knot books

[Knot Head]

Hello Knot Heads...

All right to cut to the matter at hand.

1. I do not use anyones email for spamming purposes or otherwise. The reason for email registration is for one simple purpose. So others whom are members can communicate with one another. The email registration has a 2 fold purpose.

2. I do not sell khww members emails. I work too hard to secure the site from spam rippers to let that happen as is. The last time I checked you had to register here on IGKT Forum with an email address.

3. I want nothing to do with anyones email address on the personal side anyway. I have too much now to keep up with.

4. KHWW members who like to read would like also to have a monthly news letter from KHWW. The last time I checked, you have to have an email for that. I would like to continue with the Monthly News Letter from KHWW to all the members. This is a free news letter also.

I hope that cleared that up about registration on KHWW. Now on to the next topic.

The tutorials are now open to the public. After having it the way I had it for a year or better. Well now you do not have to be registered at all.

Roo you more than welcome to stop in and take a look around at the tutorials.

Regards,
Brian Kidd - Owner Webmaster www.khww.net

[unregistered]

... The last time I checked you had to register here on IGKT Forum with an email address.

Nope, not yet.  Technically, you can just put a placeholder in the email space.

[bazz]

How do Seabasedm, and All,

Two nice little books that have a varied selection of knots and fancy work that any knotter should give shelf space to are" The Harrison Book of Knots" by P.P.O. Harrison, and " Knots Splices andFancy Work" by Chas. L. Spencer.

As for knives, Stainless may not hold an edge quite as well as carbon steel but it does have the bonus of rust resistance, ideal around a salty environment.
If you want some good advice on rigging knives you could try contacting Brion Toss, you should be able to contact him through his site  
http://www.briontoss.com
He is the author of the "Handbook of Rigging" this book also contains info on choosing a good rigging knife.

I hope this is of help to you,

Take Care,
Barry

[Jimbo]

440 stainless dosnt sharpen well

Yes and no.

"440 Stainless" isn't enough to decide.

Is it "440A ("Low Carbon")"?
"440B"?
"440C ("High Carbon")"?

Opinions abound on the relative merits therein contained, so that's why I put technical references under the URLs above.

Basically, "Low Carbon" Stainless Steel will resist rust better, but will not hold an edge as well as "High Carbon" SS, which rusts more...  Finding the balance is where the fun is.  Even 440C, if not hardened properly, won't "sharpen well"...

The basic criteria of "sharpen well" is even too vague to address adequately, to wit:  IMO, "sharpen well" means a knife I can laboriously scrape to a perfect edge that will never, ever dull.  Yeah, right.  Well, I compromise by using steel & methods which extend the life of the edge as much as possible.  

OTOH, a friend for whom I stopped sharpening stuff (he kept bleeding all over my house -- do NOT play with my cutlery!! ) prefers softer steel which is easy for him to "play with" (my term), as he continuously grinds away at his knives with all his newly-bought sharpening gizmos.

Knowing how your steel behaves (the "Urge of Metals") will free you from the FUD that knife makers throw up as a screen.  

To give a personal example:
I make (hideously crude) knives for "fun".  I've been working on my latest monster, a stainless utility "Dragon's Tooth" made from austenitic SS that does not take heat tempering (nor hardening) at all.  It must be "work hardened", meaning as I cut it with a saw, the pounding of the cutting teeth actually hardens the material, making it harder & harder to cut!!  The "plan" (yeah, right) currently is to cut it out somehow then beat the edge down (it's called "drawing") to a semblance of sharpness.

There's a boatload of information on the WWWeb about cutlery, so here are a few links to suppliment the facts given above:
Key to Steel
http://www.cutlerscove.com/kwg/knife-steel.htm
http://www.warehamforge.ca/knife.html
http://www.internetarmory.com/knife_info.htm
http://www.fholder.com/Blacksmithing/article5.htm
http://bronksknifeworks.com/sharpening.htm (even places that sell stuff have useful information)
Why is Stainless Steel Stainless?

I hope this helps some.  And be sure to click the colored links imbedded in the text above (Disclaimer: That last was so PABPRES won't have to say it!   )

Bottom line:  What's the best knife?  The one you have in your hand!

[KnotNow!]

Links?  What links?  Thanks, Jimbo.  So you and I will go on making our own blades............ but what is your shot at a good one for someone who needs one off the shelf?  I am very fond of Cold Steel "Carbon V" which rusts the very second you yield and think about water or salt.  I've some fancy steels with silly 3 diget designations... and none of my best steels came to me ground as good "rigger" paterns.. so I made them myself.  For the average knotter, who isn't going to make a knife... what?  Maybe that is the ticket.  Blade blanks cost about 10% of a good knife of any pattern.  Modification isn't that hard.  Perhaps the best riggrs knife is the one you make out of an extremely high quality blank to your own specifications?   Spend 20$ for a 200$ knife?  I think this drifted of thead. A good "riggers knife" is one that can cut any line you work with in a single pass (no sawing at it).  It can also trim servings and seizings so nobody can find where the end is hidden.  I could go on all night about blades and such.. But should not.  After all, this isn't the International Guild of homemade Blades hehehehe.  If anyone wants to chat on that topic lets take it off forum... Email me and I'll talk from experience.

[Jimbo]

I think this drifted of thead.

Not exactly.  The OP had asked about a certain knife.  As DanL will attest, there's a ton of FUD about knottery; well, likewise with steel.  (Especially Stainless.  More especially the 440 series!!)  No one yet gave much feedback on that part of his post.

As for me, I like my Camillus, but Buck makes a nice one, as well as many other very fine manufacturers.  It really doesn't matter which one you pick, just do it.

Did anyone notice my "bottom line"?  That's paraphrasing Rex Applegate.  The best knife is still (IMNERHO) the one in your hand.  Ashley recommends a hatchet & club, so there.  Any of the knives in my kitchen will cut cordage just as nice as can be, though they may not look too sexy doing so.  Or you could spall off a shard of Chert or glass...

All I can say is, just get any blade you can afford & use it.  If you don't like it, train a friend in knottery, hand-me-down the blade & get yourself a new one.  No problem.

Jimbo