Basic Mora Clipper Modifications:
In this article I will show you how to modify a Mora Clipper bushcraft knife to throw sparks from a ferrocerium rod. This is the first thing I do to any Mora as it means that if you can throw larger amounts of sparks than with the small aluminium scraper.
First place the Mora in a vice that has soft jaws installed. This is to prevent the steel vice jaws marring the mirror finish on the knife. They also ensure that the knife will not slip.
From the image above we can see that from the factory Mora leaves the spine of the knife un-ground and with a curved edge. This means that you cannot throw sparks from a ferrocerium rod. By filing down the spine we create an edge that can can scrape ferrocerium shavings off the rod and ignite.
Take a metal file and place it flat on the spine. Take note of the black line on the spine which is a result of the forging process.
File the spine until bear metal shows. Make sure that the spine is even and there are no bumps or nicks in the metal.
Now take a fine sharpening stone to flatten out ridges left on the spine left from the file. This creates an even surface to match the factory finish on the sides of the blade.
Hold the stone flat against the spine and move the it in circular motions. Do this until all imperfections are removed.
All that remains it to remove the burr left on the side of the knife and square up the edges.
And its all done. You can now thrown sparks from a ferrocerium rod using the spine of your knife.
