Warm Jam

Worked hard today, but got nothing much finished – took big chunks out of a few projects though. I’ll post those here when they’re finished, as they warrant a proper unveiling!

In lieu of real fanciness, here’s something put together in what passed for my lunch break -

Click to enlarge

Oak scales fitted to a Victorinox Climber Swiss army knife. A much loved little knife – I can’t stand the Swiss Champ-type giants, but this thing has a nice balance of size with a simple set of useful tools & still slips in a jeans pocket, and with a little maintenance stays sharp as sin. A friend gave it me, and it’s been carried pretty much everywhere since, so it’s not surprising my keys scuffed the plastic scales into a bit of a mess (I’m not a careful person, much as I try)! This seemed more fun than cleaning them up.

The photo can’t really do it justice, the oak has this lovely shimmery quality to it when it moves in the light. I’m playing with oak a lot lately – just found a local supplier & it’s endearingly cheap compared to the fancy woods I keep in stock for plugs!

For the sake of an hour or so’s work, I think the result is very attractive. Definitely staying on my EDC list.
(Sorry, I’ve never used an acronym tag before, that felt patronising)

And yes, of course I’m still a knots nerd.

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Stopping in at Axminster Tools the other day to grab some abrasives, I spotted a few Mora knives on a shelf – I’ve read a lot of reviews over the years saying they’re amazing little knives for the money (generally under £15) and having handled one at a friend’s a couple of weeks back I was totally sold. Fortuitously, one had a misprinted label, and I walked out with one of these for the princely sum of £7 -

You’ll note it’s an ugly bugger, and with a godawful oversized plastic tube sheath to boot, but it’s a shaving-sharp carbon steel blade wrapped sides-and-spine in stainless – for £7!

Still, I can’t abide poor aesthetics. Here’s another couple of shots after 15 minutes on the belt sander, some blowtorching to blacken & harden the handle, soaking in teak oil, and a basic wetformed leather sheath. Forgive the dirty-looking blade, it’s a thick smear of wax to keep the rust back. Ordinarily it will simply be oiled, but the modification process meant a lot of handling, so it got a temporary coat of something more resilient.

I fully expect this thing to be with me decades from now, and probably another half dozen in reserve. As much as I adore and appreciate expensive knives (if anyone wants to buy me a Fallkniven Idun NL5cx for a touch over £1100, I’ll love you forever) I believe there’s a lot to be said for the practicality of a knife you don’t need to worry about losing. A knife is only a tool when you don’t hesitate to use it – all else is (gorgeous, shiny, sharp) ornament.

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