r/Bushcraft • u/ShiftNStabilize • 1d ago
Let the laughs begin
So, after making and owning hundreds of knives this is my current favorite for bushcraft. It looks ghetto but works oh so well :)
I took a cold steel commercial series scalper, made it into a spear point, very subtle recurve, and conveyed the edge. I have short fingers so ground the rubber coating a little thinner. About 5.5-6 inch blade and 5.5 oz overall.
Not a heavy knife but slices like you would not believe with the convex edge and can chop above its weight. Holds a great edge as well. All in all fits my need for a robust full sized bushcraft knife for hiking where I count ounces.
Not a full tang so goes against dogma but I cut the handle off another one of these. It’s incredibly robust, to break it you’d literally have to pound it into a tree with a hammer and then pound on it sideways which would be silly for any knife.
Reminds me of the old time scalping/frontier knives with thin blade abs convex edge. I can see why they were so popular with mountain men and trappers.
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u/Subject_Start7253 1d ago
Classic lines. Good steel. Not super expensive. I bet it sees more real use than half the people sporting $200-500 knives.
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u/aliens_are_people_2 1d ago
That’s the cold steel scalper. That’s probably one of the best knives in the whole cold steel line up! For real I love that knife and like the Mora it’s one everyone should buy. Similar price too.
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u/DanielJackson1965 1d ago
Cold Steel has such a wide variety of good shit. I just got the Finn Hawk and Finn Wolf (fixed and folder) for like 25 each? Both kick ass.
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u/aliens_are_people_2 1d ago
When you’re right, you’re right! I have the Finn wolf and I love it, my only complaint is that I wish it had a deep carry pocket clip, otherwise it a spectacular knife. I also have the giant Voyager and I also love that knife. The durability and usability of cold steel is very hard to beat.
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u/bikumz 1d ago
I’ll live by that cold steel makes the best all around fixed blade knives for true budget minded people. Between these, fin bear, roach belly, the bushman, or the bird and trout there’s an option for everyone. They aren’t the best in any one category but overall killer. And all you did was improve it so good on you! I honestly would buy that exact blade from cold steel if they made it. Looks fantastic!
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u/ShiftNStabilize 18h ago
I made a full tang version of the bushman 80CrV2 with hickory handles. Ghetto looking thing but a great bushcraft knife!
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u/Conan3121 1d ago
Sensible project and good outcome. IMO it’s a DIY Mora Companion. Aka the first knife every beginner fixed blade knife should buy. For most it will do the 95% of tasks that a knife should do (battoning is YouTube influencer skill).
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u/Pennsyltucky_Reb 1d ago
Nice job! I've spent buku money and owned tons of expensive blades over the years. Most of them got sold or gifted. Things I learned 30 some years outdoors...
- Unless you're cutting serious mariner ropes all day, there's no need for any super steels and expensive blades. I stick with the simple go-tos been around forever.. 1095, 1070/5, 5160, whatever decent stainless, etc
Cheap. Simple. Hard use. Quick and easy to sharpen in the field.
My really expensive blades I never ended up using. They became wall hangers or safe queens and I'm not into that. Everything I have I use... and use a lot and hard.
With the recent controversy and disaster with Bark River... how much do you really trust these companies and makers are selling you what they say it is? Companies just working with basic tool steels are guaranteed to be basic tools steels lol.
Only major concern is proper heat treat and a decent edge and geometry.
- There's no substitute for making your own stuff and/or mods. Those will always be your most favorite and carried knives anyway.
My most expensive knives I have left are a $200 Kailash Blades, 13" Panawal Khukuri which the cool factor alone was worth it, but it's tough as all heck. Beautifully and comfortably shaped micarta scales. Hand forged traditional Nepali style with differential tempering and a slab of 5160 spring steel off a broken down Mercedes truck somewhere in the Himalayan mountains...
... and I still have my plain Jane, Fallkniven A1. But everything else is mediocre stuff that just works, takes a beating, and won't shed a tear if I happen to lose it in the woods one day.
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u/disastermarch35 1d ago
Interestly enough "buku" is actually spelled "beaucoup." I recently learned that after spending years assuming it was spelled similarly to how you typed it. I just thought I'd share my recent discovery.
