Sharpening
Even the best grafting knife will sooner or later become dull and require correction. In fact, preparation must be carried out before each operation - after all, your task is to ensure that the sharpening profile is not just sharp, but very sharp. The cutting blade should not only "cut" the paper, but also shave off the hairs on the body.
In order to achieve the required sharpness, a coarse and fine grain should be used, as well as sandpaper. For "finishing" you will need GOI polishing paste and a leather strap. Everything you need can be purchased at any hardware store, moreover, at "penny" prices.
Keep in mind that sharpening takes quite a long time. First you need to take the knife in your hands so that the blade is directed away from you, you need to place a container with water next to it. The bar is also laid nearby, with a large-textured surface up.
The blade must be moistened and placed on the block at an angle of 15-25 degrees. With smooth movements under slight pressure, you should move the cutting blade along the bar, thus it is necessary to make about 20-30 movements. Then the bar should be turned over, repeating all the manipulations on the side with the fine fraction.
After this step, there are usually many jagged edges on the blade that need to be smoothed out completely.
From time to time, you should check the sharpness of sharpening on paper, if the blade easily cuts the suspended sheet, then all defects have been eliminated and you can proceed to the finishing part. To do this, they take a belt, lubricate it with polishing paste, fix it to the supports, stretch it and repeat the same manipulations so that the blade becomes perfectly sharp.
Keep in mind that pastes can vary in number, it is better to start with N4, and finish with a fine polish under N1.
This process is long and laborious, however, if done correctly, as a result, you can complete the perfect grafting and enjoy a new bountiful harvest.
You can learn more about grafting knives by watching the following video.
Victorinox Huntsman 91 mm
Victorinox began operating in 1884, and 7 years later began supplying its knives to the Swiss army. The Swiss officer's knife, on the basis of which modern Victorinox Huntsman models are created, was patented in 1897. At the same time, the manufacturer received a patent for a sports knife.
Initially, Huntsman knives were not commercially available. The plant was engaged in their supply exclusively to the army, and offered models for sports, souvenirs and premium products to the civilian population. Soon, however, multitools, that is, multi-object knives, became popular not only among the military.
The first multifunctional knives, introduced in the late 19th century, featured a blade, awl, screwdriver and can opener, as well as a corkscrew quickly joining the set. Today, the number of tools in a multitool often exceeds two dozen. The length of such a knife in the version for urban use is 91 mm. This is the golden mean between keychains with a minimum set of functions and survival knives for use in harsh environmental conditions.
Variety and versatility
Today there are different models of Victorinox Huntsman knives, differing in the number of functions and design. On the outside, the variations are limited to the materials of the grip plates. They are made of durable plastic in a variety of colors, including translucent and camouflage. In some models, the overlays are made of wood.
Much more interesting is the filling of the Swiss knife.An overview of any multitool usually starts with a blade - Victorinox Huntsman has two of them. The main one is 61 mm long, the small one is 41 mm. A large blade can not only cut food, but also open a can of canned food or sharpen a wooden peg. The knife keeps sharpening well, the blade does not start to play even after several years of intensive use. The small blade is designed for tasks and simpler materials, but it is also very sharp.
We will continue to list the instruments with a list:
- awl with thread eyelet and cutting edge;
- corkscrew with four turns, which are enough to open any wine bottle;
- glass bottle opener with large flat head screwdriver and wire stripper;
- a can opener with a small flat screwdriver;
- scissors, sharp and comfortable enough to cut not only paper, but also thin plastic;
- a saw with a length of 74 mm with excellent sharpening, with a certain skill it shows good results in sawing wood;
- a universal hook, at first glance, may seem like a tool of unclear purpose, but in the field it will always be used;
- crosshead screwdriver.
A few more devices are placed in the pads on the handle: a plastic toothpick, tweezers, in some models there is a small ballpoint pen made of metal.
The functionality of Victorinox Huntsman knives does not end there. Their equipment may include an LED flashlight, a miniature flat screwdriver, screwed onto a corkscrew during storage and other components. The pad also provides a hole for storing a small needle.
The evolution of Victorinox Huntsman knives and other products of this Swiss brand continues, so in the future we will surely see many interesting solutions both in terms of functionality and in the design of multitools. One thing remains unchanged - the manufacturer's lifetime warranty for build quality and materials.
Peculiarities
It should be noted that grafting knives do not differ in a special variety of designs.
There are 3 types of such devices.
- Rounding knife - it is characterized by a curved blade and high-quality double-sided sharpening. It is used for inoculation with the kidney or eye. Such a technique in agricultural technology is called "budding", therefore the name of the tool is appropriate.
- The copulation knife is made of high carbon hardened steel and has one straight blade sharpened on one side. Optimal for grafting by cuttings.
- A utility knife is a fairly popular tool that can have a wide variety of blade shapes, but in any case, a so-called budding horn is located on it. The device is equipped with a "bone" made of plastic or metal - this part is located on the handle and helps to push the tree bark at the cut.
Application
Vaccinations are carried out in two ways:
budding - when 2 buds are grafted by insertion into the split on the rootstock;
copulation - in this case, the rootstock and scion are joined along the cut, and it is important that the cuttings and plants have the same cut diameter.
The knife is very easy to use. Let's take a look at a simple example. Let's say you plan to graft an apricot to a plum using copulation. To do this, you need to graft an apricot branch of the same thickness to a young plum shoot, the roots of the plum will begin to feed it too.
