Knife Abuse?
- Thread starter Barney
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West Texan
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I don't ever pry with my knife, though I have had to use it as a screw driver once. Had no choice, and no other means to get the screw off. Did break the tip off but put it to the wet stone that night and had a new tip on in no time. Now you could never tell that it used to be 1/4" longer.
CozInCowtown
Moderator
Never sharpening a knife.
Hikenhunter
Well-Known Member
The right tool for every job unless you don't have the right tool for the job then you do what ever you have to get the job done.
What is more important? Preserving the knife or getting the screw out? I certainly wouldn't want to damage any tool if I had a better tool for the job, but if something has to be done it will be done. The only thing I wouldn't do with a knife is intentionally cut myself and even that is arbitrary. Just ask Aron Ralston.
And I know people, obviously beginners, who don't know that knives need sharpening. I'm not mocking them I'm just saying that a lot of people who don't use knives often think that quality knives are great in that sense that they don't require sharpening.
A knife isn't a scimitar. It's not a pry bar (unless you made it out of one, which happens). It's not an ax. It's not a screw driver. It's a knife.
If you try to use your knife as something other than a knife, you're not using it properly. Sometimes it's necessary, because you really need to do whatever it is. Much of the time it's not, and you should go get the right tool for the job you want to do.
Then, when you're done using your knife, you should check it over and maintain it. This can mean adjusting screws, sharpening the edge, lubricating moving parts that are starting to move less easily, and generally keeping the thing clean.
If you take care of your knives like this, they last nearly forever. You can give a well made and well maintained knife to your kids or your grand kids. You might need to replace parts as time wears them away, but that's life.
I just can't deal with it when I see someone using the blade of a knife to pry things, when they let them get really dull, and when they let the things stay dirty. You have to wonder why such people are always buying new knives to replace the old "crappy" ones...
If you try to use your knife as something other than a knife, you're not using it properly. Sometimes it's necessary, because you really need to do whatever it is. Much of the time it's not, and you should go get the right tool for the job you want to do.
Then, when you're done using your knife, you should check it over and maintain it. This can mean adjusting screws, sharpening the edge, lubricating moving parts that are starting to move less easily, and generally keeping the thing clean.
If you take care of your knives like this, they last nearly forever. You can give a well made and well maintained knife to your kids or your grand kids. You might need to replace parts as time wears them away, but that's life.
I just can't deal with it when I see someone using the blade of a knife to pry things, when they let them get really dull, and when they let the things stay dirty. You have to wonder why such people are always buying new knives to replace the old "crappy" ones...
ghostdog
Valhalla, I am coming
Good point Barney, a knife should not be a prybar. The better cutters and slicers are thinner steel anyway.
I don’t dig with my knife. The knife does fashion a good digging stick with little effort.
It is not a screwdriver. There is a strong case for a Swiss Army knife or good muli-tool that has screwdrivers and the daily tools you need close at hand.
My blades are kept sharp. When a field, I take a 1”x4” piece of 9/10 oz vegetable tanned leather, charged on one side with emery paste for stropping and on the other I use rubber cement to attach a piece of 1000 grit wet/dry paper to polish out rolls or micro-chips.
A knife is good for processing wood. I will split sticks with the palm of my hand on the back of the blade or lightly baton with another stick at times if necessary. In wet conditions it is the surest way to get a fire going quickly.
It’s the perfect tool for processing meat. We carry an ultralight cutting board for both meat and veggies. Trader Joe’s has a wonderful shelf stable red wine salami we take when backpacking. That and some Dubliner Irish cheese and some Ry Kisp crackers make a fine meal. That is where my prized olive wood handle Opinel paring knife comes in. I like the right knife for the job.
Mora blades are so popular because they can be used for so many tasks, wood for sure and food, fishing, hunting or just cooking up a whole bird over a grill, pot and stove or open fire.
Oh, and I don’t stab my blade into the dirt or sand between uses like Bear Grylls does. It will dull and ruin the edge in no time at all. Treat it good and it will serve you well
I don’t dig with my knife. The knife does fashion a good digging stick with little effort.
It is not a screwdriver. There is a strong case for a Swiss Army knife or good muli-tool that has screwdrivers and the daily tools you need close at hand.
My blades are kept sharp. When a field, I take a 1”x4” piece of 9/10 oz vegetable tanned leather, charged on one side with emery paste for stropping and on the other I use rubber cement to attach a piece of 1000 grit wet/dry paper to polish out rolls or micro-chips.
