aem said:Fred said:[snip]
Problem is always, how to pack my knives without damaging the blades or
something else (like my hands). I'd like to make a folding knife pouch but
I don't know how to do it safely. Does anyone know of a website with
patterns and materials recommendations for these traveling knife carriers?
Don't know a website, but as a starting point you might check with your
butcher shop, including the meat department of your supermarket. If
they offer knife sharpening service they may also have cardboard knife
sheaths for their customers to use when bringing knives in to be
sharpened. You could use those sheaths in conjunction with the padded
box idea, or as a template for making your own sheaths of a better
material. (Incidentally, I've never had good luck with sharpening by a
supermarket's meat department but that's a different topic.) -aem
The butchers I know make their own knife sleeves of ordinary corrogated
cardboard, just folded over and tied with butchers twine in a fancy
crisscross pattern. In fact I was gifted a set, a scimitar and boning
knife, in a double sleeve, a smaller sleeve tied to the larger sleeve.
These are professional butcher knives, acid etched on the blade:
"PROPERTY OF"
"F. Maturi & Sons" <--- this in script
"NEVER SOLD"
There's also an image of a butcher steeling a knife, and the black
plasitc handle is deeply embossed "MATURI".
These knives maintain the sharpest edge by far of any I own... they are
very thin (0.072" over the entire blade), obviously of some high
quality carbon tool steel alloy, layered with a mirror like stainless
steel exterior. I've owned these some 25 years and use them quite
often, especially the boning knife, but only for meat (they're the
wrong configuration for veggies)... I've never needed to sharpen them,
I just keep them well steeled.
Sheldon
