A Trip to Olean

[cbwoods67]

You really know how to leave your fan base guessing, Mr. Becker.

I look forward to the re-release of the RBK and any news on the forthcoming models.

 

[1066vik]

WWII Blade?
a 225Q with useable handle?

 

[Bladite]

so it turns out i have some peektures...

they are uploading...

soon...

 

[KP]

so it turns out i have some peektures...

they are uploading...

soon...

Just when I was about to go to bed...I guess they'll still be here in the morning, right?

 

[Bladite]

http://perspicuityphotos.smugmug.com/Woodworking/Beckers/i-6PSsgJb/0/X2/photo(0)-X2.jpg

http://perspicuityphotos.smugmug.com/Woodworking/Beckers/i-FwVxDV5/0/X2/photo(1)-X2.jpg

http://perspicuityphotos.smugmug.com/Woodworking/Beckers/i-N9fBhpw/0/X2/photo(10)-X2.jpg

http://perspicuityphotos.smugmug.com/Woodworking/Beckers/i-GPW9xXM/0/X2/photo(11)-X2.jpg

http://perspicuityphotos.smugmug.com/Woodworking/Beckers/i-3wWpDgx/0/X2/photo(12)-X2.jpg

http://perspicuityphotos.smugmug.com/Woodworking/Beckers/i-Zw4dtJ6/0/X2/photo(13)-X2.jpg

http://perspicuityphotos.smugmug.com/Woodworking/Beckers/i-3VV9DpN/0/X2/photo(2)-X2.jpg

http://perspicuityphotos.smugmug.com/Woodworking/Beckers/i-8P3pFJD/0/X2/photo(3)-X2.jpg

http://perspicuityphotos.smugmug.com/Woodworking/Beckers/i-CPcJgs2/0/X2/photo(4)-X2.jpg

http://perspicuityphotos.smugmug.com/Woodworking/Beckers/i-6F8N2gs/0/X2/photo(5)-X2.jpg

http://perspicuityphotos.smugmug.com/Woodworking/Beckers/i-544hgct/0/X2/photo(6)-X2.jpg

http://perspicuityphotos.smugmug.com/Woodworking/Beckers/i-RQfW339/0/X2/photo(7)-X2.jpg

http://perspicuityphotos.smugmug.com/Woodworking/Beckers/i-KFCK9G3/0/X2/photo(8)-X2.jpg

http://perspicuityphotos.smugmug.com/Woodworking/Beckers/i-JhGcM3n/0/X2/photo(9)-X2.jpg

that's all folx

 

[cbwoods67]

Thanks Ethan and Bladite.

Pretty cool to get a peek into the creation of the knives.

 

[Tdhurl1103]

I think I just wet myself

 

[Bladite]

wipe that up

 

[worldwood]

What is this at the end???

 

[Ethan Becker]

OK.......

The guy at the top holding th two 1217 USMC Fighting Knives is ROb....He got HIS first KA-BAR the day he graduated Marine boot camp thirty years ago and that blade still lives in his truck.....He spent 8 years in the Corps...... He is a pressman and the press he is using to cold forge thee "blood grooves" exerts 110 tons of pressure..... Note the odd shape of the blade before the hit.... The press moves the metal so you get a finished blade shape....... Tha blanking press by the way, only needs to exert 30 tons of pressure to make the initial blank......

The next shots are of the Sixteens being ground by Joe Crowley who seems to be as nice as his wide smile......Note Tooj's critical eyeballs......The blades looked fine BTW........Joe has been 'at it' at CUTCO for a long time......Things get a little confused as to sequence at this point but, we see Mike one of the two senior Honers ( Miss Connie being the other) putting that great KA-BAR edge on......There is Tooj and Joe Neal(the guy who ramrods the KA-BAR manufacturing group) and more shots of the various machinery it takes to put out the worlds best...... In case there is ANY doubt in your mind the shot of El Tooj and Joe Neal WAS posed and neither of them is likely to get jobs as actors anytime soon....LOL.....

