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Knife and Blade Care Tips

Introduction
This article was sourced from the Scout-IT Project

Proper Maintenance for Parang (Machete)

• Always keep it clean, dry and sharp.

• Never use the Parang on things that will blunt the blade.

• Keep it off the ground, as moisture and dirt will make it rusty and thus unfit for use.

• Remove any rust immediately and grease the blade.

• Keep it out of fire or anything that is very hot. This is because heat damages the temper of the steel and makes the edges soft and useless.

• Wipe the blade clean after every use and then oil or grease it.

• The keener the edge, the safer is your Parang. A blunt Parang is always dangerous because it does not bite into the wood properly and thus it is difficult to be controlled. In addition, a blunt blade gives a lot of work even if you manage to chop anything. It is hence essential to keep the blade sharp with a honing stone, angled at 30 degrees.

Proper Maintenance for Axe

• Keep the head greased when not in use and mask either in leather or canvas.

• Always sharpen your axe before you put it away.

• Keep the haft slightly oiled, preferably with raw linseed oil, when not in use. Do not put too much or else it will be slippery and sticky.

• Make sure that the axe obtained is not painted as there maybe hidden cracks beneath the paint.
  
  

Sharpening

1. Carborundum Stone

• Use a double-faced stone with both rough and smooth surface.

• First, use the rough surface to remove burrs, then the smoother side to get a fine edge. The objective is to obtain an edge that will last long.

• To sharpen the blade, hold the handle in the right hand. Use a clockwise circular motion and apply a steady pressure on the blade with the fingertips of the left hand as you push away.

• Keep the angle constant as well as the stone wet.

• Never drag the blade towards you under pressure, as this will produce burrs. To obtain a finer edge, apply less pressure.

• Work anti-clockwise for the other side.

2. Grinding Stone

• If grinding is necessary, use a soft, wet sandstone. The stone should be turned towards the bit, as it is more effective than turning the stone away from the bit.

• However, the latter method is undoubtedly safer and more practical for Scouts.

• There must be a constant supply of water flowing over the stone.

• Grinding is done radially. That means working away from the center of the cheek towards the bit.

• Effective grinding is inevitably a slow process.

3. File

• When using a file, adopt a method, which will be difficult to nick your own fingers.

• The drawing below shows a simple way of placing the axe so that it rests firmly on the ground.

• After filling, it will be essential to use the sharpening stone to put the finishing edge and to work out the file marks.

Steps to salvage a rusty parang or axe

• Firstly, use a reasonably rough sandpaper to smoothen off the rust on the weapon.
  
  

• Secondly, use Autosol to remove the remaining rust thoroughly as well as to polish the weapon, making it shine again. Squeeze a small amount of Autosol on a cloth and using your index finger, polish the weapon in a circular motion, making sure that the polishing is thorough.
  
  

• The next step is to sharpen the weapon. After which apply a reasonable amount of anti-rust oil on the weapon but make sure that it is not dripping wet. The last step is to mask the weapon with either its original shift or to wrap it with a film of plastic sheet (similar to those used to wrap bowls)

Axemanship

A Scout in possession of the tool is responsible

• When using a hand axe, always chop downwards and away from your own body.

• Never attempt to cut unsupported wood.

• Never chop onto or into the ground.

• Keep spectators in front of you and at least six feet away.

• Never throw an axe.

• Never leave an axe lying on the ground or propped up against a log or tree.

• If the axe head is loose, stop using it.

• If you become tired while chopping, stop at once.

• Learn to aim at a particular point on the stick or log you are chopping.

• Keep your eyes on the place you are trying to chop.

• Keep calm when chopping.

• Do not be over confident or careless

• If you are wearing a lanyard, scarf or tie, take it off before you start to use the axe. Anything in the way must be removed

• Whenever you stop using the axe, mask it properly either by putting it in the carrying case or by masking in a block.

When masking in a block: -

• The block must be heavy so that it will not be knocked over.

• The block must be large enough so that the whole of the axe, head and haft is protected by the log.

• The whole cutting edge, the bit must be buried in the log.

Look sharp!

There are few tools more dangerous than a dull knife. It'll slide when you want it to cut, and it'll cut when it stops sliding--usually when it hits your hand. Ask ten different people how they sharpen their knives, however, and you may get ten different answers. Not only that, but each of these ten methods are all sworn to be the best by ten venerable trail guides from ten mountain towns (who've all been sharpening knives since they were knee-high to a carpenter ant and don't you forget it buddy). What's a poor soul with a dull knife to do? You can start with this 2torial, which will lead you out of the tangled thicket of knife-sharpening opinions.

There are a number of commercial one-step sharpening utensils available at the local hardware store. They generally have some sort of ceramic or diamond-impregnated surfaces, and are used by drawing the knife through a narrow V-shape of some kind. Although they're certainly convenient, but they can also cause problems by exerting uneven pressure on the blade, and so creating waves in the blade as it passes through the V-shape. The method below, while requiring a little more time and concentration, has a much greater chance of putting a good edge on a blade and not damaging it, provided it's done careful attention.

