So, I attempted to have a table at a monthly craft show that is out side and got rained out for the second time. I did not have to pay for the space since it was still in the morning, but I'm starting to wonder if I should just stop trying to do that monthly show. I was able to sell one bracelet before the show was cancelled.
Oh well, maybe next time.
Saturday, September 22, 2012
Friday, September 21, 2012
Basic Knife Care, Part 2
So, here's part two of my extremely general and basic knife care posts. Before going further, let me get this out of the way, just in case - please use care and caution when cleaning and sharpening knives and tools. They are not toys and all safety precautions should be followed, such as never pointing or drawing the blade towards yourself (or others), wear protective gloves, and eye protection, and follow all instructions and precautions that come with knives, tools, and sharpeners.
Okay, so now on to the next topic - carbon and alloy steels. As with my Part 1 on stainless steels, I am not going to get technical on steel composition or types. Just as there are several different types of stainless steels, there are also several different types of carbon and alloy steels. Each one has different properties and some may require more TLC than others, but I am going to keep it very, very genreal and basic. I will probably do a follow up post in the near future with some links and suggested reading for anyone that wants to learn more about knife steels, shapes, point variations, edges and grinds. All of those do matter when one is selecting and caring for a knife, but it is also beyond the scope of my intent with these posts. These posts are more designed for the reader that may already have a knife or two, but not really know much about them. We've all been there at one point in time...
So, carbon and alloy steels. Without getting too technical, these steels require more maintenance and TLC than stainless steels, especially when it comes to corrosion prevention. Most carbon and alloy steels lack the chromium content of stainless steels, making them more susceptible to corrosion, or staining. Therefore, where having a light coat of oil was suggested for the stainless steel blades, it is mandatory for carbon and alloy steels (at least in my book). Again, avoid WD-40, instead go with a good gun oil or mineral spirits. Also, I use petroleum jelly on some of my carbon and alloy baldes, especially if I know they will be in a high salt environment or in storage for a long period. It is a little messier, but I would rather have that than the alternative.
Many carbon and alloy steel blades will come with some kind of coating on blade for added corrosion resistance - all but the edge. In this case, a coating of mineral spirits or oil is still required on the edge, otherwise the edge will stain. If left for too long, the staining will dull the edge. Even with the protective coating, it is a good idea to keep the entire blade lightly coated with oil, just in case.
All the suggestions for folders found in Part 1 would hold for folders made from these types of steels. Fortunately, unless your folder happens to be extremely old, or a very high productioln or custom folder, chances are any folder you have will have some kind of stainless steel.
So, you may be thinking to yourself, "if carbon and alloy steels require so much more attention and love, why bother, when there are great stainless blades out there."
The answer, in the most simplests of terms, is that a knife, just like any other tool, is better suited to some tasks than others. All else being equal, and again, in the most general sense, carbon and alloy steels tend to be stronger and tougher than stainless steels. They are also generally easier to work with and are easier to forge. Stainless steels are okay in blades (generally) with lengths of about 4" or less. Stainless steel blades, generally, that are longer than that tend to have a problem with lateral stress, and can break easier when experiencing those types of stresses. Again, I am going to leave out all of the technical jargon, but this is due to the differences in heat treatments and hardness levels (Rockwell Hardness) present in carbon and alloy steels versus stainless steels.
So, given the above, I would much rather have a long fixed blade knife or sword made from carbon or alloy steel. Sure we've all seen the pretty "440 Series" or "400 series" Stainless Steel swords and katanas. They might even be very sharp (but usually not). But in my opinion, they are only good for decoration, I would never trust my life to a long blade made from stainless steel. There are of course some exceptions to this hard and fast rule, but they are few, and I can't think of any exceptions when it comes to swords.
A good rule of thumb (in my opinion) is that if the blade is going to be long (over 4" - 5") and it is going to see hard use (think machete), it should be made from carbon or alloy steel, and NOT stainless steel, no matter how pretty and decorative the shiny stainless steel makes it look.
Another nice thing about most carbon and alloy steels is that they can also be easier to sharpen and still hold a good edge.
In case anyone wanted an example - the USMC Ka-Bar, viewed by many, even after 60 years, as the penultimate fighting/survival/utility knife, is forged from 1095 Carbon steel.
