new machete

[jdupre']

I've been needing a new machete. The el cheapo I bought 25 years ago just wasn't cutting it. Just plain stamped metal. I found this nice one at the local flea market for $6.00.

Yeah, I know, how good can it be for 6 bucks? I have a few tips for picking out a good blade. 1. Does it ring when you pluck it? Works surprisingly well on a big blade. High pitch means harder steel. Low pitch - softer steel. 2. How does a known hard tool ( file) effect the metal when rubbed across it. If the file digs in with little effort, keep looking. If the file wants to slide across the surface or just barely bites into the blade you probably have some good steel. Be a little discreet when you do this. 3. Where is it made. I figure Chinese stuff is a crap shoot. This was made in Brazil. I figure South Americans know machetes.

I cleaned up the blade with a bit of 320 sandpaper, put about 4 coats of TruOil on the handle and put a shaving sharp edge on it. My in store tests turned out to be a hit. The blade is made with high carbon steel and is tempered very well for hard use. High carbon steel shows itself when you grind it. It throws off sparks just like a 4th of July sparkler- a sure sign of high carbon steel.

I cut out a few pieces of leather and will stitch up a sheath for it.

Joey

 

[Kayak Jack]

An interesting thing about a knife is, the entire knife exists to support only the cutting edge - nothing more, and nothing less. We often get all wrapped around the axle with exotic handles, engraving, etc. etc. But, if the cutting edge doesn't work, all the rest of it makes no difference.

Your blade looks good after restoration, and the handle looks like it fits a person's hand.

 

[tx river rat]

Jd
I had to smile when you were describing the sparks from grinding ,my dad taught me to recognize cast cast steel tempered steel and a few more from the color and shape of the sparks throw by grinding.
Thanks for a good memory
Ron

 

[tx river rat]

Jd
If it has good steel and isnt the machete you want ,sure would be some good steel to make several knife blades ,
Ron
I am cheap to :lol:

 

[jdupre']

Not a bad idea, Ron. That much of the steel I normally use would be over $20.00.

Joey

 

[mike]

I have a vision of the entertainment at the upcoming rendezvous. I see tx river rat and jdupre' juggling machetes with Kayak Jack in the middle holding a cigar in his mouth. :shock:

Like this: SLICE HERE

 

[oldsparkey]

I cleaned this up a wee bit , this is not the general section where everything goes.

 

[captaindoug]

All this talk and the pretty pictures of sharp pointy pieces of steel made me start looking online because I have one of the a fore mentioned piece o' crap machetes. Found this place located in the same town in Missouri I got a little college experience at the Univ. of Missouri, Columbia. Short story longer, I had no idea there were so many kinds available. There is a neat video about modifying the various parts of the blade, top and bottom, to make it more useful around the campsite.

http://www.machetespecialists.com

 

[tx river rat]

When I was in Nam we used machetes and they cut and were handy as heck , I got back to the states and tried a bunch of different ones without much luck .
Then a friend Of mine gave me the Ontario knife machete in 1975 , I still use it and have bought two for spares.
Ron

 

[Paddlin'Gator]

I still have a Legitimus & Collins #127 machete from the 1940's. They were used a lot in WWII and, believe it or not, were actually made in the USA. It has been a great machete and has withstood a lot of not so TLC over the years. Someplace, among my junk, I also have a slightly longer one, but don't remember the model number since I can't find it :?

Joe

 

[mike]

I've never tried a Cold Steel machete, but they look promising. They are made with 1095 steel. Here's an interesting video. Well, parts of it are interesting.... :wink: In many years of surveying I never could throw a machete like this guy does.

Poke Here

Mike

 

[oldsparkey]

I'm a knife nut , just like them because the can do so many different things.
The Cold Steel Kukri looks promising because of the design of it. A straight edge cuts but nothing like a curved blade.
Case in point , the Samurai Swords , they are curved so when the edge hits something there is little initial surface contact as with a straight blade and the rest of the curved blade continues to slice.

Even going back to the brush ax I have , ( looks like a medieval weapon ) one edge is straight and the back side is curved , the curved part cuts a lot better on brush then the straight edge. I have cleaned off a lot of brush and small palm trees with it.

 

[mike]

That brush axe brings back bad memories from the surveying days. I hated that thing. It made me work far too hard. I'd rather swing a machete 100 times than one of those 20 times to cut the same thing. Even an axe would be preferable to me. Of course, some folks swear by them. It's all in what works best for you.

Mike

 

[oldsparkey]

That brush axe brings back bad memories from the surveying days. I hated that thing. It made me work far too hard. I'd rather swing a machete 100 times than one of those 20 times to cut the same thing. Even an axe would be preferable to me. Of course, some folks swear by them. It's all in what works best for you.

Mike

Cutting out palmettos and cabbage palms ( 10 feet or less in height) that brush ax worked the best , a ax would do nothing but get stuck in the fibers of the cabbage palm.
On palmettos .... Especially if the palmetto was raised up a bit with its roots sticking down , come in and make a good slice under it or use a jabbing motion to cut them. Then stab it with the pointed part to toss it aside. Small trees never stood a chance. Didn't say I was in love with it , just that it did a good job. It's like a shovel , does what it is meant to do but not really appreciated by the user.

 

[Kayak Jack]

I didn't see anything about digging holes with a machete. Did I miss it somewhere?

 

[oldsparkey]

I didn't see anything about digging holes with a machete. Did I miss it somewhere?

This thread .... viewtopic.php?f=4&t=8214
8th post down from the top on page #1.

 

[Kayak Jack]

I didn't see anything about digging holes with a machete. Did I miss it somewhere?

This thread .... viewtopic.php?f=4&t=8214
8th post down from the top on page #1.

That sez he used it, not how. A net site was given and someone said it showed how to modify a machete for digging. I wandered the site, but found nothing about digging, only cutting.

 

[captaindoug]

Hello Jack, that video on modifying the blade didn't really say anything about using the machete as a digging tool, but he said he rolled the top edge with his file to put a radius on it, for ease of gripping. That is about the only part I saw that might make easier to hold by the blade and scrape out a hole. Hold it down by the tip where the radius is, and the other hand on the handle?

 

[oldsparkey]

Ron had this to say in the other thread on how to do it.............

Using the Machete to dig with
You can chop if you need to, but it is use for the most part by grabbing the dull side of the blade 6 inches up and the other hand on the handle. Gives you a digging area equal to a trowel with a lot more leverage.

Then a page or so more he basically repeated the process when asked again.......

It will dig better than a trowel , it is about the same size area on the end of the blade, but it will do it much easier because of the leverage you have with the long blade. To protect your hand that is holding the blade just grab a towel wrap the blade and get after it.I havent found this necessary holding the dull side of the blade

My guess is the reason for the towel on the 2nd quote is because the subject matter was using one with a saw back on it, not a plane smooth back.

Checking Google I could not find anything on how someone else does it. Seams like a simple process the way Ron does it.

 

[tx river rat]

Grab it and start digging , you will work it out. :lol: :lol:
If your hand get sore wrapp a towel around it if you cut yourself
grab the other side of the blade.
Ron