As an avid knife collector, I enjoy most every shape and type of small fixed-blade and folding pocket knife. Special handle material, unique shields, no longer manufactured and new blade designs make knife collecting an interesting hobby. Protecting blades from misuse and storing my collection of knives properly is very important.
Case knives are my favorite brand. Simply because of the Made in the USA product and the wide variety of knives they offer at an affordable price. I have had the privilege of meeting and speaking to the family of Case knife manufacturers and sales team. I know them to be friendly, professional, and down to earth. Tony Bose once shared that he disassembles antique or no longer made knives and remakes new patterns from them. Now think about what that kind of insider information does to a Case knife collector! I order knives from dealers, request knives from the marketing team and enjoy a membership as a Case knife collector. I have an amber bone Hobo that unfolds and slides apart to use as a knife, fork and spoon set and new second cut stag in a gunstock pattern. My wish list is growing and the new products a that Case offers this year are just amazing. They are promoting knives with patriotic colors, a new twist on the original Swayback Jack and Mammoth Ivory just to mention a few.
The knives that sit in my display case or on the shelf are rarely, if ever, used and so they keep their sharp edge. Displaying knives with the blades closed will help to keep the blades sharp. Unmarred and unused knives are worth more to the collector.
The small toothpick that I use everywhere and the mid size fixed-blade I use when I hunt, both do occasionally need to be sharpened. Choosing a sharpening method that is simple and easy for the user is important. If you have ever watched a seasoned knife sharpener in action you know how simple it looks. Unless someone in your family or a close friend has shown you how to sharpen a knife you may not have seen this process in action. Silver Dollar City has a great knife making and sharpening display that is fun and interactive for the whole family. Most of us do not use an old fashioned grinding wheel but we get the idea as we watch the craftsman work the edge of the blade, at just the right angle, against the stone.
Recently my husband bought me an old Camillus knife that had obviously been ‘well’ used and then re-edged by a sharpening method. I was very curious about the ability it takes to do that.
Honing an edge on a knife is quite a bit more difficult than it looks to the novice. The first time I tried to sharpen a knife blade against a stone I was not sure if I held the blade at the correct angle. After several passes across the stone I had not improved the dullness of the blade. Even with instructions, it is not easy to gauge the right angle for sharpening a knife.
As a seasoned potato peeler, I am comfortable with a sharp paring knife in hand. Now every knife I use is not shaped like a kitchen paring knife nor does every pocket or paring knife cut through potato skin like butter. Those knives that do peel potatoes easily in my kitchen or hunting camp impress me very much. It must be a Missouri hill country trait that I have inherited well from my people. As I was growing up, my mother too would only use a specific knife to peel potatoes. No other knife she tried would do the job as well without wasting the potato as she peeled them.
I could do well to learn better the art of knife sharpening. I simply can’t stand to use a dull knife to do the kitchen or outdoor work that I find to be done. Draw through ceramic sharpeners are a nice tool for kitchen garage and every sportsman’s backpack. These are for quick sharpening and not for reshaping a bevel or an angle. Simple and easy tools are the best for frequent touch ups and sharpening of blades that are used.
The details of what kind of angle/ bevel is cut into the blade makes a big difference in how you hold the blade and sharpen it. An axe and a small pocket knife will not have the same angled blades. Large knives used to cleave meat and bone are shaped with different tools to achieve their clean cutting edges. So the sharpening skill needed to return those blades to a razor sharp edge will be different than the simple angle of other blades.
Manual stones of every grit and material work well if you know how to use them. For those of us who do not know how or do not sharpen blades often, there is an easier way. There are many guides on the market that hold the knife blade at the precise angle needed to sharpen the blade. I have used and recommend Smith's Precision Knife Sharpening System. The simple clamp holds your blade in place. You choose one of three different gauge grit stones that are attached to long thin metal rods. These rods will slide into a guide on the side of the clamp. The purpose is to hold the stone at the correct angle to the blade as you sharpen it. This is foolproof and easy.
Keeping your edge is an important skill that every outdoor enthusiast should learn. A knife is more than a tool, it is an extension of your outdoor skills. The blade you use to clean your spring turkey should be as sharp as your turkey hunting skills.
Visit the WR Case website today: www.wrcase.com/
