View Full Version : filing moras
is it essential (as stated on the woodlore site) to file the top of mora blades for firelighting?
no.. but they are massproduced and some are better than others.. file work will probably help!
The reason filing the back is recommended is to square the spine for use with a fire steel - many knives including the Mora's come with a slightly rounded spin and a better spark is produced if you file the first (handle end) inch or so so that it is square.
arctic hobo
16-01-2005, 22:36
And surely with a rougher edge it will cast more sparks?
yeh probs.. but they don't come rough they come rounded.. and you want right angles.. or "sharp(well relatively)" bits..
hmmm strange, mine came with a square spine :?:
thanks guys ,looking foward to trying my first bushcraft sharp,shiny thing-it feels so right in my grubby wee paw-should i worry?
thanks guys ,looking foward to trying my first bushcraft sharp,shiny thing-it feels so right in my grubby wee paw-should i worry?
'we need wilderness because we are wild animals.every man needs a place where he can go crazy in peace'. ed abbey.
mojofilter
16-01-2005, 23:45
None of the dozen or so, maybe more, moras Ive got for myself or others have had a remotely square spine. Doesnt stop them being a great knife though!
I just used a rough stone or a brick , as long as it's slightly rough then it does the trick...
a bit off topic but has anyone else noticed Moras coming with one of the worse burrs around? I've only delt wiyth a few and all from woodlore but they have all had work needed with a stone to get rid of the burr. I don't really see it as a problem as it shows you how to sharpen them.
Do you mean on the spine? These often have slight burrs on the top edge on both sides.
I have not noticed anything wrong with the blades on the ones that I have handled.
I was meaning the edge. I often have bad look with burrs on edges. I wonderd if the world is ganging up on me at times
mojofilter
17-01-2005, 20:12
Nope, never any problems with burrs on the edges! :?:
mojofilter
17-01-2005, 21:11
Yes mainly, but a few Erikssons as well, and no burrs yet!
I recently picked up three Frosts Swedish Army Knives, the green handle variety in stainless steel. The spines of all three were too rounded to spark well. They had an unfinshed, stamped look to them that didn't bite into the firesteel. I squared off the spines with a fine mill file and now they spark very well. They also look better as the spine has a uniform appearance.
These knives are intended as companions to a machete on a three day course I teach (informally). They spark so well I put a BSA Hotspark in the wrist lanyard of each of them. As they arrived you wouldn't have guessed they'd make good sparkers. Mac
I tried new mora unfiled on my fire steel yesterday -would have got a better spark using a cucumber- made do with my folder. will file mora (made good fire sticks though)tommorow.thanks for all the replies
Hmmmm Bizzarre, I have two Frosts Mora training knifes (black hard plastic laminated types) and Gary just sent me a Classic Mora (red stained birch a la Kochanski fame)
And all of em (spine wise) are square :shock:
Someone will have to post a picture of a round version for us to see
RobertsonPau
18-01-2005, 21:10
I got my Mora knife from the Woodlore site, the green handled jobbies for about £10. The one I got is a high carbon tool steel blade, that is stamped out from sheet. The spine was very round, after ten minutes with the file the spine is square and casts a shed load of sparks from fire sticks, and ive even managed a couple from flint.
I've seen them for sale on a couple of surplus sites as Swedish army issue, but I don't know how true that is.
Paul
mojofilter
18-01-2005, 21:23
Here is a picture of the spine of a red handle mora. It is not rounded as in radiused, more like the corners are a bit rough, just not squared off after the blade has been stamped. This knife will not strike a ferro rod acceptably.
http://img1.yoxio.com/img/131619.jpg (http://www.yoxio.com)
stuarty
bothyman
18-01-2005, 22:30
Here is a picture of the spine of a red handle mora. It is not rounded as in radiused, more like the corners are a bit rough, just not squared off after the blade has been stamped. This knife will not strike a ferro rod acceptably.
stuarty
Mine is the same they look like shear marks that have just been polished.
Had a job finding one.
What is the average price to pay for one of these?? .
They seem a lot cheaper in the US it seems you can just change the $ to a £ :roll:
They seem a lot cheaper in the US it seems you can just change the $ to a £ :roll:
often the case with knives it seems. I picked one up for about £5 which wasn't too bad
Not to rub it in or anything but it seems like the UK posters have a real inflation thing going on as far as kit prices go. I feel your pain. I'm in a similar situation here in Brazil. I can't find things and when I do I pay a premium.
We need to hold a get-together in the States and all you guys can pre-place orders and pick up your new kit. Depending on the size of the order you may just pay for the airfare. Mac
out to play in the woods at weekend with newly squared mora.than.made excellent feather sticks(one of which was my index finger) and loads of sparks onto some shavings ,which turnend into a nice fire ,despite the moonsoon like weather since october(weeknd was nice hard frost) and blood from my nicely feathered finger threatening to extinguiish the fire.id still be there if i hadnt ran out of teabags.......