All round knife

[Kris D]

Guys can I ask about sharpening. I don't want to ruin a knife with a stone till I practice on old kitchen knives.
My question is, are these pocket sharpening devices that you just run the knife though any good ?
Like this for example ...

Smith's Pocket Pal Knife Sharpener https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B000O8OT..._8E5JwbX7AAYAB

[Bragger]

Iv not had much experience with gadget style sharpener. The think about them is most are for sharping double bevelled blades like kitchen knives. Most bushcraft knife are Scandinavian grinds or convex. And that type of sharpener can in generally leave you with a ruth cutting edge. The best way to sharpen a bushcraft knife is with wet stones and strop with polishing compound. As long as you don't abuse the cutting edge when you r out a stroping block can do to bring your cutting edge back. Ray mears has good video on YouTube on sharping knives.

[Kris D]

That's great to know and that was exactly what I was wondering about. I hear these different terms of how the blade is ground and I worried one on these universal sharpeners would alter the factory grind. I guess I'm going to have to learn properly.
I will search for that video you recommended, thanks for taking the time to get in touch. That really helped a lot

[Bragger]

Here's a good knife sharpening video from ray mears. And is the same technic I use. He has a second video on sharping in the field that shud follow this one. But as I sed be for a good strop can normally bring a edge back.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Lm53mCOQTR8

And this next video is a good one on stroping. It's abit dull (no pun) but you get to see the facts in great detail that stroping is as important for sharping if not more so.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=WQHVCXzCy7c

[Kris D]

That's brilliant mate. It seems every step I take is far from straight forward haha. I guess it's true that anything worth doing is not simple. Is that what they say ? Something like that haha.
I am going to have to spend some time studying this. I can afford a proper set up with all the stones right now so I think a strop will keep me going for now. The search is now on lol

[Kieren]

PaulM, Steve B are both quite clued up about knives and is Si Glasgow, Si also knows a lot about sharpening. Might be worth giving them a shout. Not read through the thread but I'm sure there's also a lot of great advice above too.

[Kris D]

Thanks again for your input buddy. I will see if I can glean some useful info from them

[Paulm]

PaulM, Steve B are both quite clued up about knives and is Si Glasgow, Si also knows a lot about sharpening. Might be worth giving them a shout. Not read through the thread but I'm sure there's also a lot of great advice above too.

Sounds like a dodgy group of guys !

The Ray Mears vids cover sharpening a scandi grind like the Mora pretty well, not much to it really, avoid the pull through type sharpeners though they are very crude and leave a ragged edge as well as taking copious amounts of metal off, not suited for scandi grind blades either.

A cheap but effective way to get going on a budget is to use wet and dry paper, silicon carbide abrasive. Tape some to a piece of mdf or flat wood and use like a waterstone but for pennies instead of pounds !

Second the thoughts on stropping though, if done carefully so you don't round off the edge of the blade, and done regularly, it will keep your knife very sharp and reduce the frequency of sharpening you need to do.

Hope that helps a bit.

Cheers, Paul

[Kris D]

Hi Paul ,
Great advice there thank you. It seems like everything getting it right from the start and the correct set up saves a lot if time and wasted energy.
I don't think I have the funds at the mo for the different grade stones etc so looking at stripping first. I hope that's correct.
I'm not sure what you mean about the wet and dry paper though mate. Perhaps Google can help.
I need to read up on the different edges that come on knives also, a scandi for example. Can you see on a blade what kind if edge it has ? Or is it just important to follow the edge when sharpening ?
Thanks again Paul

[Bragger]

What Paul means by wet and dry is he's referring to wet and dry sand paper which can be found in any diy store. If you pva glue a couple of different grits of this paper (say p800 and p1200 or higher ) to a couple of wooden blocks about 50 by 200mm. making sure thay are nice and flat. Thay will work as crude wet stones. If you can find a nice strip of thin Leather about 50mm wide and 200mm long. Charity shop are good places to find lether for this job. pva glue that to a strip of wood making sure agen it's flap that will work as a stroping block. Here my strop made in that way cast my pence. If you Google blade grinds you will find lots of information on them and when it comes to sharpen the different types it's just down to the angle you run the blade over the stone.