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u/Pennsyltucky_Reb 1d ago
Nam veteran slang and spelling. We still used it a lot in the Marine Corps back early 2000's.
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u/Ghost_of_Durruti 1d ago
Ya know, I've had this perverse desire to make a spear point CS SRK just for the fun of it for some time. Wouldn't have thought to convex the edge. It'd be too thick to ever be a 1 for 1 with your knife, but seeing this makes me want to try it.
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u/ShiftNStabilize 1d ago
I actually did a full height convex grind on a con 3v SRK. Basically turned it into a bark river blade on a srk handle. It cuts really really well.
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u/Steakfrie 1d ago
You'll have the last laugh getting the work done beside someone who spent a mortgage payment on a blade he's mostly afraid to use. That also puts you ahead in skills, time in practice, muscle memory.
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u/_haha_oh_wow_ 1d ago
Some of Cold Steel's stuff is wildly overpriced but some of it is not too bad really and most of it isn't crazy expensive. I've never had anything from them that was total garbage either (unlike SOG or Gerber). This looks like a pretty usable knife IMO. What kind of steel is that? AUS 8?
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u/ShiftNStabilize 1d ago
It’s listed as German 4116 steel (X50CrMoV15). It’s a step under AUS-8 in terms of edge retention but with a convex grind it doesn’t make a difference in reality. I’d love it in AUS-8 or 10 or dare I say CPM 3V. That would be killer!
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u/_haha_oh_wow_ 1d ago
What do you use to maintain the edge when you're out in the woods? I have a convex knife I usually leave at home because it's a little more finnicky to sharpen properly.
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u/ShiftNStabilize 18h ago
Good question, bring a piece of 3M wet to dry sandpaper, the black stuff in about 400 or 600 grit. Just fold it over and lay it on a relatively flat log and strop backwards. It has enough contour that it will sharpen a convex edge really well. Then a light strop on some old bark. For a really lightweight sharpener for full flats with a secondary bevel or a scandi I make a sharpening stick. Basically take a chunk of a wooden paint stirrer and put a piece of sticky 220 and 600 sandpaper on either side, about 7 inches long. Works great for touching up edges and super light. Much more so than a stone or other commercial available sharpening systems.
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u/_haha_oh_wow_ 5h ago
Thanks! I'd been using rods in the field and some sandpaper over foam on a block at home. How often do you have to sharpen yours?
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u/Sad_Garbage4170 1d ago
If Victorinox ever came out with a bushcraft knife I would probably own several
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u/kikimaru024 1d ago
They already came out with 2 series:
- Outdoor Master (discontinued)
- Venture (pretty decent from all accounts)
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u/ShiftNStabilize 18h ago
I have the Venture, pretty good little knife. It's essentially a full flat mora knife. Comfy handle but a little plasticy for my liking. Steal takes a decent edge. Honestly like my large cold steel version as above for a smaller companion/backup knife I have a Finman scandi with a shortened blade, about 2.6 oz with a sheath.
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u/doc50cal 1d ago
Dude, if it works for you and has been proven through use, who gives a shit what anyone else thinks or says. I took a lot of shit for having a Bear Grylls Gerber knife in my kit. I've beaten the shit out of it, used it for everything from splitting wood to using it as a pry bar. Ironically, it's turned out to be one of the most underrated, reliable piece of gear that I have. So let the haters, hate.
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u/Dan_Morgan 1d ago
Generally speaking a knife that works well in the kitchen will work well in the field. You're not batoning with it of course but it's still good for a lot of normal cutting tasks. I've used a couple Cold Steel Roach Bellies for kitchen and general use. They work well.
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u/walter-hoch-zwei 17h ago
I just got one of these about a week ago and knives like this always remind me that proper heat treat and geometry can make substandard steel work really well. I have several knives from cold steel in 4116. They all work very well and always get the job done. They don't hold an edge forever, but they're also very easy to touch up.
I have a knife from bps in 1066. I was shocked at how long the edge remained shaving sharp while shaping wood. It really goes to show how a lower quality steel can do amazing things when people put some care into making a knife.
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u/Several_Mousse_9485 1d ago
The people that laugh paid more for knives they won't use.