Just got my shiny new Dogfather in the mail. Now I'm an official dog I guess. What a serious piece of steel! Just pulling it out of the sheath starts you thinking about things you could hack to splinters. Like I said somewhere else, this is the first "big" knife I've ever owned so I can't offer anything comparative, but to a rookie's hand... well.. It's a hatchet with a really long blade. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

I'll put together some comprehensive thoughts later.

you pretty much understand it. have fun.

It is a HUGE blade, lol Have fun!

Been wanting one of those, show it plenty of puppy love!CHOP STUFF!!! Congrats on scoring the Cadillac of the Scrapyard line man.Is it an LE or The CG(standard)? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

Welcome to the Yard.

What a great way to start your DogHood,,,Like Knighthood but more fun. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" /> Dog Father...now go chop something

Dan

What Dan said...go chop something! And take pics! Some inspiration for ya:

Momaw - congrats on getting a fantastic knife! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

It is the "CG" I guess, it's got the rough black coating and no company logo etched on it. I already did get to work a little with it.

- I attacked a piece of seasoned pine slabwood, that's where the hatchet comment came from. It doesn't take as DEEP a bite as a proper hatchet, but it puts more of the wood in play so it really does remove material pretty fast. It's also lighter so wasn't as tiring to use and more controllable.

- I let it munch on a smaller slab too, only about half an inch thick slab of fresh pine, and chunks flew on that. Hacks out massive chips or split lengthwise with a chop and a bit of encouraging. You definitely will not want for kindling with this.

- And last I tested its "knife" potential, using the choked up grip and peeling off tiny curls to shape the wood instead of obliterating it. It's not an ideal knife for that sort of thing by any stretch, but it didn't do too badly for its size. Being sharp helps (good job on the factory edge, Scrapyard), it basically falls through the wood. Its bulk and weight make it difficult to make accurate fine cuts though. I think I'll try using it two-handed as a draw knife tomorrow.

I try not to be given to hyperbole so I won't say it's mystic or magical or anything, but it's a fun and effective mix of traits. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> I only had a couple minutes to play with it so far, but I'm impressed.

As a parting question, what should one use to wash their dog? Usually I clean cutting tools with a bit of Barkeeper's Friend, but I'm thinking the abrasive in it will not be kind to the finish. It'll wear off eventually but no sense is hastening the process.

I use one of those plastic scrubbers with the plastic handles in the mop section at Walmart. That and some dish soap and hot water. Then dry and oil.

Congrats momaw <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /><img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

You´ll never forget your first big knife but after that one you just want more of them, can´t get enough... So what´s next on your big-knife-wishlist?

Dog Father!!

Since we all seem to love photographic spam, here's some images of a brief morning excursion. I wanted to do a lot more but, like a total moron, I didn't check the charge percentage on the batteries in my camera before hiking out. I took the batteries out of the charger, slapped them in the camera, and it turned on, so that means they're fully charged right? Uh, no. Blah.


^ Mist on the pond. A beautiful morning in New Hampshire. 60F degrees, completely still, cloudy without looking like it'll start monsooning (like it did Friday). A good time to be in the woods!


^ Temporary rig with a belt. This is what I was asking about, if anybody had any thoughts on the pros and cons on this carry method. It is very comfortable, though not at all suitable for a "speed draw". The only time it really becomes noticeable is when crouching, and you kind of have to slap it to the side.


^ The Scrapyard Dogfather, part of this complete breakfast. Also present: Fallkniven H1, Leatherman Wave (1st gen.) A nice set of tools which should be capable of defeating most challenges. I liked the fact that the Leatherman fits into the accessory pocket on the Dogfather's sheath.


^ First whacks of the day, inch and a half branch of maple that had fallen in the storm. Took out one good chip, set up the next chip, and it just plowed through on the fourth hit. It has serious chopping potential, though as somebody else pointed out recently, the "Fat" Battle Mistress has more. Granted that blade is 50% heavier. So far my experience is that for smaller stuff like this, a folding saw is actually slower.


^ The Dogfather isn't reeeally that big. Well. Big for a knife, but not big as an item. The handle is actually a touch small for my hand. During the whacking, my thumb was feeling a bit useless and ended up floating in space with my fingers doing all the work. I didn't feel like I was actually in danger of losing the blade, just I couldn't really get my whole hand involved with it. Maybe I'll try wrapping it with cord to bulk it up. Though that would be a shame because the handle material is very comfortable.


^ I'm assuming that's the intent of the knife's shape. It didn't come with an operator's manual. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> I also like the way it's becoming a "camo dog" with crud smeared on the blade.


^ Still daytime, just real dark under the conifers. This poor little guy is going to get crowded out badly, so I don't feel too bad about taking him.


^ Yup. It's a hatchet. Aside from the slight awkwardness of getting a good swing with it parallel to the ground, this was going real slick. Until my batteries died. I got the tree down on the ground for safety's sake and walked back to home.

After washing the blade up with a nylon brush and dish soap as suggested, I noticed that I have some areas of darkish discoloration on the bare metal of the sharpened edge. I know the steel isn't a stainless, but I can't imagine it rusting THAT fast! I wiped it down immediately after washing it. It's almost like the black stuff from the coating on the blade was wiped downward instead of upward as logic would suggest. Is this normal?