Filework and stress risers?

CUTS LIKE A KRIS

CUTS LIKE A KRIS

Joined
Sep 28, 2005
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I am a bit confused about how filework is not a stress riser on a blade. Many people are very complete when it comes to heat treating a blade, leaving it mirror polished and perfectly flat. I have never seen or heard of filework starting a crack (please inform me if I am wrong), yet I have heard people say that a tang stamp gives stress risers. Is this a problem moreso with oil/water quenched steels as opposed to plate or air quenched? Just looking for some opinions on this as I have not seen it addressed.

Thanks in advance!
 
T guess that file work could cause stress risers but if the filework were done after heat treatment with a dremel there should be less risk.

My reason anyway for soing filework with a dremmel after heat treatment.
 
george tichbourne said:
T guess that file work could cause stress risers but if the filework were done after heat treatment with a dremel there should be less risk.

My reason anyway for soing filework with a dremmel after heat treatment.
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than it aint file work, it'd be rotary tool work???? wouldn't it.

I've done file work on probably 60% of the knives ive made in the past few years with every type and size file you can think of, and never had a problem. if the blade is only ever edge hardened, then the spine is soft and should pose no problem, IMO. not to say that im any specialist on the subject, but i guess anything is possible.

andy
 
This is a question for Mete' or Kevin. I do my file work before heat treat, and have never had any problem. I think if you're going to do file work, do it with files, and don't worry about it. First knife is 1095, the lower is 01. Both done with full quench.
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i believe file work is an art in it's self, and was meant to be done by hand with hand files, it takes time but that's what makes them hand made.

I also think there is a time and place for it, and it isnt suited on every piece. Either way i dont feel even at a full quench it would compromise the structural integrity of the blade as long as it was properly tempered.

Just my 2 cents.

Andy
 
atakach said:
i believe file work is an art in it's self, and was meant to be done by hand with hand files, it takes time but that's what makes them hand made.

I also think there is a time and place for it, and it isnt suited on every piece. Either way i dont feel even at a full quench it would compromise the structural integrity of the blade as long as it was properly tempered.

Just my 2 cents.

Andy
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Well said Andy.
 
The big stress concentration in a knife is where the blade meets the tang ! Another problem is the obsession to baton the knife ! A broken knife was posted in the General section of the forum recently. To me it looked like he had , while the knife was in the wood, hit the blade at an angle .That puts a great torque impact force on the blade .Very bad for the thin edge even without any stress concentrations. The stresses in the thicker part of the blade are always less.
 
Hi Kris

I've heat treated lots of plate quenched blades with filework. Many, like the vine patterns are so nicely flowing at the edge that thy would be of no concern. I've seen a few that just cut sharp alternating notches - and I worried about them, but no problems showed up.... and no one has mentioned problems showing up later.

Hey - if you're real unlucky, you could be the first. :D

.... but I doubt it. ;)

Rob!
 
Chris,
Never really thought about it, but here goes.
From what i know of stres risers, is that they usually form at an abrupt junction in the blade. The filework rarely goes the full thickness of the blade and is usually in the form of an arc. Tang stamp on the other hand can induce "work hardening" through compression of the steel while cold and this can affect the structure of that area.
Just my thoughts,
Del
PS, hope you and the lucky lady are doing well. Are you back on your feet now? Hope so.
 
Thanks for the replies. This was something that always confused me, how some makers have filework but blame a unseen scratch for quench problems. As Rob! knows I have recently found the fun of filework on a couple of knives and it brought this to the forefront.



delbert ealy said:
Chris,

Just my thoughts,
Del
PS, hope you and the lucky lady are doing well. Are you back on your feet now? Hope so.
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We are doing fine- married in under 2 weeks now, but only on one leg- re broke the left one sometime and am almost 2 weeks post surgery for replacement plates, bone graft, ligament repair. Not fun, won't dance much at the wedding but at least I am doing better than I was 2 weeks ago.
 
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