How do you think Ken Onion feels that this numbnutz used one of KO's Shun Chef's designs on the vid...
Knife sharpening techniques for all
- Thread starter x SF med
- Start date
How do you think Ken Onion feels that this numbnutz used one of KO's Shun Chef's designs on the vid...
You need to make it to the OKCA show next time KO is showing up, it better be soon, Wayne Goddard may not be around much longer and he's a good one to meet too.
Goddard will definitely be there, it's his home turf, Harsey - same same, Spartan Boys always shows, KO may show up, Jeff Freeman always shows, Anne Reeve, Thad Buchanan, Bill Wilson, Crucible has a guy there... lots of the stars show up... you will not be disappointed, make sure you let somebody like Bill know you're showing up, you'll probably get an invite to a rather stellar exclusive BBQ. Oh yeah, the Les the Marine may show too.
Ok, the side bars and asshattery and time away have been taken care of.... where the hell were we?
Barbarian
Unverified
- Joined
- Feb 26, 2013
- Messages
- 75
x SF med said:
Earlier in the thread, x SF med mentioned these three terms. One of them, "hardness" has a direct effect on the other two. They each have an effect on sharpening and general blade performance. Can anyone explain hardness and how it relates to toughness and/or strength. We're talkin blade steel, here.
C'mon guys and gals... @Barbarian is going somewhere with this...and I don't want to have to answer this one...
A few hints... brittle, flexible, matrix granularity, edge retention, batoning, shape, and Rockwell....
A few hints... brittle, flexible, matrix granularity, edge retention, batoning, shape, and Rockwell....
I've been lurking the thread for quite sometime to get a better understanding of knives and how to better take care of them (nicest I've owned is a SOG Fielder used as EDC, to give an idea on how new I am to the knife game). But I'll take a shot in the dark and say that hardness in relation to the HRC scale directly affects the knifes ability to hold an edge and ability to withstand both macro and microchipping.
While generally its a good idea to have a higher "rated" blade, you reach a point where diminishing returns start to occur and the quality of the blade actually starts to go down (akin to how concrete is "hard" but brittle in the sense that it breaks under a decent amount of stress a knife will do the same). This also isn't a catch all because certain steels may perform better at a lower "hardness" point.
Sorry if I missed the mark, and while I have your guys attention would you guys have any reccomendations on a quality EDC that'll last a ling time?
While generally its a good idea to have a higher "rated" blade, you reach a point where diminishing returns start to occur and the quality of the blade actually starts to go down (akin to how concrete is "hard" but brittle in the sense that it breaks under a decent amount of stress a knife will do the same). This also isn't a catch all because certain steels may perform better at a lower "hardness" point.
Sorry if I missed the mark, and while I have your guys attention would you guys have any reccomendations on a quality EDC that'll last a ling time?
Barbarian
Unverified
- Joined
- Feb 26, 2013
- Messages
- 75
That's right, harness relates to all of those things.
A blade's hardness is measured with the Rockwell test, which was invented by Stanley Rockwell in 1919. Tool steels are measured on the "C" scale, on which a spheroconical diamond is pressed into the item with a pre-set amount of force, and the depth of the impression is then measured. This is how a Rockwell hardness rating, or "HRC" is determined.
Toughness is a blade's ability resist impact shocks, as well as edge chipping. It is determined by the steel's chemical composition, its grain structure, and it's hardness.
Eutectic granulation occurs when the lattice-like grain of a tool steel is allowed to grow out of control, and there is not enough surrounding iron matrix to support it. It's caused mostly by too much time at high temps, and it robs a blade of its toughness, making it prone to fractures. This granulation can also cause inaccurate hardness readings. The addition of chemical elements, such as vanadium, to a steel slows the growth of the grain formation to a more manageable extent.
As @SaintKP mentioned, over-hardening a blade will reduce its toughness, also. The correct hardness for a blade is dependent on the design, intended purpose, and, of course, the steel formulation. Larger knives, for example, need to be a few points softer for increased toughness, whereas a small skinning blade benefits more from the additional edge retention of a higher hardness rating.
To be continued.......
Agreed with a caveat... there are tempering methods that give outstanding edge hardness and retention while retaining the entire blade's toughness.
