How to treat a Woodlore knife handle?
- Thread starter Mat
- Start date
Well, when it arrives it will be the Alan Wood version! I'm just excited at having placed the order and thought I could help pass the time (flippin' 9 months!) by posting a general question. I'm new to this game and originally considered buying the WS version to save both time and money. However, having read the various problems people have posted in this forum I came to my senses and decided on the proper Alan Wood version. I was just wondering if there was anything you could\should do to ensure the knife is as good as it can be?
Mat, take it out of the packaging and use it! I have never had a problem with my Allan Wood / Woodlore knife. They need nothing done to them. The WS ones have had a problem which they are rectifying, but that has no reflection on the Allan Wood.
It's a great knife :biggthump
It's a great knife :biggthump
Mat,
My Alan Wood Woodlore has had hard use and a took a dunking when I fell in a lake last year. At the time I was very worried about the handle and the sheath but both have been fine despite my immediate paranoia that the handle had swollen. I've examined a couple of other knives since the for the sake of comparison and it's clearly unscathed.
I'd been using vegetable oil on he handle and aluminium oxide paste on the blade but since reading recommendations on another thread on this forum have moved over to using renaissance wax on the blade and handle.
When buffed to a shine the ren wax forms a very thin protective coat and despite being well used my knife's never looked better. In my opinion a well used knife has far more character than a pristine one. Collectors may disagree with me there.
I think the most important thing is to lavish your knife with lots of TLC and keep it clean and sharp. And possibly giving it a nice name
.
P.S. You can use the wax on your leather sheath aswell.
P.P.S The alu oxide paste is still usefull for cleaning.
Matt
My Alan Wood Woodlore has had hard use and a took a dunking when I fell in a lake last year. At the time I was very worried about the handle and the sheath but both have been fine despite my immediate paranoia that the handle had swollen. I've examined a couple of other knives since the for the sake of comparison and it's clearly unscathed.
I'd been using vegetable oil on he handle and aluminium oxide paste on the blade but since reading recommendations on another thread on this forum have moved over to using renaissance wax on the blade and handle.
When buffed to a shine the ren wax forms a very thin protective coat and despite being well used my knife's never looked better. In my opinion a well used knife has far more character than a pristine one. Collectors may disagree with me there.
I think the most important thing is to lavish your knife with lots of TLC and keep it clean and sharp. And possibly giving it a nice name
.P.S. You can use the wax on your leather sheath aswell.
P.P.S The alu oxide paste is still usefull for cleaning.
Matt
Hello,
I've been trying to find Allan Wood's website but only found some links that didn't work anymore. Could somebody point me in the right direction please.
I'm trying to figure out how Allan Wood's hardening of the Woodlore blade is? as I read some mentions about it being relatively soft?
Best Scouting wishes,
Bagheera
I've been trying to find Allan Wood's website but only found some links that didn't work anymore. Could somebody point me in the right direction please.
I'm trying to figure out how Allan Wood's hardening of the Woodlore blade is? as I read some mentions about it being relatively soft?
Best Scouting wishes,
Bagheera
Until recently, it used to be a subdirectory of http://www.bkcg.co.uk/ but it seems they have dumped em. I duuno where this leaves Alan, probably website-less at the moment.
Yeah, it's the same place, it's a sub web of bkcg - they had a couple of sites as sub-domains, but have dumped em by the looks of it.
http://www.bkcg.co.uk/subwebs/alanwood/
:-(
http://www.bkcg.co.uk/subwebs/alanwood/
:-(
Piet
PM me and I'll give you Alans email Addy. It may take him a little while to get back to you but he's always been good with me.
Cheers
Shaun
PM me and I'll give you Alans email Addy. It may take him a little while to get back to you but he's always been good with me.
Cheers
Shaun
Shaun,
I just wanted to see if I could read something about his heat treating of the Woodlore knife.
As of today I'm the owner of an original Woodlore knife and it's already on it's way to me :-D with necksheath etc.
Best Scouting wishes,
Bagheera
I just wanted to see if I could read something about his heat treating of the Woodlore knife.
As of today I'm the owner of an original Woodlore knife and it's already on it's way to me :-D with necksheath etc.