The big honking grinder churning out Marine Combats is fascinating.......The whole thing is automated and the aaccuracy is freaking amazing.....(the emphasis on the Marine Combat is in part simply that they were running a bunch that day and I included so many of those pix for Murph).........

I think one of the reasons we are all getting such great knives from KA-BAR is that so many of the players are outdoors oriented......It is hard to find someone at the plant who does not hunt, fish kayak,camp or otherwise enjoy the outdoors in ways that do not require the use of a good knife......

Also note Tooj at the computer working on translating my ideas for a new blade into compusprechenzie(that is compuignoramus for Solid Works)......

Note the old Union Cutlery promo piece.....There have been name changes .......but the sentiment still holds true today.....

This week was an excellent adventure for sure.....

Thanks for reading and joining in............

All best.....

Ethan

 

[Ethan Becker]

Hey Vic......

Not even close.....

E

 

[The Warrior]

I'm smellin' a Becker Nessmuk.

 

[MezmerizedOne]

This is so freaking cool! Love the pics Mr. Becker! It's really interesting to see how they are made. Have they ever done a segment on the show "How it's Made??"

 

[james terrio]

.... He is a pressman and the press he is using to cold forge thee "blood grooves" exerts 110 tons of pressure..... Note the odd shape of the blade before the hit.... The press moves the metal so you get a finished blade shape....... Tha blanking press by the way, only needs to exert 30 tons of pressure to make the initial blank......

Thanks for that, I figured it was two seperate operations but it didn't occur to me that the first blanking would require the odd shape to allow for displacement... makes sense now that I see it. :thumbup:

Like MezmerizedOne, I would love to see a full-length "How It's Made" style documentary on that place...

[video=vimeo;44065741]http://vimeo.com/44065741[/video]

 

[1066vik]

Hey Vic......

Not even close.....

E

oh, well - one can always dream...

 

[tfields]

very cool thx for the pics!!

 

[Zuluninja]

WWII Blade?
a 225Q with useable handle?

'xactly my first thought

 

[daizee]

Thanks for that, I figured it was two seperate operations but it didn't occur to me that the first blanking would require the odd shape to allow for displacement... makes sense now that I see it. :thumbup:

Yeah, that is REALLY cool.
How much stiffness does that fuller actually add to the blade compared to the same flat profile? I'd love to know.

-Daizee

 

[Ethan Becker]

I thought there would be some interest......... I have been hanging around the metal mangling trade since the early seventies and I am still continually fascinated by it......There have been changes.....There HAVE been changes...... The computer has made so many tedious chores just go the hell away....... Laser cutting, robotics, and CNC......Three letters CNC wow what a freaking revolution in quality and ease of mfg those letters stand for........ As usual the revolution got started slowly and as CNC machines started to begat other CNC machines the price went down and the quality and accuracy went up and more stuff got better and the price of retail products went down.... I know this is a bit esoteric but google ball screws if you want a look at the mechanical gadget that makes so much of this possible..... I am a compuignoramus but I can understand a ball screw and it's.implications....... Every time I get around a machine shop and The CUTCO plant is a huge shop full of machines I get a real thrill......Anyone who has run an analog milling machine and gets around CAD and CNC, whooooo doggies...... I remember the first time I was at Darrell Ralph's and we finished up a design on the computer and he put a piece of metal on a CNC mill and pushed a button and a knife blank showed up in a few minutes.......AMAZING.......

Anyway I am glad you guys enjoyed........

All Best....

Ethan

 

[Murphnuge]

The big honking grinder churning out Marine Combats is fascinating.......The whole thing is automated and the aaccuracy is freaking amazing.....(the emphasis on the Marine Combat is in part simply that they were running a bunch that day and I included so many of those pix for Murph).........

Thanks for that Boss, Semper Fi!