knife hygiene.

[Templar]

Ok... Im sorry for the overly erudite and complex terminology... my meaning is to use the little thing crammed inside the thing what sits on your shoulders... lol

Yes today the human race has degraded so far from reality that Im suprised kids even know what dirt is & heaven forbid... fresh air... yes we are becomming a species so far removed from our natural habitat that we will have to design an enclosure for ourselves like the ones they have in modern zoos... hahaha

what scares me is Im also a qualified OH&S Auditor too... lol

So I say ban anything with the words "Anti- whatever" get sick once in a while and move on... Our chosen hobby is all about getting back to nature, why are we bringing the very opposite out there with us?

Karl

 

[Asa Samuel]

Templar, I'm not a fan of the cotton-wool wrapped society either. I'm happy to hear a wipe on my trousers is enough as I didn't want to have to wash it every five minutes.

The only reason I was asking is I wanted to make sure I wasn't going to kill myself

 

[susi]

and considering that most native peoples in the third world who use their large blades to clear all sorts of brush, clean game, dig holes and prep food with the one blade and hardly ever wash them... they still live...

Whilst I agree that hygiene can go "over the top" (to use an army expression ), but at the same time please remember that as "gung ho" and romantic as it sounds to rough it without proper hygiene, the lack of it is a killer. Millions of people in the "third world" of which you speak, die of diarhoea every year.


I think the question of "knife hygiene" is perfectly acceptable and many ignorant people could benefit from the replies.

 

[Templar]

Susi: Im not against hygiene in the field, its a very important aspect of living in any environment, but I do believe you will find that the vast majority of deaths related to the runs is from contaminated drinking water and not from tools used... because I actually live and work in the "third world" of which I speak... the water from an average "clean" water source contains a high amount of human and animal waste, either from directly unloading of the waste into the water source or from leaching through the soil. Also the use of human waste to fertilise crops is still wide spread here too... so I think a little something on your knife is the least of your worries... sorry to sound preachy but its the truth of the matter here in the "third world".

Asa S: Its not meant to be a ribbing mate, and Im happy to have people ask questions when they are not sure, it shows intelligence and thought... keep asking and learning.

 

[Asa Samuel]

Didn't take it as one, just replying to what you said

 

[Chinkapin]

Something no one has mentioned is the possibility of picking up something nasty on your knife blade and then cutting yourself, even slightly with it. Any bacteria on the blade is now in your blood stream.

I believe that I will continue to wash mine. Plain old soap and water will do nicely, you don't need an autoclave! But, I'm not going to give 'er a swipe on my pant leg, either. But, to each his own.

 

[Asa Samuel]

Something no one has mentioned is the possibility of picking up something nasty on your knife blade and then cutting yourself, even slightly with it. Any bacteria on the blade is now in your blood stream.

I believe that I will continue to wash mine. Plain old soap and water will do nicely, you don't need an autoclave! But, I'm not going to give 'er a swipe on my pant leg, either. But, to each his own.

Yeah, but then you'll get a lot of 'Well don't cut yourself' replies to that

 

[Tadpole]

I personally think it all depends on your own immunity, if your are from a family where dirt was quickly washed off, and you were encouraged to wash your hands every five second, then it is quite possible safer to wash every knife and your hands, after every use.
But if you grew up in a house where hand washing was mandatory only after toilet trips, and before bed time, chances are, you have a reasonable immunity to all local bugs.
My daughter hardly gets colds, sniffles, upset tummy and the like, as she has a good immunity to everyday bugs, her friends comedown with everything ‘going’, for I suspect the same reason.
So if you have to ask the question I’d say wash in very hot water, wipe, and oil your knife after every use.

 

[traderran]

I still will just wipe on pants of corse I wear the same shirt an pants for 6
weeks while hunting. I do change undies once a week

 

[Tadpole]

. I do change undies once a week

whether you need to or not...

 

[Templar]

What are undies?

Or have I been in the woods too long?

Lol

 

[jimford]

I do change undies once a week

You can make them last 2 weeks if you turn them inside out!
;^)

Jim

 

[John Fenna]

4 weeks - back to front, inside out and rightway round.....

 

[Amon81]

I like to take a mora knife to prep meat with, if I don't take it I use my hipfask of whiskey and give it a good swill, normally then a good wah in soapy water when I get home.

Never been ill yet.

If I knew I'm going to get it bloody I just use the good old cheap knife, plus its got a plastic handle too so really easy to clean.

 

[Tor helge]

I usually wipe it on my trousers as many people here it seems.
But when butchering game or fish I wash it in a stream or use sphagnum moss.
I have however never washed my sheath knives in soap and water in the field nor at home, as I don`t bother. I`ve cut myself countless times whittling and preparing game and never got an infected wound. Maybe I`m just lucky, I don`t know. But infected knife cuts seems very rare up here, as in, I`ve never heard of any.

If you want to properly clean your knife then do it. Better safe than sorry as they say.

Tor

 

[Chinkapin]

You guys know entirely too much about how to prolong the wear of your underwear! LOL.

Now I know why Traderran bought those "peanut" lighters, it was to burn his underwear when he took them off!

Seriously, I have always suspected that carbon steel might not allow anything such as bacteria to grow on it. I wonder if it has any anti-bacterial properties? Anyone ever heard of such a thing?

 

[ForgeCorvus]

Carbon steel anti-bacterial ? I don't think Iron of Carbon has those properties* (but keeping the blade polished, clean and free of rust and crud means the 'bugs' don't have anywhere to live )

If you want your blade to stay totally hygienic, you should get it silver-plated

Or leave it exposed to strong sunlight so the UV can kill the bugs

Personally I subscribe to the "Peck of dirt" theory


* I shall, however ask a Bio-chemist I know and get back to you

 

[Asa Samuel]

Whats the Peck of dirt theory?

 

[Chinkapin]

I did a bit of research on this and discovered that stainless steel has some antibacterial properties. Carbon steel apparently does not. Ceramic blades are not antibacterial, but they are "pitless" on the surface and therefore have lower bacterial counts.

 

[John Fenna]

Whats the Peck of dirt theory?

It comes from the saying " A man has to eat a peck of dirt before he dies". Biblical or summay...
Peck is a historic measure and is an awful lot of dirt.......