Your new knife rituals?

I check it over for any glaring fit and finish issues. Check for sharpness (nail, then paper, then shaving) then I'll give it a few passes with green strop compound and oil it. I'll use it lightly for the next week to make sure I actually want it.
 
Same as everyone else when it comes to checking for issues, sharpness, loose screws etc. But I also like to get my collection packed out on the table and introduce the newbie to the others. Then it's into the pocket and looking for excuses to use it. These days I want to get that initial sharpness dulled a bit as quickly as possible so I can touch it up myself and really make it my own.
 
Tyronethepro said:
I disassemble it and lube everything with Rem Oil, Then I put it back together and stab a chew can. Then I proceed to sharpen the knife and Introduce it to the rest of my knives, including the ones in the "S**t Box", I proceed to give my knife a pep talk stating that if he fails on me, he goes in that box. Do I really do this, yes. Do I think it's crazy? Yes.
Click to expand...

thats funny,

I cut paper, check edge, adjust edge profiles if needed, cut more paper (or whatever is close my arms about bald lol) oil it then show it to my other knives in the good drawer and then to the forge, the place it goes if it fails me when I need it like on a trip..... I have birned a few knives after they broke, or closed durring use. One though cut me really bad and it ended up deep in the bottom of the river.....
 
I have grown to loathe the rough coatings on the blades that they tend to put out recently so my rituals are usually:
-strip coating
-convex and sharpen
-stipple handles if plastic

basically mess with everything!
 
I do a similar routine as others. Check it over, disassemble if possible, clean it as best I can either way, oil and carry/use.

Although the showering with a knife was tongue-in-cheek, that won't hurt most steels.

I carry a pocket knife almost constantly. I always have. Even now when using a pool. I have swim trunks with full closure velcro pockets. I clip or drop my pocket knife in, and then swim away. There have been times when at a water park the knife has been soaked and resoaked for hours. At the worst, I have had minor speckled surface rust. When I get back to my room, I rinse it in fresh water, and dry it as best I can. Later with time permitting, I do a much better maintenance. I did the same when my life revolved around ocean or monsoon conditions.

Before people ask why carry a knife while at a public pool, well, because if something happens, a knife is needed now. There may not be time to run to a bag, or to get it from a room/car/changing area. Knives I carry are tools. I picked them as tools. Now, agreed non-synthetic handles/carbon steel blades may not last long (I have an Opinel 8 that disagrees), ultimately everything I have carried still does what it was designed to do. Cut.
 
I give the knife a once over. If the edge isn't as sharp as i like it ill hone it til it will shave hair. The thing i try to do ASAP is changing the pocket clip to right hand tip up if needed. Other than that maybe put some mineral oil in the pivot area if needed. And same as other adjust pivot so there is not excessive play while keeping it easy to flip and play with.
 
polish the edge. I can't stand machining marks on blade edges. Orient the carry clip for tip-up.
 
Throw it against a brick wall, make sure it doesn't fall apart.
 
Sharpen if necessary, then play with it for the next week or so.

Checklist:
How does it ride in the pocket?
Do I want to de-clip it?
Do I need to adjust the pivot?
How do the scales feel in your hand? Should I modify it?
If assisted, how does it feel de-assisted?
How does it feel doing light work? Medium-heavy work?
Do I want to refinish the blade? De-coat? Patina?

At some point after all that I may or may not want to clean out and re-lube it. The very last thing is to decide if I like the factory edge angle or if I want to reprofile it.
At this point I pretty much know how I like it, how I want to carry it, and what I want to use it for.
 
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