Archive for December, 2009
Stay Alive with your Survival Knife
Here are three ways to use your survival knife to stay alive in the wild. 
Cut small trees: If you can double a sapling over using one hand (limber it up by bending it back and forth several times), you can slice the trunk in half using downward pressure with an angle cut. The sapling must be green and the pressure should be evenly maintained throughout the cut, although with larger trees it may be necessary to rock the blade. Support the sapling as the trunk weakens. It will be impossible to finish the cut if the wood splinters.
Create cord: Cord is a primary survival tool, essential for fashioning bowstrings, lashing gear, and strengthening braces for shelter. The hide of almost any animal can be rendered into strips using a circular cutting technique. Drive the knifepoint into a flat wood surface, then pull the hide into the blade in a circular pattern to make a long strip. A guide peg driven into the wood maintains an even cut.
Make a fire starter: If you can’t find dry kindling for building a fire, you can use your knife to make some in the form of a fuzz stick. Rest the end of a stout stick on the ground, then shave downward to lift curls of dry wood. At the end of each stroke, pry outward with the blade to spread the feathers. The end result will burn readily.
History of KA-BAR
KA-BAR fighting knives first entered the public consciousness when they were issued to Marines fighting overseas during World War II. The knives had already been available domestically for hunting purposes, but military commanders found that they were useful for trench warfare. The knives were also touted for their sturdy yet inexpensive construction.
Today, KA-BAR knives remain popular among hunters, fishermen, and other outdoors enthusiasts. They call to mind a proud military tradition that translates to reliable use in nature. Non-combat versions of the knife differ slightly in their design; most notably, they feature a comparably shorter blade.
Take Care of Your Knife
Knives have come a long way since the ancient days when they were made of wood, bone, and similar highly perishable materials. How we use a knife plays a big role in how it will perform…but how we care for a knife determines how long it will last!
Knife Care
- Avoid letting any blade get wet as this will cause corrosion. OK…so this may seem impossible….so just be sure to dry your blade as soon as you can. Make a habit of wiping down the blade and handle after each use- especially if this is your prize hunting knife!
- Storing a knife in a leather sheath is harmful to the blade because moisture will easily collect around it. Wrap your knife in a clean dry cloth instead.
- “Oil” any moving parts or joints to a knife periodically to insure longevity.
- Do not do the following: let sand or grit in the working parts of a knife; use the knife as a can opener, hammering tool, screwdriver or any other device that it was not designed for.
- Wood handles can be cared for with furniture oil.
- If your blade is composed of carbon spring steel, then use a baking soda and water solution to clean it. If you have a stainless steel blade, 440 or 420, use dish soap and water. Stainless steel is much more susceptible to finger print than carbon and should therefore be cared for on a regular basis. In other words, try not to touch the blade with your bare hands too much; if you do then clean the knife after use. The acids left from finger prints can leave permanent stains and can actually cause corrosion if left uncleaned over time.
- When choosing an oil, WD-40 will work but it’s not always the best choice. For lubricating any knife, I prefer the TUF products from Sentry Solutions. TUF-glide and TUF-cloth utilize dry film lubrication technology which won’t damage your knife blade. This technology offers benefits traditional oil, silicone and flouro polymer technologies cannot. If you are working with a folding knife and you choose to use oil then apply the oil and work the folding mechanism at least ten times to work the oil into the joints.
The Pocket Folding Knife
Perhaps the most unsung heroes of all tools are folding knives. From pocket to full-sized multi-tools, these knives are discreet and safely folded up to prevent needless accidents. After all, most adults remember when they received their first pocket folding knife, right?
A pocket knife is a folding knife with a blade that fits inside the handle and that is small enough to fit in a pocket, with blades no larger than 3 to 5 in. in length. Pocket knives are very versatile tools, and can be used for anything from opening an envelope, to cutting rope, to slicing fruit.
A pocket or folding knife can be practical for camping, hiking, woodworking and first-aid kits. They are very popular because they can also hide and store specialized tools, such as pliers, tweezers, files and secondary blades.
Because of their extreme usefulness, many people keep pocket knives hooked on keychains, lanyards and ropes. They are perfect for glove boxes and medical kits in addition to boats, RV’s, fishing tackle boxes and hunting tool kits. Pocket knives make great gifts for young adults, fishermen, craftsmen, or friends looking to always have a toothpick, nail file or box-opening blade handy.
Most knife companies like Buck, Spyderco, Benchmade, Gerber and Kershaw offer a variety of pocket folding knives.
The Spyderco Clip
The original Spyderco CLIPIT was introduced in 1981. Spyderco was the first company to use the clothing clip as part of their knife design. The clip is located on one side of the knife handle and allows you to securely attach the knife to a pocket or other convenient location for easy access. CLIPITS are designed to be carried with the knife on the inside of the pocket and the clip on the outside. In this position the knife is secure and protected and can be easily removed when needed. The knife sits flat along the inside of the pocket for comfortable carry regardless of size.
Clip placement also determines whether the tip of the knife blade points up for tip up carry or down for tip down carry . Carry configuration depends on the overall knife design. Each carry configuration requires a different accessing technique, though both work equally well. The clothing clip is now a popular folding knife feature industry-wide. Spyderco alone makes a wide variety of clip styles for many of their knives.
