Beiträge von kwakster

What remains of the second Heavy Duty machete after completely reshaping both the blade & the handle, pictured here below a slightly modified kukri machete.

The idea was to combine an only 2.0 mm thick & lightweight machete blade with a modified kukri form which uses a more forward placed & pronounced belly as it's sweet spot, with an aggressively slicing forward curve as a follow-up.
It's in the testing phase and i'm still working on it, but so far it has already proven to be very effective as well very easy on the wrist joints due to it's low weight.
With a 45 degree angled hit at speed the blade will cleanly pass through a wrist size young birch tree/sapling, almost without feeling the impact.
Thinner springy stuff that isn't immediately severed by a direct hit by the belly gets sliced by the forward curve, but most of the time the combination of a high tip speed with that curvy sweet spot is more than enough to do the job.
The current convex edge is done on 400 grit wet & dry SiC paper on a rubber backing using WD-40 oil as a lubricant, and measures ~30 degrees inclusive.
The handle is contoured & fuzzy finished with the woodrasp.

Playing around with crosshatching using a waterproof marker to check on the location & size of the sweet spot as well as the effectiveness of the slicing forward curve after a chopping session.

Before:

After:

Currently busy with giving the forward portion of the blade somewhat of a lenticular cross section to further improve upon pass-through cuts.
So far i'm having a lot of fun for only very little money,

Current specs:

Overall length: 51,2 cm
Blade length: 37,5 cm
Blade thickness: 2.0 mm
Weight: 386,9 grams
Steel type: 1055 carbon steel
Hardness: ~56 HRC
Handle material: polypropylene

Gary Fadden sold Al Mar Knives to Edge Technologies Engineering LLC in January 2019:

https://sgbonline.com/edge-tec…2VHLbqEDHrpgHOgy_gBy8uKvA

Italian made A.G.A Campolin Maltese stiletto from a collector.

The knife was recently bought brand new from a foreign shop, but it came with quite a lot of blade play, a very rough ~55 degrees inclusive "edge" with a big burr still attached to it, and no point at all.

Also both sides of the blade aren't mirror images of each other, with a center ridge that is off a bit on one side.

Anyway, especially the lack of a point bothered the owner, the bad edge came in second, and fixing the blade play will probably be a job for another day.

This is how the knife looked before resharpening:

And how the knife looks now.

While keeping the edge angle about the same so the bevels would not widen too much per owner's request, i resharpened the main edge completely and the bayonet grind only superficially to come to a sharp point with a 15 micron diamond compound Paper Wheel, then cleaned up the bevels a bit and removed the tiny burr with a 1.0 micron diamond compound Paper Wheel.

The edge angle again measures ~55 degrees inclusive, yet the new apex is just sharp enough to shave the hair on the back of my hand a bit on skin level.

Besides quite a bit of other green growth i used the modified Bushcraft Parang today to cut up a rather large green branch which had fallen from a big beechwood tree, blocking one of the larger woods trails near my home town.
I had already delimbed the branch before i took the pics, but you get the idea.
European beechwood is quite hard & tough, and this main branch had a thickness approaching axe territory, but the parang was what i had in my daypack and it handled the job very well.

Used quite a few maximum force chops to see how the now thinner convex edge with an apex of ~ 30 degrees inclusive would hold up, and the blade took it like a champ; no rippling, denting, rolling or any other damage that i could see or feel.
Afterwards the edge could still shave a bit of hair on the back of my hand, this with an 800 grit finish on wet & dry SiC paper using WD40 as a lubricant.
The blade bites deep on each swing, the new handle shape & surface finish function as intended, and the hooked handle end has also proven to be a very useful addition.

A week ago we got home from a camping holiday in the Luxembourg forests and the Belgian Ardennes, and the Condor Eco Golok machete did a wonderful job at trail clearing during several long hikes in the area.
The model is somewhat of a wolf in sheeps clothes, in that it isn't overly big or menacing looking, but it sure is a highly effective chopping tool without being unwieldy.
It's a bit less tip heavy compared to my CS kukri machete, giving it a better balance and thus making it less tiresome in the longer run.
I can swing this machete for hours on end, and without gloves.

