Julius Pettersson Hand forged blade.

[Druss]

Hi all i am thinking of buying a Julius Pettersson Hand forged blade off of Ray Mears website. I saw one made in the Sweden episode of Bushcraft. It looks like a decent knife. I like a project so am looking forward to having a go with making a handle for it. I haven't decided on which materials or design to use. I just wondered if any of you have had experience with this blade or can recommend something similar. I need a good all round knife, I carve a lot of wood and make things for camp so I do a lot of stripping, cutting and splitting (I don't have a decent axe yet, mine is rubbish and the decent ones seem expensive). I had a knife years ago that i liked a lot, i had made the handle for that out of paracord which is allways handy to have with me, I even made a nice leather sheath for that one, unfortunately i lost the knofe while moving home and don't yet have a good replacement. My wife bought me the Bear Grylls gerber for Christmas which seems a nice sturdy knife but it is half serrated and this gets in the way a lot for me. Plus try as i might i can't seen to get a good edge on the damn thing, although I know this is my problem not the knife as others online seem to be able to manage.

Here is the blade i am thinking of getting anyway:
http://www.raymears.com/Bushcraft_Product/427-Julius-Pettersson-Hand-Forged-Knife-Blade/

Thanks in advance for any help or advice on this and i am new here so if i posted on the wrong board I am sorry.

 

[Albus Culter]

I got one a while back and made my own. Its a great blade and I love the finish of it.

For carving I prefer a bit more of a dropped point.

If you want other options try Brisa. Loads of choices and they do a good service. No association and all that

 

[Niels]

One of the advantages of the JP blade is that it is advertised to have a single bevel (well it's an advantage if you like them), whereas most stick tang blades from brisa have a microbevel.
Never had a JP blade though so I couldn't say what those are like.

 

[brancho]

You could do a lot worse.

As for the comment about micro bevels look HERE

Have you made any knives before?

 

[Druss]

You could do a lot worse.

As for the comment about micro bevels look HERE

Have you made any knives before?

I was reading that post on the mora sharpening yesterday, interesting stuff. I prefer the single bevel knife, mainly for ease of sharpening to be honest. I should have said before, i have a couple of old pocket knives that i use for more intricate carving. What I am after here is a general pupose knife. If I am on a camping trip and I find some nice wood i like to strip it in camp. I have been known to skip a planned hike and spend a day in the woods stripping and prepping my wood. I find is very peaceful, almost like meditation if i find the right spot. So the knife i want needs to be robust and easy to sharpen on the fly. I have been considering buying the japanese water stones but i can't see me carrying them out into the woods with me. So I have a hockey puck type 800 grade. I was looking into one of the pull through sharpeners to carry with me in my pocket vut have heard mixed reviews.

The only knife i made was my old general purpose blade that i have lost. That was just a knife blank i bought off Amazon and I made a paracord handle. It was quite a useful knife. I was thinking of making an ash handle for this one with maybe some leather and other woods as spacers.

 

[Druss]

Thanks for the feedback guys, I typed a response a while ago but it said it had to be moderator approved, it hasn’t shown up but other posts since have so I fear it has been lost. If it appears I apologize I wasn’t double posting on purpose.

Albus what did you make your handle out of? any pics? Also did you get a chance to test it out in the wild? I like the finish also, I've not seen it close up. I should have said before I have a couple of old pocket knives that I use for more intricate carving, the knife I am after is for general purpose. I like to strip and cut any nice bits of wood I find in camp. I have been known to miss planned hikes to just sit at camp or in the woods stripping, cutting and carving, i find it very relaxing. I need a knife that is robust enough for stripping cutting and mild splitting, but easy to sharpen also. I looked on the Brisa site they have some nice blades on there, can see me using them in the future as I plan on making a hobby out of this, i like giving gifts to people that I have made or finished.

I’m not a fan of the micro bevel, I know it’s me more than the design but i have a hard time getting them sharp. I need some new stones and am considering the Japanese Water Stones but I think I may get one of the small pull through types to slip in my pocket when I go out into the woods or something. I have an 800 grade hockey puck type at the moment for this and I'm not the best with it. I have a grinder and a belt sander in the shed but I’m trying not to use them as it won’t help me when the power goes off or the zombies are circling.

The only knife I “made” before was from a knife blank i bought online, it already had a half decent edge and I just gave it a Para cord handle for it. It was a nice knife though and I used it a lot until I lost it when we moved house. I am going to make a real effort with the handle on this one though. I have a nice piece of ash waiting for it and I am going to use leather and other woods as spacers.

I read the post on micro bevels, interesting stuff. I have read some very good arguments for this kind of edge and will possibly look more into it when my sharpening skills get better. I’ve been having a hard time with the Gerber Bear Grills edge, I've managed to completely misshape my stone and can’t find a decent flat surface round the house for it.

 

[HillBill]

I could make you something (pretty much anything) if you wanted mate. I'm fairly local to you aswell.

 

[Johnnyboy1971]

If you wanted you could meet me and have a look at a few I have with and without micro bevels.
I can highly recomend Hillbills knives, they have a really good following for both quality and reliability.