A knife is good for processing wood. I will split sticks with the palm of my hand on the back of the blade or lightly baton with another stick at times if necessary. In wet conditions it is the surest way to get a fire going quickly.
It’s the perfect tool for processing meat. We carry an ultralight cutting board for both meat and veggies. Trader Joe’s has a wonderful shelf stable red wine salami we take when backpacking. That and some Dubliner Irish cheese and some Ry Kisp crackers make a fine meal. That is where my prized olive wood handle Opinel paring knife comes in. I like the right knife for the job.
Mora blades are so popular because they can be used for so many tasks, wood for sure and food, fishing, hunting or just cooking up a whole bird over a grill, pot and stove or open fire.
Oh, and I don’t stab my blade into the dirt or sand between uses like Bear Grylls does. It will dull and ruin the edge in no time at all. Treat it good and it will serve you well
Judy Ann
Active Member
I mainly use my knives in the kitchen and enjoy keeping them as sharp as I can get them. I reached for a chefs knife at my sister's house and was appalled at the waves in her knives and how dull they all are. I was afraid that I would cut myself. Thanksgiving is coming up again and I need advice on how to fix them for her. I don't think my steel and ceramic sharpeners will do the trick.
oldsarge
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I told this story once before on another thread but it conveys my feeling about knife abuse
I was a new private in the Army at my first duty station. We were in the field and gathered around my team leader waiting to be briefed on our training mission. I always had a knife or two on me. I had a brand new Marine Corp KaBar on my belt. My team leader looks at me and say "private, let me see your knife", I smartly replied 'Yes Sergeant" and handed him my KaBar. He proceeded to start scraping the ground, clearing off rocks and dirt so he could draw out what we were going to be doing. I lunged toward him and said "What the F*@& you doing!" and grabbed my knife. By the end of the day I found my self up in front of My First Sergeant and Company Commander explaining why I assaulted and disrespected an NCO. I told my story and was given a written warning. Afterwards my First sergeant told me he would have done the same thing if it were his knife. Then asked me if I could sharpen his knife, a Marine Corp KaBar.
Unless your life depends it, I wouldn't use my knife for anything other than what it's designed for.
I was a new private in the Army at my first duty station. We were in the field and gathered around my team leader waiting to be briefed on our training mission. I always had a knife or two on me. I had a brand new Marine Corp KaBar on my belt. My team leader looks at me and say "private, let me see your knife", I smartly replied 'Yes Sergeant" and handed him my KaBar. He proceeded to start scraping the ground, clearing off rocks and dirt so he could draw out what we were going to be doing. I lunged toward him and said "What the F*@& you doing!" and grabbed my knife. By the end of the day I found my self up in front of My First Sergeant and Company Commander explaining why I assaulted and disrespected an NCO. I told my story and was given a written warning. Afterwards my First sergeant told me he would have done the same thing if it were his knife. Then asked me if I could sharpen his knife, a Marine Corp KaBar.
Unless your life depends it, I wouldn't use my knife for anything other than what it's designed for.
carmen
Active Member
A knife is a knife, if you are not using it for its intended purpose you are doing it wrong. People who use anything in the wrong fashion end up getting under my skin, it is like we live in a day and age when we have to label everything correctly for people to understand intended use.
Newanderthal
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It depends on the knife.
I own a Cold Steel SRK (one of the older models from about 10 years ago that was made from CarbonV steel, not the new San Mai Stainless). The blade is 1/4 inch thick and can be used (and has been) to pry boards off of wooden pallets, hammered into the end of a log like a splitting wedge, hammered into the side of a sapling to carve out chunks of wood until the tree could be chopped down, and used to hammer tent stakes into frozen dirt. It's held up under such abuse for almost 14 years now and still has all its powder coating.
I wouldn't do these things with a thinner fixed blade knife, but I have no qualms about such treatment with the SRK. It's tough enough to handle it.
I own a Cold Steel SRK (one of the older models from about 10 years ago that was made from CarbonV steel, not the new San Mai Stainless). The blade is 1/4 inch thick and can be used (and has been) to pry boards off of wooden pallets, hammered into the end of a log like a splitting wedge, hammered into the side of a sapling to carve out chunks of wood until the tree could be chopped down, and used to hammer tent stakes into frozen dirt. It's held up under such abuse for almost 14 years now and still has all its powder coating.
I wouldn't do these things with a thinner fixed blade knife, but I have no qualms about such treatment with the SRK. It's tough enough to handle it.
Wouldn't that be nice, having a knife with a steel that doesn't require sharpening. But I don't think we will ever see that, unless we discover some stuff like kryptonite.
