Epic fail!!!!!!!!

kgd

kgd

Joined
Feb 28, 2007
Messages
9,786
A picture is worth a 1000 words :confused::confused::confused:

DSC_0036-10.jpg


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Oh well....it still works, just a bit more tricky

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How did I do such a stupid thing?????? I might be inclined to tell :D
 
dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb,

dumb, de-da-da,

dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb, dumb,

:D
 
From the cross-section, i'd say that it was too hot during manufacture (from the look of the grain), hence creating too brittle a section, which in turn explains the break.
 
Yes, the grain is very pronounced. I thought this might be related to the fact that strikers themselves are heat treated to optimize hardness specifically and of course that causes brittleness too.

Oh - it was abuse on my part that led to the break....
 
Silly is as silly does. So may favorite little piece of rock that sparks like nobody's business was getting all dulled down. I tried knapping it with another rock and no lock. So then I grab the striker at one end by my index finger and gave it a tap. Well, I knapped something, but it wasn't the stone :D :D

Live and learn'n...............
 
Okay I'll admit Im slightly ignorant here but I thought those things weren't even hardened...and if they are then breaking something like that says brittle all over it. Are they really???
 
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PatriotDan said:
Okay I'll admit Im slightly ingnorant here but I thought those things weren't even hardened...and if they are then breaking something like that says brittle all over it. Are they really???
Click to expand...

Yep that is sort of the point. When you are striking the flint, what you are actually doing is chipping off small flakes of steel that the friction causes to burn up producing a spark. The brittleness, while a fault in the case of my abuse of use, is the intention. You want those shards to shear off from the flint rock. They are intentionally hardened to over 60 rockwell.

Obviously, this one as heat treated wouldn't make a good knife. It made a great striker, until I decided to do something stupid with it. I wouldn't have been able to break it by using it in the manner it was intended to be used. In fact, one reason I like this design with the built in finger (knuckle) guard is that you can strike more vigorously compared to other designs without turning your knuckles into coleslaw.

I'll have to dig up that thread with the sources of strikers. Forutnately, I still have Rick's Strife knife to do duty during the order.
 
That sucks Ken......

You don't need over 60Rc for the striker to work. The just work a little better at higher levels of hardness. I have temperd back strikers to low 50's Rc and they work. you just have to strike alot faster. The spine on that O1 knife I used on Peche Isl. was at 52-54Rc and it worked just fine, right?

There is massive grain growth in that break, dude.... they don't need to get that hot.


Rick
 
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