Whats your budget for a new knife.

 

[Druss]

I could make you something (pretty much anything) if you wanted mate. I'm fairly local to you aswell.

I have just been looking at your site, beautiful knives mate, really impressive. I fear a tad out of my price range at the moment though. Do you have a shop? Would love to bob up and see some of your stuff one day. The reason i am looking at the JP is the price and i fancy a go at the handle. Do you smith the knives yourself?

 

[Druss]

If you wanted you could meet me and have a look at a few I have with and without micro bevels.
I can highly recomend Hillbills knives, they have a really good following for both quality and reliability.

Whats your budget for a new knife.

For this knife i'm looking at £50 or under, thanks I wouldn't mind bobbing to see you and having a look at what you've done. I'm allways after picking up new knowledge too.

 

[Johnnyboy1971]

No worries mate. I have a couple of Hillbill blades you can look at. Just drop me a PM sometime and we can arrange something. Where in Leeds are you?

 

[HillBill]

Thanks

I make blades also. So can easily do you a blade only, and the price of the JP knife is about the same i would charge for a similar blade.

I have a small workshop at home, but thats about it

I have just been looking at your site, beautiful knives mate, really impressive. I fear a tad out of my price range at the moment though. Do you have a shop? Would love to bob up and see some of your stuff one day. The reason i am looking at the JP is the price and i fancy a go at the handle. Do you smith the knives yourself?

 

[Druss]

I'm in Beeston, moving to Pudsey soon though. That's sound will PM you soon, where are you in Leeds?

 

[Druss]

Thanks

I make blades also. So can easily do you a blade only, and the price of the JP knife is about the same i would charge for a similar blade.

I have a small workshop at home, but thats about it

OK brilliant thanks a lot. I will get in touch, just been watching some youtube vids by redman8066 and Steve Wright testing your knives. They look quality. Would a single bevel 4" blade length, robust enough for chopping and general use be able to be done under £50?

 

[Johnnyboy1971]

Just round the corner in Rothwell mate.

 

[HillBill]

is it a stick tang you are wanting? Or would you prefer a full tang? My price range for scandi ground blades is between £45 and £55.

OK brilliant thanks a lot. I will get in touch, just been watching some youtube vids by redman8066 and Steve Wright testing your knives. They look quality. Would a single bevel 4" blade length, robust enough for chopping and general use be able to be done under £50?

 

[Albus Culter]

is it a stick tang you are wanting? Or would you prefer a full tang? My price range for scandi ground blades is between £45 and £55.

I do wish you had not said that

I do not need any more knives, and repeat

My knife is here http://www.raymears.com/blog/the-hand-forged-knife-blade-a-guide-to-making-your-handle/1533/

Its not perfect and I'd love another of those blades to do a more traditional style. Not used it much I have to admit as I have a couple of knives (he lies ) so tend to choose one of my others when out. Its plenty tough and splitting general cutting etc are no problem. I've not even used it enough to need to sharpen it yet. I prefer a slight more drop point (like the Woodlore knife) for my use, but that said I've used a mora clipper to excess and had no problems.

Buy one. Try you best and post pics and questions it you have any. Be careful tho as its very addictive.

I have an old HillBill blade (full tang) I handled and love that. Sharp as. There is also a thread on here by a young chap named Niels who used a stick tang of HillBills. Take a look its amazing. That's what I want to have a crack at when I can gather the materials

 

[HillBill]

Just had a look at your blog mate, some nice work on there.
In the bit where you make the netting needle.... is that a re handled wildlife hatchet?

I do wish you had not said that

I do not need any more knives, and repeat

My knife is here http://www.raymears.com/blog/the-hand-forged-knife-blade-a-guide-to-making-your-handle/1533/

Its not perfect and I'd love another of those blades to do a more traditional style. Not used it much I have to admit as I have a couple of knives (he lies ) so tend to choose one of my others when out. Its plenty tough and splitting general cutting etc are no problem. I've not even used it enough to need to sharpen it yet. I prefer a slight more drop point (like the Woodlore knife) for my use, but that said I've used a mora clipper to excess and had no problems.

Buy one. Try you best and post pics and questions it you have any. Be careful tho as its very addictive.

I have an old HillBill blade (full tang) I handled and love that. Sharp as. There is also a thread on here by a young chap named Niels who used a stick tang of HillBills. Take a look its amazing. That's what I want to have a crack at when I can gather the materials

 

[Druss]

is it a stick tang you are wanting? Or would you prefer a full tang? My price range for scandi ground blades is between £45 and £55.

Well i was going with stick tang purely because that's what the JP blade is, I did think the handle would be interesting to do with the disks. But as i have never made a full tang handle either (apart from para cord wrapping) would still be able to use my piece of Ash, seems it would be a lot stronger a knife this way. What is your opinion on stick v full? I'm very much a novice so i value opinions of chaps like you who clearly know their stuff.

 

[Druss]

Just round the corner in Rothwell mate.

Excellent, would love to pop up some time this week. I'll PM you soon. Cheers Johnnyboy.