A Destruction Test Knife WIP

I was thinking the same thing. He bent it to 90 degrees and it sprang back and knocked him into next week.
 
I think he took a swing at that rope and accidentally split the atom, starting a chain reaction. There is probably a sign on BB's shop door... "GONE FISSION"..... I had better check Google Maps to see if Nova Scotia is still there.



I have been looking forward to Bigblue's report.
Rick
 
Rick Marchand said:
I think he took a swing at that rope and accidentally split the atom, starting a chain reaction. There is probably a sign on BB's shop door... "GONE FISSION"..... I had better check Google Maps to see if Nova Scotia is still there.

I have been looking forward to Bigblue's report.
Rick
Click to expand...

Rick...you are a HOOT!
 
It's still here.. Haven't heard much from Cape Breton though, I should check the news.
 
The reports of my fission trip gone bad are greatly exaggerated!

My apologies for being tardy with the testing. We had a bit of a medical scare with my father-in-law this past Thanksgiving weekend and we spent some time with him on the mainland. As it turned out though, I was having trouble finding the rope needed for this test and this delay gave me the time to find it. You'd think that it would be easy to find 1 inch manila rope in the fishing village where I live, but nooooooo.... its just used anymore. However, I finally found a 10 foot length at a local crane company.... of all places. Good to go.

This evening I'll be at me friend's woodworking shop in Sydney where I'll do the test. A few of my friends will also be there and beer may or may not be involved. I also borrowed a real video camera so I can document the test. I'll figure out how to do the Youtube thing and then post the video and some still photos here later this evening.

Bye for now.
 
This is awesome. Can't wait to see you totally destroy this knife. :D Seriously - great exercise, great knife, great pics, great thread...

now SMASH IT!
 
Rick Marchand said:
Can't wait Blue...... have a snap blast!
Click to expand...

Go ahead... jinx it...

lol... i made the mistake of listening/singing along to "break you" by drowing pool whil i was claying up a sword. Chanting "i will break you. i will break you" over a long blade you are getting ready to water quench certainly doesnt help your odds..
lol

I am sure that the knife will be a smashing success
good luck!
~Chris
 
Well, THAT was fun!

:thumbup:

On a related note: How in the name of blazes do I take a video from a JVC Everio and move it to my computer/Youtube?
 
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Well, last night I did the dirty deed.

My friend's woodworking shop provided the venue for the destruction test. Along for the entertainment was Glen(a retired IBM exec), Blain(a guitar and violin maker) and Blain's son( just a neat kid). Glen shot the video while Blain-and-son cowered in the corner ducking the occasional wood chip.

The rope is brand new 1 1/4" manilla.
The 2x4 is, well.... a 2x4, that has been stored under cover outdoors for many moons.
Here is the uncut video. No, my voice does NOT sound like that, but that shouldn't detract from my Emmy-worthy performance. Shades of De Niro I dare say.......

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTh5A2wcmuI

**If one of you tech wizards can do the embedding thing, that'd be wonderful.**

I probably should have shown the blade/knife pre-test in the video. Suffice to say, however, that it was in the same condition as when last posted here.

On the first swipe, I hit the rope on the ricasso which left barely any mark on the rope. The second, successful, swipe was about an inch below the first attempt. Prior to the filmed attempt, I did a practice cut which easily went clean through. The successful filmed cut actually wasn't as smooth as that first one. I think I just had a bad angle.
In the video, I mention that the blade failed at about 45 degrees. After looking at the video, it looks like the blade failed closer to 35 degrees or so.

The 2x4 chop went fine, although I started to tire towards the end of the second cut and my accuracy went down the toilet.

The hair shave also went fine. Glen didn't get the best shot of this, but it did shave smooth and clean with the portion of the blade used for the chopping.

Overall, I am happy with the performance of the knife. It performed the tasks a knife should be able to perform. The big question I am left with is: Why did it crack on the spine and not on the edge... isn't that the reverse from what is expected?

Here's a few still photos:
This is Glen helping set up the rope in his shop:


This is Blain's vice that will be used for the bend test:


The 2x4 set-up:


First chop:


Second chop:


The successful rope cut:


The post-test edge:






What does this photo tell you? Stacy.... anyone??


And finally... Intrinsic Motivation.... SMASHED!!
 
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It tells me that the HT is backwards. The spine should bend and the edge should break.

I can't tell from the photo, but it looks like the surface defects are part of that dendritic area. That would indicate some problem with the uniformity of the structure.

How much did it bend before the break started?
 
Stacy - You can watch the bend in the video, but it felt like it let go at about 35 degrees.

I can try for some closer-up, close ups of that crack if needed.
 
jawilder - My apologies, I'm an Youtube amateur! I just changed the settings on the video from "Private" to "Public" and re-posted the new link. I hope that helps.
 
Wow, what exactly was your expression @ 35 degrees when you felt it fail??:barf: I think i would have been sick! Thank you for bringing us through your process.
 
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