As stated at the beginning, please use care and caution when cleaning and sharpening knives and tools. They are not toys and all safety precautions should be followed, such as never pointing or drawing the blade towards yourself (or others), wear protective gloves, and eye protection, and follow all instructions and precautions that come with knives, tools, and sharpeners.
I hope this post was helpful.
Okay, so now on to the next topic - carbon and alloy steels. As with my Part 1 on stainless steels, I am not going to get technical on steel composition or types. Just as there are several different types of stainless steels, there are also several different types of carbon and alloy steels. Each one has different properties and some may require more TLC than others, but I am going to keep it very, very genreal and basic. I will probably do a follow up post in the near future with some links and suggested reading for anyone that wants to learn more about knife steels, shapes, point variations, edges and grinds. All of those do matter when one is selecting and caring for a knife, but it is also beyond the scope of my intent with these posts. These posts are more designed for the reader that may already have a knife or two, but not really know much about them. We've all been there at one point in time...
So, carbon and alloy steels. Without getting too technical, these steels require more maintenance and TLC than stainless steels, especially when it comes to corrosion prevention. Most carbon and alloy steels lack the chromium content of stainless steels, making them more susceptible to corrosion, or staining. Therefore, where having a light coat of oil was suggested for the stainless steel blades, it is mandatory for carbon and alloy steels (at least in my book). Again, avoid WD-40, instead go with a good gun oil or mineral spirits. Also, I use petroleum jelly on some of my carbon and alloy baldes, especially if I know they will be in a high salt environment or in storage for a long period. It is a little messier, but I would rather have that than the alternative.
Many carbon and alloy steel blades will come with some kind of coating on blade for added corrosion resistance - all but the edge. In this case, a coating of mineral spirits or oil is still required on the edge, otherwise the edge will stain. If left for too long, the staining will dull the edge. Even with the protective coating, it is a good idea to keep the entire blade lightly coated with oil, just in case.
All the suggestions for folders found in Part 1 would hold for folders made from these types of steels. Fortunately, unless your folder happens to be extremely old, or a very high productioln or custom folder, chances are any folder you have will have some kind of stainless steel.
So, you may be thinking to yourself, "if carbon and alloy steels require so much more attention and love, why bother, when there are great stainless blades out there."
The answer, in the most simplests of terms, is that a knife, just like any other tool, is better suited to some tasks than others. All else being equal, and again, in the most general sense, carbon and alloy steels tend to be stronger and tougher than stainless steels. They are also generally easier to work with and are easier to forge. Stainless steels are okay in blades (generally) with lengths of about 4" or less. Stainless steel blades, generally, that are longer than that tend to have a problem with lateral stress, and can break easier when experiencing those types of stresses. Again, I am going to leave out all of the technical jargon, but this is due to the differences in heat treatments and hardness levels (Rockwell Hardness) present in carbon and alloy steels versus stainless steels.
So, given the above, I would much rather have a long fixed blade knife or sword made from carbon or alloy steel. Sure we've all seen the pretty "440 Series" or "400 series" Stainless Steel swords and katanas. They might even be very sharp (but usually not). But in my opinion, they are only good for decoration, I would never trust my life to a long blade made from stainless steel. There are of course some exceptions to this hard and fast rule, but they are few, and I can't think of any exceptions when it comes to swords.
A good rule of thumb (in my opinion) is that if the blade is going to be long (over 4" - 5") and it is going to see hard use (think machete), it should be made from carbon or alloy steel, and NOT stainless steel, no matter how pretty and decorative the shiny stainless steel makes it look.
Another nice thing about most carbon and alloy steels is that they can also be easier to sharpen and still hold a good edge.
In case anyone wanted an example - the USMC Ka-Bar, viewed by many, even after 60 years, as the penultimate fighting/survival/utility knife, is forged from 1095 Carbon steel.
As stated at the beginning, please use care and caution when cleaning and sharpening knives and tools. They are not toys and all safety precautions should be followed, such as never pointing or drawing the blade towards yourself (or others), wear protective gloves, and eye protection, and follow all instructions and precautions that come with knives, tools, and sharpeners.
I hope this post was helpful.
More Recent Creations
Here are two bracelets with compasses added. The compasses add a bit more "survival flare" to the paracord bracelet. This could be a handy bracelet for outdoor activities.