A note on knives with a scalloped or serrated edge: these cannot be sharpened using this method. Scalloped knives (such as a bread knife) generally require professional attention when they become dulled. Serrated knives (the never-need-sharpening variety) are usually very low quality, and are meant to be thrown away when the edge becomes damaged or unusable.

Choose your stone

First, there's the question of whether or not to use a liquid on the sharpening stone. A fiery debate rages on this issue, and you'd better figure out which side you're on, so you're not mistaken for the enemy and accidentally shot. Some stones are marketed as specifically for wet and dry uses, so keep the following points in mind as you shop around.

• One school of thought insists that using oil, water or saliva helps "float" the tiny metal shavings away from the stone when the blade is being sharpened.

• The other camp demands that using any type of liquid just clogs up the pores of the stone (which ruins the stone forever) and only polishes the blade, rather than grinding it.

   

The staff at Learn2.com respects the views of both camps, and suggests the method below--it works with both dry and wet stones.

Recreate the basic edge

If you were to peer at the point of a nicely sharpened, multi-purpose knife blade, it would look something like figure 1. You'll notice that the blade is actually beveled to form the final edge, but you won't create that bevel just yet. First, you'll form the basic edge, which is a little simpler in shape, as we see in figure 1a.

One of the key points of knife-sharpening is maintaining constant angles between the blade and the stone. There are two: the angle between the blade and the edge of the stone, and between the blade and the surface of the stone.

• Place your flat, medium-grit stone on the table in front of you. Lay the blade flat on the stone at a 45 degree angle, as shown in Figure 2. This 45 degree angle is the first of two angles.

   

• Grasp the knife by the handle. With your index finger along the back of the blade, raise the blade off the surface of the stone at a 20 degree angle, as shown in figure 3. This is the second angle.

• Keeping the edge of the blade in contact with the stone, firmly and carefully draw the knife towards you. This action will grind the blade from hilt to point. Maintain the 45 degree angle, and the angle that you've raised the blade off the stone.

   

• Apply medium to light pressure as you're drawing the edge across the stone. (For the sake of comparison, zero pressure would have the knife blade resting on the stone without you touching it.) Apply a little pressure or a bit more, depending on how old the knife is, how many times you've sharpened it, and the current condition of the edge. A very dull edge will require more pressure.

   

Turn the knife over, and repeat the process. If you keep the knife in the same hand, you'll be pushing the blade away from you this time. It's important to maintain the same angles on both sides of the blade. Go slowly and alternate strokes on the stone until each side of the blade has been stroked several times. A very dull knife will need a few more strokes than a better kept one.

Create the final bevel

Now that you have a basic edge on the blade, it's a time to create the final bevel. This will strengthen the edge, so that it stays sharp longer and is less prone to be damaged by everyday use. You'll create the bevel simply by repeating Step 1, with two modifications: use a fine-grit stone, and raise the blade a bit higher off the stone (the second angle) when you draw it across.

• Place your flat, fine-grit stone on the table in front of you, and lay the blade flat on the stone at a 45 degree angle, as you did before.

   

• Grasp the knife by the handle. With your index finger along the back of the blade, raise the blade off the surface of the stone at a slightly greater angle than before--maybe 25 to 30 degrees. See figure 4.

  

• Keeping the edge of the blade in contact with the stone, firmly and carefully draw the knife towards you. This action will grind the blade from hilt to point. Hold the 45 degree angle, and the angle that you've raised the blade off the stone, as constant as possible. Again, apply medium to light pressure as you're drawing the edge across the stone.

   

• Turn the knife over, and repeat the process. Alternate strokes again until each side of the blade has been across the stone several times--about five strokes for each side should suffice. The pressure that you apply while drawing the blade across the stone should get progressively lighter with each stroke.

   

• At this point you should have a pretty sharp knife. You can test it by holding a piece of paper vertically, and drawing the blade across the edge and down. A sharp knife will cut the paper

Notes

5-20 minutes, depending on how dull the knife is

A medium-grit flat sharpening stone

A fine-grit flat sharpening stone

Bevel: A small V-shape created at the edge of the blade to strengthen the blade for everyday use.

Fine-grit stone: a stone that's used to create the final bevel on the knife. It creates a smoother metal surface than a medium-grit stone.

Medium-grit stone: a stone that's used to create the basic edge on a knife. It grinds away metal more quickly than a fine- grit stone.

You can find flat stones at hardware stores, hunting supply stores, sporting goods stores, and through mail order. A larger stone will make it easier to sharpen most knives, especially kitchen knives.

A polished edge cuts more easily. Polish the edge (this will also remove any tiny metal shavings that remain) by drawing the blade across a piece of roughened leather, a chamois cloth, or one of those steel rods that come with most kitchen knife sets. Be very careful if you use the steel rod--it's easy to be careless and ruin the edge that you've worked so hard to create. Keep the rod at a shallow angle, and don't jerk the blade--use smooth, full strokes.

Avoid using an electric sharpener of any kind. They remove too much metal from the blade, and have a tendency to create a wavy edge that will not cut with a clean, straight line.

Some knives are impossible to put an edge on. These types are generally made of stainless steel, which is too hard to grind easily and doesn't seem to cut very well, either. Don't make yourself crazy--just get rid of the knife.