Ten Tips for Knife USERS

straitshot

straitshot

Joined
Mar 18, 2006
Messages
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I've read a lot but not everything. Mostly I look for tips that will help me get more out of what I already have. To save more endless reading time looking for little gems of knife use tips and let me enjoy a good novel instead, I'm going to mention a few things I've found on my own. I hope some of you will add to it. These may be common knowledge, but I haven't read them elsewhere. So, to prime the pump, here are some of my personal observations:
1) A small spot of paste gun blue in an inconspiuous place will tell me in 5 seconds if the steel is carbon or stainless.
2) I cannot REALLY tell what's going on at the blade edge when resharpening unless I see it through a lighted magnifier of at least 20x. Otherwise I'm wasting time and steel.
3) NO steel will hold a hair popping edge for long during heavy cutting BUT the well-regarded steels will keep a useable edge noticeably longer than the lesser steels.
4) Cutting off the burr requires very firm pressure when using a flat stone or flat ceramic, less is needed on diamond surfaces. A round ceramic rod will chip the edge if too much pressure is used because of the concentrated force.
5) New factory leather sheaths are dry. I use baseball glove oil- it will penetrare all the way through. Then I do the outside with Snoseal.
6) The spine of one blade can be used to steel the edge of another until you get back to the truck. It often helps a surprising amount if done lightly.
7) A full serrated edge is great for cutting off fish heads, tails, and fins.
8) Motor oil from your dipstick will guard the carbon edge until you get home. So will ear wax (and as Al Bundy has demonstrated, it's edible).
9) A very sharp blade tip (point) is more important than a sharp blade for most casual uses.
10) Yours...

Some may disagree with these, but that's OK. They work for me.
EDIT Moving is fine, I wasn't certain of the final content until after I started.
 
6) The spine of one blade can be used to steel the edge of another until you get back to the truck. It often helps a surprising amount if done lightly.

I don't understand what this means.
 
If you carry more than one knife, you can use the spine of a second knife like a butcher's steel to straighten the edge on the knife you are cutting with if the edge begins to roll. Use a light, trailing edge stroke of the knife being used along the spine of the other blade. It sounds kind of strange, but it works.
 
On number 8. Used motor oil is carcinogenic. I would not put that on a blade that goes near food...
 
straitshot said:
2) I cannot REALLY tell what's going on at the blade edge when resharpening unless I see it through a lighted magnifier of at least 20x. Otherwise I'm wasting time and steel.
4) Cutting off the burr requires very firm pressure when using a flat stone or flat ceramic, less is needed on diamond surfaces. A round ceramic rod will chip the edge if too much pressure is used because of the concentrated force.
5) New factory leather sheaths are dry. I use baseball glove oil- it will penetrare all the way through. Then I do the outside with Snoseal.

8) Motor oil from your dipstick will guard the carbon edge until you get home. So will ear wax (and as Al Bundy has demonstrated, it's edible).
9) A very sharp blade tip (point) is more important than a sharp blade for most casual uses.

Some may disagree with these,
Click to expand...

I disagree with several.
2) Don't need a 20x. A 3X is handy but not a necessity. (well maybe a necessity for us older folk.)

4) I don't always use round rods, but over the years I've used round rods lots of times with lots of pressure and have yet to cause chipping. This may be steel specific. Perhaps you are talking S30V, D2 or such. I don't use those steels.

5) I like a dry sheath interior. It picks up less sand and gunk, stuff that will cause scratches on a blade. YMMV.

6) perhaps motor oil will do that, but as long as you are at the truck, don't you think you might keep something better there?

9) ?????? I don't know about you fella, but I don't use my EDC to poke holes. I use my EDC to cut things. I need a sharp edge, not a sharp point. It is handy if that sharp edge extends to the point, but the point itself need not be sharp.

But I will add another rule:
The knife you have with you when you need it is the most important knife you own. If all you have is a 2" slippie in your pocket, then that's the blade that is your friend when you are in need.
 
My rules are simpler:

1. Make sure you're surrounded solely by BFC/KFC/SOSAK regulars before asking if anyone prefers a translucent SAK over an opaque SAK.

2. Your knife operates in accordance with the laws of physics (materials sciences, geometry...) and not in accordance with internet drama.

3. The better a knife cuts, the better it looks.
 
I would have to add never lend your knife if you really like it. The amount of damage someone can do to a knife in 10 minutes is amazing.
 
