Cold Steel Bowie Point Bushman : First Sharpening

Initial sharpening of the Cold Steel Bowie Point Bushman revealed a problem with excessive burr formation. The burr would form and be clearly visible under magnification and could be easily ground off or removed, however any attempt to hone the edge back too full sharp would immediately reproduce the burr.

While a decent working sharpness is produced, the level of edge retention in this state would be fairly low because if the steel is deforming so easily under the hone then it would do the same in use. This is one of the reasons why such knives and steels often get the wrong categorization as there is nothing inherently wrong with SK-5 (1080) at 54 HRC which would prevent it from obtaining a truly sharp edge.

At this stage there is no way to know if the edge itself is just overheated or the steel itself was not hardened properly. The next thing to do is simply use it for awhile, keep checking on the sharpness and hope that it responds and the initial sharpness, and corresponding edge retention, keeps steadily improving.

Category:

Education

Tags:

• cold
• steel
• bowie
• point
• bushman
• sharpening
• edge
• temper

[SpartanJohns]

I can tell you I have had the same experience with my Bushman. The edge retention at the begining was very poor. But as I have sharpened it a few more times it increased. I have yet to put a very good edge on it. Mainly because I see this as a beater knife. I will baton very carelessly with it and convert it into a spear at which point a finer edge will chip out when it hits dirt.

[CliffStamp]

@SpartanJohns I was a little surprised to see that on this one as I only really expected it on the machetes and not the knives, but it maybe this is made from the perspective of Cold Steel as more of a machete class blade than a knife. But yes, for rougher work, essentially you are fine once the bevels meet, there is little gain in performance after that point so you stop was you obtain easily, unless of course you like to sharpen anyway.

[69penetrator69]

Cliff, what made you choose the bowie version over the standard? I'm looking to get a bushman, but can't really decide which version.

[CliffStamp]

@69penetrator69 That was what was in stock. I had been looking to pick one up since about 1996 with Mike Swaim first wrote about them as in one of the rare moments I disagreed with him, I could not understand how he could not make it work effectively when hafted. I get distracted kind of easily though with other things so it too me until now to actually pick one up when I was getting a few of the other machetes, mainly with the work me2 was doing on regrinds.

[CliffStamp]

@69penetrator69 The main advantage of the bowie point one is that the point is in line with the handle, it has a swedge and the blade is a bit wider. If you really wanted to stick things with it, then it likely would have better natural control, go in a little easier, and make a greater wound channel. But from a utility perspective, I would take the regular one - they just didn't have it at the time.

[CliffStamp]

@Chumgeyser That being said, I did watch my brother attempt to spear a moose about ten years ago, but he is long on courage and short on after thought. He also jumped in to wrassle a shark when I had it hooked and could not get it up to the wharf. It was only a dog fish a few feet long but still, better him than me.

[CliffStamp]

@Chumgeyser Yeah for a pig, but they are not the easiest thing in the world to kill and if you get in close and start poking it and you don't kill it right away you are likely to have problems. It isn't something I would want to do in an emergency situation, they can be snared, and PETA flames aside, you are much better off using a rabbit stick to get one of the young ones.

[CliffStamp]

@Chumgeyser Turkey and similar are much easier killed with a rabbit stick, the level of skill needed is much lower. Just experiment with one, I guarantee that after even a very short practice session you would be able to clonk a standing rabbit/turkey very quickly even from a decent distance. Fish would also come right off, they are best caught with a gig spear or similar which you can make out of wood.

[Chumgeyser]

@CliffStamp - I was thinking of pigs, turkey, fish... but hey, if the Moose let me spear him :)

[CliffStamp]

@Chumgeyser The fantasy aspect would be trying to kill something with it, it is just fairly difficult. There would be a much better chance locally of setting snares for rabbit, squirrel or even wild dog and cat than trying to spear a moose fatally. The first thing I would thus suggest to someone is to learn how to trap and fish. That being said, playing with the spear could be amusing, I just would not actually seek to rely on it.