WWIII Report

Jaeger · Oct 25, 2000

I have been taking my WWIII hunting with me this fall. It's great for hacking through the briar patches that I inevitably find myself entangled in.

Yesterday I shot a deer with my .54 cal. Lyman Great Plains flintlock at about 50 yds.. Most of my field dressing was done with my Spyderco Wegner. I used the WWIII for chopping through the pelvis which it did with no problem. My butcher requires that I completely dress out the deer so that means skinning it and removing the head and the hooves. The WWIII had no problem with these chores but did suffer some damage. Damage was in the form of a rolled edge in 5 places along the belly of the blade. All the damage occurred when chopping through the lower leg bones. No damage occurred when chopping through the pelvis and the neck/spine. I have done some repair work with a chakma but the edge is still severly dented. I will need to sit down with a heavy steel and my sharpening tools for a more comprehensive repair. Who knew that leg bone were that tough?!!
On a more positive note the Edgeworks sheith is awesome! I will need to have some more made for some of my other khuks!

Blackdog · Oct 27, 2000

Jaeger,

Great to see another muzzleloader hunter on the forum. A 50 yard take down with a flintlock is good shooting by anyone's standards.

First time I hunted with a smoke pole (1982) I was hooked. I never went back to hunting with a regular rifle. As my dad used to say, "The only way it could be more fun is if it was illegal".

I used 2 rifles on a regular basis, a T/C .50 Hawken and a T/C .54 cal Renegade. In the .50 I used a .490 round ball, over 90 grains of FFg. In the .54 it was a .530 round ball over 80 grains of FFg. Those were good times my friend, good times....

Deer leg bones are tough. Almost like hitting rock. I have a Spyderco 204 with a set of speed sleeves that I use on my knives. A few passes over the sleeves will usually take out any nicks or rolled areas on my Khuk edges. I imagine any good medium grit stone will do the same. If you don't have a decent sharpening system available to you, let me know. I have a Lansky system here that I'll send to you for a test drive. The stones run from extra coarse to extra fine.

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Blackdog
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Jaeger · Oct 29, 2000

Thank you for the offer. I have several high quality stones, a Lanskey kit and a Spyderco Triangle sharpener so I should be set. FYI. The Triangle is the best sharpener I have ever used. ATS34 steel is my sharpening nemesis. It always gives me problems! With the Syderco I can get a hair popping edge in minutes. It's almost all I use anymore.

To be honest with you I'm not sure what I'm going to do with the WWIII. It's going to have to be reground. The damage is pretty nasty. This has been a definite confidence shaker.

Lt. Dan · Oct 29, 2000

Jaeger,

I don't mean to "dip" into your sharpening b'idness, but Craig's suggestion has been a big satisfier: the ceramic sharpening system shown in the GH on-line catalog under "Accessories". I bought mine (at a g--show) directly from the guy who makes them, and he explained the why's and how's. (BTW, he collaborated on the WW3 project.)

The khukuri's compound curves and convex edge can pose some problems when working w/flat sharpening systems. The ceramic sticks are mounted like a "v" in a wood block at 20 degrees, which seems to be about optimal. The blade is held perpandicular to the stand and drawn across, one stick at a time, one for each side. It works suprpisingly fast and the edge will be convex due to human error in holding the knife vertically. It's also just as easy to vary the angle by tilting slightly. I really prefer this style of cutting edge for its strength, efficiency, and longevity. In fact, I try not to obtain a flat edge whenever possible. (spending a little too much time on swordforum lately)

Getting a nice teardrop edge profile with flat sharpeners is too hard for me to do well. This system does it easily and follows contours just as well as straight lines. I'm not saying it is the only way to do it, or that burnishing/filework/rough stones aren't needed to begin the process for severe damage. But it really works when it's time for a sharp edge.

Actually, Craig likes the system so much that he offers it as a service without a price markup. It's so simple that you could easily make it yourself, but it's only $20, and the maker will replace a stick if it gets broken. Also, there might be ceramics of different textures with various sharpening abilities.

Hope all goes well....Lt. Dan

[This message has been edited by Lt. Dan (edited 10-29-2000).]

[This message has been edited by Lt. Dan (edited 10-29-2000).]

Jaeger · Oct 30, 2000

Thanks for the heads up Lt. Dan. I am very satisfied with the Spyderco sharpener. I think it is pretty similar to the system that Craig sells. I use the ceramic sticks freehand and get excellant results.

Anyone want to buy a WWIII?

[This message has been edited by Jaeger (edited 10-31-2000).]

Craig Gottlieb · Nov 1, 2000

That's wierd on the edge - Ron Hood hacked at a frozen elk leg and did very little damage to the blade (just a few knicks). When you say "belly" do you mean the fat part or the thin part?

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Craig Gottlieb
Gurkha House
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Jaeger · Nov 1, 2000

It's in the fat part. Right in the sweet spot of the chopping area. I'll email you tomarrow with details.