Indeed they're not, and given that police officers will also apply the rules in an ambiguous fashion possibly best to assume the worst.
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There are 2 different parts of knife law using 3 inch measurements.
"It’s illegal to:
sell a knife to anyone under 18, unless it has a folding blade 3 inches long (7.62 cm) or less
carry a knife in public without good reason, unless it has a folding blade with a cutting edge 3 inches long or less
carry, buy or sell any type of banned knife
use any knife in a threatening way (even a legal knife)"
Confusing the two could land you in trouble.
https://www.gov.uk/buying-carrying-knives. Worth a read if you're unsure of what is legal.
For those who use knives legally, and either professionally or recreationally, it's important to stay within the law and not be intimidated by the law. Knowledge helps.
You're not looking at the legislation itself, which is the important source to be reading.
The .gov site is flawed in many ways, and not just in relation to knives as it's someone's reading of the legislation and rewriting it (likely an intern).
It's useful to get a general idea, but for the detail you must look at the source.
Good luck with that. The answers lie within...somewhere.
The Highway Code goes to great lengths to reference the relevant legislation. At least it used to and I assume that it still does. It is very disappointing that HMG's and the Police guidance doesn't conform to this principle. Rather they blurt out non-statutory guidance in language that is simplified, to say the least. It is no surprise that the average Constable may interpret that in a way that is at the bounds of what is lawful and not to the benefit of the 'accused'.
It is an unreliable source - I had to write to them to get them to correct the wording on carrying (they previously did not have the cutting edge mentioned, and solely mentioned the blade). They corrected it, eventually.
The legislation is at least what it is!
Come now - nothing is that simple!
You also have to trawl through:
http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/...-8/37/contents
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1996/26/contents
https://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1997/21/contents
And that’s assuming you are not in Scotland!
Come on! You forgot...http://www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/...ensive-weapons
Indeed. At this rate the next Mcr GTG might have a different edge...
https://i.imgur.com/RQLxGAs.jpg
I too have ordered one so i can sharpen sticks into arrows and pretend to be 8 and in Swallows and Amazons
anyway the law prohibits locking blades to be carried, so I wonder how many people have Leathermans in their cars ?
I fall into category 'recreational stalker' is haha?
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Knives and Tools are everyday items which have many legitimate reasons for ownership and use. Sadly they are sometimes misused by a tiny proportion of people and therefore we have regulations which aim to control the ‘unreasonable’ carrying of blades in a public place. Below is a distillation and simplification of the law currently. This guide is not intended to replace qualified legal advice and should not be taken as such.
In England and Wales under Section 139 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 it may be an offence to have any sharply pointed or bladed instrument in your possession, in a public place unless you are able to show good reason or lawful authority for doing so. (See below re: folding pocket knives). This fact sheet does not cover Scottish law.
A public place is anywhere that the public has, or is permitted to have access to, even if they must pay to do so. This not only covers areas such as roads and highways, shops, and pubs but also less obvious areas. This is important to realise for those working or spending leisure time in the countryside, as public footpaths or other rights of way come under the definition of a public place. Estate land where the public may have access is also a public place even if it is privately owned. Your car or other vehicle is also classed as a public place whilst on the highway, and the police now have search and seize powers without warrant with respect to knives.
‘Good reason’ for carrying a knife may be shown by occupation as a farmer, joiner, estate manager, electrician, recreational stalker, plumber gameshooter, angler or anyone else who has reasonable grounds for expecting to need a knife whilst pursuing a lawful activity. E.g. someone wild camping and building a hide or fire.
Leaving a knife in the car, or in your pocket for when you will next need it, or forgetting that it is there, is NOT a defence.
Carrying a knife in public must be in connection with the activity for which it is needed; leaving it in your car or going into a shop with a knife in your pocket if you are returning from or going to a place where you use it etc. would usually constitute good reason even though you do not have an immediate need to use the knife on the spot.
There is an exemption in law for folding pocket knives. These must have cutting edges of less than three inches and do not lock. Due to a court case it was ruled that a folding pocket knife “must be foldable at all times”. Due to this ruling, a folding safety locking blade is treated as if it is not folding , but is fixed. The blade length is therefore irrelevant.
There is a further exemption for the carrying of knives as part of either a national costume (such as the Scottish Skean Dhu) or as part of a religious obligation (the Sikh Kirpan).
This is advice from Whitby and Co. on their website,https://www.whitbyandco.co.uk/pages/...arrying-knives. which is reasonable and basically the same as on the Govt website https://www.gov.uk/buying-carrying-knives
I think the whole point is, nobody should be complacent about carrying knives however innocent their intent is. And nobody should be fooled by people saying that it's "ok if it's in the boot of your car" and similar tales.
