Knife Selection, Knife Sharpening and Shaving with a Straight Razor
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- Опубликовано: 30 окт 2018
- In this video, Troy talks about his choice in outdoor knives, what he looks for in a good knife and goes into detail about sharpening- theory and practice. To wrap up, we take a look at cut-throat razors and discuss their care and merits.
Links to the knives described can be found below.
MoraKniv Bushcraft in black:
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...
Morakniv Bushcraft in Hi-Viz stainless steel:
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...
Morakniv Companion
www.amazon.com/gp/product/B01...
Bahco #2444www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00...
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As an old ex meat worker, we have sharpened knives for years. There are a couple of golden rules of thumb that one should always take into account. One of those is that when you sharpen your knife on the stone, you keep your fingers off the blade. Many accidents have occurred by having one's fingers on the blade. So it is better to stand 90 degrees to your stone, hold the knife by the handle and work side to side.
If you find a bench, or maybe a spot on the side of the boat somewhere, where you can build in a section to retain the stone, then stand adjacent to it, so you can position yourself to sharpen a knife using your upper body, you will be able to sharpen any knife effectively without the need to ever touch the blade. Accidents happen and risks should always be minimised, especially if you happen to be floating out in the middle of nowhere with no chance of nipping down to the local ED to have some stitches.
Also, knives are sharpened on a stone, not on the steel. The steel is designed to hone the edge back up straight. With good high carbon blades, the blade will keep its sharpness for a long time, but the edge will bend over during use. So the steel is used to straighten out that edge, thus brightening up the sharpness of the edge. People make the mistake of thinking that a steel sharpens knives, when in fact all it is doing is honing the edge back straight to its correct angle. Steels that actually take anything off of a blade, will blunt a good edge and ruin all the work put in when working on the stone.
If you wish to have a knife with a very fine and super sharp edge that would be so much more sharper than a scalpel or most other knives, then you'll need to ensure you have a steel that has been pickled or is basically mirror smooth. To pickle a steel, you put it in a bottle that has some vinegar in the bottom to a level where the steel does not touch the vinegar. Put alfoil around the top to seal it off and leave overnight. A build-up of oxidation will occur overnight. The next day, take the steel out and using a medium grade wet and dry, sand the steel down till you get all of the oxidation or rust off and until you get as much of the striations off as you can, then repeat step one for another 24 hours. This could take 3 days if the steel only has small striations on it or longer if the steel is made with deep striations. As you get closer to the smooth steel, you obviously change the grade of your wet and dry, down to a fine paper that will bring up a smooth shiny finish.
The striations that come with steels are good for knives that have a heavy beveled edge and/or you get burs on the edge because the striations will remove them and brighten up the edge again. But if you want to keep a very fine or thin edge that is super sharp, then you will want a steel that is as smooth as a baby's bum.
It is of great importance that if you spend good money on a good knife, you spend good money on a top quality steel. Some men used to make steels out of rat tail files. These were high-grade steels and worked very well.
With this kind of videos you could be a TV presenter. Wow did I enjoy that!!!
A proper knife sharpening tutorial for once in my 60 year life! Thanks a bunch.
I can honestly say that this is one of the best tutorials on knife sharpening yet. You've covered all the bases Troy. This is authentic knife sharpening goodness!
Thanks Jeff
The folded paper analogy was good. Nicely done
Most Mora knives are a 3/4 tang...that being said, I’ve never broken one. I love the Mora’s but I prefer a Finn Puukko knife. All are high carbon steel. I have a village made Malay parang w/ a traditional wood scabbard (almost identical to yours) made from a Land Rover leaf spring. It’s traveled the world with me and has made shelters, opened coconuts and bush crafted from the Philippines to Nicaragua. For Pascale’s sake, scrape your cheeks more often Mr Studmuffin! (You look like Frank Zappa! Lol!). I bought a shirt. Unfortunately, it wont be here before I sail for St Thomas. Great episode! Good steel is one of the finer things in life! I gave my son a similar Damascus steel chef knife...I hope you love and cherish it and eat well with it in Pascale’s capable hands.
