My New Knife : A True American Classic

Major Khan

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Alongside having a proper rifle and/or shot gun for use in the shikar field ... it is an inescapable fact that every sports man must always carry a dependable knife for field use . Ever since I was a child , I have always gravitated towards folding knives and have always carried 1 in my pocket no matter where I go . I always would carry a Sheffield Navy clasp knife in my youth and throughout my career , which was a gift from my maternal grand father , Sepoy Jalaluddin Khan . The knife served me extremely well and the carbon steel blade could take an extremely keen edge just by sharpening it on a common Ganges River rock and then stropping it on a piece of coarse leather . However , it needed to constantly be kept well oiled in order to prevent corrosion and needed to be sharpened fairly frequently .
My American shikar partner , the late Tobin Stakkatz used a different sort of knife , however . It was a Buck Model 110 lock back folding knife , with 440C stainless steel blade . It would hold an edge long enough to skin 2 sambhur deer without needing re sharpening. However , it was extremely difficult to sharpen , as the blade was extremely hard . I aspired to own a knife like that someday . However , during my entire career as a professional shikaree , I had to make do with the Sheffield Navy clasp knife and a local Indian “ Rampuri Chaku “ folding knives , which used blades made from the leaf springs of motor vehicles.
After I retired and moved to Bangladesh , I purchased several other knives from different companies over the years to add to my shikar kit and collection , including Finnish Pukko knives , Victorionox Swiss Army knives and Gerber knives . However , Buck Knives were not imported in to Bangladesh for many years and for some reason , whenever I would go to America for touring ... I never really had the good fortune to visit any sporting goods shops , which carried Buck knives .
Today , I went to “ Mizan & Sons Fishing Co. “ ( 1 of Bangladesh’s oldest shops , which sells fishing equipment ) to purchase a new length of fishing line and my eyes fell casually upon the display case , which held all the knives for sale. There was a modest selection of Buck knives in the display case ! The owner told me that his shop had recently begun to import Buck knives in to Bangladesh for his customers . I saw a beautiful Buck Model 110 lock back folding knife , which came with a black leather pouch and I knew that I absolutely HAD to have it .The price being no problem whatsoever .... I am now the proud new owner of a Buck Model 110 and I look forward to the ( hopefully ) many years of service which this knife can give me . It came razor sharp straight out of the box .
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Do any of you fine gentlemen have a fondness for Buck Knives , as well ? And does anyone here know how to re sharpen a 440C stainless steel blade ? My general sharpening experience is fair. However , I have never personally sharpened a 440C stainless steel blade before .
 
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Just happen to have one Razor Sharp that has a permanent home in my Safari Vest
 
Congratulations Major, I take something like a buck knife fo granted, as they can be bought at any hunting store as well as wal-mart or farm supply store.
That being said you have made an excellent choice. I Have carried a Buck 110 everyday of my life since I was 17 years old. I sharpen mine on a Belgian blue water stone, however any fine stone should work, like a hard Arkansas oil stone.
Enjoy the years of good service that tool will provide.
 
My Buck 110 is 40 years old and is still going strong. I use a Lansky sharpen jig so sharpening my 110 has never been an issue.
 
This is a Buck 112, a smaller version of the 110. I’ve owned this since 1975 and it has field dressed and skinned deer, opened tin cans and performed many duties that you should not reasonably expect a knife to do.

It has been used hard but still holds a good edge. Enjoy your knife and don’t be afraid to use the heck out of it.

FEDDD7F5-20C1-4707-8306-FB4E80672B16.jpeg
 
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I have my father's that he bought at a long gone sporting goods store in Lake Charles Louisiana in the 60's. I generally prefer a drop point for my personal use in a knife of this size, but no one will get Dad's in my lifetime. It is a classic.
 
