And a value it is at 2 cents!

What sharpeners do you use?

My Old Hickory would be good practice.

Sounds like a You Tubeable moment, if there were video.

The microwave is a wonderful invention. Peacefully defrosted a 6 lb package of hamburger for me this weekend (chili feed).

But if the microwave had broken, there's always the axe collection....

:-)

I've never had catastrophic failures with any kind of knife. I have some knives with large chips, nicks and scar - but an ugly nick does not render a knife completely useless.




All moras (that I know of) are partial tangs. They are often used as prime examples that partial tang knife, while not as strong as full tang, may still be highly functional, strong, durable - and cheap.

But then again, it could be argued that heavy batoning is not something the mora is designed to do. Real hardword is not that common in Scandinavia (except for oak, but there is an abundance of better bushcraft alternatives everywhere in Scandinavia). Different location = different wood = different tools.




Good point. I have a "butterfly" design diamond sharpener that isn't overly heavy, with a medium/fine grit. Just the right size/efficiency compromise for a quick sharpening in the field.

The good thing about bringing a small sharpener in your pack is that you can enjoy a little sharpening quality time when you are exactly where you want to be with your knife: In the woods. Added benefit is that frequent quick sharpening will de-mystify the obtuse sharpening rituals and terminology.

Scandi grinds (which most mora's have) are quite easy to hand sharpend because the large bevel gives a large surface (contact area) between your stone and the bevel.

In the end, sharpening is all (or at least, mostly) about removing metal in the right place.

@Dagny (and anyone else interested):

I came across a series of YouTube tutorials that are a pretty good primer on knife sharpening. I don't agree with every last detail, but they do a decent job explaining the "why" as well as the "how."

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=%22thomas+stuckey%22+knife+sharpening&aq=f

I confess that I'm lazy about the stropping part. Some of the stuff I cut is quite fibrous, and I prefer a bit of sawtooth on the edge.

I also get newbies to use a 22-1/2 degree angle, because they can consistently find it (start with blade at 90* to the stone, half of that is 45*, half again is 22-1/2*). This doesn't apply to Moras, of course, where it's best to follow the factory bevel.

The sharpener I reach for most often is a medium grit diamond bench stone. Diamond cuts faster than the traditional "carborundum" stones I had used in the past. I have a very nice diamond bench stone from EZ-Lap, several small DMT ones for close-in work and serrations, and a fistful of cheap Chinese ones that are fairly decent considering I got them for $4.88 on sale.

Thank you very much, Doug. That's great information.

Knife sharpening's going to be my new focus. I do have a few sharpeners, just haven't practiced much.

Will start with my Old Hickory and a Mora.