Have you got any more information on using machetes as card scrapers?
This article was copied from our FAQs page!
This is a great modification to the machete that has so many uses. You are carrying around a tool with you, why not make it as versatile as possible? We will be doing a detailed article on this in the future. But for now, the card scraper edge on the spine near the handle has many benefits for a bushcrafter :
• Scraping up very fluffy tinder from dry wood and bark with the machetes primary edge works very well however you dull the edge very quickly. Alternatively you can put a card scraper edge on the back. It does exactly the same job only it is much easier to sharpen the card scraper in the field with a flat chainsaw file than it is to sharpen the primary edge. It takes a modified grip to use this in a safer manner and we must give full credit to a gentleman named Colhane that lives in Brazil for this little gem!
This falls nicely into the ‘try this at your own risk’ category! It’s incredibly useful however also inherently very dangerous.
• Ferro rods need a sharp hard edge to drag across to work properly. You can use the primary edge in a pinch but the card scraper on the spine is just as effective. This feature is also commonly found on the back of commercial bushcraft knives. Ferro rods do damage fine edges so a card scraper is ideal as it’s easier to touch up in the field.
• Traditionally card scrapers were used for smoothing wood without sandpaper. Having this feature out in the bush will be a big advantage for some.
A card scraper and rounding the spine behind the tip can work together in some situations.
As always, safety first! You are effectively creating another edge on the spine. It’s not as dangerous or obvious as the primary edge but it will still create a nasty cut if you’re not careful!
Always account for the sharp primary edge being on the other side of the card scraper!