Here are some more fobs that are done with decorative monkey fists. The purple one in the middle has no core and is pure knot. The other two use a small, light wooden bead as a core. Tying the monkey fist with a core produces a cleaner looking knot in my opinion, but there is still something to be said about the pure knot without any core material. I am still keeping the core material as small and light as possible to avoid these decorative monkey fists being classified as "slungshot". Also, notice how the neon orange/toxic green fob uses a glow-in-the-dark bead, as if it wasn't brigh enough already.
That's it for now for projects. I'll be making more items this weekend, but most of thme will be for my table. Once I get around to making more unique items, I will post them.
Thursday, September 20, 2012
Shameless Self Promotion Post
So, for anyone that is in the area and interested, I am going to have a table for paracord items at the Jupiter Lanes (in the bowling alley parking lot) Flea Market and Craft Fair on Saturday, September 22, from 8:00 am until at least 1:00 pm.
There, short, but sweet.
More posts to follow in the days ahead - specifically a Part 2 on Knife Care, maybe more parts (trying to adhere to the KISS principle, though). Also, more gear reviews and projects.
Stay tuned...
There, short, but sweet.
More posts to follow in the days ahead - specifically a Part 2 on Knife Care, maybe more parts (trying to adhere to the KISS principle, though). Also, more gear reviews and projects.
Stay tuned...
Tuesday, September 18, 2012
Basic Knife Care Part 1 - "Stain - LESS" Steels
So, at the request of a friend and follower of the blog, I am doing a post on basic care for knives and multitools. This post on knife care comes from my own perspective and experience, individual readers' mileage may vary. Also, please use care and caution when cleaning and sharpening knives and tools. They are not toys and all safety precautions should be followed, such as never pointing or drawing the blade towards yourself (or others), wear protective gloves, and eye protection, and follow all instructions and precautions that come with knives, tools, and sharpeners.
Before going into ways to care for and maintain knives and multitools, it is important to talk about blade steels. Since this post is intended to be a basic care guide, I'm not going to get too specific or technical on different types of steel and composition. For simplicity sake, I am going to use two categories of blade steel: (1) stainless steel and (2) high carbon and alloy steels. Of the two categories, stainless steels are (generally) easier to maintain and are also the most common category found in folding knives (pocket knives) and multitools.
First, stainless steels, should be thought of as "stain-LESS", because without any care and total neglect, even stainless steels can stain and corrode. They just "stain - less" and are more resistant to corrosion than high carbon and alloy steels, due to the higher content of chromium in stainless steels.
So stainless steels resist corrosion more than carbon and alloy steels, but they still need some care. In general, it's good to keep a light (very light) coating of oil on a stainless blade or tool. It is not necessary, especially if you keep the blade dry and away from moisture and corrosives, like salt. One thing to avoid using, especially on knives that are carried, is WD-40. I prefer to use a good gun oil, like Hoppe's Elite or Sentry Tuff-Glide. Even mineral spirits will work.
So what happens if your blade gets wet? A stainless blade, especially one with a very light coat of oil can simply be wiped off and dried. If the blade is immersed in saltwater, simply wash with soap and fresh water, thoroughly, dry (thoroughly), and reapply light coat of oil.
The above holds with fixed blades and folding knives / tools. However, folders require a little more maintenance. First, folders will tend to get pocket lint in them. Periodically inspect your pocket knives and tools for lint. If you see it, either use canned air to blow it out or a toothpick. This is especially important for locking folders, as pocket lint can get into the locking mechanism, causing it to fail. If canned air doesn't remove all the lint, wash the folder entirely with soap, water, and toothpick. Then dry thoroughly and apply very light coat of oil.
Folders should also have their pivots lubricated, but not overly lubricated. Again, use a good gun oil or light oil (not WD-40) on the pivots periodically, especially if you notice a "grinding" feel or if the folding is overly "tight".
Also, avoid all temptations to take a folder apart. That should only be done in the most extreme cases and then very carefully. The above tips should be able to handle and prevent most instances of corrosion.
