Dif Temp?

iamtoast

iamtoast

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Jun 18, 2008
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Are all knives produced by Swamp Rat differentially tempered? Or is it a majority with a few exceptions, if so, what ones?
 
No.... they are not "all" differentially heat treated.

Generally speaking, the smaller ones like the RMD, HRLM and smaller are not.


The Desert Jack, M6 and larger "generally" are differentially heat treated. But, there were a very few limited exceptions.

Off the top of my head, the only exception I can think of was a limited run of some tan handled Battle Rats being through hardened. But, I am pretty confident that there were some earlier tan handled Battle Rats that were differentially heat treated as well.
I don't know how you can tell the difference unless you strip the blades.

.
 
The EH3/MINI UNCLE MOJOS, MINI MOJOS, etc were thru harded. I do not think the DJ was dif harded, but I could be wrong.
 
Gravelface said:
Is the DJ Differently Hardened?
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I know Eric already gave confirmation, but again yes. Mine is stripped. ;):thumbup:

Hard to see the temper line in this old pic, but:

SwampRat-DesertJack-stripped-left.jpg


:thumbup: :thumbup:
 
How's about the RatManDu? through or diff?
 
I stripped my Camp Tramp and Chopweiler today. You can see the temper line in the Chopweiler in this pic. The Camp Tramp has one, too, but it doesn't show here.

strip004.jpg
 
The hamon lines are cool (especially on some of the custom blade) but for the average end-user will differential treating make much of a difference? I can see where diff treated blades may have better lateral strength (as in prying), but are the performance differences that great? Most everything has advantages/disadvantages, it would take some serious effort for me to bend or break my tan/black BR.
 
My impression is that this is useful for almost everything. The edges tend to be harder then on a through tempered blade (well, ideally at least) of the same steel providing for better edge retention and the ability to cut harder materials.

The softer spine gives a greater margin of error in most chopping type chores. Any blade that might undergo lateral stress or strikes to the spine will see a benefit because the soft body and spine on the blade can be much tougher but still have a decent edge. Battoning, missing and hitting rock etc. (not like any of us do this...), or even knots in wood can damage a blade.

The edges could theoretically be thinner too allowing for easier cutting (though I am not positive of this nor do I know if manufacturers actually take this into account).

The longer the blade the more the benefit gained from differential tempering for almost any use. There is probably an ugly cost-benefit analysis by companies that actually preform differential tempering to figure out what blade length is the shortest that will seen significant benefit.

A good analogy would be a katana vs. a European bastard sword. Both weapons can be use with one or two hands and are of similar length (if I remember correctly). The bastard sword gets it strength from being relatively massive and soft. The differentially tempered blade of a katana is much less massive allowing for faster maneuvers but still maintaining high(er?) overall toughness with a much harder edge that will stay sharper much longer. According to Nova... Katanas were ranked by the number of prisoners they could cut in half with a 5 person blade being really nice. I can't imagine any European sword matching this feat.
 
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leatherman said:
How's about the RatManDu? through or diff?
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It is through hardened.

I have stripped one of mine, but I don't have a good enough picture on file right now that would help visually confirm. The temper lines can be hard to get on picture anyway.

But, there is NO temper line.

* I think most know, but along with the RMD, the HRLM, HR, Bandicoot, Rat Hunter, and Dog Skinner are all through hardened as well.

I never had the SAR or Rat Tail, but I am sure they are through hardened as well.

I know for fact the M6 was differentially heat treated with temper line.

Interestingly, I searched through Rat Chat for posts made by Eric and tried every key word I could think of and every combination (RMD, Ratmandu) with (Dif, Differentially, through, temper, hardened) and could not find any posts where Eric mentions how the RMD is hardened. But, I swear I knew it was through hardened before stripping and even before ordering. Maybe I asked on the phone (?????).

But, in any event, it is through hardened. And I don't recall ever seeing any special release that mentioned any different heat treat options.

So, I think it is safe to say they are all through hardened.

.
 
There is no hamon or temper line on mine. Not that it concerns me, as the RMD has taken everything I could dish out. It is my favorite knife in that size.
RMD006.jpg

That must be why I bought three of them!
NuManDu002.jpg
 
i wish I had a ratmandu :(. they really look like the best posisble set up for that size blade (that has a choil).
 
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Heya Horn Dog,

Is the top knife stipped or is there a finish coating on it?

Regards
 
When u guy say "stripped" do you mean you've taken off the black powder coat on the blade?
 
When u guy say "stripped" do you mean you've taken off the black powder coat on the blade?
Click to expand...

That's exactly what it means. Very easy to do with paint stripper from the local hardware store.
 
I am the owner of a new Mini Uncle Mojo, and my blade has black powder coat. What is the purpose of this? To prolong the life of the blade? or simply so no glint reflects off the blade?

Secondly why do you remove the coat, is it just for aesthetic reasons? Sorry for hijiking your thread.
 
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