pics man.

You said it Rick seems to be a pretty knowledgeable on outdoors skills.

Bryan

 

[Mistwalker]

Cool Mistwalker, that does look like a nasty thorny vine. Glad that knife is working out for ya LOL.
Lood forward to some more pics man.

You said it Rick seems to be a pretty knowledgeable on outdoors skills.

Bryan

Thanks Bryan, there will be more pics soon. I'm gonna try to get out for a while with it this weekend. Maybe do some fire starting and food prep and stuff...throw together a hash a or something

Yeah, Rick is pretty knowledgeable in several areas.

 

[Mistwalker]

Got a chance to spend a few minutes checking out the Sojourner a little more in firecraft today. I took a part of a Sycamore limb that the last storm brought down and batoned out a more squared piece to whittle on, and then whittled on a piece of dead pine limb. I think the shallow convex grind will suit my needs fine.

Something dawned on me today...or at least the words to express that which I already knew... at least one of the answers to the oft ask question ; "what is the difference between bushcraft and wilderness survival ?". I personally think the defining difference is the mental attitude of the person. This should not be confused with mental aptitude. "Bushcraft" has a tendency through habit from practice tends to wax creative. However wilderness survival tends to wax efficient.

For example: thin Wood shavings are are great tinder for use with a ferro rod that throws hot sparks. For a lot of bushcrafters this would be the opportunity to whittle a very nice fuzz stick that's nice and symmetrical with uniform shavings. For those actually experienced in wilderness living and wilderness survival this can simply mean very quickly planing off a pile of thin shavings without using the extra time to create the perfect fuzz stick and then perhaps making some very rough fuzz sticks to catch those flames and expand them....if they even bother with that step and don't just go from shavings to small twigs which is what I usually do, I just burned these "fuzz sticks" (yes I use the term loosely) because they were handy.

I really wish I could have had that thought before this process instead of during...and that I taken the sequence in these pics to the next phase with some of the smallest driest twigs to create an actual fire for the sake of making this point better. However I was actually just putting the knife through some paces to check it out because I already know that if I can create the first flames that I shall have fire.
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[Anrkst6973]

Mistwalker I do so enjoy your threads! I've ordered a couple of the "Striker" blades you and Bryan designed and I must say Mr Breeden is the nicest most down to earth person you could ask for. Now sometimes I get to give little outdoor seminars to young woodsman (and woodsgirls) and I've put the 3x4 block of fatwood,magneisum block and ferro rod that I carry strung on paracord, in the lake, left it there for a 5 minute talk on hypothermia anp pulled it out, shook it off and proved you can start a fire in 60 seconds or less. That Sojourner looks like another example of you 2 conspiring to create beauty and funtion in the same package! best to you. Anrkst

 

[Mistwalker]

Mistwalker I do so enjoy your threads! I've ordered a couple of the "Striker" blades you and Bryan designed and I must say Mr Breeden is the nicest most down to earth person you could ask for. Now sometimes I get to give little outdoor seminars to young woodsman (and woodsgirls) and I've put the 3x4 block of fatwood,magneisum block and ferro rod that I carry strung on paracord, in the lake, left it there for a 5 minute talk on hypothermia anp pulled it out, shook it off and proved you can start a fire in 60 seconds or less. That Sojourner looks like another example of you 2 conspiring to create beauty and funtion in the same package! best to you. Anrkst

Thank you for your compliments. Bryan did a really bang up job of bringing this one off paper I am really quite pleased with it. The aesthetics on it turned out even better than I'd hoped.

 

[Rick Marchand]

I never seem to catch these threads until WAY later.... I gotta browse more often I guess.

I REALLY like that knife. Bryan sure knows how to bring a design to life! I have no doubts that when you two bushbums put your skills together, something good is on the horizon.

All the Griffin attributes I have come to know are there... as well as the steadfast Breeden workmanship!

Awesome, guys
Rick

 

[Mistwalker]

I never seem to catch these threads until WAY later.... I gotta browse more often I guess.

I REALLY like that knife. Bryan sure knows how to bring a design to life! I have no doubts that when you two bushbums put your skills together, something good is on the horizon.

All the Griffin attributes I have come to know are there... as well as the steadfast Breeden workmanship!

Awesome, guys
Rick

Hey Bro, thanks for the compliments! I'm really glad you like it. Being as your input and my experiences with one of your knives were the largest influences of its conception that makes me feel really good!

I know you've been really busy, I'm just glad you stopped in.

Bryan really did do a fantastic job at bringing this one to life.

 

[sicily02]

hi all,

Mistwalker, great pics as always. Even with the bevled spine I bet it really did not chew up the batton to bad. Well mine has not any ways but it really does not matter I just aonther peace of wood LOL to use as a batton.

I think you are right on with the Bushcraft / survival idea you chatted about.


WOW thanks Rick for the kind words. I think Mistwalker hit the nail on the head so to speak with this knife design for bushcrafting and and survival. Mistwalker said that he used a couple of designs to put this one the knife that it is.

Thanks again for all the kind comments on this knife.

Bryan

 

[Mistwalker]

hi all,

Mistwalker, great pics as always. Even with the bevled spine I bet it really did not chew up the batton to bad. Well mine has not any ways but it really does not matter I just aonther peace of wood LOL to use as a batton.


Bryan

Thanks Bryan, glad you enjoyed the pics. Actually no the beveled spine didn't really do any "damage" to the baton, but like you I never really care...the baton is simply another piece of firewood after all.

 

[Mistwalker]

hi all,

...... Even with the bevled spine I bet it really did not chew up the batton to bad. Well mine has not any ways but it really does not matter I just aonther peace of wood LOL to use as a batton......

Bryan

Like I've already said...I never really care because it is just another piece of firewood anyway but to answer your question better the pics below show what marks it left on the "batons". The first one is Hickory and the second is Sycamore, neither are green.

 

[sicily02]

Good Pics of it Brian, I really did not notice any worse marks when I battoned that knife though some small rounds. I used mullberry and Walnut for my batton. That bevled spine sure throws the sparks though.

You know I could really see one of these Sojourner knives being done with the slanted guard like the Warthorn or the One zeros have.


Chat with you later,

Bryan

 

[Mistwalker]

Good Pics of it Brian, I really did not notice any worse marks when I battoned that knife though some small rounds. I used mullberry and Walnut for my batton. That bevled spine sure throws the sparks though.

You know I could really see one of these Sojourner knives being done with the slanted guard like the Warthorn or the One zeros have.


Chat with you later,

Bryan

Thanks Bryan. It definitely didn't cut into it near enough to be slowing the process down any.

Ya know..me too, I've got it drawn out already. It's a little bigger though...closer to the size of the 1-0.

 

[sicily02]

Cool I can hardly wait to see the drawing.

Bryan

 

[Mistwalker]

Cool I can hardly wait to see the drawing.

Bryan

I should be able to get some stuff sent off in a day or two when I get a chance.