Got a knife? Axe? Bow? Any edged sharp pokey thing? Post it!!

[Stickman]

[HKGuns]

Lion Steel ( I think thats the name) from Italy make that one?

No, that is made by First Edge in Kalifornia I am pretty sure.

[gaijin]

"Finger stone" (hazuya) finish polish in progress on a traditionally forged "Gendaito" by KaneTomo.
(A WWll blade produced at the Rikugun Jumei Tosho)

[Ned Christiansen]

I heat with wood. Not two longs in the fireplace once in a while, I really heat with wood..... with a wood furnace, not a stove, that I built. In other words it's a wood stove with a jacket over it that's plumbed in to the house heating system.

I love the exercise, the routine, the independence aspect of it, and the smells-- especially when burning cherry.

Anyway. I have a genuine need for things like saws axes, and splitting mauls. Years ago Dad built the best log splitter ever. Although I got a lot of use out of it, it did sit the whole summer usually and we figured our kin up north needed it more so there it went. I get by hand-splitting, and I will confess that sometimes I buy firewood but now that I have acquired the truck of my dreams there will be little to none in terms of buying it. This clapped-out, unstreetworthy old truck enables me to get around the immediate area and get all the firewood I need.

Splitting it: I don't know how other people get by, using a splitter several times a week, without breaking the handle. It seems so inevitable that the below pictured gizmo was my idea for at least making it last longer, which it did, but finally it broke. I looked online for a new handle, not wanting to buy something synthetic but considering it...... and I ran across the Fiskars maul.

Perfect. Being Finnish I have an affinity for things made there and in fact visting there last summer I met the man who made the knife in one of my previous posts in this thread, Captain J.P. Peltonen, Finnish SF (ret). My Peltonen knife in fact was made by him in a corner of the Fiskars factory, as he was contracting the blades out to them (I understood that there is a different arrangement in place now with another Finnish company).

Finland being a blade culture and very much a logging-industry-intensive country, and being possessed of that northern Europe penchant for quality no matter what, AND what with the words "virtually unbreakable handle" being tossed round, I had to make it mine.

I thought I might be taking a chance--- I think even Fiskars is outsourcing some products, but halejulah, this was made in Finland!

[gaijin]

The 3/8's drill rod (or whatever) as guard for the handle on your maul is clever. I have not seen that before (but Kansas isn't much of a logging state ).
Clever.

Man, that area of handle is always getting chewed up.

[Ned Christiansen]

Yeah no matter how careful...... in process of splitting yer gonna over shoot or something splits in an unexpected way and whammo.

Gaijin, your finger stoning is of interest. Is it a regular / occasional maintenance thing, a restoration thing, or.....? Is it necessary to use a particular stone, like something traditional, or would trying something else be OK? I ask because I could rustle up several stubs of different stones made for polishing injection molds-- they are what I use in the shop on custom guns.

[gaijin]

It is/was a restoration thing initially, on blades that weren’t thoroughly roached, pitted.
The finish polish/finger stones would bring the blade back to a condition where details of the hada (grain structure) and Hamon (tempered edge) could be viewed.
If blade was in rougher condition a “foundation polish” would be necessary, which is completely above my paygrade.

The stone itself (hazuya/jiyuza) actually appears to be limestone by its porosity, color and “softness”. If you’ve seen outcroppings of limestone you’ll be familiar with how the rock is layered and flakes easily.

To prepare the finger stones you score (file) the small, thin “block” of hazuya into sections suitably sized for your finger(s).
Lacquer the back and allow to dry.
Break the sections of stone to individual pieces.
THIN each section to around 2mm thick, keeping it wet and using a flat sharpening stone.
Then you remove blade from fittings, clean the blade and begin the polishing.

I know.
It’s an insanely slow, ritualized and deliberate process. I’ve found its good for me spiritually, I needed to learn patience.
Or-
Send it to Japan and wait 2-4 yrs, at a cost of $125-175 per inch (depending on work required).

: )

In answer to your question Ned, the stones you describe may work.
It’s possible they may work better than the traditional stone(s) and method.
A traditionalist “Nihontophile” would no doubt freak, the eff out however.

It would be an interesting exercise to use one of your stones, produce an acceptable finished product- and have an “expert” examine and approve of the work.
THEN tell him how it was done.......

[Gunnar da Wolf]

I wanted a large knife for hiking, camping, riding around in the Hill People Gear pack that stays in my truck.

240mm Skrama from Varusteleka in Finland. I like it so much I just ordered my wife the 200mm version to use at her work (she’s in forest health).

C08BE699-6D64-4F54-98E1-7AB3DD766017.jpg

(Excuse the iPad photography, my digital camera ran away from home)

[Ned Christiansen]

We visited Varusteleka when we were there, the most awesome place ever. Where else you gonna find a surplus store with a bar in it...?

I did some splitting with the new Fiskars today-- it is sooooo much better than the old maul.

[Joelski]

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