Skofnung, how do you flatten the spine/edges, and what's the benefit from it? I'd certainly like to get the most out of the blades.
As far as I can tell, Mora knives are stamped as opposed to forged. Often (though not always) the spine will be left in the rough. This plays havoc on your thumb if you are whittling or doing fine work.
What I do is clamp a Bastard file in a vise and "reverse drawfile" she spine. You just hold the knife in your right hand, edge up, perpendicular to the file. Put the spine on the file and pull straight back towards yourself using moderate pressure. You should feel the file cutting the metal. Repeat this as many times as it takes to flatten the spine.
Once you have the spine roughly flat, do the same thing with a coarse grit stone (diamond, India, or sandpaper) to finish it up. You could use this from the start, but it would take longer to do.
To flatten the edges, just lay the bevel on a flat, coarse stone and sharpen away. At the factory, they use big grinding wheels, so the bevel is actually slightly hollow ground. You will see this as you progress, the back of the bevel and the edge will "come together" in the middle. That is, the last part of the edge to get flat will be the middle of the bevel.
The advantage of making the spine flat is threefold: it is easier on your thumb, it makes it easier to baton, and it makes a dandy firesteel striker. Plus, it just looks better.
Making the edges flat will help the blade cut better. It is well worth the effort.
Oh yhea, one thing I like to do is "patina" the blade before making the edges flat (after making the spine flat.) I just soak the blade in a olive jar full of warm vinegar for a few hours, then wash. This is not necessary, but it makes the blade look a little better (dark)... as if a Mora could look good
Hope that helps. Sorry for the hijack.