Category Archives: Customer Posts

Kelvin Wong’s Julius Pettersson Knife

The following post was kindly supplied by Woodlore customer Kelvin Wong, who used the Julius Pettersson Knife Blade to create his own custom Bushcraft knife:

Hi everyone,

I’d thought I’d share some photos of my new Julius Pettersson knife. It is my first attempt at knife handle making and I’d love to hear what you think.

Kelvin Wong's finished knife

Kelvin Wong's finished knife

I used reindeer antler pieces, purple and white liners, and a piece of dyed box elder burl, with nickel silver end cap and bolster. The end piece of antler was a bit small and didn’t polish up as pearly white as the front piece, but I am still quite happy with the results.

Any comments/advice on how to improve would be appreciated!

Kelvin Wong

Thalia Georgiou – An Arctic Experience

In early 2011, Thalia Georgiou took her first steps into the world of Bushcraft by joining Ray Mears and the Woodlore Team on our Arctic Experience Expedition. Her time spent in the wilderness of Northern Sweden helped Thalia to gain not only new skills, but a greater understanding of the isolated environments of the world and the peoples who call these places home.

Upon returning to her life in the UK, Thalia took this newfound appreciation and put it to use, travelling to Canada to help support a number of First Nation and Inuit communities. Hers is a fantastic story of how even a short time spent in the wilderness can be both humbling and incredibly inspiring, and it is moving to hear how Thalia has used this boost to provide help to others:

Thalia Georgiou in the Arctic, after sleeping out on the frozen lake

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Jim Little’s Julius Pettersson Knife

The following post was kindly supplied by Woodlore customer Jim Little:

Hi Woodlore,

I’ve noticed a couple of people have sent in finished articles regarding their Julius Pettersson Knife. So, getting in the spirit of things I thought I would do the same.

Other than purchasing the blade itself and the pommel section of Reindeer Antler, the other materials have been collected on rambles with my son Alex. The thin coin sections are deer antler from the nearby fields, they have been separated with sections of deer leather given to us by the local game keeper. The central wood section was brought back from an olive farm in Corfu, from a dead olive branch. Yes, I did get funny looks from immigration!

Nearly there...

Nearly there...

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Justin Burns’ Julius Pettersson Knife

The following entry was kindly provided by Woodlorean Justin Burns, who made his own handle for the Julius Pettersson Knife Blade:

Hi all,

After browsing your website it got me thinking about making my own Julius Pettersson knife handle. I loved the idea of having a handle that you could put your own stamp on.

Justin's knife, in progress

Justin’s knife, in progress

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A Hangi Making Guide by John van Zanen

Regular followers of the Woodlore blog may well be familiar with the name John van Zanen thanks to his fantastic hammock-making guide, which we posted on these pages last year. Well, John has been busy once again, this time sharing his enthusiasm and bushcraft skills with a group of scout leaders in his homeland of the Netherlands. Here he shares with us photos and videos of the group working together to create a hangi – a traditional Maori method of cooking food outdoors in a heated pit oven:

Hello Ray and Woodlore Team,

I attended the Woodlore Camp Craft course in 2011 and was challenged by your team to spread the knowledge of bushcraft. Not long after, I spent a few days with a group of scout leaders to teach them some of the skills I have learnt in the past years attending courses with Woodlore.

Each year, scout leaders come together to open the new season and to get new energy and inspiration for the year to come. This year I was invited to join them and teach some bushcraft skills. We talked about quite a few topics, but the highlight of the weekend was surely eating the food from a hangi. Instead of rocks, we used bricks and covered the pit with wet towels, branches and soil. The result was really great and the food tasted fantastic. During the four hours that the food was cooking underground, we all carved a spoon to eat our dinner with.

Digging the hangi pit

Digging the hangi pit

 

The prepared food in steel baskets, ready for cooking

The prepared food in steel baskets, ready for cooking

 

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Campbell Metcalfe’s Kuksa Cup

The following post was kindly sent in by fellow Woodlorean Campbell Metcalfe:

Hi Woodlore,

After coming on a Fundamental Bushcraft course in September I’ve been enjoying walks around the forests near where I live in Scotland. After seeing a traditional Kuksa in a couple of Ray’s programmes, I thought I’d give it a go; having only carved one or two spoons before I knew it would be quite a challenge.

On one of my walks I found a recently fallen ash tree with a large enough burr on the side of it to try to make my cup. I started by hewing the rough shape out with the Small Forest Axe and carving the bowl out. After a slightly over enthusiastic hit with the axe I unfortunately snapped the handle. A quick repair job later and the cup looked fine, so kept on going.

Campbell's in-progress Kuksa

Campbell’s in-progress Kuksa

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A Woodlore Student’s Handmade Knife

After attending our Fundamental Bushcraft course last year, Woodlore customer Stan Intihar had a go at making his very own knife for the first time, with great results:

Howdy,

Here are some pics of my completed knife and leather sheath; a carbon steel Enzo blade and desert ironwood handle with red liners:

Stan's hand-finished knife and leather sheath

Stan’s hand-finished knife and leather sheath

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Steve Satterthwaite’s Julius Pettersson Knife

The following post was kindly provided by Woodlore customer Steve Sutterthwaite, who created his own knife handle and matching sheath for his hand-forged knife blade:

Hi Woodlore,

I thought you might like to see some pictures of the knife handle I have made for the Julius Pettersson knife blade I purchased from you:

Steve Satterthwaite's Julius Pettersson Knife 1

Steve's knife handle, complete with matching sheath

Whilst purchasing a Julius Pettersson knife blade for my son as a birthday present I saw the wonderful handles created by your readers and decided to purchase a second blade and have a go myself. I had recently been given a quantity of yew in small pieces, left over from the bow-making process which I planed flat and laminated together to create a blank for handle and sheath.
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Neil Salisbury’s Julius Pettersson Knife

The following post was kindly provided by Woodlore customer Neil Salisbury:

Hello Woodlore,

Here are some photos of the handle I made for my Hand Forged Knife Blade. Im calling it my ‘Brecons Knife’, as the red deer antler and pieces of rowan came from the Brecons during one of my many trips there. I made the bolster from antler too, and added my initial as a little personal touch; the leather came from an old rifle sling – I’m all about recycling!

 

Neil Salisbury's Knife Handle

Neil Salisbury’s ‘Brecons Knife’

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Roger Howard’s Julius Pettersson Knife

The following post was kindly provided by Woodlore customer Roger Howard, who crafted his own handle to fit our Hand Forged Knife Blade:

Dear all,

I thought I would send you a picture of my Julius Pettersson knife. It has been a pleasure to make and I look forward to using it soon, although it has already shed blood, my own!! So I’m told this is lucky!

Roger Howard's finished knife

Roger Howard's finished knife

I have used moose antler, English walnut and green fibre board. It looks just like a ‘Sheaf knife’ that my dad owned when I was a kid, (I always wanted it off him). Now I have one of my own and I made it myself.

I hope you can share this on your blog.

Roger Howard