How Do You Remove Rust from Hunting Knives
So…How do you remove rust from hunting knives? Of course this information can be applied to most any outdoor knife. But, today we’re going to focus on hunting knives. With proper care rust should not be a problem on modern hunting knives but we all mistakes and neglect our knives once in a while or leave them in a sheath after being out in the rain.
There are a couple of ways your can remove the rust.
If the rust is just surface rust and has not eaten into the blade of the hunting knife you can use oil and a cloth. Just rub the blade with the oil and cloth until the rust is removed. If the rust has gotten into the metal of your knife blade you can use oil along with steel wool or fine grain sandpaper. The problem with steel wool and sandpaper is you may leave scratch marks on the blade. You will need to balance the need to remove the rust against the damage you may inflict on your hunting knives.
Do not use a power grinder to grind the rust off the blade of your hunting knives. The speed of the wheel will heat up your blade and affect the strength.
Now that you have learned how to remove rust from your Hunting knife….here are simple ways to AVOID getting rust on the blade:
1. Going on a long hunting trip? Bring a soft, clean, dry cloth with you (store it in a plastic ziplock bag) and clean your knife blade every evening. Even if you didn’t actually use your knife- it was exposed to elements that could potentially cause rust.
2. When you return from your hunting trip- clean and oil the blade before storing it away.
3. Store your knife in a dry place – be sure to keep the blade sheathed for protection.
4. If you live in a climate with summer humidity- oil and dry your knife periodically.
Good Hunting!
Survivormans Knife
The Buck 119 Special that Survivorman, Bear Grylls, uses is the most popular fixed blade Buck knife. It features a six inch clip point 420HC stainless steel blade that is hollow ground. It is 10.5 inches long and weighs in at 7.5 ounces (213 grams).
The handle on the Buck 119 Special knife is phenolic with an aluminum finger guard and butt. The standard black leather sheath is perhaps more traditional than the more modern kydex that some find superior.
Most people who buy the Buck 119 Special knife are very pleased with its performance and durability. Because this is a stainless steel knife it is less likely to pit when used in wet environments than the high carbon steel blades, a definite plus in many survival settings.
If you are looking for an overall good fixed blade survival knife that has been tested by thousands of outdoorsmen over the years, you may want to consider Survivorman’s knife, the Buck 119 Special.
Survival Knives to Avoid
To the inexperienced, survival knives often conjure up images of the huge Rambo type knives as glorified in Hollywood movies. Though they look like potent weapons that can take on the world, these oversized knives are a far cry from the best of knives used by survival experts. The big knives suffer from being as difficult to control as they are overly heavy and bulky. Many needs of the survivor require finer detail work that are difficult to accomplished with this kind of blade.
Avoid double edged knives. These knives are used mostly for thrusting. Because their tips are relatively weak they are prone to breaking. In addition, the second edge is an unneeded edge that can lead to injury.
Many survival knives are sold that have hollow handles, the idea being you can store survival essentials like matches and compass inside the water tight handle. Hollow handled survival knives have one problem -they are prone to being weaker than the solid handle variety. There are exceptions, but generally you are better off storing your survival gear elsewhere. One advantage to this is that should you loose your knife you will still have the remainder of your survival gear to rely upon.
The best survival knives need to be versatile. They will be called upon to perform a number of tasks. At the same time bulk and weight are important considerations as with any survival gear.
Survival Knives are Required Gear
A good survival knife is the most important item of your survival gear and is one of the 15 essentials that all survivors should have with them. With a good knife you can make or obtain just about anything you need to live and even prosper in the outdoors. With this in mind, your selection of the best survival knife for your needs must be based on solid construction, proper materials, workmanship, and functionality.
The best outdoor survival knives are actually quite unassuming. Inexperienced outdoorsmen and survivalists will often pass them over to select blades that will mark them as survival neophytes to those who are in the know.
Anyone who has ever spent quality time in the outdoors will vouch for the usefulness of a good knife but to the survival expert his knife is one of his best friends and the most closely guarded of his survival gear. Like a good friend, his survival knife should never let him down.
Choosing the right survival knife is more than an exercise in individuality – your very life may hinge upon its proper selection.
Some of the best survival knives are made by Fallkniven, SOG and Becker. You may pay a little more but the quality is well worth it. Get the best knife for your needs- it may just save your life!
Idun Hunting Knife
Introducing one of the world’s most advanced hunting knives. Mod. NL5cx Idun, with a blade in Cowry X Damascus steel from Fallkniven. This is probably the world’s best edge steel, all categories, and definitely one of the most exclusive blades ever made.
The edge comprises a powder steel with the following extreme content: C 3%, Cr 20%, Mo 1%, V 0.3% and iron to 100%. Its hardness is no less than 64 HRC! The sides consist of stainless, 120-layer Damascus steel with an edge of powdered steel. This forms a blade which in its beauty and strength is world class, no less. The fittings are of solid nickel silver, while the rest of the handle is stacked leather and fiber washers.
The knife is manufactured in strictly limited numbers, but it should be available for at least a few more years. The knife is an excellent utility hunting knife, but in all probability, most customers will acquire it for its exclusive collectability. Whichever, demand will probably outstrip supply.