What is the most recent knife you bought?

I think so, said he was a blacksmith for 46 years and has been knife making for 2 years.He used railroad spikes, rebar, and horseshoes to make different styles and sizes of knives. Now my grandson wants to learn more about metals and blacksmithing. A spark is starting to smolder.
 
blacksmith for 46 years

Tom has been making knives for at least 12 years, so nope. I'm glad your grandson enjoyed the making of the knife.

Before anyone seizes on the idea of rebar as a cheap source of knife steel, it isn't consistent in carbon content or quality and might or might not harden. It is useful for learning to forge and grind, but not for making a blade to use.

I was the Safety Officer for the American Bladesmith Society Youth Program and a couple of dozen kids every year gathered in Pigeon Forge with a dozen blade smiths every summer and learned to forge their own blades. Every youngster left with at least one finished knife and a couple of blades they had forged to finish at home with their parents. Some, like Tom Mohr, went on to become bladesmiths themselves. Tom even helped teach the last couple of years before the program was absorbed into the standard ABS Hammer-Ins.
 
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It's weird to see your Opinel so shiny as mine has been dull for years now.

I absolutely love my number 6. I got it about 4 years ago and it's now the only pocket knife I own. Goes pretty much everywhere and does pretty much everything.

My favorite thing about an Opinel is how thin the blade is. Every other pocket knife I see seems like a prybar now. The barrel lock is an excellent feature, as well.

A little tip for anyone who has a hard time with the wood swelling and pinching the blade when wet. Dip the end into a melted tealight candle. That waterproofs it very, very well. It's been over a year since I last did it and I can still leave the thing in the sink overnight without it binding. I assume you could also use beeswax if you were concerned about the wax being food grade.

My only complaint is that it is a bit soft for my liking. I've wondered if I could somehow harden the blade without damaging or destroying it. If hardening this one isn't feasible I've considered swapping it out for a stainless number 6 as I've read that they are a fair bit harder.
My wife and I were canning stewed tomatoes this morning she peeled and I cut. Now my new opinel has that used look, due to the acid in the tomatoes. 15B7B4D7-1291-4C91-B1CA-9EF4A6AE5330.jpeg
 
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FIRECRAFT® FC 3.5 Pro (whiteriverknives.com)

I ordered one of these from Duluth Trading. It arrived (in less than a week) last Wednesday. I sent it back on Tuesday, the day before yesterday.

Although I knew the knife came with a firesteel and a Kydex sheath (which I have no use for either of) I ordered the knife anyway because it looked like it would be a good, fixed-blade “working” knife for EDC and use around our place here. However, when the knife, firesteel and Kydex sheath arrived in a fancy, carved-out wooden box with a sliding top that would have been good for nothing other than very expensive kindling for the wood stove this winter, it pushed me over the edge. I wanted the knife - not 30 or 35 bucks worth of firesteel, Kydex sheath and fancy display box.

Nevertheless, kudos for Duluth Trading - they really do have what they call a “No BS Return Policy.” I gave that knife to the post office on Tuesday, and I got an email from Duluth Trading this morning (Thursday) saying they’d received it, and my credit card would be credited.

I’m going to email White River Knives and tell them I’ll buy another one of their FC3.5 knives if they’ll sell it to me without a firesteel, Kydex sheath and fancy box - and take the cost of those 3 things off the price, of course. I’d bet dollars to donuts that’s not gonna happen though. ;)
 
I’ve been very impressed pleased with my two knives made by Lionsteel so I bought an Opera from them. It has G10 handles and D2 steel. It’s a nice knife, though fit and finish aren’t as nice as my previous two purchases. They offer the knife in Olive wood and Cocobolo as well, but without thumbstuds, which I wanted.

Overall I am happy with the knife but it did require immediate reprofiling as the bevel was over 20 degrees per side.

I’ve had numerous *expensive/quality* knives from various manufacturers that have bevels at or above 20 degrees from the factory. Don’t underestimate the need for a sharpening system or the skill to freehand, even when buying quality knives!

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The last couple Ive picked up were a couple of Boker Plus Balisongs and one of the "trainer" versions. For the $85 the knives cost (the trainer is about $50), they are impressive, especially when compared to the Benchmade butterflies I have that cost 3-4 times as much.

They come out of the box shaving sharp, hold a good edge, and are easily touched up. The action on them is very smooth, and they are quickly and easily opened. They are a bit heavier than my Benchmade's, but they feel and are a bit more robust, and the added weight makes them easier and more positive to open, and they feel good in your hand.

Ive been using one as my EDC and its been working well in that respect.
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