[Kris D]

Brilliant thanks mate I will get on that.
I just thought, I bought my dad a cut throat razor and stropping leather belt for it. I wonder if I could use that ? I was surprised to see on the stropping vids on you tube that a block of coloured compound is added. Would I need to put that on leather belt or is that something else entirely ?
Cheers

[Bowlin]

Hi Kris,

Posted today, should be with you before 1pm tomorrow. I know it can be a pain if you aren't at home when postie calls but I sent it recorded as I was a bit nervous about sending a sharp through the post. Hope that's not too inconvenient?

Cheers

Seve

[Stevie]

That's an interesting way you're spelling your name today Steve...

[Kris D]

Hi Steve,
Thats is fantastic thanks so much buddy. You never sent me your paypal address, message me it so i can at least cover postage pal. I wish there was something i could do for you in return, once i know what the heck im doing im sure i will find a way, what goes around comes around eh
Cheers

[Bragger]

Hot of the press for anyone interested mora will be releasing a full tang knife. More on the line of a clipper than the Lapplander design? From what I can make out from the photo thay hav related so far. We will have to wait tul 19th of January for more details and photos.

[Kris D]

That looks very interesting. I didn't realise they were not full tang as standard. Thanks for sharing

[Steve B.]

If you put Mora tang into google Kris you get a good xray pic of some of the different models.

Me personally I like a Scandi grind for carving, but for anything else I'll take a Convex edge......................I do like a good Convex.

[Kris D]

Hi Steve, the grinds are a complete new entity to me at the moment lol. I need to read up on them more actually. Thanks for that i will get onto googling now

[Bowlin]

Kris, just to check has the knife arrived safely? (as mentioned I was a bit nervous about putting it in the post so just wanted to confirm).

Cheers
Steve

[Kris D]

Hi Steve, sorry i meant to send you a pm. I am away from home this week and back wednesday coming. My mum checked on house and said there was a thing from PO saying to collect so i presume thats it mate. Im sorry for late reply but really been a lot happening last few days with my son. Your a good man doing that for me and it very appreciated. I hope to meet up with you one day and share a dram or three in return

[Bowlin]

No worries Kris, happy to know that it arrived safely.

Cheers
Steve

[Kris D]

WOW !!! My son just got back home and opened his parcel from Steve (Bowlin) and wow ! He enclosed a lovely letter wishing Charlie all the best and said he couldn't find his old Mora he was going to send Charlie so sent a new one ! I'm speechless ( and jealous lol ) Steve I just can't thank you enough. Not been a lot of laughs for my son lately but what you did really put a huge smile on his face. That's priceless. Your a true gentleman and very kind hearted. I can't say thank you enough. His kit is building up very nicely

[Kris D]

Tarted up a bit for him lol.

[Sunndog]

A lucky lad and a generous member....well done to both

[SpencerDF]

What a community! Glad to be a member here.

I guess you're not in the market anymore but I'll toss in my two cents on knives. I'm a Gerber man, but selectively. Anything marked Bear Gryllis or sold in a plastic blister pack is made in China and not of good quality. The steel is cheap, doesn't hold an edge.

The quality Gerbers are made in Portland, OR in the US, and are rock solid. I carry a Propel AO daily and the LMF II in the field. I can't say enough good things about the LMF.. It's a little heavy but can baton wood, limb trees in a single chop. It has a rubberized, insulated handle, glass breaking pommel and holes drilled so it can be lashed to a spear.. I've carried mine for eight years, in and out of uniform. Well worth the $110 (Canadian) price tag.

At risk of sounding like a fan boy, I use a Gerber folding field sharpener for my knives when a stone isn't practical.

Hope that helps someone!

[Kris D]

Cheers buddy for the feedback. I actually bought the bear grylls ultimate pro knife. I would normally never go for anything marketed like that but I read and watched countless reviews and it seemed quite an impressive knife. I'm happy with it. Except the orange BG logo on it. I will keep my eye out for the LMF knives though, I've heard good things about them. Thanks again