Those puukko are a great design, no wonder they're such a cultural icon. We do love that kitchen knife and it is definitely treasured
Loved this! Free-dive & Bush-Craft = a winner. Thank you both!
Another outstanding instructional video from Troy, good job.
Always enjoy and respect your knowledge and experience. Thank you!
A wonderful, well-done tutorial, Troy. Always love your videos.
Great stuff Troy best how to sharpen a knife video I’ve seen!
Most educational RUclips I have seen in years. Thanks
Very informative knife sharpening session Troy and Pascale has steady hands....thank you both!!
Thank you for sharing these knife 🔪 sharpening techniques.We love both of you and the things on your channel.Keep up the amazing work that you both do ❤️.Stay safe always
Non stop information. Learned a few sharpening tricks and got a real kick out of the shaving video, Colonel Sanders. You guys are encyclopedia of info. Thanks for what you do...
You look so much younger now )))) And You can always make a living either by sharpening steel, shaving or just simply educating / entertaining people ))) Great Job!
We took a different approach to the knife problem (admittedly only for the kitchen) where we purchased knives with self-sharpeners built into the sheaths. For cooking they stay wonderfully sharp and whilst not like razors they are at least safe to grab in a drawer.
Thanks Troy. I really enjoy all of the videos you and Pascal publish. Regards Ian
Amazing gift you have the gift of teaching you did a great job on this video about knives and I've always wondered about straight razors. Also the use of leather. Your videos are some of the best on RUclips thanks for sharing your knowledge with us.
I have been sharpening my own knives for years and this is the best tutorial on the subject I have ever seen. Well done!
I've watched many sharpening videos trying to learn how to get a hair popping edge. Your demonstration is the best one I've seen yet. I have a few Mora knives and you can't beat them for the money. Thank you for sharing your experience and knowledge!
Great video, definitely dig the Zappa aesthetic Troy's got going on at the end.
Always great info! I learn something new every episode!
Thanks Troy, you're a Man's Man.... !
Dude, you are a plethora of knowledge. Learn something every episode😎
Thanks for the knife, razor and sharpening information.
Nice Troy...You're proving yourself a guru of all things mechanical!
Spectacular video. You my friend are a well of knowledge.
Too funny. I'm sitting here watching a sailing vlog and a knife sharpening demo erupts! Bravo! This is the 3rd or 4th time I seen a very useful educational vlog from you Troy. A true renaissance man! (btw, that's another way to get a wonderful woman like Pascale).
My Free Range Sailing shirt just arrived, great shirt from one of my favorite sailing channels.
Oh and Troy, you're the splitting image of a close friend of mine. Could be brothers.
Great piece on knife care!
Great and informative...
very useful info.
cheers Troy
That's the first video that has ever made me want to shave ....great fun well done
Lots of great info there. I have considered a cut throat but sharpening the thing has always been intimidating. I may just give it a go now! Thanks mate!
You guys are great educators! Very informative episode....Thanks!
great episode thanks
This is a great video... Your channel has become one of my top 5 (along with motovloggers I follow) and was a fantastic suggestion from RUclips. Keep up the great work! :-)
Troy = real man.
That was such a cool educational video. I sharpen my own knives as well but I learned so much more here. And I have to agree that a man that shaves with a straight edge is hot!
Well T-Roy, you have done it again, I had a buddy teach me how to sharpen a knife when I was a kid, my dad also showed me over the years; this art has been lost from generation to generation; what with all of the waved and saw edged knives we have now-a-days, but as you well know, there is nothing like using a good sharp knife; your tutorial was absolutely spot-on, and the results are quite evident, great shave dude! Oh! There you are! As always, God Bless you both, and keep you safe in all that you do, by Christ Jesus Amen!!!
Great video as usual! Your pronunciation of "Mora kniv" is spot on :-) they have alot of good knifes for most work/outdoor situations. Greetings from a cold autumn in SWEDEN
Thanx for pass on your knowledge, it's really appreciated
I love knives and I have a modest collection. This vlog was very interesting.
