Steel & Bushcraft

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Ankar Sheng

Joined
Dec 5, 2008
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I've come to acquire and use a variety of different types of steel, I was always looking for the latest and greatest, and in the end I've come to the conclusion that simple carbon steels are ideal. I still love all my knives in CPM3V and D2 and S30V, but when it comes to buscraft where wood is the primary cutting medium I think simple reigns supreme.

Here's why, I like to keep a very fine edge on my knives, hair whittling or as close to that as is reasonable, and the more acute the better. Wood doesnt dull a blade much at all, in fact just a few passes on a fine ceramic stone is all that I need even after a whole day of whittling and carving. Push cutting wood just doesnt seem to abrade the edge. But an acute razor edge is somewhat delicate though, if you follow through your cut and hit the ground (making fuzz sticks for example) or drop your knife on a rock the edge will take damage, regardless of what kind of steel it is when its that thin it's bound to chip or dent. Thats where the high wear resistance of super steel comes in, they take FOREVER to sharpen out the damage, that wear resistance which never really came into play during use rears its head when you try to sharpen it.


Maybe its just me, but super steels can be more of a hindrance than a help in the long run for bushcraft tasks.
 
O-1 and A-2 are my fav. carbon steels. I like 1095 a lot too. I find D-2 to be more difficult to sharpen than most other "super steels". If ya use diamond stones though they are all easy to sharpen.
Most of my bushcraft knives are 0-1 or A-2. But I do enjoy my high tech folders in 154cm and s30v. S30V didn't seem to be the be all end all steel they thought it would be, but I still think it's a really good one.
 
When I think "Bushcraft" I personally think what I have on me should be easier to sharpen in the field even on a flat sandstone rock in a pinch so to me one of the carbon blades like 01, 1095, 52100 or something of that nature would be best. The super steels require super sharpeners as well and if you don't happen to have one of those with you or you lose it you may have a super steel that is super dull when you need it with little you can do to improve it until you get your sharpener back.

Don't get me wrong. I love the super steels just fine. I have plenty of them too but really there is a place for everything and to me good as they are they still don't have as much versatility to me anyway as a good carbon blade. The exceptions would be some of the partial serrated ones that at least offer some cutting if not sawing action when the edge is effectively dull in a remote location and you don't have any way in heck to fix it up or maintain it. I managed to get some of my Old Timer blades by Schrade pretty darn sharp on natural sandstone in the past. I've never once had the same luck with a super steel. You'd be there a while I think even if you did make headway if it was really dull. Some of that CPM3V or S30V great as it is doesn't seem to respond well or quick to the traditional bench stone sharpening like we grew up doing to our old Case and Old Timer blades. I've had real world users tell me straight faced with a dead seriousness to their tone what crap that S30V stuff is and its all around sharpening problems. Go figure. D2 can be just as problematic for folks. High wear means sharpening by hand is a long time patience required kind of deal if you don't have a diamond hone handy. If you do go with something stainless 154CM would be my choice. At least with that you have a good chance of sharpening it in the field on a rock if need be, at least faster than one of the higher wear steels.

STR
 
Ankar Sheng said:
....Maybe its just me, but super steels can be more of a hindrance than a help in the long run for bushcraft tasks.
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I find that, while I am perfectly happy with mundane, old CS stuff, the edge profile is just as key in this respect. I have not been able to get along with the secondary bevels for "woodworking" regardless of who made the blade. I usually (always) end up modifying them and do make mention of this in my reviews so that no one is misled about what I am using - not as a complaint or a criticism of the edges provided by the makers. An acute edge, with a smoothtransition and finely honed works best for my preferences. The only time I ever get into any issues with edge-holding might be from dirty bark and such. Anything I have touches up quickly on a strop, but the acute, polished edge will cut wood, leaving a glass-like finish, even after the "shaving sharp" edge has faded somewhat.

That said, I find that any other task I need to take on is adequately serviced with my edges and the steels/HTs provided by numerous makers and I have found my edges to be robust enough - not particularly delicate.

Nothing against the "designer steels," but I won't turn my nose up at a knife just because it's made of 1095 or L6.
 
in my experience, wood cutting takes a stable edge more than an abrasion resistent edge.

when cutting wood, the thin edge parts the wood, and wood doesn't have any grit in it. a stable (hard) edge that won't get bent making tight cuts is more important than wear resistence in this case.

when cutting other media, like cardboard, abrasion resistence is much more important, because cardboard is abrasive on an edge and will actually wear the blade away. here hardness helps, but abrasion resistence is just as large a factor.

i like a hard, fine grained steel for cutting wood, regardless of carbon or stainless. i like carbon because it makes me feel good having a patina on my blade.
 
