Damage report

[E.Carlson]

So, I dropped a O1 knife I made a few months ago. Fell around 4 feet and smacked a metal table around halfway down. The tip broke off, which will be easy enough to fix, but it got me wondering. Do you guys think this type of damage is to be expected, or do you think I didn't temper quite enough and the blade was still too hard? It's not a big enough area to get a good look at the grain.

 

[Willie71]

I purposely drop knives on a concrete floor to test the tip. The ones that break were usually overheated.

 

[E.Carlson]

I purposely drop knives on a concrete floor to test the tip. The ones that break were usually overheated.

Ah, another option. That is definitely a possibility. I use a 2 brick forge and sometimes get the feeling that the tip of some knives is getting a bit too hot.

 

[Willie71]

Don't grind the tip to a point until after heat treat. Leave some thickness, and bluntness. I haven't overheated a tip in a while now, but the kiln helps too.mOnce I grind the tip, I drop it from shoulder height on the concrete floor tip down. If it breaks, blunts, or rolls, I've done something wrong. I did this in front of a customer. He thought I was crazy until he looked at the tip of his petty knife. It was still perfect. 👍