Frank! Good to see you back! lol
I will use that info well. Thanks Troy.
Excellent tutorial
Loved it!
Noice one, 🤙who’s that young bloke with the classic movember look 😂 , that was a bloody good informative episode on blade craft. Your cruising show is the best on the air and that’s no BS
Cheers again from SV Breezy 🌬⛵️🌏🇦🇺
thanks for the lesson
Troy!! that looks terrific. Love the 'stash & lip goatee. Good video.
Long time viewer, first time commenting. I was going to request an episode just like this. Thanks heaps for the insight hey. A
Another great video you mob.
FYI you do not need high carbon to use a Swedish match, you only need an edge to scrap some of the steel of the rod, that is why bush craft knives promote a 90 degree spine, You can even use broken glass and you can buy ceramic scrapers. You need the high carbon if you are going to use flint or quarts to make sparks of the back of your knife, the knife becomes the steel in flint and steel.
Keep up the videos I do not sail but I still love watching you two and still pick up great tips I can use in my life.
Thanks for this; and all that you do. I am shopping for a cut-throat razor.
WHOA Another amazing video with so much information, some of this I have known for many years and some of it I have forgotten I do carry a pocket steel with me always as well as a diamond stone which I love and it is in a nice leather holster which I can use for a strop in a tight spot. Living and working with Horses and cattle since a boy it has become part of the daily dressing each day.
People living by horse are ever practical.
another great Vid thanks Merve I mean Troy
Nice one Troy, stay sharp 😉
Fantastic Damascus santoku, dig the cone handle, lovely bit of kit.
Well done Mike.
That resin stabilized cone jangle is excellent for maintaining a grip as well as being very eye catching. You can see more of his work on Instagram instagram.com/reddragonforge?igshid=vm9kbl8h0bkx
We were really on edge watching this episode, particularly the end when Troy was shaving off his beard. Troy you look really sharp now... ;-)
By Mr Cutter no less!
Excellent video I definitely learnt something, although not quite ready for the cut-throat yet...
Great instructional video. Morakniv do make a bright orange knife (Mora 12090) but is is stainless steel. Learnt more about knife maintenance in this one vid than a lot of other searching. Thanks Troy.
Lovely.
Wow! I am once again impressed with your delivery and depth of knowledge. And the unseen hand has done a fine job of cinematography! Anyway, I just bought a shirt! Forgot to get the Patreon Discount so Good On Ya! Tim
Thank you so much for the knife sharpening lesson. I have many good knifes and have wanted to learn to sharpen them myself however, I always felt I would wind up destroying the blade. Plan on giving it a shot (maybe not with the best knife of the lot).
As a small engine mechanic of 40 years I found myself constantly asked to sharpen thing's that those motors are attached to,saw's, shear's, chainsaw's,Chipper knives etc etc. So I took several classes and acquired knowledge wherever I could on the subject, Although you did not cover all the bases I would like to say that you gave spot on info and that is not easy for most.Yeah most folk's can get a knife sharp for a task,However those that can sharpen correctly don't have to sharpen as often. My Dad used to say that he would rather have no tool than dull tool,At least you would not hurt yourself with it,Dull thing's make a person add to much force causing injury. Good on ya mate,Keep them great vid's coming.
Cheers Scott. You're right, there is much more detail left unsaid even in this 40 minute episode! Completely agree with your dad on dull edges. Hopefully, I'm the dullest tool on Mirrool!
Ahh, the subtle knife (no reference to the book) humor is hilarious! Well done.
My favourite knife is for slicing my biltong, which is life or death when I'm peckish! ...made by an 72 year young gent in SA. The haft is brass, hilt is carved from a bush pig tusk purloined from a leopard midden..excellent advice re black knifes dropped and lost. Had the sheath (attached) studded with reflective stones to locate when left by the fire after a few bewies. Great blog Troy.
That reflective stone trick is a beauty!
You guys are a great wealth of knowledge.. love ya work..!! much prefer the 'tache' than the jungle Jim look...!
