Egg
12-26-2008, 09:06 AM
I have searched through Avalaons preperations list and have not been able to find any good solid easy to follow advice about knives and edged tools for long term survival in an outdoor environment; so I have decided to write a piece and put in what I have learnt from many summers and winters working on the land in both a woodland and moorland setting.
First questions and most important ones I feel are these; what do I need my knife / edged tool to do? am I battoning? am I gutting and skinning? am I creating shelters and fires with it daily or more? is it my only tool?
Seems a big list, but mentally can be answered in seconds. My main need is for creating shelters and fires. So I source a knife with this in mind first and foremost.
Secondly I look at what material the actual blade is made of. Am I going to be in / around the water alot or in a wet environment? am i going to need to strike a fire steel with it?
So we see stainless steel and high carbon content blades. Both of these have good and bad points that need considering as no material is perfect. What we need to do is strike a balance.
As stated, stainless steel knives are good for water work and wet environments - their ability to withstand corrosion better is a plus, although with a stainless steel blade, aim to purchase a laminated blade not a single one piece. This means that an inner 'core' of the blade is sandwhiched between an outer layer either side. This gives the blade good sharpening qualities as well as durability.
High carbon content blades though are what I will always use. Yes they need more care to prevent rusting and corrosion, but they are in my considerable experience more easily sharpend and hold a sharper edge for longer thus saving time and effort to sharpen them.
One tip for all blades is unless travelling or using the blade, try to avoid keeping it stored for any length of time in its sheath - this will prevent any moisture build up from sitting on the blade for a logn time and thus cerating corrosive spotting. Keep it wrapped in a good cloth with a light coating of acid free / additive free oil. 3 in 1 is again best in my experience.
Makeing sure your knife has a full tang.
The tang is the continuation of the metal used to make the blade into the handle itself to give rigidity and strength. A full tang knife will bear a heavier strain and be stronger than a half tang knife - the difference is that a half tang knife will have a comb like handle going into the material, where as a full tang will fill the handle and have material either side.
(Never ever use a folding / lock knife as your first work tool. A folding blade cannot and does not have the strength to carry out prolonged demanding tasks; the weak point being the lock itself).
Blade width and length.
A blade for hard use has to be thicker to withstand a good hard use over many years. It adds to the strength and makes demanding tasks easier. keep thin blades for delicate tasks such as skinning and the like.
Length wise, nothing under three and a half inches and nothing over five is a rule i work to. Those big Rambo type knives? as useful as a fishing net in the sahara desert. The bigger the blade unless chopping back vegitation, the harder it will be to complete finer tasks.
Knife and task.
Thick heavy blade = camp fire / shelter making and butchering big animals.
Smaller thick blades = Camp tasks / personal shelter making and finer animal butchery.
Thin blades = Skinning and delicate tasks.
Stainless steel = wet environments and water use.
Carbon blades = My favorites. :)
My last piece of advice? buy an axe and have it as a companion to your main knife. :thumb_yello:
An axe will do all of the heavy tasks, alot of the finer tasks and be there for when you really do need to bring a tree down for creating a larger shelter. As with all work tools though, keep them sharp, keep them cared for, and keep within a reasonable budget. I have seen grown men weep when they have lost that £300 Ray mears knife whilst out on the moors and mountains and couldn't afford to purchase a back up knife!
If you have any questions about this quick guide, please do ask them and I will advise as best as I can using my own personal experience as a guide.
First questions and most important ones I feel are these; what do I need my knife / edged tool to do? am I battoning? am I gutting and skinning? am I creating shelters and fires with it daily or more? is it my only tool?
Seems a big list, but mentally can be answered in seconds. My main need is for creating shelters and fires. So I source a knife with this in mind first and foremost.
Secondly I look at what material the actual blade is made of. Am I going to be in / around the water alot or in a wet environment? am i going to need to strike a fire steel with it?
So we see stainless steel and high carbon content blades. Both of these have good and bad points that need considering as no material is perfect. What we need to do is strike a balance.
As stated, stainless steel knives are good for water work and wet environments - their ability to withstand corrosion better is a plus, although with a stainless steel blade, aim to purchase a laminated blade not a single one piece. This means that an inner 'core' of the blade is sandwhiched between an outer layer either side. This gives the blade good sharpening qualities as well as durability.
High carbon content blades though are what I will always use. Yes they need more care to prevent rusting and corrosion, but they are in my considerable experience more easily sharpend and hold a sharper edge for longer thus saving time and effort to sharpen them.
One tip for all blades is unless travelling or using the blade, try to avoid keeping it stored for any length of time in its sheath - this will prevent any moisture build up from sitting on the blade for a logn time and thus cerating corrosive spotting. Keep it wrapped in a good cloth with a light coating of acid free / additive free oil. 3 in 1 is again best in my experience.
Makeing sure your knife has a full tang.
The tang is the continuation of the metal used to make the blade into the handle itself to give rigidity and strength. A full tang knife will bear a heavier strain and be stronger than a half tang knife - the difference is that a half tang knife will have a comb like handle going into the material, where as a full tang will fill the handle and have material either side.
(Never ever use a folding / lock knife as your first work tool. A folding blade cannot and does not have the strength to carry out prolonged demanding tasks; the weak point being the lock itself).
Blade width and length.
A blade for hard use has to be thicker to withstand a good hard use over many years. It adds to the strength and makes demanding tasks easier. keep thin blades for delicate tasks such as skinning and the like.
Length wise, nothing under three and a half inches and nothing over five is a rule i work to. Those big Rambo type knives? as useful as a fishing net in the sahara desert. The bigger the blade unless chopping back vegitation, the harder it will be to complete finer tasks.
Knife and task.
Thick heavy blade = camp fire / shelter making and butchering big animals.
Smaller thick blades = Camp tasks / personal shelter making and finer animal butchery.
Thin blades = Skinning and delicate tasks.
Stainless steel = wet environments and water use.
Carbon blades = My favorites. :)
My last piece of advice? buy an axe and have it as a companion to your main knife. :thumb_yello:
An axe will do all of the heavy tasks, alot of the finer tasks and be there for when you really do need to bring a tree down for creating a larger shelter. As with all work tools though, keep them sharp, keep them cared for, and keep within a reasonable budget. I have seen grown men weep when they have lost that £300 Ray mears knife whilst out on the moors and mountains and couldn't afford to purchase a back up knife!
If you have any questions about this quick guide, please do ask them and I will advise as best as I can using my own personal experience as a guide.