This type discussion is one of my favorites. I think from your descriptions, you're talking about blades of 4-5", meant to be useful in a wide variety of applications. One of my all-time favorite styles!

ankar, you're correct that a super-fine edge on ANY steel will be relatively fragile. This type edge will be more fragile on some blades (depending on steel and heat-treat) and longer-lasting but harder to sharpen on others.

Whether or not steels that aren't basic, low- to mid-allow carbon steels is more of a hindrance than a help is up for debate, and I bet this forum will always have a thread going on the subject.

It's my opinion that in knives of this style/length, there are many steels that will allow the knife plenty of toughness and reliability. We're blessed with an embarassment of riches, really. Comparing edge-retention with ease of maintenance (including sharpening and corrosion-resistance) will probably lead you to a knife made of steel that's right for you.

Just for the record, I'm a carbon-steel fan, too. There's a lot to like about those simple alloys, and I own a few I would happily take to the woods as my only knife. Especially if I want a BIG blade (9"+) for heavy work. But for a smaller, handier knife, I'm not sure any type of high-grade steel has a clear advantage over any other. It's up to us to seek a balance of attributes that suit the way we use our knives.
 
The first time I tried 1095 it was an instant love affair. That was on an opinel #7 and the combination of easy of sharpening and thin geometry made this little folder my number 1 cutter and really easy to get it at shaving sharp and to keep it that way. I like O1 for its similar properties and detest 440C for its difficult to sharpen attributes. I also have grown to love the appearance of patina on knives, some of them I encourage the process and others I will periodically remove it to start over again. Its kind of like getting a new knife playing with the blade coating (patina) like that.

Even when I want my blade to stay shiny, I really don't mind the maintenance components needed to maintain my user knives. I think it has something to do with the fact that I am addicted to knives, have a pile of different knives, I love to handle knives and contribute to their maintenance.

Sharpening a blade is a pleasurable activity for me, particularly if this is an easy process that provides positive feedback. I pride myself on being able to keep my knives sharp and love to fuddle over which knives will receive my attentions to bring them up to par. Wiping down a blade with some mineral oil and making the handle glow from the oil is another small part of the pleasure I get out of handling and working with my knives. Even the stainless knives (with wood handles) will get a coating of oil when cleaning them and putting them away.

If I just wanted to throw my knife in a tackle box and pull it out to cut something once a month or once in a year then I'd probably go stainless. If I didn't enjoy sharpening a knife, or didn't want to learn how, then I would get the super-duper wear resistant steel of the day and periodically send it to an expert to sharpen it. But alas, I'm not like that. I don't think I'd enjoy my hobby as much with a bunch of super steel stainless blades.

So in the end carbon just seems right for me. Note - since I do work in some very high salinity marine areas, I like to bring a 420 HC stainless blade under those circumstances.
 
DOC-CANADA said:
Where do you get your mineral oil?
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I've found plain unscented mineral oil in various pharmacy sections at places like WalMart, Pick'n'Save, IGA etc. It's just "baby oil" without the BS fragrances and stuff added to it; nontoxic to the best of my knowledge. (motor oil would work great to protect a carbon blade from corrosion, but who wants to taste that on their backstrap?:barf:)
A little goes a long way. It really does protect blades and as far as I know, it doesn't harm leather sheaths.
 
mineral oil is traditionally used as a laxative, so it can be found in most pharmacies. the amount you put on a knife won't make you lax, just don't drink the stuff :barf:;)
 
Doc - as the above two posters said. Look for 'baby oil' in shoppers drugmart or gosh-forbid the new fangled Rexall chains.

Siguy - once you get above 35 years, laxatives are no longer scary and mysterious things ;)
 
Talfuchre said:
That was an excellent post - I am really listening to this and other thoughts I have had about carbon blades.
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A friction fire guru such as yourself would be well versed in how precise but repetitive activities that lead to positive feedback (sharp knife or Prometheus' booty) can quickly turn into a personal ritual.

Funny thing Talfuchre, when I read your response I recalled right off the bat your class assignment of how to build a friction fire and translate this into an understanding of virtue. Even though I criticized you on it at the time, I think I now have a better understanding of what you were trying to get at ;)
 
My favorite is M2 or O1.

Plain carbon steel like Hitachi White gets too brittle when black smith of Japan takes care.
They love the hardest of hard edge.
Keeps good edge when used by a master craftman but in case an idiot like me uses them,
they easily chips.... sigh.
 
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