Unbreakable Buck Froe

Makael

Makael

Loving wife, kids and life.
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Oct 17, 2015
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Just back from camping above Twisp WA. I used my Buck Froe for the first time. The knife worked just as advertised plus some. My hands are wasted from processing as much wood as I could burn for three days. No axes, just the Buck Froe. No blade chipping. At one point the blade was so bent driving through a piece of wood I thought it was going to break. The only failure was the paint coming off. So I will strip the rest off and give it a good oiling.
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Most of the creek runs underground up here late summer. Some rain will bring up the level.

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Great weekend.
 
Great thread and thank you for the terrific photos.

There is a history of gold in that neck of the woods: http://www.historylink.org/File/9943

You see all those rocks in the creek? Move them until you find bedrock. Cut any roots along the way with the unbreakable Froe. Once on the bedrock take a photo of the gold you find there or, if allowed,pick up the gold and put it into a bottle.

Due to gold's specific gravity it travels to bedrock and stays there. Lucky folk find holes in bedrock, missed by others, loaded with gold and retire. Former owner of mining supply shop in Portland, OR had claim pre-dating wilderness designation of Kalmiopsis Wilderness Area in Southern Oregon. Filled two five gallon buckets after finding one such hole in the Chetco river.

Some color can be found panning. And other, heavy stuff can be found as well such as square nails, coins, bullets, meteorites, naturally occurring nickel or other heavy metals. Should you find heavy metals that look kind of silvery they could be gold covered in Mercury and shouldn't be handled by children.

Hard rock mines in the area can trap and kill you. Some are left open without any warning signs and standing water can be poisonous.

You find stacked rocks like walls then the area has been mined by hand. Some miners will place a coin for your dredge to pick up or for you to find with the date of the coin showing the year it was mined. Expect a penny.

Panning is fun for kids. Some parents might salt some dirt so to favor that child with the thrill of hitting pay dirt. Nuggets are available at mining supply stores. This was done to me! :)
 
Walking, floating or swimming along the stream a child could spot gold lodged in a crack in a rock. This happens with exposed bedrock. Pop it out with a knife and they are rich. My son did this very thing. This practice is called sniping by miners. It is easy on the gear budget and only requires keen vision and good fortune. A knife with a Marlin spike is a bit safer and easier on the blade.

 
So the Buck Froe bent!!!???????? I'm not familiar with that model, is it suppose to be able to bend?? If so why?
 
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The Froe was bent from baton in too large piece of wood. It didn't stay bent. Just bent as being pushed through :thumbup:
 
Makael,

Nice pictures and report. Sounds like a great time.

The performance you experienced is exactly why I like convexed knives for working with wood, particularly if there is a likely need for splitting down smaller kindling.

The scratches on the paint show why I prefer a convex (aka apple seed) seed type grind over a sabre (aka low flat or scandi) grind. The latter (regardless of the name) sort of hangs up a bit on the sharp transition from the grind to the flat, exactly where you wore the paint off. Obviously, any knife that is use to split will wear off paint but with a convexed blade, there is less friction. More like a good axe head.

If I had that froe knife, I would round the shoulder off of that transition.

Perhaps Buck will bring out more knives with that grind.
 
Yeah I understand how it got bent, what I'm wondering is why was it made to bend (to me) so easily? How well does it hold an edge with somewhat soft metal? I guess I'm comparing the hardness of the metal to real machetes (pre 1980) and hatchets or axes? Which don't bend or break per say. I am interested in purchasing one, thats why all the questions, around here I wouldn't have the opportunity to hold it in my hands and see for myself.
 
But it returned to true right away, yes? Bending the blade while batoning, in my experience, comes when the wood being split is too large. As long as the blade comes back to true, you're all set.

Zieg
 
I agree with The Zieg. In the pictures it looks like it stayed bent instead of flexing, like you say? I guess I should have phrased my question like The Zieg. I'm refering to the 1st and 7th picture, maybe it's just the angle of the shot?
 
Must of been the angle of the shot. Blade is dead on straight. Im Glad. lol
 
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