Great video Troy, as a chef and an outdoorsman I have a fair bit of sharpening under the belt and it's great to see people passing on correct sharpening techniques, you are an excellent teacher and I hope your viewers appreciate the wealth of knowledge you impart, please keep it up. Oh and somewhere around 5 or6 years ago, I replaced my steel(although I still use them for certain knives) with a ceramic rod or steel. You should give one a try as they take a lot of the work out of honing and actually do a minuscule amount of sharpening at the same time. Thanks again, Fair Winds.
Do you think the ceramic rod would take the same drops knocks and boat mishaps? Keeping a good steel from rusting aboard takes a bit of care. Ceramic would be a neat solution.
@@FreeRangeLiving Ahh that's a very good point, ceramic rods are a little brittle and as one of my apprentices found out will break if dropped. It was sort of my fault, I put it on a shelf some 7' high and he knocked it off whilst moving other stuff. To his credit, he replaced it and didn't show me the broken one until he gave me the new one(smart lad) but that was fairly extreme and if you look after it and don't drop it from great heights onto tiles I am sure you will be fine. Mine is a Zwilling and a little pricey about $80 but there are heaps on the market for good prices. By the way, I still use the broken one (it's now half the length) for my smaller knives.
I learned most of this from my dad & granddad. I do, however, appreciate your explanations of the why as well as the how. Fair winds and following seas.
You're most fortunate to have such a fine family to pass on such useful knowledge Bill. Our best wishes to your family.
I did sound full of myself, didn't I? I love your reply! "A soft answer turneth away wrath." Nicely done!
Loving that tash man. Suits you and of course very movember. Great channel. Look forward to getting the tshirt.
nice video thanks
Good episode. When I sailed I always carried a single handed folding knife in case you go over and got tangled in sheets or whatever and had just one hand free.
Just like my little Spyderco
8, 9.. skips 10 :) love you Troy
On board just my Sunfish and Kabar Sailor Rigging Pocket Knife.
The Sunfish is a old pattern sailors carried for cutting hemp rope.
I have a Sleeveboard Lobster Knife on order. Hope to have a use for it!
At 37:45 Troy turns into "Super Mario"! Another GREAT video!
Love the shaving music...
"Learnt" a lot here. Thanks! We have a lot of knives aboard, a lot of which are for fishing. Guess we also need a razor for shaving now.
What a bloody brilliant video , I,m a chef by trade , so sharpening a victorinox with a steel is second nature to me , except when your teaching your apprentice and lose concentration only to find the apprentice has fainted on the floor , brings back memories , but the stone business is what I never knew , I always seen my granddad shaving with a cut throat and watching him stroop it , well done Troy
Mum is a hairdresser and made her apprentices shave a balloon covered in foam with a cut-throat razor. Very effective but nerve-wracking training.
As a lover of the mora/bahco knives I can assure you that if you put a nice 90° edge on the spine you can definitely get a good spark from a fire steel even with a low grade stainless blade
Got my husband to sharpen my kitchen knifes!
Now that's a noife. Beautiful,,, what a great shape and size.
Great vieo as always, right up my ally im a bushcrafter from way back. I to have the same model mora as your orange one, and becouse it is orange! Ive lost alot of expensive knives. One thing that i have to get out. A stainless blade throws sparks from a farasidium rod or flint rod etc. Its the sharp spine that helps and i believe u were surching for that. most do say stainless wont throw a spark using fint. (Flint and steel) although stainless is much harder to get a working spark from it can still be done. So no one out there die from exposure with a stainless knife and a piece of flint or a fire starting rod of any type cuz u heard it cant be done, It can! And YES i love that u use a strait razor to shave with! And love it. I wondered about using one on a boat. Corosion rocking dec things i dont know about. Im so so happy to see i can take mine with me when i someday sail away. There are many advantages to using a strait, if u havent tried it Do! You are far and away my favorite u tube channel thank you so much and keep up the good work!
