Re: Joshi reviews SLCAS, Red World of Polaris
Posted by:
calonlan (IP Logged)
Date: 7 February, 2012 10:16AM
K_A_Opperman Wrote:
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> I agree with you and CAS on knives--every man
> ought to carry one, at all times, and keep it in
> working order. I have mine with me most of the
> time. However, I'm not particularly good at
> sharpening.... I have a sharpening stone, but no
> one seems to agree on the best way to go about the
> business...the angles, the directions, oil vs.
> dry, etc.--and my father sure as hell doesn't know
> how, so I'm out of luck there ;)
>
> Very impressive that CAS did such wonderful
> carving with one knife! I'd love to try it, only I
> don't know where to get stone, nor which sorts are
> the best. I've considered trying whittling, as
> well--surely a small block of wood could yield a
> grotesque head or idol? But then it wouldn't have
> the horrifyingly immemorial quality of stone....
The old whetstone for sharpening straight razors is best - no oil - spit on it - then rub in an elliptical motion with the back of the blade slightly elevated so there is just a bit more pressure on the side you are sharpening - for large item (axes, shovels, picks, machetes, et al) the old stone wheel, pedal turned was far and away the best - easier to control than the constant speed power grindstone - after all, even the best surgeon's scalpel is not as sharp as the cave man's flint knife - and flint knives have been re-introduced just a few years ago for micro-surgery - but a really sharp pocket knife will cut paper held loosely in the air - One of my favorite scenes from an old movie - don't remember the name of it - has Richard the Lionheart confronting Saladin and shows the strength of his steel blade by whacking an iron bar in half - Saladin respond by tossing a silk veil into the air and letting it drift across his Scimitar, quietly dividing in half - ah, Damascus steel, if only we knew how. By the way, the best pocket knife you can buy in general is the one made for the Boy Scouts of America - really high quality. In Clark's day Montgomery-Ward (wonder how many of our correspondents ever heard of the first great catalog company?) made first class stuff - and, indeed, Clark's knife was ordered from the catalog, which, once the year was out found its continued use in the Outhouse - and oh, how we hated the "slick pages"!