Starting from Scratch - Need Help

B

Blurb

Joined
Oct 31, 2002
Messages
4
I am a completely new user. Since my grandfather gave me my first Swiss army knife I have always been interested in knifes. I have never however, had the opportunity to pursue my interest. Now that I am both able to do so, and have access to the funds to support a healthy interest I decided to register and post.

I have a small collection of knifes given to my by friends/relatives, I do not though, have any idea how to care for them or maintain them. When I go out hunting or in any form of expedition I feel almost naked without at least one decent knife and I refuse to insult a well made blade by taking it out with me without having the first idea how to properly care for it.

So. I am asking if someone could take the time to give me a blow by blow run down on how to take care of a knife, how to sharpen it, what I need to buy to do so. Pretty much anything you think I might need to know assuming I have absolutely no knowledge regarding anything knife related (you wouldn’t be far off).

At the moment hunting knife wise I have a:
Maxam 1/8" thick 420 surgical stainless steel. Overall length is 12-5/8".
An old military blackened scout knife which I can’t identify but it definitely my favorite. 10" overall with 5 5/8" stainless steel blade with cast metal handle and small survival kit + compass in it.(sorry to be so vague)

I appreciate any help at all and look forward to finally finding out about it all.
 
Stainless steels are nice and low-maintenance, but the steels you have probably don't hold an edge long.

If you really want to get serious, I'd buy a Spyderco Sharpmaker and a large bottle of Tuf-glide.
 
This probably seems like a silly question but I have had a really hard time finding an answere... How exactly do you sharpen knifes?

Also if anyone could recommend shops within the UK that would sell equipment like that. I have had a hard time finding american companies that will ship abroad!
 
Originally posted by Blurb
This probably seems like a silly question but I have had a really hard time finding an answere... How exactly do you sharpen knifes?
Click to expand...

It basically comes down to using something to move or remove the steel on the blade to reform the edge. Depending on how much you need to sharpen, you can use a leather strop, a stone, another piece of steel, or ceramic/diamond rods. You can even use power tools to sharpen a knife!
 
Thanks to Joe, I think we have the best sharpening pages I have seen here
 
Blurb-- welcome to Bladeforums. For sharpening information, start here . If you are just getting started with sharpening and want something that will produce good results without a huge learning curve, I would strongly suggest the Spyderco Sharpmaker. It will set you back about $50, which might seem like a lot, but after you use it, you will realize that it is worth far more than that.

You may also want to look into getting a knife or two with a nicer blade steel-- they will most likely take a keener edge and hold it longer than the knives you have now.

As far as other maintenence, tuf-glide works well as a blade protectant. You can also find it packaged as tuf-cloth, a cloth impregnated with tuf glide. If you are using your knives for food prep, you might want to consider using a thin coat of mineral oil to protect your blades, as it is nontoxic.
--Josh
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top