Blind Horse Boat Tail Scandi

We've been at my parents' lake house since Monday and I've had an opportunity to do some work with Spen's Boat Tail Scandi and I'm really liking it.

I'm actually a bit disappointed that I'm going to have to return it later this week.

The knife sits in the hand well, came crazy sharp, and makes fuzz sticks like a champ. I used it yesterday with my Wetterlings hatchet and Victorinox Farmer to prep some wood for the fire pit and it was the perfect piece to add to the lineup.

I didn't use it for any particularly hard or abusive jobs so I can't really comment on how it'll hold up to that but in the role of knife and cutting tool it did great.

I don't know if this is the standard sheath or if Spen made up a special rig for his Boat Tail Scandi but it's super nice and holds the knife very securely without being overly bulky. It rides nice and tight and the firesteel loop is secure too. I've got my shock cord lanyard wrapped around the loop to keep my firesteel where I want it and the whole rig rides comfortably in the car and moving around outside.

I believe this was a limited run piece from Blind Horse Knives but don't quote me on that. My knowledge about this particular knife is really pretty lacking. :)

I hope LT and Dan see this and consider whipping up an extra one if they're all gone.

Thanks for reading,


B

Feeling the Wire

When you sharpen a knife and then take it to the strop do you feel the burr?

I'm touching up an S30V blade and S30V and 3V both have a propensity to develop a whopper of a wire edge/burr that takes a while to break off. This blade is no exception to the rule.

What I notice, while stropping, is the presence of the burr on one side only. It's not flip-flopping like I've seen in the past but one side feels extremely smooth against the strop and the other drags. That drag is the burr.

Sometimes they're big, sometimes they're small but there's almost always a burr of some sort that needs to be worn off, broken off, or polished off.

The trick for me is to keep the stropping balanced from one side to the other despite the presence of the burr on only one side. What I don't want is a highly polished side and a side that has been left alone.

Now, I have some more stropping to do before the kids get home from school...

Thanks for reading,


B

GSI Ketalist Cookset

Have any of you seen THIS yet? It's the GSI Ketalist Cookset from REI.

Finally, someone has seen the light. I love my GSI kettle but it doesn't nest my other gear. This kettle holds a double layer cup/bowl and can, therefore, hold my trangia burner too.

I like the kettles for their ability to bring water to temperature quickly while keeping out most of the cooties (i.e. mud, ash, sticks, and twigs) that might fall into an otherwise uncovered cook pot. They're not great to cook in because cleaning them is a nightmare usually but I'm much more likely to brew up a cup of coffee or tea than I am to put together a full blown meal on a day hike.

For $30 I'm going to see if I can get my hands on one and give it a try. I'll let you know how it works.

Thanks for reading,


B

Blind Horse Knives Boat Tail Scandi

Today I dropped in to visit with Spen at JRE Industries and he handed me a knife in a beautiful Mahogany bushcraft sheath and I could tell right away from the handle shape that it was the Blind Horse Knives Boat Tail Scandi.

He said, "Here, take this and test it" so I took it. :)

I'm headed out to see if I can get a picture or two while there is still some daylight and then I'll get some measurements and specs posted for you.

Watch this space...

Thanks for reading,


B

Just a Firestarting Tip

I don't remember whether or not I've posted this before so please forgive me if I have.

When looking for firestarting materials, don't overlook a fantastic source of tinder that you'll find in nearly every home.

When you get a delivery pizza, it comes on a grease-soaked piece of cardboard. That grease is much like the Vaseline you put into a cotton ball to help it burn longer and in less than ideal conditions.

I cut every piece of pizza cardboard into strips and shove those into my charcoal chimney for starting the grill. I have used them with great success in the woods too.

Think of it as recycling...

Thanks for reading,


B

Pass Around Details: Part 1

Here's what I know as of 3/13/2010:

1. Abe has made a Sparrow Special (like THIS ONE) in Carbon Steel.
2. He has designated it as a pass around model for readers of this blog.
3. It still needs handles and a sheath.

Here's where I'm going with the pass around:

1. To participate, you have to agree to use the knife for a predetermined amount of time, take pictures, and do a write up either as a guest writer on this blog, on your own blog, on the forums, or all of the above.
2. At the end of the pass around, all participants will have a chance to WIN the knife. Details of this process will be determined soon.
3. There may be a "bonus" Diving Sparrow Knife Works knife included in the pass around from my personal collection.

I'd like to see somewhere between 10 and 15 participants with between a week and 10 days to use the knife before sending it on.

The "rules" for the pass around will be published prior to the first person's receipt of the knife. Sharpening will be allowed as long as you document how you did it.

If I get more than 15 people interested in the knife I may either extend the pass around, shorten the time you'll have to use it, or see if I can get Abe to consider sending more than one knife. :)

Thanks for reading,


B

Pass Around

I'm still not able to find much time for posting or writing but I've got an opportunity to provide YOU, dear readers, with the chance to write AND get your hands on a piece of custom cutlery from Abe Elias at Diving Sparrow Knife Works.

I need to figure out how to run a pass around and Abe needs to finish the knife but the wheels ARE turning here.

Anybody got any suggestions for me?

Thanks,


B