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Catastrophic blade failure
- Thread starter ferguson
- Start date
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- Jul 17, 2005
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Commiserations Steve and I hope you heal well. When I saw a metal handle I wondered if they might be a problem. Wood gives, metal doesn't. The shock is transmitted as is.
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- Oct 13, 1999
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Prayers from me as well, Steve.
As for safer testing, I'm assuming that Steve's log was laying on the ground and that he was standing or kneeling over it. A safer way to test a khuk might be to to have the log leaning up against something like a tree or maybe staked into the ground like a fence post. That way, you could stand to the side of the log and use lateral swings with the khuk. That way, if the blade snaps off at the tang, its not as likely to come back and bite you. Those of us who are near some woods would probably find it more practical to find a solid dead tree to use instead.
Bob
As for safer testing, I'm assuming that Steve's log was laying on the ground and that he was standing or kneeling over it. A safer way to test a khuk might be to to have the log leaning up against something like a tree or maybe staked into the ground like a fence post. That way, you could stand to the side of the log and use lateral swings with the khuk. That way, if the blade snaps off at the tang, its not as likely to come back and bite you. Those of us who are near some woods would probably find it more practical to find a solid dead tree to use instead.
Bob
- Joined
- Oct 9, 2003
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Steve, if your log was laying on the ground, you have indeed been blessed.
lol
Too bad such a beautiful model had to have a defect. Still you are probably going to save life and limb for others by testing and reporting. We all owe you a debt. I hope HI can send you a replacement and something else just for fun..
Get better.
lol
Too bad such a beautiful model had to have a defect. Still you are probably going to save life and limb for others by testing and reporting. We all owe you a debt. I hope HI can send you a replacement and something else just for fun..
Get better.
- Joined
- Nov 29, 2002
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- 3,229
Sorry to hear this Steve, cut tendons are a real bitch. Smoke sent.
Spiral
Spiral
not2sharp
Platinum Member
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OMG, Steve, that's terrible.
The Daesin thing, I wonder... Could it be that blems are considered such for sometimes known-only-to-the-kami reasons, such as a hardening issue?
This one, which came a couple weeks after the first batch, may have been a discard. I am sure they don't tell Yangdu what's wrong; it's usually obvious what's wrong- a scratch, crack, etc.
Becuase of the work involved in making the MM, maybe a helper... well, I dunno. I remember when Bill put Bura "on report." But Kumar has made 1000's of khukuries and would know if it was over-hardened.
Please heal quickly and well.
Mike
The Daesin thing, I wonder... Could it be that blems are considered such for sometimes known-only-to-the-kami reasons, such as a hardening issue?
This one, which came a couple weeks after the first batch, may have been a discard. I am sure they don't tell Yangdu what's wrong; it's usually obvious what's wrong- a scratch, crack, etc.
Becuase of the work involved in making the MM, maybe a helper... well, I dunno. I remember when Bill put Bura "on report." But Kumar has made 1000's of khukuries and would know if it was over-hardened.
Please heal quickly and well.
Mike
Steve, sorry to hear of your misfortune. Prayers and best wishes for your recovery!
not2sharp
Platinum Member
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- Jun 29, 1999
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- 20,441
I am not sure what that lesson should be. Knives are not supposed to snap, without warning, while doing exactly what they have been designed to do. This is the stuff of Frost Cutlery's and HSN, and not worthy of any maker that bills there product as user rather then display item. How hard can it be to hire a burly guy to take a dozen whacks with each of these; before the final polish and edge are added; before the sheath is custom made; before the large shipping costs are incurred; before some unsuspecting customer loses a knife, or is injured; before HI commendable reputation is soiled?
n2s
- Joined
- Feb 23, 1999
- Messages
- 4,855
~~~Smoke~~~ from me and Red Flower.
You could wear kevlar gloves and the blade could still flip back and spear you in the chest, or in the face. Such an accident could easily be lethal.
