Soldier On! 2026

[IMR4198]

Maybe Ms. Phoenix works nights?

    That's why I keep garlic over all the doors and windows.  Best wishes.  G
 

[Tuisto]

Julia's out of town, so I'm trying not to burn the house down. And also catching up on some reading.

Editing this to add: day 19!

[Sos24]

I have been on the last few days, between migraine and dealing with repairman, I’ve not done much on the computer. 

I hope to catch up on reading the posts I’ve missed soon, but at least this will catch me up on the pics I hadn’t posted

Day 17
The only action the Combat Knife saw for the day was opening migraine medicine for a migraine, but the pic is from it just sitting because I didn’t think to take a picture with the medicine

Day 18
The knife opened some important mail of my ID renewal and a replacement credit card for an expiring one.

Day 19
Finally an opportunity to clear my head.  Cut open a treat for Fisher while having some coffee

[IMR4198]

Day 20

     Toddled off to the Mart of the Wall.  Bought some pop tart copies.  Evidently the big box king is having inventory loss problems.  Lots of items are locked up behind glass and you have to push a button above the cabinet to summon a key bearer.  There were a flock of potential buyers (or maybe shoplifters, who knows?)  hanging around the case I went to.  Nobody knew to push the button, so they were just waiting there hoping against hope that someone would come along. 
      I didn't go to the knife counter.  Why bother.  I'm not going to buy a knife.  I did stop by the CASIO display.  There was a cute all white G-Shock that I liked a lot.  Attractive, but maybe not practical.  Like a white sofa.  I looked at them a while.  Finally, a store lady came over with some Windex and a roll of paper towels.  She said she didn't mind cleaning up my greasy fingerprints and the marks left by my nose so much, but wondered if I could stop drooling on the counter.  I moved on to the more plebeian models.  Illuminati and Ordinarii models.  F91s and such.  There was a pretty good assortment.  Almost all had a yellow clamp on the package that would set off an alarm at the exit. 
       Took a shot outside right by the little raised planter where all the store employees sit with their cell phones and a ciggie.  Best wishes.  G
 
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[gustophersmob]

Day 19:

I forgot to post last night

[BPRoberts]

Julia's out of town, so I'm trying not to burn the house down. And also catching up on some reading.

Editing this to add: day 19!

Love Faust! Wish I knew enough German to read the original.

[Barry Rowland]

💯 true!! 

D+18

"in this world, nothing is certain except death, taxes, and posting pictures of random handle screws."

[Barry Rowland]

Day 19 It's chocolate time!

[LoopCutter]

Pound PLUS, interesting.  Today is a free day for me, grocery store visit is planned, but may go up the road toward town and do a walk about in the TRADERS JOE!

Plus the FRESH MARKET as my ENGLISH TOASTING BREAD has only a couple slices remain.

But, I do have a question, that pertains to your awl 111mm army knives.

It appears these are identical to my 111mm OHT, with the exception, that the OHT has scale tools.

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Your Army models seem to fetch a higher price on the resell market than my OHT.

Is there another feature I have over looked?

This OHT is my first, and a favorite when my plans are best served by the blade and saw.  Just wish a corkscrew was present, as I have never found a benefit of the PHILLIPS in the backside position.

Thank you for reviewing and TIA for any insight shared. 

PS: You fine folks are doing a great job!

[WECSOG]

Pound PLUS, interesting.  Today is a free day for me, grocery store visit is planned, but may go up the road toward town and do a walk about in the TRADERS JOE!

Plus the FRESH MARKET as my ENGLISH TOASTING BREAD has only a couple slices remain.

But, I do have a question, that pertains to your awl 111mm army knives.

It appears these are identical to my 111mm OHT, with the exception, that the OHT has scale tools.

  [ Quoting of attachment images from other messages is not allowed ]  

Your Army models seem to fetch a higher price on the resell market than my OHT.

Is there another feature I have over looked?

This OHT is my first, and a favorite when my plans are best served by the blade and saw.  Just wish a corkscrew was present, as I have never found a benefit of the PHILLIPS in the backside position.

Thank you for reviewing and TIA for any insight shared. 

PS: You fine folks are doing a great job!

