Knife Features
Blade Grinds
Scandi Grind - The traditional scandinavian grind has been around a long time and for good reason. The blade is flat ground on both sides at a relatively steep angle to form the sharpened edge. It's not seen on a lot of modern knives because of the difficultly producing a proper flat v-grind like the scandi. This grind allows a relatively thin blade to stand up to very hard use as most of the thickness of the steel is left in the blade.
Full Flat Grind - A full flat grind features a flat bevel that travels from the spine of the knife to the edge with a small secondary bevel to form the sharpened edge. This grind is not as exceptionally strong overall as the scandi, but still suitable for most woodcraft activity. The advantage of the full flat is when cutting softer material such as prepping meals, skinning game, etc. The secondary bevel is also generally easier to maintain than the full v-grind of the scandi.
Materials Used
Blade Steels
Casstrom currently uses two steels, one high carbon and the other stainless steel.
Böhler Tool Steel K720 is a very tough and strong oil hardened high carbon tool steel. The chemical composition allows it to be hardened to a high degree whilst maintaining ductility and toughness at the same time as it is easy to sharpen and can obtain a razor sharp edge. Whilst easy to sharpen, the low chromium content means it will tarnish if left wet and it must therefore be wiped after use and protected by oil or wax when put away for storage.
Sandvik 14C28N is the latest development in Sandvik's range of knife steels. Optimized chemistry provides a top grade knife steel with a unique combination of excellent edge performance (stability and ability to take an edge), high hardness and good corrosion resistance. This new grade allows for better hardness and wear resistance to previous grades without affecting the microstructure. Blade re-sharpening is therefore easy. At the same time, edge stability in terms of microchipping and edge folding or rolling is also good.
Handle Materials
Micarta was originally developed as an electrical insulator. It is formed from several layers of linen or other cloth and impregnated with a phenolic resin. Once processed it is exceptionally dimensionally stable and will not warp or crack. This material has a warmth to the hand not unlike traditional wood scales and grips well during use.
Casstrom uses several traditional hardwoods as well, including classic Curly Birch, Bubinga and Oak. A liner is used between the knife steel and wood scale to keep the tendency of the natural wood from warping next to the hard steel. t also happens to look good! These woods are similar in their functional use and can be chosen on the preferred look of your knife. The wood is finished with oil and has a slight sheen to it that is very pleasing to the eye. Warm in the hand on a cold day you can't go wrong with any of these wood scale choices.
Stabilised wood is also used on a few select knives. This process marries the best properties of the modern and classic with dimensionally stable wood scales. An expensive process, stabilization will ensure your knife can be handed down for generations to come.
Bushcraft Sheaths
Included with each knife, Casstrom sheaths are full grain vegetable tanned leather and available in a few colors. All seams are properly welted, that is they have an extra bit of leather at the edge to keep the sharp blade from splitting the stitching. The knife pocket is generous enough to hold the knife well while leaving enough handle to easily remove the knife. Most sheaths feature a drain hole and hollow rivet at the end. the rivet is for lashing the end of the sheath to your leg to keep it moving with you on long hikes instead of flopping about.
An ingenius feature is the carabiner style dangler seen below. The dangler keeps the sheath comfortable when moving in tough terrain and sitting down, while the innovative carabiner d-ring allows the knife and sheath to be removed quickly. The d-ring can also be used in several other ways if needed.
See the Black Carabiner Dangler for a full featured bushcraft rig:
