Outdoor Element's Survival Hunting knife with a full-tang fixed blade, replaceable gut hook, G10 handle, Kydex sheath, D2 steel, EverSpark tech, and much more. Great add-on items also available.
This post is for backers only. Please visit Kickstarter.com and log in to read.
Hey guys, I love me some avocadoes. I often take them on road trips as my survival food. Throw a dash of salt on a freshly cut avocado and some magic happens. For real, it's a superfood. Last year I ran a 50 miler in Bryce Canyon area and this was my go-to food at the aid stations. ...like straight-up green energon-cubes.
I also discovered that if you don't clean your D2 steel blades from salty avocadoes, bad things can happen...namely, rust. Sure enough, after leaving it with salty avocado muck on the blade for several days, I did discover some rust spots. The other day we got a message stating that they loved our knives but they discovered some rust on the blades! Maybe it was another love-hate relationship with avocadoes.
As a reminder, our blades are made from D2 (tool steel). This means the steel contains about 11% chromium. Chromium is the stuff that makes steel stainless. Generally speaking, it takes 12% or more chromium to be considered a true "stainless steel." So D2 is considered to be semi-stainless. This means it needs some love on occasion. Some Brasso, Noxon, and Metal Glo are some good polishes to use to keep your blades bright and protected.
We chose D2 because it is excellent blade steel and offers great characteristics such as edge retention, hardness, and toughness. It sits around 60-61 HRC for hardness which means it will not take you a week to put an edge on it but it will also hold that edge for a good amount of time. You will find many great blades and great companies in the market with D2 steel.
The images below are the result of my forgetfulness around avocadoes:
The pics were taken after I cleaned it with WD40. As you can see, there are still some patina markings left on the blade because of the oxidation that occurred.
After some research, this is what I did to remove these rust stains. I hope this info can help you if you find yourself in a rusty situation.
I grabbed some Baking Soda and mixed it with a little water and stirred until it reached a toothpaste consistency.
Then I took an old toothbrush and scrubbed in little circular patterns for about 3 minutes (on each side). I noticed the consistency became more chalky but I didn't bother to add more water.
After I was done scrubbing with the paste, I rinsed the blade under cool water and rubbed it with an old rag. ...and that was it. In all, it took me about 8 minutes to clean and dry. I was pretty happy with the results:
I think if I spent another 5 minutes on each side, I could have made it "perfect". Once I was done to my satisfaction, I added some Renaissance mirco-crystalline wax polish. I typically use this for woodworking when I make wooden pens. It polished up really well. Evidently this polish is good for just about everything: furniture, leather, paintings, metals, ivory, etc ....hence the name Renaissance.
If you are new to D2 blades, I hope you find this information useful. If you are veteran to metallurgy and consider yourself a bladesmith, I would love to hear your suggestions for maintaining D2 blades. What tricks work for you?
I also read that cutting an onion also works to remove rust. ...has anyone tried this? What home remedies have you tried? What works and what does not?
Thanks!
Mike Mojica
Explore with confidence.
Great news, we have received the replacement clips and they are ready to ship! If you do not know what I am talking about please refer to our previous update. In short, we/you discovered a design flaw, we are owning it and are trying to make it right.
How to get your replacement:
Please visit www.OutdoorElement.com and place an order for the Clip. The Clip is the last item on our shop page . Throw that bad boy in the shopping cart and use coupon code fixmyclip at checkout. This code will make the item free and also provide free shipping for the entire order.
If you ordered more than one Talon, then get the same number clips. Please limit your order to only what you need (one per Talon).
While you are on our shopping page check out our new Fire Escape! (many of you backed our last campaign to bring it to life...again, much love and respect for supporting small business).
When you decide to pick up a Fire Escape this month, you will be automatically entered to win a free Bear Bowl! Plus, use a second coupon code: supsb10 to get 10% off your purchase. - yes these two codes can work together.
If you have subscribed to our newsletter, you will get a similar email about the Fire Escape and Bear Bowl.
Back to the clip...
If you previously installed the clip, remove it; use it as a paperweight or money clip. Maybe we can host a contest to see how you can re-purpose it. Let us know what you come up with. Best use wins something cool. 😊
You will receive 4 new nuts and 4 new screws (with a dab of thread locker preinstalled on them).
Place the nut with the slot end facing out-away from the Kydex sheath. Add on the clip on the opposite side of the sheath, lining up holes with nuts. Loosely install all 4 screws through the clip and sheath and into the nuts first, then go back and tighten them up. See pictures below.
Nuts to be placed in this orientation:
The nuts do have a slot on the back, convenient to secure/hold with a flat head screwdriver.
Screw-in all 4 pieces of hardware, then go back and tighten them up.
Boom, you're done. Get outdoors and explore with confidence.
The new design reduces the length of the moment arm on the clip, transfers the load to 4 points (as opposed to 3) and the net result will be less stress at the connection points…so you don’t have to worry about it when you are out on an adventure!
Fire Escape
Click on the image of the fire escape below to see a quick 40-second video of it in action.
What's a Bear Bowl?
That's a great question! Basically, an origami Jedi created a folding camping pot. We have used this product several times and have grown to love it. We know you're running around in the great outdoors with your camp stoves and other camping gear, so we figured we would share it with you! Click on the image below for a short video of it in action.
Thanks again for your support and patience as we grow our small business. We will continue to refine and hone in our designs as we get more feedback.
See you on the trails,
Mike and Joe
Note: Coupon codes are valid through February 29, 2020 (yes, it is leap year). These codes can be used together but will not work with other codes. Codes provide discounts on OE gear only.
It's been a while since we posted an update. Many of you know we have been spinning our wheels with another Kickstarter Campaign, the Fire Escape! Only 3 Days Left! Get the best deals now while campaign is still live.
While we have been working on the Fire Escape, we have received feedback about the Phoenix Talon and Feather. Most of the feedback has been praise after praise...and some have been critical feedback and suggestions for improvement. Thank you for both.
We have heard you! And while we love the praises, we really took a hard look at the suggestions.
We have had a few backers report that the Talon clip was not exactly easy to install and a few of you experienced the Talon belt clip coming off! We did not provide adequate detail for installation instructions. Thread locker was also suggested. If the screws are not fully tightened down there's a chance that they could slowly back out and come off. In addition, the length from the end of the clip to the connection points (screws) creates a moment arm. Not a crazy long arm...but long enough. When the large sheath gets caught on some bushes in the backcountry (we are assuming we are allowed to use the word backcountry without fear of lawsuit 😉), the sideways pulling on that sheath/moment arm can generate high-stress levels on the screws, and hence the possibility of them backing out.
Honestly, we saw this as a design flaw. We spent countless hours on the actual blade design, and we somehow experienced this oversight...with something seemingly simple. For most, it does work...but we still consider this a design flaw. So we got to work, Mojica modified a couple of clips. We even sent one to a Kickstarter backer for testing. The one we kept has not experienced any problems. And we are happy with the outcome.
After we were satisfied with the outcome, we called up the factory and explained the situation and sent them some CAD models. They explained to us they would be happy to make some more (at a cost of course). We know most people won't experience this type of failure, but we wanted to take this opportunity to make it right and show that a) we really to listen and b) we really do care and we want to support our customers, especially since you are the ones that gave this Phoenix knife set life!
The factory is almost done with them and we will have them in a couple of weeks. We have added one more mounting hole (we will include the hardware for both sides) and have also included threadlocker on the screws.
Once they arrive, we will send out another update and provide you with a coupon code to use on our website for a free clip and free shipping (for each talon that you ordered). From the feedback that we received, it seems the majority of you aren't using the belt clip and simply carrying the knife in the sheath in your backpack. But, for those who do want to belt carry the knife, we want you to have this updated clip to be safe. ...while you're at the site, have a look around and feel free to pick up a couple of items for Christmas :)
We will continue to modify and improve with more use and feedback.
And in other News!
Many of you know that our knives were noticed by Rick from Beyond the Hunt who has been on the Outdoor Channel for over a decade now! He got hold of a set, took them for a test drive and filled a couple of tags. End result: he loves them!
He asked us to collaborate and make them his official knife! This is pretty exciting for our little startup! ...it could not have happened without your support. The factory is making our next round of production with his logo. To learn more about Beyond the Hunt check out their page here.
Finally, as a reminder, our live Fire Escape Kickstarter campaign ends in just 3 day! This is our fire-starting multitool first-responder-inspired carabiner.
You have supported us once. We invite you to join us again on this next adventure. Our goal is to deliver before Christmas (for all US residents)!
