Butt cap

[Hoodoo]

This has probably been covered before but I was wondering what kind of hammering abuse the aluminum butt cap can stand up to on the one piece line?


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Hoodoo

Why dost thou whet thy knife so earnestly?

The Merchant of Venice, Act IV. Scene I.

 

[GREENJACKET]

My Project cap has a few dinks in it from hammering. It shows a lot more wear than the steel anyway; its the most exposed and softest part. I prefer to use the back of the blade to hammer with, which is just wide enough to tap in a small nail.
Definately not a replacement for a claw hammer, as it would really struggle with a nine inch nail. For tacks and and normal wood nails it does alright, and not bad on wooden pegs.

Some would say that hardened steel is not for hammering, but my project has had a right old hammering. Without a proper large flat hammer face its hard to hit a nail well. Not only does the nail bend two thirds the way in, but your thumb takes the consequences of those miss hits.

I say the Project is up to it, but you won't make a joiner's job out of it.

 

[Novadak]

I was wondering about that too. Also -- why is the buttcap made out of aluminum, was there a particular reason to make the buttcap out of a different material than the rest of the knife? Wouldn't the cap be able to handle more abuse if it were the same as the rest of the knife? Just wondering, sorry if this has been addressed but I couldn't find anything on that. thanks!

 

[GREENJACKET]

There are a couple of reasons I can think of, though nothing official.
Firstly, weight. A large lump of steel would throw the ballance.
Secoundly, steel to steel threads often binds stuck or loosens without warning.

The aluminium threaded to steel seems very forgiving: self mending/lubricating, holds shut, does not wear much and is light.

I have always thought that I might loose the butt cap. The system seems to work because after eight years I haven't, and I can't think of it ever unscrewing by itself. Funnily enough, I do check it periodically, as its there and looks as if its something that should be checked. Then again I do this with all my kit as its part of my routine.