And, also there are forging/binding methods that will make a blade less responsive to abuse while maintaining edge integrity.
the tempering and forging techniques spoken of are not for the fainthearted knife smith nor the timid of wallet.
Topkick
Verified Military
Anyone ever used the Benchmade LifeSharp service? I own some BM knives, but have never needed to use the service. Sounds like a good plan...
Lifesharp®:
Benchmade knives are all supported through a team of skilled technicians. Their only function is to ensure your Benchmade is in optimal working condition for your entire life. This service is called LifeSharp®. A name that speaks for itself. When you send your knife to the Benchmade LifeSharp team, the knife is completely disassembled and all worn parts are tuned or replaced. The knife is then lubricated and reassembled, a sharpener applies a factory edge to the blade and the knife is shipped back to you. All at no cost to you.
Lifesharp®:
Benchmade knives are all supported through a team of skilled technicians. Their only function is to ensure your Benchmade is in optimal working condition for your entire life. This service is called LifeSharp®. A name that speaks for itself. When you send your knife to the Benchmade LifeSharp team, the knife is completely disassembled and all worn parts are tuned or replaced. The knife is then lubricated and reassembled, a sharpener applies a factory edge to the blade and the knife is shipped back to you. All at no cost to you.
The only time my Sebenza has been to the shop is the day Chris Reeve signed it at SHOT, he wasn't happy with the action (it was a year old) and tore it apart at the booth. In his ever-so-gentle-and kind-softspoken-erudite South African gentlemanliness he spoke ill of the tech who had put the knife together, there were words about his parentage, and his parents parentage, some Afrikaans that escaped me, and a liberal use of the word fuck... he kept the knife for a week and it came back in better than new condition... about 6 months later, Anne Reeve got dinner and wine when we saw her at another show.Anyone ever used the Benchmade LifeSharp service? I own some BM knives, but have never needed to use the service. Sounds like a good plan...
Lifesharp®:
Benchmade knives are all supported through a team of skilled technicians. Their only function is to ensure your Benchmade is in optimal working condition for your entire life. This service is called LifeSharp®. A name that speaks for itself. When you send your knife to the Benchmade LifeSharp team, the knife is completely disassembled and all worn parts are tuned or replaced. The knife is then lubricated and reassembled, a sharpener applies a factory edge to the blade and the knife is shipped back to you. All at no cost to you.
Chris did show me how to work on the Sebenza and offered a tip - only use white lithium grease, sparingly, when lubricating the pivot/crossing/ wear/slide points of folders. It does not react with most oils, water, or solvents, does not attract dust, and has an amazing dwell time on metal surfaces.
He also said that knowing how to sharpen and maintain your own knives will save your life someday... not can, but will.
I've sharpened and maintained a lot of benchmades for friends... not bad knives, but getting them free and having the ability to dx them makes them throwaways to military personnel... until they hit the civvy streets... then they cry about how expensive it is to replace them, due to lack of knowledge about maintenance on their equipment.
We'll get into some of these points later in this thread, I'm positive.
For now, lets get back on track with sharpening.
- Joined
- Sep 12, 2012
- Messages
- 12,488
So I picked up my 2nd Randall. Unlike the ‘collector’, I carry mine in the woods most weekends when I solo camp and use it for almost everything. This one I might just hang on to, but I’ve never been a “safe queen” guy. I’ve stil not sharpened the first one, havn’t really needed to....but it’s about that time. Truth be told, while I use it for daily camping chores, I’m actually afraid to put a stone to the knife.
Topkick
Verified Military
I have one Randall. It's a model 15 from the 80s that has never been used and is a safe queen. My son has an obsessive goal of becoming a pilot, so if it works out he will get my Randall the day he gets his aviator wings.
Last edited:
It's a pukka, probably designed for the tourist trade and mass produced, doesn't mean it's not a workhorse, but I'd slowly test it for reliability.
- Joined
- Sep 12, 2012
- Messages
- 12,488
Thanks for that. Talking to the woman who sold the knife, it is between 40 to 50 years old.
Kraut783
SOF Support
That's a great size!
- Joined
- Sep 12, 2012
- Messages
- 12,488
I love this knife; might be the only guy in the world who actually ‘uses’ a Randall vs. storing or displaying it.
Similar threads