Ah! I need to try harder with striking that spark. A salt environment does wreck havoc on fire rods. Mine looks like swiss cheese now:(
very cool guys
Excellent episode Troy. A straight blade razor, hmm would I be game?
heya nice way to keep your knifes sharp
Troy looks years younger after the shave....and dare I say it, looks like a proper pirate. Accessorise with a headscarf and he's there lol. Another great learning video. Well done👍
a good sharp edge is a good hedge, against the great uncertainty's of life!!! :)
I would like to order one with the lot thanks Luigi, nice look "catweasel". Love the vid:)
Hi I follow your channel its a beautiful damascus knife have some and I ve given away to my lawyer but guess what I’m a Profesional sharpener for the last 20 years and I know about knives and shears, you know very well too about knives and their proper use fir everyone of them I say hi from Palm Springs California
Thank you for joining us Jesus and we are very happy to have your kind comments to encourage us. Welcome to the Free Range Family.
Excellent video! I learned a lot, and feel a bit more manly already. Thanks.
Thanks Troy for your excellent video. I always thought it would be fun to shave with a straight edge and I used to have one for each day of the week. Now I only have the two best of the lot. I learned early on to never shave up. When I saw you do that under your chin on the left side I cringed. But you made a good job of it. All the best!!
Norm in Arizona
I was never taught so you are probably right. I'll stop doing it.
LOL. Troy I think as long as you can hold the skin so it is tight you are fine and I know whiskers seem to grow in every which direction. I was shaving my cheek and while trying to hold tension I ended up with a nice 4 inch long cut. I am not a barber and have never been taught either but you mentioned 8 years of only shaving with a straight edge razor so you have more experience than I do. Love your videos. All the best to you and Pascale. Wishing you fair winds and following seas!
Great info mate. After your shave you resemble the famous American Rocker Frank Zappa!!!
Good tutorial, I've carried a knife since I was 5 and have always liked high carbon, stainless has it's place but is usually hard to sharpen and wont hold an edge. I used a straight razor until I left the Navy and in a rolling sea you took much care. Now my "Pascall" is gone so I just mow it with clippers. Fair winds.
Sorry to hear about your lady but thank you Larry for dropping in and joining us.
A man of many faces, Liam Neeson and now Kevin Klein and a maybe a young Col Sanders.
I think you need a Mexican name now Troy. Excellent vid and I am going to refine my stone skills, my Grandfather was a barber and I inherited a half dozen cutthroats. I just might try them out now.
The Tom Selleck look is a lot better, big improvement.
The best tip I ever learned for knife sharpening is to use a Sharpie / felt tip marker to blacken the grind of the blade, you can immediately see where you're taking off metal and whether you're getting all the way to the edge. 50 years later and I'm still using it, makes it a lot easier to see when I'm making a mistake on the angle.
That does work very well. My pop used to do that with his wood chisels.
Thank you for the no plastics put out in the ocean,
Troy, I have exactly the same bright orange knife as you!
Great knife, hi-viz - and it feels good to have happened to select the same blade as a bushcraft veteran.
-B
Keep it sharp- keep it close!
Troy - Here's a question for ya -
Are you a multi-tool guy at all and, if so, what model do you use?
Before cruising I always kept a Leatherman on my belt, but I've had to abandon that since it's many small pivot points tend to rapidly corrode in a marine environment. I often miss having that mini tool box within close reach, but it's also surprising how many odd tasks can be handled with a good knife.
My leatherman Surge has been with me forever. I don't carry it on my hip. Backpack or reserved spot in the boat. Silicon spray keeps the rust at bay..
Nice multi-tool! I've had my Leatherman Charge XTi for 10 years or more.. don't go anywhere without it. Thanks for the silicon spray tip!
That's hell of a deal one straight razor and you get a Pascal!!!
you are a mine of good information {:-) PAV uk
Another great info video. I had to chuckle about your comments on a black knife. Did you ever wonder about camouflaged phone cases, folding knife cases for the belt and probably the worse, a camouflaged compass or GPS case. Just what I'd like to lose. :) Thanks for giving us your time on these!
I love seeing people with camo phone cases. Camo compass? What a complete bastard!
Stayed at a unit once and the keyring was a piece of pyrographed woodchip........ ever tried to find a needle in a needlestack.........?