Best Scouting wishes,
Bagheera
Hi Piet
I think it would still be worth dropping him an email, I'm shure he'll give you the info you want.
Cheers
Shaun
I think it would still be worth dropping him an email, I'm shure he'll give you the info you want.
Cheers
Shaun
Alan Wood doesn't do his own heat treating, but he should have the info you require from his HT company Piet.
Hi Piet
I was looking through an old catalogue of Alan's and he quotes a hardness figure of 59c Rockwell if this is of any use to you.
Cheers
Shaun
I was looking through an old catalogue of Alan's and he quotes a hardness figure of 59c Rockwell if this is of any use to you.
Cheers
Shaun
Shaun,
Thanks a lot, I just don't know where the "rumors" started on some forum posts that Woodlore knives were really soft, 59 HrC is plenty hard, giving thoughness to the O1 while keeping a decent edge and ease of sharpening.
man, I'm getting happier every minute with my 1997 Woodlore knife :biggthump even if the necksheath is missing the firesteel holder.
When you use the firesteel a lot like I do it will probably drop out of the holder quiet quickly as it gets thinner, so I won't miss the Firesteel holder anyhow.
Cheers,
Baheera
Thanks a lot, I just don't know where the "rumors" started on some forum posts that Woodlore knives were really soft, 59 HrC is plenty hard, giving thoughness to the O1 while keeping a decent edge and ease of sharpening.
man, I'm getting happier every minute with my 1997 Woodlore knife :biggthump even if the necksheath is missing the firesteel holder.
When you use the firesteel a lot like I do it will probably drop out of the holder quiet quickly as it gets thinner, so I won't miss the Firesteel holder anyhow.
Cheers,
Baheera
Bagheera said:
That's not something I had thought of before but a very good point. I was going to encorporate a holder into the sheath for my new knife, but I don't think I will now (of course it's quite a way off yet - still need to give the knife a handle!)
Thanks for that.
It would be unusual for the whole steel to be worn away, there is usually some of the full diameter left near the grip. This is enough to hold the steel in place on a good fitting sheath.
My sheath has para cord round the main part and thin cord around the firesteel holder, this has never got loose enough to loose my steel.
Saying that I would not put my steel in from the bottom facing down :-D
My sheath has para cord round the main part and thin cord around the firesteel holder, this has never got loose enough to loose my steel.
Saying that I would not put my steel in from the bottom facing down :-D
Tony,
that could work, but I'd rather not loose my Firesteel and when you demonstrate firemaking on an country fair where our Scouting group had a "table" and start around 80 fires in one afternoon, the firesteel is really thinner, believe me
and your fingers are a lot thicker!
Tony, Ray Mears shows the Firesteels always upside down :!: something I would not do, but if you carry it the other way around the thumbpiece could be in the way when trying to grab your knife, well at least in the Ray mears Woodlore neck/belt sheath.
Cheers,
Bagheera
that could work, but I'd rather not loose my Firesteel and when you demonstrate firemaking on an country fair where our Scouting group had a "table" and start around 80 fires in one afternoon, the firesteel is really thinner, believe me
and your fingers are a lot thicker!Tony, Ray Mears shows the Firesteels always upside down :!: something I would not do, but if you carry it the other way around the thumbpiece could be in the way when trying to grab your knife, well at least in the Ray mears Woodlore neck/belt sheath.
Cheers,
Bagheera
I've never had a problem taking out my knife with the steel in from top down.
I do know where you are coming from though as it would not be as secure as having the whole length of the steel in the sheath.
I do know where you are coming from though as it would not be as secure as having the whole length of the steel in the sheath.
Firesteels normally wear down on one face anyway, leaving the diameter the same for a very long time.
However, on my Bison I never put the firesteel in upside down and usually look the lanyard on the firesteel through the paracord of the baldrick .... just in case
How long do your firesteels last Bagheera? I normally pass mine down the family food chain yearly :-D
However, on my Bison I never put the firesteel in upside down and usually look the lanyard on the firesteel through the paracord of the baldrick .... just in case
How long do your firesteels last Bagheera? I normally pass mine down the family food chain yearly :-D