Although this was a bad thing to happen, HI is fortunate that it happened to Steve. Otherwise they could be looking at a lawsuit.
I talked to Bill for years about proof testing at the HI factory. It's high time it happened, both for HI and for its customers. Proof testing should be one of the highest-paid jobs at HI, and an expert kami should oversee it.
Yangdu, if you would be so kind as to pass my words on to your father, it would be appreciated.
You could wear kevlar gloves and the blade could still flip back and spear you in the chest, or in the face. Such an accident could easily be lethal.
Although this was a bad thing to happen, HI is fortunate that it happened to Steve. Otherwise they could be looking at a lawsuit.
I talked to Bill for years about proof testing at the HI factory. It's high time it happened, both for HI and for its customers. Proof testing should be one of the highest-paid jobs at HI, and an expert kami should oversee it.
Yangdu, if you would be so kind as to pass my words on to your father, it would be appreciated.
- Joined
- Oct 19, 2005
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Wow Steve. Glad to hear you are OK. Dang painful cuts. Smoke up from Atlanta.
I have been railing mine from chop 1. I'll learn from your accident.
As to the safeness of HI bades, my confidence won't falter. They make 1000's of blades. There is, simply, in manufacturing a % failure rate, and I'd say HI's is pretty dang good. Who among us picks up the large heavy razor sharp (think Steve Ferguson sharp here) hunk of steel without caution? We all display this caution because knives are dangerous. We all know this. Steve wasn't playing with a teddy bear when this accident occured (no offense Steve). Its a shame, and we should all be that much more cautious, but other than coincidence I see no fault with HI. They will learn from this as we will, I have no doubt of that.
Get better Steve. And if its OK to do so... post some pics.
I have been railing mine from chop 1. I'll learn from your accident.
As to the safeness of HI bades, my confidence won't falter. They make 1000's of blades. There is, simply, in manufacturing a % failure rate, and I'd say HI's is pretty dang good. Who among us picks up the large heavy razor sharp (think Steve Ferguson sharp here) hunk of steel without caution? We all display this caution because knives are dangerous. We all know this. Steve wasn't playing with a teddy bear when this accident occured (no offense Steve). Its a shame, and we should all be that much more cautious, but other than coincidence I see no fault with HI. They will learn from this as we will, I have no doubt of that.
Get better Steve. And if its OK to do so... post some pics.
- Joined
- Feb 21, 2001
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Good day friends. Thanks to all of you for the good wishes. I was able to take some pictures of the tang where it failed. It's not file hard like I expected. Monday I'll take it by a machine shop that I know, and I'll get a Rockwell hardness on it. I suspect that the tang is too small right inside the bolster, and is supported only by the laha. I heard from Yangdu, and as I knew, she's upset about it. The knife is going to be sent back to Nepal.
Howard, you are right. If this was any company except HI, my first stop after the doctor would have been a lawyer. But I couldn't do that to Yangdu, Pala, and the kamis.
N2S, the next knife I test, I'll slap on the flat of the blade against a tree before I chop with it. That way if it's extremely weak and it breaks, it will rebound away from me.
DannyinJapan, yes it was on the ground, and it could have spun into my femoral artery or my crotch.
Today will be a better day!
Steve
Howard, you are right. If this was any company except HI, my first stop after the doctor would have been a lawyer. But I couldn't do that to Yangdu, Pala, and the kamis.
N2S, the next knife I test, I'll slap on the flat of the blade against a tree before I chop with it. That way if it's extremely weak and it breaks, it will rebound away from me.
DannyinJapan, yes it was on the ground, and it could have spun into my femoral artery or my crotch.
Today will be a better day!
Steve
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That's a medium-coarse grain which indicates that it might have been hardened, but not fully hardened (like the edge). Should have been bigger grain pieces. The black part is where the crack initiated (where there was a stress riser).
Looks like an honest oopsie.
Looks like an honest oopsie.