The Condor Eco Golok machete stuck in a log somewhere in Luxembourg.
The edge is starting to discolour from all the wood sap and other mostly green stuff.

The only modification i made to the handle was a bit of smooth sanding where my index finger sits, as only in that spot the fuzzy finish was starting to create a bit of a hot spot while chopping.
On the rest of the handle the fuzzy finish has proven to greatly enhance grip without being abrasive on my hands, probably due to the fact that the protrusions left by the wood rasp aren't rigid.
The fuzzy finished polypropylene surface also is quite durable and doesn't seem to wear smooth (after several weeks of intermittent use) like the same finish on a PVC handle definitely will.

After resharpening with just the smooth file and cleaning the handle with an old toothbrush and some diluted detergent:

Strong points for me:

- The Eco Golok machete fits inside my daypack (only just)
- the low weight of only 433 grams (after modding and resharpening)
- the very well hardened 1075 steel.
- Using just two files it takes and holds a good convex edge @ +/- 30 degrees inclusive, even on dried wood it did not fold or dent.
- the negatively angled handle
- the contouring (mod)
- the fuzzy/chewy finish (mod)
- the way this model transfers kinetic energy into the wood without vibrating, which together with the narrow convex edge makes for a deep bite upon impact, thus making it a highly efficiënt chopper in a small package.

What i don't like:

The edge contacts some of the steel rivets when sheating & unsheating, which each time creates a bit of edge damage.
I intend to make another sheath without rivets for it.

Street violence and home invasions have been on the rise for several years now in the Netherlands, with almost all perpetrators being of muslim background.
Stigmatizing ?
Probably, but nonetheless very true.
They are mostly younger men of fighting age, and capable of extreme violence, especially towards the weak and the elderly, but basically towards anyone opposing them even in the slightest of ways.

With firearms as a legal means of self defense practically ruled out by our self-appointed elite (all of them having armed guards, riding in chauffeur-driven armored cars, and often living in well-protected gated communities, while most likely also having a secret firearms license for themselves), many ordinary people are looking for other ways to defend their life and loved ones.

A friend of mine lives with his young family in a remote rural area, where a few home invasions have already taken place with people he knows directly.
We almost never read about these in the media, simply because our MSM is in bed with the elite, and have decided amongst themselves to report as little as possible about these "incidents" as they continue to call them.
Especially where muslims as the perpetrators are concerned.

Recently i modified this Cold Steel Magnum Kukri to better suit the needs of my friend.
This Cold Steel/Lasher product in it's basic form has a very good price to quality ratio (even in this highly taxed country), it is legal to own & use on your own property (the adding of a sharpened swedge makes it illegal to carry and/or use on public streets or land) and with a little work it becomes even more useful for it's intended purpose, which in this case is to lie next to a bed hopefully never being put into use.
If however push comes to shove it will never malfunction, and nobody will blink an eyelid if the item needs to be turned in or disposed of after use.

I put on a new convex edge as well as a convex swedge (apex on both measures +/- 30 degrees inclusive, which is as thin as possible yet thick enough) using only a cheap Chinese 120 grit diamond file, making sure that the microteeth in the edge all point a bit backwards for maximum bite in that direction.
Another reason for such a coarse edge is the fact that when being cut with, it hurts noticeably more compared to being cut with a finer edge, and the resulting wound also takes noticeably longer to heal (personal experience)
Both the main edge and the now sharpened swedge can shave the hair on the back of my hand a bit on skin level, which is most likely enough sharpness for it's intended purpose.
Both edges come together in a piercing point which will penetrate much easier than the factory version, yet the back of the blade leaves enough real estate to put your off-hand on to aid in blocking hits with a stick or bat.

The blade length of this particular model especially gives the wielder most likely a distance advantage, which can be very useful if the bad guys use a knife too (many home invaders here do, together with baseball bats): you can reach him, while he can't reach you.
Also gave the handle surface the "fuzzy finish" treatment for maximum grip in the hour of need, even with very sweaty hands.
Lastly i sanded the black coating lightly and then gave the whole blade including both coarse bevels a thorough coating with a good quality car wax (scratches hold the wax better), to help protect the rust prone carbon steel (and it's sharp edges) while it lies unused next to, or under the bed.