Sharpening a knife blade is something that only (or should only) need to be done on a very irregular basis if it has any decent steel that has been heat treated to bring out its best attributes. Some steels are easy to sharpen but loose the edge quickly while others are harder to get an edge but maintain it for much longer.. In general use a good blade should be good for a few animals in the field without anything other than a few strokes of a plain smooth steel (or the edge of the vehicle window will also do) to clean the animal membrane from the edge and the knife will feel sharp again. Something that can easily be carried in the day pack if more than one animal may need to be dressed out is a short length of 1 1/2 wide board with a piece of leather on one side as a strop and a piece of mouse pad (remember them) or similar on the other with a slit cut by hacksaw in the end. Carry it in a zip lock bag with a few lengths of 1000grit W&D paper and if and when needed a piece of the W&D can be slipped into the slot folded, back over the mouse pad and the other end held by the thumb. The knife blade is lightly dragged as in a stropping motion and finished on the leather. I carried one for some years but even when doing up to 7 goats, never had a need to do anything other thana couple of strops on my pants leg to clean the sticky membrane from the edge and it was good to go again.

Her you can see the slop cut in the end
IMG_20200321_052816.jpg

Mouse pad side but in reality this is not needed as the W&D paper can held over the leather side so the mouse pad is not really needed. This was the something I made many years ago when I carried everything I thought I may need on the hill but now the day pack is practically empty.
IMG_20200321_052857.jpg


Leather strop side and if it is loaded with green compound at home it is good to go.
IMG_20200321_052834.jpg


For those who find it difficult to maintain a constant angle on an oil stone then by setting the stone at a 19 degree angle the knife only needs to be held vertical and this is a much easier thing for the majority to do. A few strokes on one side, stand on the other side of the stone and repeat for the other side. Finish it on a strop or a set of crock sticks at 20 degrees for a very sharp knife.
001.JPG
002 (2).JPG
 
Major, I too use a Lansky system to sharpen my hunting knives. It is a "jig" that insures that each stroke of the stone is at the same angle. Their kits include several different grit stones, from coarse to very fine. Even diamond impregnated stones are available. Using this tool your Buck 110 can be kept razor sharp with minimal effort. It works on high carbon steel blades as well. You will probably find that folks prefer different angles, especially when the knives get used for multiple purposes. I prefer 22.5 degrees but some guides only offer 20 or 25 but either will result in a good edge. When setting up the clamp (jig) on the knife, be sure to keep the gap parallel from front to back. Doing so will keep the same angle on the edge from one sharpening session to the next. A good leather strop will extend the number of uses between sharpenings.
 
A great knife, I hope you enjoy it during many years :D Cheers:
 
Congratulations Major, I take something like a buck knife fo granted, as they can be bought at any hunting store as well as wal-mart or farm supply store.
That being said you have made an excellent choice. I Have carried a Buck 110 everyday of my life since I was 17 years old. I sharpen mine on a Belgian blue water stone, however any fine stone should work, like a hard Arkansas oil stone.
Enjoy the years of good service that tool will provide.
Thank you so much , Master Smith . Fortunately , I have a Belgian Blue Stone among my sharpening tools . I predominantly use a Spyderco Sharp Maker .
 
This is a Buck 112, a smaller version of the 110. I’ve owned this since 1975 and it has field dressed and skinned deer, opened tin cans and performed many duties that you should not reasonably expect a knife to do.

It has been used hard but still holds a good edge. Enjoy your knife and don’t be afraid to use the heck out of it.

View attachment 337107
Yes , I have seen the Buck Model 112 today , as well . A fine , compact little knife. However , I personally prefer to carry the full size Model 110 , because I have big hands .
By the way , your knife looks like it has been re sharpened quite a few times . Hard use , Indeed !
 
I have my father's that he bought at a long gone sporting goods store in Lake Charles Louisiana in the 60's. I generally prefer a drop point for my personal use in a knife of this size, but no one will get Dad's in my lifetime. It is a classic.
That must mean that your father purchased 1 of the early Model 110 knives with the 440C stainless steel blade , sir . The new 1s have a blade made from 420 High Carbon stainless steel . My 1 is also the older model with the 440C stainless steel blade .
I have a few drop point knives in my collection , as well . Those are made by Gerber and Victorionox . However , to the best of my knowledge , most ( if not all ) Buck Knives utilize a clip point blade.
 
