Another F1 ?

I think the super-hard steel of the F-1 laminated blade ought to work just fine on ferrocerium rods. It doesn;t take much to get them to spark well. Now, the F-1's steel may not be quite as hard as say, properly hardened 154CM, S30V, or D2, but it's a super-hard steel nonetheless.....it isn't soft.
 
outdoors4me said:
How does the soft steel on the laminated versions work with a firesteel?
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I have both an older version that's all VG-10 and a newer laminated one (with a beautiful Micarta handle). Both make a shower of sparks...I haven't noticed a difference between the two.

ROCK6
 
I didn't notice any bad things on the F1. Gives me sparks like crazy with a Swedish Firesteel. Never heard about a soft steel on the F1.......it's still 58-60Rc....which is much (MUCH!) harder then a firesteel....

CZ
 
The thing that counts is how "sharp" the edges are on the back. Think ice skates. It has NOTHING whatsoever to do with the material in the "scraping" thing.

Enjoy your F1. You will most likely buy more Fallknivens in the future :)
Just remember, if you find a limited edition Fallkniven, dont use it, sell it to me :)
http://hem.passagen.se/nodh
 
I don't own one but I think the OP is asking about the laminations and how the outer laminations throw sparks- not the edge of the knife.
 
CUTS LIKE A KRIS said:
I don't own one but I think the OP is asking about the laminations and how the outer laminations throw sparks- not the edge of the knife.
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It appears in reading all the posts that everyone got that, Kris. I think the OP is under the impression that the exterior laminate is "soft", which it isn't. "Softer" than the interior laminate? Yes. But not soft.

The only time a rockwell hardness comes into play is when dealing with flint.... I mean, flint rock. For that you need high-carbon, high rockwell to get a "decent" spark.

For the ferrocerium rods, virtually any steel hard enough to make a knife out of will work just fine. As long as, like NODH said, the edge (of the spine) is sharp enough to *scrape* the rod and throw sparks.
 
Has anyone dulled the spine of an F1 to a noticeable degree with a firesteel? 420J isn't known for its edge holding abilities, albeit that the 'edge' of the spine is at a 90' angle.
 
Thanks guys. I thought I'd read somewhere that the outer laminations on scratch pretty easily and that got me wondering how it would hold up to striking a firesteel. Sounds like it isn't an issue so I might just have to find out for myself:D
 
I'm thinking, Wabajack, that when the edge of the spine gets messed up, it's not from "scraping" the firesteel. I think it's from the hot sparks coming off of the firesteel. These little globulets of molten metal. I know they get hot enough to stick and, I don;t know, maybe even melt into the blade steel a little. Is that possible?
 
outdoors4me said:
Thanks guys. I thought I'd read somewhere that the outer laminations on scratch pretty easily and that got me wondering how it would hold up to striking a firesteel. Sounds like it isn't an issue so I might just have to find out for myself:D
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I know the outer laminations are softer than the core....but relatively speaking. They're still steel. If you take a very hard steel like A2, and polish the blade face nice and pretty, it'll still show scratches in no time. I know, I own several A2 Bark Rivers and as hard as that steel is it still scratches...even a firesteel can "scratch" it.

I don;t own an F-1, but I've heard such good about them that, If I were you Outdoors, I wouldn;t even blink an eye at that laminated steel. It'll do just fine.
 
Core: VG10 @ 59 HRC
Sides 420 steel (unknown hardness) probably softer.

From my experience: squared (420 steel) back will get huge sparks showers.
Back usually slightly dent when used on fero-rod, with little practical impact.
 
Yes the outside 420 is softer and will scratch easier. Cutting up old carpet with sand etc, the 420 scratched but the VG-10 held up well. Haven't tried to light a fire yet.
 
There are rumours that the 420 steel scratch easier than the VG10. It was discovered with the use of the old Kydex sheath. I do not get dents in the knife when using the firesteel. However it makes small marks on the spine that looks like made by a pencil, Also you will get lots of brownish residue from the sparks. This residue is easily wiped off.
One idea is to use the big army firesteel because the knife cuts so hard into the steel :)
I have had my F1 for about three years and there are no dents on it, just the "pencil" markings.
 
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