To begin with, cut the plum shoot so that about 15-20 cm remains from the ground, the apricot branch is cut and selects a segment of the same size. The cuts should be strictly horizontal without deepening and creases.
On the apricot branch, using a grafting knife, make two oblique cuts on both sides so that their length is about 5 cm, it is better to leave small shoulders on top equal to the thickness of the bark.
On the plum branch, splits are made in the same way, so you form a place for grafting. After that, you should connect the scion to the stock so that they fit tightly to each other, while not damaging the bark. The tighter the grip, the faster the apricot will take root.
The junction is wrapped with vinyl or fabric tape, holding the adhesion with the right hand, and after 1.5-2 weeks the results are checked - if the buds began to swell on the apricot branch, then the vaccination was successful.
The knife must be disinfected before each use. If you do not have alcohol on hand, then you can use potassium permanganate or a solution of copper sulfate, in extreme cases, just hold the blade in the flame for a few seconds.
It is strictly forbidden to use a familiar tool for other purposes - they should not cut anything that comes to hand, otherwise you will have to buy a new one very quickly.
It is important to keep it clean and dry, after each use it should be cleaned with a cloth and, if necessary, wiped with machine oil.
How to choose?
No specialized knowledge is required to select a knife
It is important to remember only one thing - this tool must give a very even cut, which means that the blade must fully meet all the requirements of sharp effective sharpening.
In addition, you should pay attention to some other nuances:
- there should be no notches and notches on the edge of the blade;
- the cutting surface must be well polished to a mirror-like reflective effect;
- handles should be ergonomic and physiological, it should be convenient and comfortable to work with such a tool;
- a high-quality blade should not be more than 2 mm, it is optimal to use knives with the corresponding parameter of 1.5 mm, but if you take thicker cutters, they will injure the tissue of the tree, which leads to wilting of the branches.
According to user reviews, garden grafting knives of the brands Graft Pro, Solingen, Victorinox satisfy all of these requirements. The ranking also includes Ageev's grafting knife, brands Raco, Due Buoi, Tina, Felco and Fiskars. The cost of such knives is quite high, but the products are truly perfect, they can make up to 2000 vaccinations without any problems.
Victorinox kitchen knives
The range of brand knives for household needs is scattered depending on the task that is assigned to them. Many of them have a serrated sharpening. The name comes from the word "serrated" - "serrated". This type of knife makes it easier to cut food. High quality steel is used, which keeps the tool sharp for a long time.
The leader on the list is the chef's knife. It is made from forged steel and is complemented by an impact-resistant handle. Victorinox also offers a hatchet, a vegetable, bread, steak knife, the SwissClassic collection and individual pizza knives. The handle uses proprietary Fibrox material or polypropylene. Knives with ceramic blades are also available.
1 of 3
Multitool Victorinox
For a multi-tool that you can take with you everywhere, the most important thing is to get a lot of functions out of a small knife. In the Victorinox Multitool, each tool is accessible from the outside for maximum convenience, and is secured with a spring and lock for maximum precision.
It is the ultimate expression of the DNA of the Swiss Army Knife.
The Victorinox or SwissTool multitool has up to 40 functions. There are handy blades, pliers, screwdrivers, metal and wood saws here. The classic and most popular instrument is Spirit. From the standard version with 27 functions to the 38-piece upgrade, the multitool proves how engineering excellence and stylish looks can easily go together. Lightweight, ergonomic and with a streamlined, minimalist look, the multifunctional knife is made from the same stainless steel. Key features include needle nose pliers, wire cutting and bending tool, bottle opener, file, scissors, saw, chisel, corkscrew, can opener and more.
1 of 7
Another achievement for Victorinox was the creation of the Swiss card. It first appeared in 1997 and resembled an ordinary plastic card in shape. Despite its shape and size, the tool is still versatile.The two main categories SwissCard Classic and SwissCard Lite offer an envelope blade, scissors, steel pin, screwdriver, ruler, magnifying glass, toothpick, ballpoint pen, tweezers and nail file. The card is easy to fit in your wallet, so you can always have the necessary set of tools at hand.
Swiss army
The Victorinox brand name combines Carl's mother Victoria with the French term for stainless steel, "inox," short for acier inoxydable. Initially, the creator named the company Victoria, this happened in 1909 after the death of his mother, who always helped her son in all his endeavors. After the appearance of stainless steel, the brand got its current name Victorinox.
Elsener established the Swiss Craftsmen's Association with the creation of a miniature multifunctional knife. Thanks to her, in 1891, the company delivered the first large batch of knives for the Swiss army. The spring mechanism of the tool made it possible to install the knives on both sides of the handle. The term "Swiss Army Knife" itself was coined by the US military during World War II. The title turned out to be much more accessible than the original "Offiziersmesser".
In 1897, the knife, equipped with a second, smaller cutting blade, corkscrew and wood grain grab, was first registered in the patent office as an "Officer's and Sports Knife," although it was not yet part of a military contract. Karl used a cross and a shield to identify his knives, a symbol that still distinguishes the Victorinox brand from others.
However, the brand has a competitor to Wenger. In 1908, the Swiss government split the contract between the companies. Wenger was advertised as an authentic Swiss army knife, and Victorinox used the slogan "the original Swiss army knife". The confrontation ended only in 2005. Then Victorinox acquired a so-called business partner, becoming the sole supplier of knives for the Swiss army.