Another consideration in all this was the information i learned some time ago from a friend, who is an active duty Dutch Special Forces member.
He told me that when doing duty in muslim countries, and this may sound strange, is that the locals in general seem to have noticeably more respect for edged weapons then for firearms, especially when up close.
Never had this piece of intel verified by others, but i also have no reason to doubt him.
If true, and there would be even the slightest chance that brandishing this item could help to avoid a violent confrontation altogether due to it's perceived deterring effects, so much the better.

Specifications of this specific example:

Overall length: 22.24 inches (56,5 cm)
Blade length: 16.9 inches (43,0 cm)
Blade thickness: 2,93 mm (which is quite rigid, certainly not flimsy of wobbly)
Steel type: 1055 carbon steel (not stainless, but extremely tough)
Handle material: moulded on PVC (dampens shock effectively)
Weight without sheath: 546 grams
Weight with sheath: 674 grams

Incolma history video in the Spanish language, but with English subtitles:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=RN_RfaYXqUE

The new handle already looks way better than the old one, do post more pics when it's fertig.
BTW: modifying knives to improve upon their functionality can quickly become a hobby all by itself, i know all about it,

Vintage Incolma No.131 deluxe quality machete, probably made in the '60's or '70's in Manzales Colombia with the use of technology & machines inherited from the Brothers Weyersberg factory, established sword & other quality cutlery manufacturers in Solingen, Germany.
Noteworthy are the significantly harder as well as more wear resistant steel compared to many modern machetes (noticeable harder than my F.Dick and Öberg files, which just skid on it), the thinner forged & chromed blade, as well as the more luxurious finishing with a metal handle adorned with a lion's head, brass riveted wooden panels, and even a deep and still partially guilded etching in the blade surface.

The machete arrived at my door with a massacred "edge", administered somewhere during it's existence by some blind hack.
As none of my quality files were hard enough to cut the steel even the slightest, i made an initial 30 degrees inclusive convex edge using only a worn-in Chinese 120 grit diamond file, and removed the burr on the Tormek leather wheel with a dab of PA-70 aluminium oxide paste.
The resulting edge can shave arm hair with, as can be expected, a lot of bite.
Haven't decided yet if i'm going to keep it like that or refine it a bit further.

Specs:

Overall length: 23 inches (58,5 cm)
Blade length: 18 inches (45,5 cm)
Blade thickness: tapering from 1.85 mm just before the handle to 0.9 mm just before the point, but negligible from back to edge.
Steel type: chromed carbon steel
Handle material: chromed metal with wood inlay & brass rivets
Weight: 420 grams
No sheath

I have no idea as i've never tried those on MDF (or at all actually)

What i do know is that diamonds are much harder than whatever type of abrasive particles are in both the Puma polishing paste as well as the Bark River compound (both most likely aluminium oxide), so for the actual cutting & polishing of especially vanadium and niobium carbides (these are harder than aluminium oxide) in modern powder steel types like S30V, Elmax, M390, S90V, S110V, K390, etc CBN (Kubisches Bornitrid auf Deutsch) and diamond are your best options by far to get the best edge quality as well as the longest lasting edges on especially those steel types, as only these 2 abrasives can cut literally any type of carbide or nitride.

MDF is short for Medium Density Fiberboard, and you can buy it in stores like Hornbach, Gamma, Praxis, etc.

This would be a dependable US dealer for better quality diamond products: https://www.techdiamondtools.com/
I buy my diamond powders there, but the owner also sells good diamond pastes.
He ships all over the world in small padded envelopes.

They also have a Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/lapidarypaste

Owner: Yuriy Ma
Address: 10511 Glencoe Drive
Cupertino, California
95014 USA

Direct link to his diamond pastes: https://www.techdiamondtools.c…powders-h-of-10-grams-11/

I do not know how much shipping will be to Germany, but for the Netherlands it was very reasonable.

This is the professional grade diamond compound i use on my Paper Wheels as well as for these strops, but it's much more expensive:

https://microstar2000.com/meta…y/26/DIAPAT+Diamond+Paste

This type of strop is what i sometimes make & give to people who regularly bring me a CRK or other quality (Chef-) knife for sharpening and/or some TLC, so they can maintain & keep the appearance of their new edge themselves for some time.
Even a few professional Chefs in my area with expensive gyuto's and santoku's in modern PM steel types are using these same strops with good results, so they keep telling me anyway.
I use them myself as well, and they are easy to make.

