Freitag, 20. Januar 2012

Fimbulmuk is almost there:-)

 My Nessie is coming along quite nicely... seems my strand of bad luck has run out.I like it so far. It´s not perfect, as usual, but I have given up on the perfectionist´s stance. Blade and handle have yet to see some finishing work. It´s also realitively close to the original. The illustrations in the printout are from Nessmuk´s book, in case you ask:-), but most of you know it well. For those who don´t, here´s an excellent post on Nessmuk and most of the other important and bushcraft- related authors on Karl´s Ranging and pathfinding blog. Thanks, Karl, for inspiring me!
 I set this decorative rune-engraved disc into the antler crown. Still some glue that has to be removed, but almost there.


For some reason, this knife feels right. It feels right to make, and to use. I like it a lot, and it gives me this "utility" feeling. Can´t tell it in another way. It just feels solid and reliable. I don´t know at all if it is. Did some testing on the blade (whacked the flat side on the anvil´s horn, carved mild steel rods with it, let it drop tip first on a concrete floor from a height of 1,80 m, let it drop flat from the same height, clamped the first third of the blade in a vise and whacked it with a 1,8 kg hammer, and did a magnifying glass visual check after that) for the steel is outright problematic to properly heat-treat, and it came out unscathed, so I guess it will do;-), but that feeling´s not a rational one. It´s just like "pack this knife and some utilities that fit in a ditty and  go out for an overnighter". Now I don´t know if it has got something to do with the blade shape. I have never been a big fan of the Nessmuk style of blades - up to this day. I was brought up with clip point hunting knives with a leather handle or the "Jagdnicker" variety. Those were my first knives. Later I stuck to Scandi blades, and I like them still. They all are simply great. But this knife gives another feel to it, and it´s hard to pin that. Might as well be the heft of the beast, for it´s quite heavy. Or the rustic finish. Or the steel. Or all of it. But it´s a good thing, and there might as well be a thing as too much of a reflective mind.:-)

I look forward to it.

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