Know where your knife is at all times. This will prevent loss. There have been numerous conversations about how knives have been lost & found, left behind on campsites, tree stumps etc.
 
Some of mine. Some personal preference, some pretty universal (I think).

1. Take off the pocket clip if you can, the decrease in ergos just isn't worth it.

2. If someone asks if you have a knife, reply with "What needs cut," rather than just handing them your knife. You'll save yourself a lot of trouble.

3. A SAK of some sort makes a much better prying tool using the screwdrivers than risking the tip of your 100$ folder. Even a Classic will do.

4. Take the edge of a knife down as thin as you can, keeping in mind what your knife will be used for. The gains in cutting performance can be phenomenal.

5. It doesn't take an expensive setup to sharpen knives. Bevels can be set on a cinder block or the sidewalk and sharp edges can be maintained by using other knives or flat pieces of steel as a butchers steel and common materials like blue jeans and cardboard as strops.

6. Don't be afraid to try different designs, steels, locks etc. The more you experience the more you find out what works best for you.

7. I've yet to see the benefit of company faboyism. Agreeing with the philosophical approach a company takes and preferring their designs above others is fine, but theres no reason to let that warp you into someone who can only downtalk other companies when they're mentioned, or refuse to try out their products.

8. Low end steels (Aus6/8, 440 series, SAK steel etc) have a much worse reputation than they deserve.

9. Locks are rarely needed when using a knife, but when they are it's very, very nice to have.

10. If you're carrying a large folder, an auto, AO or something along these lines, it's nice to have a small SAK on the keychain to use when you don't feel like causing commotion due to the irrationality of others.
 
A couple extra random thoughts

for a fix blade: the sheath/carry system is more important than the blade most of the time. ie if its to much of a hassle to carry it wont be along for the ride.

Its much easier to keep a sharp knife very sharp than let a sharp knife get dull and work it back to sharp. Also a dull knife is dangerous for anything but spreading peanut butter.



PS: this is a great thread idea, even if you dont agree with some of what is said it gives something to think about.
 
The majority of non-knife people will learn to appreciate your knife the very first time they see you cut something that needs to be cut.

They still will not consider carrying one themselves.
 
Vivi said:
10. If you're carrying a large folder, an auto, AO or something along these lines, it's nice to have a small SAK on the keychain to use when you don't feel like causing commotion due to the irrationality of others.
Click to expand...

Good idea. I was startled today by the gasp I got at work while opening a coffee bag. You know, Manix out, blade open, slice bag, pour coffee. "Oh my! Is it even legal to carry that? Oh, I guess as long as your switch blade is less than 6" long, it's ok!" I just sort of looked at her for a minute, then gently explained that my Manix is fully manual, works much better than car keys or my teeth for opening things, and I carry it because humans use tools! She actually agreed, and was happy to look at my knife for a minute. She complained how she has to use a protruding screw or nail to open packages sometimes! Maybe I'll buy her a small swiss army knife as a surprise...

I thought about pulling out my Native III to show her what a smaller knife looks like, but then we'd have just gotten into the "you carry TWO knives?!" thing.....
 
I've got a few tips:

1. Even if you have a Sharpmaker, Lansky or Edge Pro, learn to free-hand sharpen anyway.

2. Learn how to convex an edge.

3. Learn how to properly use a strop.

4. Some people want 10 knives for $50 apiece, but others would pefer 1 knife for $500. Learn to accept that both positions are fine and not waste time arguing about it on Bladeforums.

5. Even if you're gaga about one-hand opening tacticals, get a good slipjoint and see how it works for you.

6. In the same vein, if possible, try out carrying a smaller fixed blade in place in place of or in addition to your folder.

7. It's worth it to become a paid member of Bladeforums.

8. Learn the right way to buy/sell/trade knives on Bladeforums. Ship and pay according to your promises, and respond to communications quickly.

9. Give knives as gifts.

10. Use and carry your knives responsibly and teach non-knife people that carrying a knife is a normal and intelligent thing to do.
 
The bottom of a ceramic coffee cup or bowl makes an excellent sharpener in a pinch. The bottom of some coffee cups are about as fine grained as a real ceramic sharpener. I've brought scissors back from the dead and put wicked edges on vacation rental home cutlery with this trick.
 
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