damn, broke my southard in 2

[RevDevil]

So hitting hardened steel with another piece of hardened steel isn't good?

 

[sideways]

Blades snapping like that isn't normal is it? I mean usually the reason you don't baton with a folder is because the pivot area and lock can't take the stress. The blade should not snap in the middle like that even with a bit of thumping. Looks like a manufacturing fault or what do you folks think?

 

[Arcrobe]

I say cut the handle down now and make it a little 1 inch sheep's foot

 

[CapitalizedLiving]

Well... now it might actually be legal to carry in Britain.

 

[ohmyheckinslc]

Well... now it might actually be legal to carry in Britain.

No, still opens with one hand, locks open, has a blade, has a handle, could cut someone, could scare someone, could make someone uncomfortable in your presence, could be used for self defense, could be used to cut stuff, could be a sign of dangerous anti-social tendencies, could be hidden in a pocket or a sleeve, could endanger a criminal if they attacked you... etc... still far far too dangerous to be legal over across the pond...

 

[bigmark408]

Looks to clean, I would send it in for replacement.

 

[tvenuto]

Blades snapping like that isn't normal is it? I mean usually the reason you don't baton with a folder is because the pivot area and lock can't take the stress. The blade should not snap in the middle like that even with a bit of thumping. Looks like a manufacturing fault or what do you folks think?

No it isn't, but the activity wasn't normal either. Batoning with something much less hard (like a piece of wood) is different than batoning with something nearly as hard or harder. If you fix a portion of the blade and then hit the free end with something, the blade will break where strain is highest (if it does) and that may be in the middle of the blade. That is, there is no reason for it not to snap where it did. Of course there could have been some inhomogeneity in the blade that ultimately "caused" the fracture, and in a perfect world the blade may have survived. However, I don't think many would argue that this was outside the safe usable zone of this particular knife.

 

[M.FREEZE]

 

[AF]

Nice mod. You've nearly finished your box cutter regrind and you haven't even done any grinding yet. Sweet.

 

[Brules1]

Try welding it back together. lol

 

[SolidState]

Blades snapping like that isn't normal is it? I mean usually the reason you don't baton with a folder is because the pivot area and lock can't take the stress. The blade should not snap in the middle like that even with a bit of thumping. Looks like a manufacturing fault or what do you folks think?

Actually, that should happen if you hit a knife with a hammer or an axe. That is exactly what happens when hardened steel is hammered on. Hardened steel is much closer to ceramic in its material properties than it is to spring steel. Being that small folders are through-hardened to RC 60 or greater, that's exactly what you can expect if you hit them with a hammer head. Now if you temper it down to the low to mid 50s, you can do a lot of beating on it without too much problem. If anything, it is proof that Spyderco is doing a proper heat treat to get high edge retention.

If you want to hammer on it, go throw the blade in the oven at 500 degrees for a long while to temper the heat treat out.

 

[Grease]

Nice mod. You've nearly finished your box cutter regrind and you haven't even done any grinding yet. Sweet.

Honestly, I'd grind it down just a little to smooth any sharp edges, and I'd carry it like that. It's the world's nicest utility knife

 

[miltmaldo]

Crazy Glue works fine and will take care of that .

 

[shunsui]

Is the hatchet ok ?

 

[Hairlesstwinkie]

that's painful to see. I've batoned a small tree down with a Southard, but I used a piece of thick limb that I found. oi... nonetheless, sorry for your loss.

 

[HWF]

Hey now! Give the man a break . I am guilty of blade abuse. My PE salt is my red headed step child and it's still going strong. Been abused with a cinder block baton, ridden hard, put away wet.....it is a salt, though. .

OP definitely owes beer. Lots of beer.

 

[sideways]

Actually, that should happen if you hit a knife with a hammer or an axe. That is exactly what happens when hardened steel is hammered on. Hardened steel is much closer to ceramic in its material properties than it is to spring steel. Being that small folders are through-hardened to RC 60 or greater, that's exactly what you can expect if you hit them with a hammer head. Now if you temper it down to the low to mid 50s, you can do a lot of beating on it without too much problem. If anything, it is proof that Spyderco is doing a proper heat treat to get high edge retention.

If you want to hammer on it, go throw the blade in the oven at 500 degrees for a long while to temper the heat treat out.

I guess that makes sense but it is unfortunate. Is this what we get for pushing for more and more edge retention?

 

[Chris "Anagarika"]

I can't believe a vertical stress can cause it fracture like it did. Sideway/lateral snap won't be surprising. Perhaps some resident metallurgy folls can analyze the smooth section.

A hatchet is softer than a knife blade, so it's not impact from same hardness steel.

 

[tvenuto]

I guess that makes sense but it is unfortunate. Is this what we get for pushing for more and more edge retention?

It's a bit more complicated than that, but yes. When heat treating for higher hardness/wear resistance, and when the geometry is designed to cut well, you get a knife that's better at being a cutting tool*, and worse at being a wedge/prybar/screwdriver etc... It's a compromise, and some people may desire tougher knives with other characteristics. You're not wrong in desiring one or the other, you're only wrong when you don't understand the limitations of the tool at hand, or when you attribute characteristics to a material that it doesn't have.

*Even this is an subjective statement which depends entirely on the material being cut and the manner in which it's cut.

 

[C_Becker]

I can't believe a vertical stress can cause it fracture like it did. Sideway/lateral snap won't be surprising. Perhaps some resident metallurgy folls can analyze the smooth section.

A hatchet is softer than a knife blade, so it's not impact from same hardness steel.

I've seen quite a few knives, even thick "outdoor" knives, bend when getting batoned through a piece of wood. But they are mostly made of 1095 or similar steel, and go back to true after splitting. A more brittle steel might break when bent like that.