Thanks for all of your support and for working with small business.
Explore with confidence,
Mike and Joe
We hope 97% of you have received your rewards by now! ...and have had some time to test out the knives. We realize there are a few of you that had address hiccups and also know that some countries take a while for shipment deliveries.
If you are from another country (non-US addresses) we would love if you dropped a quick comment below and let us know if you have received your package. Based on our tracking most of you international backers should receive the parcel any day now.
If you have a US address, and don't have your package delivered by now, please email us directly at [email protected]. If you don't have it, then something is wrong and we want to help you figure it out.
We received several public and private messages about the knives. Thank you so much for the support, feedback, and questions.
We would like to address some of the questions here.
We have had several people ask, "What the heck is the rubber band for?"
Great question...I have 4 daughters and have seen Spy Kids way too many times. "...use number 1, a stylish bracelet..." perhaps we enjoy use number two a little too much. (if you are confused like Joe was, click on the link and all will be made clear)
Machete explained, "It's the world's greatest gadget ...999 uses. And the important thing is, you have to figure out what those uses are." -I have digressed too much. We will let you know why we included it :)
The Feather has a 1/4" hex driver that holds a standard bit. And while you don't have to use a rubber band, it is convenient as it holds the bit in place. The bit's smaller end fits the screws for the gut hook and the handle clip.
We have also had questions about the clip and it's orientation. Before we launched the campaign we surveyed a few knife enthusiasts and asked how they would configure their clip. ...they were all over the map. But we did hear a few times (from the hunters) that they would likely not install the clip and would keep the two sheaths connected in their pack. They explained when they are hiking/tracking with bow or rifle, they don't like "hardware" hitting each other. And once they fill a tag, then they would open up the pack and pull out the tools they needed. Hence we decided to have an "optional" and configurable clip.
I designed the hole pattern on a bolt circle, so it can be orientated 4 different ways. The design intent was to have the clip on the outside of the kydex sheath, and the nuts to be placed on the opposite side (as seen in the pictures).
It was suggested by a NASA Rocket Scientist, one of our backers, that you should consider adding some Loctite (threadlocker) once you have dialed in your configuration. We haven't found any issues with the clip without Loctite thus far ...however, when NASA speaks, I have found it wise to listen. If you're a knife/mechanical person, it's pretty likely that you already have some threadlocker in your garage/tool box. Amazon and Fastenal are other places to pick it up.
Personally, I suggest if you're not sure how you want your configuration, then start with 222 (pink) Loctite. ...it's considered "low strength." The good news is, if you want to change it up, just apply some elbow grease and you can take it apart.
Once you know what you want, then move to 242 or 243 (blue Loctite). ...that should be fine for this application. There is another option of the 262 (red Loctite) but that stuff is wicked high strength. In my experience you have to bring some serious heat (torch) to the party to remove it...which might not be great for the Kydex Sheath :)
For reference, in a prior life, I worked with the US Air Force on some fix-winged modifications. Specifically, we had a "ball" hanging off an aircraft that would receive maintenance from time to time. ...we used 222 Loctite for the screws. (I have also used plenty of blue and red in my time). These knives will not see cyclic loads like any aircraft, but they will get bounced around. It was a good suggestion from Tex to add some threadlocker. ...We love the diverse background of our backers!
One more thing we almost forgot to mention. If you have a Woolly Mammoth or Kodiak survival bracelet, you can use the striker plate in the patented buckle to unscrew the Talon handle.
Thanks again for supporting small business!
We need more of your support!
We are currently speaking with a couple of wholesale accounts. If you know of any knife shops, distributors, buyers for Bass Pro, etc., please nudge them for us! If you want to offer any leads, we love chasing them down.
We would also appreciate an honest review for any of our product. Honestly, I hope it will be a good review :) If you have any issue with any of the product, we would appreciate an opportunity to make it right.
The knives are up on our website now. We would love a review here.
Please continue to provide feedback and share your adventures with us.
Please join us on social media to join our conversation!
Thanks again,
Mike Mojica
American Dreamer
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We also have a buddy with a new Kickstarter campaign for his Bear Bowl (for all of you outdoors peeps) going live in the next couple of days. Check it out and help make their day 1 great! Since we don't have the link yet, just search for "The Grim and Bear It". Here is a simple sneak peak below.