Nope, nothing added and scale tools deleted. The Soldier, GAK, US Combat and most other 111 military issue knives are nothing more nor less than OHT with different scales.
And a year of production stamp on the blade, dependent on which country it's for. My Soldier has it for example, but my GAK doesn't.

D+19

Had some fruit.

[Tuisto]

Love Faust! Wish I knew enough German to read the original.

Honestly, I have Wiktionary open at all times when I read German literature (even though one's really not supposed to do that when reading books in a foreign language). Hey, did you guys know there's a Year of the Horse Huntsman that came out this year?? I may get it just because I'm also the year of the horse (but, and this is probably a really unpopular opinion, I'm not a big fan of the Huntsman; I use the saws on 91mm Vics very infrequently). But those scales are really cool! I used the Soldier to cut my daily apple and then resharpened it. This is the second time I've sharpened it since the challenge began. How often do you guys find yourselves sharpening your Victorinox blades?

Edited to add: day 20 (I keep forgetting to include this info and it looks like I can't go back and edit the previous ones)

[gustophersmob]

Day 20:

Soldier transport

[LoopCutter]

~
How often do you guys find yourselves sharpening your Victorinox blades?
~

Sharpening removes steel and over sharpening can thin the edge, then when cutting the blade will feel dull because the edge rolled over.

I prefer STROPPING, a blade when it feel’s doggy. 

Prolongs the life of the blade and you should find that you are actually sharpening less.

A typical Vic blade goes from sharp to not sharp, quickly, no in between.   

You strop against sturdy card board, to rough side of a leather belt with blade being pulled with the edge away the direction.  Where you sharpen a blade with edge forward.

[Farmer X]

Your Army models seem to fetch a higher price on the resell market than my OHT.

I guess that's true, but only in certain cases do I feel it's justified. Both Knife Center and DLT Trading offer the current issue model, so unless you find a good deal on a used one or you're after a specific year, I'd take that option. One of them has the USCK at one time, but they didn't show in a recent search.

Day 19 (catching up)

The cap lifter will be a part of a future Sub-Mission.

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Day 20

And the awl should see some action very soon.

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[BPRoberts]

Agree w/ stropping vs sharpening, especially on a soft steel like Vic's. When I do need to sharpen, I tend to go with a finer stone than I would use for a lot of other knives.

D+19

I promised a pen pic, so here we go. Kaweco Brass Sport to go with the brass liners. Very nice pen (particularly for the price compared to some others). Thinking about picking up another Kaweco (Supra?) since I like it so much.

[Tuisto]

Sharpening removes steel and over sharpening can thin the edge, then when cutting the blade will feel dull because the edge rolled over.

I prefer STROPPING, a blade when it feel’s doggy.   

You strop against sturdy card board, to rough side of a leather belt with blade being pulled with the edge away the direction.  Where you sharpen a blade with edge forward.

Agree w/ stropping vs sharpening, especially on a soft steel like Vic's. When I do need to sharpen, I tend to go with a finer stone than I would use for a lot of other knives.

Do either of you strop without paste? I've always just used the leather and the felt/cotton on the back. I've never used the stropping compounds but now feel as though I may be missing out. I can't seem to get my SAKs as sharp as my other knives and I'm not sure whether that's the chromium or the technique... This is one of the strops I use (it's actually my axe strop but seems to work just fine for knives).

Editing to add: That's a very cool pen BPRoberto!

[LoopCutter]

Do either of you strop without paste? I've always just used the leather and the felt/cotton on the back. I've never used the stropping compounds but now feel as though I may be missing out. I can't seem to get my SAKs as sharp as my other knives and I'm not sure whether that's the chromium or the technique... This is one of the strops I use (it's actually my axe strop but seems to work just fine for knives).

Editing to add: That's a very cool pen BPRoberto!

Yes, I do not use paste.  I started to practice stropping with a my harness leather work belt, using the unfinished side to strop my BUCK 112 420HC steel at night while sitting in a hotel room when traveling for work.   Found my blades felt sharper and lasted longer.

Carried the practice with any blade I use, and felt my VICTORINOX KNIVES benefited the most routinely stropping after hard use.

I have one strop board, I picked from the SOS24 traveling box, that had compound on one side. (Used) But I have not yet purchased compound as of today.

[Sos24]

Day 20
Used the driver on the bottle opener to tighten the toilet seat screws. Didn’t think anyone would want a picture of a toilet so you get the bathroom conter pic.