For this reason I have an original Leatherman PST non locking and a Swiss Army knife with mini screwdriver for my glasses in my car,both are legal to carry.
Knife arrived, great value at just over 7 quid!
What's the best way to stop it from rusting?
Sent from my Pixel 2 using Tapatalk
Very true,I recently bought a Rebar without blades and also removed the blades on my wave and fitted a door key instead.
The Wave is easy to mod compared to other models.
https://i.postimg.cc/RCYDYy7M/C7365-...-E2-AB28-D.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/qvsDz79R/CA49-A...B64099-FFC.jpg
https://i.postimg.cc/yNnfyb6C/FFC057...-AAC7924-C.jpg
Buy the much more practical stainlees steel version. I don't understand this rush to buy a carbon steel blade as a 'just in case' knife which then gets put in drawer or a humid car boot. It's the worst thing you can do with a carbon blade & I susect most of these will just end up a rusty mess.
If you're using it every day then you can look after it but for occasional use a stainless blade make more sense.
Just my sense of humour, as you obviously noticed! :unconscious:
Yes, it's cleaning and oiling/waxing I'm afraid. Sometimes applying cold blue solution or acid etching can help or disguise any blemishes, although many call the inevitable staining 'patina' and seem happy with it!
I can't be bothered with the oiling etc, would this be a good alternative?
Morakniv Basic 546 Bushcraft Outdoor Knife available in Blue https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B00T3E69..._mPu.Cb0YDQS9X
So long as its not rust, then I've no issue with a marked blade. I like how they all become a bit unique. If I want shiny and pristine, I've other knives for that.
https://i.postimg.cc/6QHMvTHY/20190609-191113.jpg
Ordered. My first knife. Excited to cut stuff.
As mentioned further down the thread, I have the Varusteleka Terävä Jääkäripuukko 110 in carbon steel (phew, what a mouthful!).
For the price it is amazing.
https://www.varusteleka.com/en/produ...on-steel/56524
It has been used and abused, and I've never treated with anything other than a quick wipe down with a sanitising cloth, despite the manufacturers advice to "Never store the knife without drying and oiling the blade". It lives in a homemade leather sheath out in the shed and shows no sign of rust, patina, or indeed anything else. It takes an edge beautifully.
At least using that knife as the benchmark IMHO concerns about carbon steel are often misplaced.
Not to say stainless isn't more practical, as I can just pop the Mora into the dishwasher.
If you don’t need it or can’t be bothered to maintain the carbon steel then simply don’t buy it, but for what it is, how it’s made and what you get it is an absolute bargain.
As I said before I blued mine to stem the corrosion problems, I might even buy a stainless Mora of some kind as they are so cheap.
My blued Mora Robust
https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/201...fbdda2d097.jpg
Kept dry they really don't suffer too greatly, though the dampness of the storage conditions is critical.
I'm a big fan of patina and its protective qualities, but mostly the lovely character it can give (albeit on a plastic handled Mora it can only do so much in that regard!).
I have had two of these carbon steel Mora's for at least 3 years, I have not had an issue with rust / corrosion.
The big advantage of carbon steel over stainless steel is that it is easier to sharpen and retains a sharper edge.
When you buy a knife like this you buy it to use it, if it gets the odd mark or odd bit of rust just live with it or spend 30 seconds cleaning it up.
WD40 is your friend.
This guy dunks his in vinegar...YouTube Survival Kit Hack...on the video it goes in at 1m 50s and comes out at 4m 45s. Any thoughts on this idea?
Forced patina will protect the surface - I'd recommend covering the cutting edge unless you'll sharpen back to good steel afterwards as this will impact the edge too.
I've seen one maker leave their carbon steel blades in boiling vinegar briefly, prior to sharpening!
If it's for damp storing just molycote the blade. Wipes off before use.
Carbon steel can have it's good points, don't get me wrong. The main point is it can suffer from rust/corrosion, although some carbon steels are better than others. It can be easier to sharpen no question, as for retaining a sharper edge I would disagree when comparing with modern stainless powder steels such as RWL34. The early stainless such as 440 or 420 certainly didn't take as good an edge as carbon steel, but things have moved on. Knives don't have to be cheap to be used, I believe the vast majority of knives I have made are being used by their owners, they aren't made to be ornaments! I know one stalker who is using a £300+ knife of mine in the field and it doesn't get an easy life.
Made for work, stainless Damasteel blade.
http://oi68.tinypic.com/2qikj.jpg
http://oi64.tinypic.com/2mo3zp5.jpg
Mora Comparison: Carbon Steel VS. Stainless Steel
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=p4_vATW3hL4