However, the above will not do anything for keeping your blade sharp, that is an entirely separate procedure. It is important to keep your blade sharp at all times. The sharpness and retention of edge on a blade is determined by a variety of factors such as type of steel, blade grind, and angle. So to keep things simple, I suggest obtaining a user-friendly sharpening system and follow its directions. Carbide sharpeners, like the Smith's Pocket Pal, are easy and can put a pretty good edge on most blades. However, if you have a premium steel or knife, you may want to avoid carbide sharpeners - they can scratch the blade. I prefer the Spyderco Sharpmaker, as it can sharpen multiple types of blades, including serrated edges, scissors, kitchen cutlery, and knives. It is also a very easy system to learn to use effectively. There are several sources for knife sharpening tips on the Internet so I encourage anyone to that wants more detailed information on knife sharpening to do a simple Internet search.
As stated above, please use care and caution when cleaning and sharpening knives and tools. They are not toys and all safety precautions should be followed, such as never pointing or drawing the blade towards yourself (or others), wear protective gloves, eye protection, and follow all instructions and precautions that come with knives, tools, and sharpeners.
I will follow this with a post on carbon and alloy steels.
I hope this is useful and please post comments and questions.
Before going into ways to care for and maintain knives and multitools, it is important to talk about blade steels. Since this post is intended to be a basic care guide, I'm not going to get too specific or technical on different types of steel and composition. For simplicity sake, I am going to use two categories of blade steel: (1) stainless steel and (2) high carbon and alloy steels. Of the two categories, stainless steels are (generally) easier to maintain and are also the most common category found in folding knives (pocket knives) and multitools.
First, stainless steels, should be thought of as "stain-LESS", because without any care and total neglect, even stainless steels can stain and corrode. They just "stain - less" and are more resistant to corrosion than high carbon and alloy steels, due to the higher content of chromium in stainless steels.
So stainless steels resist corrosion more than carbon and alloy steels, but they still need some care. In general, it's good to keep a light (very light) coating of oil on a stainless blade or tool. It is not necessary, especially if you keep the blade dry and away from moisture and corrosives, like salt. One thing to avoid using, especially on knives that are carried, is WD-40. I prefer to use a good gun oil, like Hoppe's Elite or Sentry Tuff-Glide. Even mineral spirits will work.
So what happens if your blade gets wet? A stainless blade, especially one with a very light coat of oil can simply be wiped off and dried. If the blade is immersed in saltwater, simply wash with soap and fresh water, thoroughly, dry (thoroughly), and reapply light coat of oil.
The above holds with fixed blades and folding knives / tools. However, folders require a little more maintenance. First, folders will tend to get pocket lint in them. Periodically inspect your pocket knives and tools for lint. If you see it, either use canned air to blow it out or a toothpick. This is especially important for locking folders, as pocket lint can get into the locking mechanism, causing it to fail. If canned air doesn't remove all the lint, wash the folder entirely with soap, water, and toothpick. Then dry thoroughly and apply very light coat of oil.
Folders should also have their pivots lubricated, but not overly lubricated. Again, use a good gun oil or light oil (not WD-40) on the pivots periodically, especially if you notice a "grinding" feel or if the folding is overly "tight".
Also, avoid all temptations to take a folder apart. That should only be done in the most extreme cases and then very carefully. The above tips should be able to handle and prevent most instances of corrosion.
However, the above will not do anything for keeping your blade sharp, that is an entirely separate procedure. It is important to keep your blade sharp at all times. The sharpness and retention of edge on a blade is determined by a variety of factors such as type of steel, blade grind, and angle. So to keep things simple, I suggest obtaining a user-friendly sharpening system and follow its directions. Carbide sharpeners, like the Smith's Pocket Pal, are easy and can put a pretty good edge on most blades. However, if you have a premium steel or knife, you may want to avoid carbide sharpeners - they can scratch the blade. I prefer the Spyderco Sharpmaker, as it can sharpen multiple types of blades, including serrated edges, scissors, kitchen cutlery, and knives. It is also a very easy system to learn to use effectively. There are several sources for knife sharpening tips on the Internet so I encourage anyone to that wants more detailed information on knife sharpening to do a simple Internet search.
As stated above, please use care and caution when cleaning and sharpening knives and tools. They are not toys and all safety precautions should be followed, such as never pointing or drawing the blade towards yourself (or others), wear protective gloves, eye protection, and follow all instructions and precautions that come with knives, tools, and sharpeners.
I will follow this with a post on carbon and alloy steels.
I hope this is useful and please post comments and questions.
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