It's a new & cut-to-size piece of clean MDF coated with a thin layer of 1.0 micron (+/- 14000 grit) mono-diamond compound, and i put 4 self-adhesive rubber bumpers on the bottom.
These bumpers make the strop non-slip plus they elevate the working surface a bit more which makes the strop more convenient to use on a table (more room for your hands)
Due to the harder surface the chances of rounding your crisp apex are also greatly diminished when compared to stropping on compressible materials like leather.
The strop surface can also be cleaned from time to time with a microfiber cloth and some acetone, which will remove all or most of the swarf without removing the diamond particles, as these become (partially) embedded in the MDF surface during the stropping proces.

But this is (literally) the key element: the placement on rubber bumpers also provides the strop user with acoustic feedback by isolating the MDF from the table (a bit like the bars on a xylophone); you can actually hear when you're arriving at the very apex during stropping movements as the audible sound changes, which makes the stropping proces very easy, even for absolute beginners.

The CRK Nyala used as a prop for the pictures was reprofiled (from 35-40 degrees inclusive to an even 30 degrees inclusive) & sharpened (with 15 micron diamond compound on a Paper Wheel).
The owner only uses this quite expensive knife to cut oranges, about 5 each day, i kid you not,

First step refining the blade surfaces with 240 grit wet & dry SiC paper on a rubber backing using WD40 as a lubricant, while using the Tormek WM200 AngleMaster to check regularly if the apex stays around the 30 degrees inclusive mark:

The Bushcraft Parang already had a convex edge with an apex around 40 degrees inclusive, a bit much for my taste, so i reshaped/reground the blade by hand with a Chinese 120 grit diamond file into a convex form which starts higher up the blade sides and now come together in an apex at around 30 degrees inclusive.
Also did something of a "Kephart-mod", where the upper sides of the blade are ground a bit narrower compared to the midsection.
For the pictures i crosshatched the now thickest parts of the blade, and the next step will be hand sanding the blade surfaces on a few different grits of wet & dry on a rubber backing using WD40 as a lubricant.

The hard shouldered V-shaped edge with an apex of +/- 30 degrees inclusive was changed into a soft shouldered convex shaped edge, also with an apex of +/- 30 degrees inclusive, with the help of a bastard file & a smooth file.
Going to find out how a filed convex edge holds up in my use.
I tried to make the file marks pointing a bit backwards, which will aid in grabbing the thin to medium sized branches this tool is mainly going to be used for.
The final stubborn burr remnants i could not remove with just the smooth file alone were abraded away on the Tormek leather wheel with a dab of PA-70 aluminium oxide paste.
The resulting apex is armhair shaving sharp on skin level, but the slightest sideways motion makes it slice into the skin, so this is not an edge you want to try to shave your face with.
BTW: Condor's 1075 steel is noticeably harder to file compared to the 1055 steel in the Cold Steel machetes.

Starting the new convex bevels by filing the hard shoulders down with an F.Dick bastard file:

Refining the now convex bevels made by the bastard file with an Öberg smooth file:

Done:

While having about the same angle at the apex when compared to the old V-shaped edge, the new convex shaped edge is thinner behind that apex, and it also eliminates most or all of the hard bevel shoulders, making the blade more streamlined and thus more efficient for it's job.
If the steel allows it, with next sharpenings the convex will also be "pulled up" somewhat higher up the blade sides for an even shallower convex shape (while keeping the apex at about the same 30 degrees inclusive angle) for an even further increase of efficiëncy.

Below you can see two pictures of the Eco Golok machete with it's new convex edge resting into the 30 degrees V-shaped slot of my Tormek WM200 AngleMaster, to show that the apex reaches the correct measuring depth for 30 degrees inclusive, and that the bevels behind the apex are thinner than a V-bevel with about the same 30 degrees inclusive apex.
The pics were taken with an old IPad and are far from perfect, but they do give some idea.