[IMR4198]

Day 21
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    Trooper with a Schrade hone steel.  I nabbed the steel out of the Sos Mystery Box.  I have used it on Opinel knives that had edges which were rolled, but mostly on carbon steel kitchen knives. 
    I use whatever knife I am carrying if a blade is needed.  For planned tasks, I generally get out a Stanley utility knife and let that get the wear and tear.  Best wishes.  G

[Barry Rowland]

Day 20: Vanity pic with some liquid rocket fuel ⛽☕☕

[BPRoberts]

Do either of you strop without paste? I've always just used the leather and the felt/cotton on the back. I've never used the stropping compounds but now feel as though I may be missing out. I can't seem to get my SAKs as sharp as my other knives and I'm not sure whether that's the chromium or the technique... This is one of the strops I use (it's actually my axe strop but seems to work just fine for knives).

Editing to add: That's a very cool pen BPRoberto!

I have the same (or a very similar) strop. I do not use paste. I have in the past, but the effort of cleaning/refreshing it doesn't seem worth it to me. I'm not performing surgery, I don't need a micron edge.

[Tuisto]

Honestly, the litmus test for me is can it cut through my apples without crushing them but not be so sharp that cutting through the appleseed blunts the edge. But I've honestly had a heck of a time trying to sharpen stainless. I think it's almost like a different skillset. Gary, what is a honing steel?

[LoopCutter]

Honestly, the litmus test for me is can it cut through my apples without crushing them but not be so sharp that cutting through the appleseed blunts the edge.
~

I determine sharpness of a blade by how much noise it makes slicing a piece of paper.

The more noise, the more ragged the cut.

Or, if you some cut yourself, but do not know it until you see a trail of blood, or smearing on your clothes. 
A no feel cut is damn sharp.

[IMR4198]

Honestly, the litmus test for me is can it cut through my apples without crushing them but not be so sharp that cutting through the appleseed blunts the edge. But I've honestly had a heck of a time trying to sharpen stainless. I think it's almost like a different skillset. Gary, what is a honing steel?

   Same idea as the butcher's steel.  It doesn't have teeth like a file.  Very hard surface with longitudinal scratches.  The Schrade type has a chisel on one end for splitting deer pelvis bones.  Whack it with a branch.  Buck used to make something similar years ago.  Not a diamond impregnated surface and doesn't really remove steel.  It will remove rust from the edge of a carbon steel knife.  I use it mostly in the kitchen. 
    If your knife has never had the correct angles cut into the blade or is completely rounded off, it wouldn't be if much use.  If you need to bring back the edge on something, like in the middle of processing and skinning a deer or two, it is good for that.  The blade is pulled backward like using a strop, instead of cutting forward into a sharpening stone.  The leather of the Schrade sheath would be useful for fine tuning an edge also.  Best wishes.  G

[WECSOG]

D+20

Picked up a 1957 Schwinn Panther today. Soldier is looking for some screws to turn. "Let me at it!" he says.

[Tuisto]

I used the Soldier to open a package from SOS24. It's a great model at a great price!

I'm editing this to add that I think I may have found a model that deals with the issue I had with the Hunter (I didn't want a saw in mine). There's apparently a model called the Parachutist, which has three layers: main blade, large gutting blade, opener layer, with a backside philips. Although it looks to be discontinued. Crap and I forgot to add day 20

[LoopCutter]

D+20

Picked up a 1957 Schwinn Panther today. Soldier is looking for some screws to turn. "Let me at it!" he says.

Very nice!

The seat looks I. Excellent condition.
The chrome should clean up great as well.

Will love to see it put together. 

I restored many Schwinn road bikes a few years ago when I was between jobs. Still have 5 or 6 in storage that I could part with.

[Barry Rowland]

As you both know, there's a big difference between the classic Schwinn's and the new versions.  I had a newer one.  It looked like the older one but that's where the similarities ended.  You can't beat original heavy metal!

[Sos24]

Hey all, I think I am going to bow out of this challenge.

I seem to have just a little too much going on right now

[Barry Rowland]

I understand Sherry.  I hope things settle down for you soon!

Hey all, I think I am going to bow out of this challenge.

I seem to have just a little too much going on right now