Posts Tagged ‘camping’
Sharpening Bowie Knives
Bowie knives are as intimidating to sharpen as they are in most other respects. The blade on these knives is at least 6 inches long and, oftentimes, around twice that length. The blade is also heavy and curved, which presents additional challenges. Sharpening a Bowie, however, is really no different than sharpening any other knife.
There are several characteristics of Bowie knives that make sharpening them a tough job. They have long blades, which makes them unwieldy on a stone. They also have curved blades, which requires that the proper sharpening angle be maintained, for all intents and purposes, while turning a corner. The knives are also thick-bladed, which means they won’t fit correctly in many all-in-one devices. Because these knives oftentimes are made of very fine steel, they deserve to be maintained with the correct tools and the correct technique.
Some devices allow users to hold their Bowie knife in a vertical position while they sharpen it. These devices usually have slots that hold the blade in the correct position. Some of the devices use a mechanical apparatus to grind away the metal instead of the user drawing the blade against a stone. These devices sometimes produce good results, sometimes not. There is enough variation in Bowie knife design that a device may work splendidly for one particular knife and not at all for another.
Bowie knives need to be honed to get the best possible edge. This is done on a finer grit stone. Simply repeat the process and, with very little pressure, hone the burr down on the edge of the blade. With the proper angle, one will be left with a razor edge. If the knife is of a high-quality steel, the edge can be incredibly sharp, sometimes sufficient for shaving!
Remember to always use oil when sharpening Bowie knives on a whetstone. Without this lubrication, the blade can be completely ruined. If one has no experience sharpening knives, it’s best to practice on an expendable blade before setting to work on a high-quality knife. On some Bowie knives, there’s a notch at the hilt of the blade. This is called a “Spanish notch”. Many knife owners use this as the indicator of where to begin sharpening the blade. The easiest way to keep the bevel of the blade even is to draw the knife along the stone on one side and then repeat the process on the opposite side. Alternating in exact proportion ensures an even edge on the blade.
Dylan Sabot is the owner of an online bowie knives store featuring SOG bowie knives as well as humidors for storage.
The Benefits Of Camping With An RV
Vacation is one thing that most people really enjoy doing. There is a vacation that is popular with a lot of people. The type of vacation we are referring to is camping. This type of vacation is appealing to so many people.
One of the best ways to go camping is to go in an RV. Well this article we would like to look at the many benefits of using an RV to go camping.
The first big benefit of using an RV to go camping is you get to have all the amenities that you are used to. Some things like toilets and running water appeals to many people. Without a doubt there are still a group of people who like to rough it when they go camping. But that isn’t the type of person that makes up most of my clientele of my San Diego RV rentals business.
The next benefit of going camping in an RV is the ability to store food and cook in it. Most of the time when you go camping what types of food you are able to bring is limited. Well if you were to go camping in an RV you are free to bring most any types of food you could imagine. That is the biggest requested item for people who rent an RV from my Campland on the Bay RV rentals service.
The final benefit is you give yourself the freedom to go to a lot of campsites on one trip. The first thing that has to be done when you go camping is you need to set up camp. Well if you want to go to another camp what you have to do is a lot of breaking down of camp then moving everything. Well when you are camping in an RV, should you decide to go to another campground, you can do so easily by just packing up and driving. This is what a lot of people who rent from my RV rentals company.
Well as you can plainly see the reasons to camp with an RV are numerous. The main reason for this is that it is very easy and comfortable to use.
Find an awesome deal with our Carlsbad RV rentals. Our other convenient locations is right here at Chula Vista RV rentals.
Camping Trailer
Camping trailers are surely the best items to have if you want to go to the great outdoors. Just park them on a clearing inside a thick forest and you’ll have your own nook of civilization amidst the wilderness. They’re huge comforts when it comes to camping, as they can give you a comfortable bed, a kitchen, and most importantly, a bath room. However, camping trailers can be quite expensive, most especially the brand new ones. And, more often than not, you don’t really need any of those fancy features they provide for the newer models. You don’t usually want to give up a huge section of your savings just to buy something you’ll need only about once or twice a year. So, the best thing you can really do is to purchase a second hand camping trailer.
Classified Ads
The first place you could go to in order to look for a used camping trailer is the classified ads. Usually, people would advertise if they have any used trailers there. Purchases are usually cheaper. However, you’re probably going to buy from a private seller, which makes the information about the trailer a bit unreliable. It’s not that they would fib about it, it’s just that a private seller lacks the expertise of those companies that really sell trailers. Be careful that you don’t get tricked, though, and check meticulously for any hidden defects.
Banks
Banks are also great places to go to if you’re looking for second-hand camping trailers. What’s great about banks is that, unlike private sellers, they’re not selling because a trailer has defects. They’re simply selling those things that they repossessed, probably because the previous owner was not able to complete paying for it. And due to this, the camping trailers are often in good condition. And, more often than not, you’ll see yourself paying a small amount for a very nice trailer at the bank’s expense, and only because the bank does not want to store it anymore.
Government Auctions
The best thing about government auctions is that very few people think about using them. And this is a good thing for the government, simply because there will be fewer people to bid, and fewer hassle. If you see a nice trailer, usually repossessed, you might want to place a bid. Do not worry about paperwork or things like that, it will be really easy, almost as simple as placing a bid on ebay.
Karen D. talks about camping trailer rentals on her site. Give it a minute if you want to learn more about camping gear.
Can I Pack a Bowie Knife in My Suitcase When Flying?
Being able to carry your personal belongings with you when you travel is of the utmost importance. Why wouldn’t you be able to carry your bowie knife with you on an airplane? Well, after the backlash of 9/11, it seemed that you couldn’t carry anything aboard a plane, without being suspected of terrorism. However, the TSA has eased some travel requirements. So, can you carry that bowie knife with you on a plane?
First, you will need to make sure that your bowie knife is not packed in your carryon luggage. While you can take bowie knives aboard planes, your carryon bag is most certainly not the right place for them. Where can you put them? The only place that the TSA allows bowie knives is in your checked baggage – your suitcase, for example. This type of baggage is checked at the ticket counter, and then sent down a conveyor belt to be loaded in the belly of the plane. While this will certainly keep you apart from your knife for the duration of the flight, it does allow you to travel with your weapon.
However, the news is not all bad. The TSA does allow you to carry a bowie knife with you if it is packed in your suitcase, so long as that suitcase is checked at the ticket counter and is not a carryon item. Of course, there are a couple of further caveats to this, as well. Your knife must be securely packed, sheathed and safe. It cannot be left loose inside your suitcase, nor can you pack it without its sheath. Interestingly, the same rules apply to swords, razors and other knives. If this seems a bit inconvenient, remember, you shouldn’t have any need for your knife during the flight, so packing it away before hand should be no issue.
What if you are not taking any checked luggage? If you’re only going for a short trip, or just like to travel light, it’s pretty common to only take carryon baggage with you. If this scenario sounds familiar, you should consider shipping your knife ahead, through UPS or FedEx. However, you should check the freight carrier’s weapons policy before attempting to ship that bowie knife ahead.
As you can see, taking that bowie knife with you is not as difficult as you might have thought. Of course, these rules might pose a problem if you were only going to take a carryon bag and didn’t intend to have any checked baggage. In this case, consider shipping your knife ahead to your destination if possible.
Dylan Sabot is the owner of an online bowie hunting knives store featuring the Cold Steel training knife. Additionally, Dylan is also the President of an online humidors store.
How Do I Sharpen a Bowie Knife?
Sharpening a Bowie knife is much the same as sharpening any other knife. However, you will need to know how to go about the process in order to achieve optimal results. What process should you follow? Actually, you will have some choices to make before you even get started with the sharpening process. What is your first decision? First, you will need to determine what sort of sharpening system you want to use. Do you want to use a system that offers you edge guides? On the other hand, you might prefer to use a simple whetstone and control the angle of the edge yourself. This is an important consideration and should not be rushed.
Generally, novice knife owners opt for the all-in-one type of system, as this allows them to control the angle of the blade, without having to do so by hand. However, those more familiar with the sharpening process often choose to use a series of whetstones or a whetstone and a strop. This results in a much better edge, though it takes considerable practice before you can call yourself an expert. As a note, if you choose to go it alone, practice with some inexpensive blades before you attempt to sharpen your Bowie knife, or any other knife that might represent a considerable investment.
The process of sharpening a knife is all about removing metal from the blade, but doing so in a controlled pattern. The angle at which you hold your knife will determine some of how much metal is removed, as will the duration of the sharpening process. If you choose to use a sharpening system, make sure that it offers several different angles in the guide, so that you can achieve the sharpness and blade shape that’s right for your knife.
Holding one side of the blade against the stone, draw the knife either heel to tip, or you can grind it in circles over the stone (some knife owners prefer to use two stones, a coarse one and a fine one). Once you have raised a burr on the blade’s edge, you should flip the blade over and repeat the process until there is a burr along the entire edge of the knife blade.
Once you have ground down one side of the blade and raised a burr, you will need to flip the knife over and grind the other side. This will raise a burr all the way down the blade (including the tip of the blade). Once the burr has been raised, you should use a fine whetstone or a strop to remove the burr and reveal the true edge of the blade. Further stropping or honing will polish the edges, as well.
Dylan Sabot is the owner of an online bowie knife store featuring sog bowie knives. Additionally, Dylan is also the President of a specialty butane lighters store.