The first pic makes the real apex look translucent due to reflecting light from both sides, so the distorted and dark apex-like shape just above it is just some sort of shadow.
Similar effects also make it look like the right side of the convex bevel isn't touching the slot wall, which of course it is.
The second pic is a bit too dark at the apex, but shows the thinner bevels and the lack of shoulders behind it maybe just a bit better.

Click each picture 2 x, then enlarge further to see maximum detail.

For me the Cold Steel kukri machete has proven to be very comfortable with it's contoured PVC handle, and even more so with a fuzzy finished surface.
The PVC tends to shed most of the fuzzy bits after a few days of chopping, leaving a surface that is very hand friendly and doesn't produce any blisters, even with prolonged use (like the factory checquered surface can do)
Being softer, the PVC on this specific model also dampens shock more effectively compared to the harder polypropylene which is on most other Cold Steel machetes (as well as on these Condors)

But contouring & fuzzy finishing really does wonders for both the handling & comfort.
Being so thick, the handles on the Condors offer lots of tough amorphous polypropylene to work with, and being longer also gave me the opportunity to provide each handle with 2 distinct handle positions: one up front for thinner wood and a second one at the back for thick branches and small trees.
Shaping the inside of the flared handle end into a hook proved also very useful, as this tends to guide your pinky inward instead of outward, which is much easier on the hand.
The last two pictures in my post above already show the hook on the Bushcraft Parang, and later i also did this on the Eco Golok.

The Bushcraft Parang now also has a contoured & fuzzy finished handle:

Currently busy finetuning two Condor choppers, a Bushcraft Parang and an Eco Golok machete.
For years i've only used kukri models for trail clearing (a Tora Blades Camping kukri and a Cold Steel Kukri machete) here on the Veluwe, and the plan is to get some hands-on experience using a few other tried & true chopping blades from different parts of the world.

Just did the contouring & fuzzy/chewy finishing of the Golok machete handle with the wood rasp (the Parang will get the same treatment), and tested the blade on a few thick dried oak branches and various green branches.
Very well hardened 1075 steel i must say (no visible flattening or rolling at +/- 30 degrees inclusive), and now the handle is much more comfortable and grippy compared to the thick and slick factory handle (for my hands anyway)
Also no need for additives like grip tape etc.
Both will receive a narrow convex edge later.

Gerne gemacht Thomas,

Update:

I asked Patrick who tested the knife in a commercial kitchen a while ago if he would ever consider buying one of these diamond titanium knives for the retail price they cost, and his answer was no.
His two reasons: in hindsight he found the blade a bit too flexible for his specific uses, plus the knife didn't look anywhere near as good as it performed (after the regrind)
He said the knife just looked cheap, a remark i heard from several people.

If he as a professional Chef were to consider such a diamond titanium knife it would need to have:

- A little more rigid blade.
- A full flat ground blade which would have to be ground noticeably thinner behind the edge, or maybe even have a shallow full convex shape. (more like the reground blade)
- A bit more upscale handle (maybe a traditional wa-shape, be it in real wood or good quality plastic)
- A nice quality box in which the knife would be protected and could be transported safely.
- If possible come complete with a means of maintaining the edge in the kitchen (like for instance a diamond plate)

Patrick thinks that the diamond titanium material might also work well in filleting knives, to which i would like to add fixed diving blades and maybe even folders (with titanium or Zytel handles).
Possible other uses might include specialized knives for cutting various comparatively soft but abrasive materials like cardboard or insulation materials.

The hand-reground santoku that the Chef tested is now in home use with my parents in law, both in their 70's and completely non-knife oriented people.
They are very happy with the knife, praising both it's lightness and it's thinness/cutting ability, and they have even used it several times to cut up larger pumpkins for soup with no ill effects on the blade or edge that i could see.
The knife is used in their home kitchen literally every day, and i've not resharpened it since i gave it to them over a year ago.

It's twin brother (also hand-reground) is in use almost every day in our home kitchen.
For some time now i only use the 2000 grit diamond plate for a touch-up, but this is rarely needed.
Current edge angle measures between 20 and 22.5 degrees inclusive, and the thickness behind the tiny bevel measures around 0.2-0.25 mm.
The knife weighs 83.4 grams, has a toothy edge that never wears smooth, and continues to be a joy to use.