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lwrhea

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May 24, 2005
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This is to let all of you guys here on the forum know that I did NOT pass my MS performance test. I wanted to let you guys know in case you may be reluctant to broach the subject. Dont be. I will answer any questions and be glad to talk about it.

I figured in the event I did not pass, I would be pretty down about it. The attendees of the event were very supportive and after all was said and done, I felt very good actually. It was a learning experience for all and thats what it was supposed to be. Afterall, anyone who is dumb enough to test in front of that many people should not be afraid to talk about it.:D

The show went great and my wife and I really enjoyed Jerry's hospitality. It's was one to remember. :thumbup:
Lin
 
Kieth, I dont mean for it to sound like it's over. It's not. I'll be pacing the floor to take it again in the alloted time. You better believe it! :) Lin
 
There is always the next time, glad to see your motivation is up. :thumbup:
 
lwrhea said:
<< snip >> It was a learning experience for all and thats what it was supposed to be. << snip >>
Click to expand...

Lin,

Would you share with us what you learned? What specifically, in excruciating detail, did the judges approve and disapprove of? Pictures would help a lot. Thanks.

rmd
 
Don't sweat it. It's happened to alot of people you probably wouldn't expect. I took my JS test with Bill Moran. Mine made it to 89 degrees and snapped clean in two. I had a six hour drive home afterwards to beat myself up. Took it again six months later and passed.
 
good to hear you are so eager to try and pass it still.....i would be interested to hear how the knife failed during the test.......if you would be willing to share.....ryan
 
Lin , We All have are highs and lows, your the type to pick yourself back up
and move foward with no problem.
And you still have time to retest, Keep your chin up,I look forward to seeing you at the Pineywood hammer in, Shawn Ellis J/s
www.shawnelliscustomknives.com
 
Oh, I think there will be pictures.:rolleyes: Cameras were everywhere. I dont have them, so I'll let them add them as they can.

Here is a rundown.

I started my test by cutting the one inch rope. No problem. The knife was scary sharp and zipped right through it.

Next, The official had me cut two 2 X 4's in half. Again, no problem. The edge was still hair shaving sharp and no damage whatsoever. At this point all I had left to do was bend the blade 90 degrees. There was a large group watching, so I agreed to see what the knife could do before we bent it. I ended up cutting 12 boards, about 12 rope, and a couple of water bottles, all with very little effect on the edge. It still shaved hair. For that I was proud.

I was about beat, so they called it enough and I attempted to bend it. As it turned out the problem was I allowed the spine to air harden. It cracked a little too highup and thus did not pass. I now have a better idea of what I will do with my next blade. This one was 528 layers of 1084 and L-6 and performed flawlessly. The air hardening problem was all my fault and will be addressed in the next test blade. I can test again in 6 months, and WILL.

I'll probably use the same steels again, and be a more carefull in the problem area.

Lin
 
Tough break, Lin. But the good news is that you can retake before Blade '08:D As for the air hardening, was the L6 the culprit?
 
Sorry to hear that, Lin. You'll get it next time.

It wasn't too many years ago that the blade could crack all the way and pass, as long as it was in one piece and not two.
 
As an aside, after reading about how well the blade performed in the extracurricular cutting tests, perhaps you should go back and figure out how that "air hardening mistake" works so you can use it once you pass the performance test;)
 
This question is for Lin and any of the MS, JS, and AS folks. I know nothing really about the workings and rules of ABS, but the big question in my mind is that if a knife performs all the cutting and real world tasks flawlessly, WHY would anyone want to bend such a fine knife 90 degress just to see if it would? I guess that's really the answer....just to see if it will. I still just wonder in the real world how often the necessity to use a fine cutting instrument as a pry bar even comes up. I'm not trying to start a controversy, just thinking out loud.

Paul
 
sheathmaker said:
This question is for Lin and any of the MS, JS, and AS folks. I know nothing really about the workings and rules of ABS, but the big question in my mind is that if a knife performs all the cutting and real world tasks flawlessly, WHY would anyone want to bend such a fine knife 90 degress just to see if it would? I guess that's really the answer....just to see if it will. I still just wonder in the real world how often the necessity to use a fine cutting instrument as a pry bar even comes up. I'm not trying to start a controversy, just thinking out loud.

Paul
Click to expand...
To show that the smith has control over the heat treatment.

I would much rather have a blade that cuts great, than one that bends great :D

I have no use for a blade that will bend.
 
lwrhea said:
Oh, I think there will be pictures.:rolleyes: Cameras were everywhere. I dont have them, so I'll let them add them as they can.

Here is a rundown.

<< snip >>
Click to expand...

Lin,

Thanks for the info. I was thinking that maybe the reasons had more to do with subjective judging. For better or worse, and whatever their applicability to "real world" use, the performance tests are reasonably objective. Like everyone else, I look forward to hearing about your success on the retest. I won't even wish you "good luck" because I'm confident won't need it.

rmd
 
Don, Thank you for the answer to my question. I too, would rather have a cutter than a bender.

As an aside, I had the opportunity to build a couple of sheaths for your knives. One was a large bowie/fighter and the other was one of your MS test knives. Both were Mammoth Ivory and the larger was 1086M steel as I was told. I just shipped them back to our mutual customer today. Not trying to hijack the thread, but since this also had MS test knife content, I thought it would be okay.

Paul
 
As Don says, the tests aren't to create an ideal blade or even a shippable blade, but to control a set of properties that demonstrates an underlying understanding of the principles involved.

It would be like asking an architect to make a building that had great natural light and could be used as a bomb shelter, or asking a musician to make a pop song using a 5/9 time signature. You wouldn't ordinarily do it, but if you can do it, it shows that you know what you are doing.
 
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