Sharpening a knife blade is something that only (or should only) need to be done on a very irregular basis if it has any decent steel that has been heat treated to bring out its best attributes. Some steels are easy to sharpen but loose the edge quickly while others are harder to get an edge but maintain it for much longer.. In general use a good blade should be good for a few animals in the field without anything other than a few strokes of a plain smooth steel (or the edge of the vehicle window will also do) to clean the animal membrane from the edge and the knife will feel sharp again. Something that can easily be carried in the day pack if more than one animal may need to be dressed out is a short length of 1 1/2 wide board with a piece of leather on one side as a strop and a piece of mouse pad (remember them) or similar on the other with a slit cut by hacksaw in the end. Carry it in a zip lock bag with a few lengths of 1000grit W&D paper and if and when needed a piece of the W&D can be slipped into the slot folded, back over the mouse pad and the other end held by the thumb. The knife blade is lightly dragged as in a stropping motion and finished on the leather. I carried one for some years but even when doing up to 7 goats, never had a need to do anything other thana couple of strops on my pants leg to clean the sticky membrane from the edge and it was good to go again.

Her you can see the slop cut in the end
View attachment 337108
Mouse pad side but in reality this is not needed as the W&D paper can held over the leather side so the mouse pad is not really needed. This was the something I made many years ago when I carried everything I thought I may need on the hill but now the day pack is practically empty.
View attachment 337110

Leather strop side and if it is loaded with green compound at home it is good to go.
View attachment 337109

For those who find it difficult to maintain a constant angle on an oil stone then by setting the stone at a 19 degree angle the knife only needs to be held vertical and this is a much easier thing for the majority to do. A few strokes on one side, stand on the other side of the stone and repeat for the other side. Finish it on a strop or a set of crock sticks at 20 degrees for a very sharp knife. View attachment 337112 View attachment 337111
Thank you so much for your extremely educational advice , Mr. Gruff. You have an extremely nice sharpening set up . I am partial to the Spyderco Sharp Maker myself .
By the way ... I LOVE your work . I have seen some photographs of your magnificent knives on African Hunting Forums . Can you use 440C stainless steel for your wares , as well ?
 
Major, I too use a Lansky system to sharpen my hunting knives. It is a "jig" that insures that each stroke of the stone is at the same angle. Their kits include several different grit stones, from coarse to very fine. Even diamond impregnated stones are available. Using this tool your Buck 110 can be kept razor sharp with minimal effort. It works on high carbon steel blades as well. You will probably find that folks prefer different angles, especially when the knives get used for multiple purposes. I prefer 22.5 degrees but some guides only offer 20 or 25 but either will result in a good edge. When setting up the clamp (jig) on the knife, be sure to keep the gap parallel from front to back. Doing so will keep the same angle on the edge from one sharpening session to the next. A good leather strop will extend the number of uses between sharpenings.
Thank you so much for your most helpful advice , Shootist43 . What happened to calling me Poton , like always ? I am partial to the Spyderco Sharp Maker , myself . However , I have only heard good things about the Lansky .
 
Thank you so much for your extremely educational advice , Mr. Gruff. You have an extremely nice sharpening set up . I am partial to the Spyderco Sharp Maker myself .
By the way ... I LOVE your work . I have seen some photographs of your magnificent knives on African Hunting Forums . Can you use 440C stainless steel for your wares , as well ?
I use 12C27 stainless for those knives that have to be stainless (fishing and kitchen) but most are from high carbon steels in the 10xx series or O1 for some.
those edge care tips are for someone who is taking care of one or maybe two knives that have started out as sharp, but I have a commercial sharpening system for the quantity sharpening I do at times. After my post HT grind and clean up there is still from 15 to 25 thou edge thickness (depending on the intended use of the knife) except for the scandi grind which is zero edge so after setting the secondary bevel on the belt grinder this Scary Sharp system is what what I sharpen on (plus stropping) before sending off my knives to their new owners.
https://www.scarysharp.co.nz/

I dont and nor do many other private makers use 440c as the Scandanavian 12C27 among many other newer stainless steels is better for when stainless is needed.
 

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