How well do knives age with use?

R

robertj298

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Mar 7, 2014
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I have probably 20 or so vintage Slipjoints and all of them have good
snap and tight blades and are very nice but I got to thinking, all
my knives even though mostly older range from new to lightly used.
I'm wondering how heavy use will affect these knives. I know the blades
will wear over time with use but how about blade play and walk and talk?
 
Here are two I was just comparing today. The exact same wirejack pattern by Geo. Schrade. One is unused the other is obviously used and sharpened. The used one is missing the finger guard and has a nice patina along with obvious nicks and scratches. The used one is as good as new mechanically. Excellent w&t with a centered blade and is a pleasure to use. Proof of the excellence of its design.E810ECE5-31B9-454E-8955-A37D1E806C30.jpeg9074CFEF-C6BC-4C5F-93F5-C5A83F3E47E5.jpeg
 
Old folders with carbon steel blades & backsprings are vulnerable to heavy wear in the pivot area, mainly in the contact area between the blade's tang and backspring. This happens if the knife isn't kept clean (most important) & oiled regularly throughout it's lifetime. Those bearing surfaces will erode pretty quickly over time, if they're constantly dirty and/or dry (of clean lubricating oil). Often the tang of the blade wears more quickly than the backspring, until the radius of the tang is reduced so much that the spring can't leverage it anymore. That's when the 'walk & talk' goes away, losing all snap and leaving the closing pull weak or completely absent.

Even a well-oiled pivot in a plain carbon steel folder will 'shed' some swarf of wear in the pivot area with use. If you notice, when oiling a pivot in an otherwise clean knife, that the excess oil drips out somewhat blackened, that black stuff is the super-fine metal 'dust' being worn from the bearing surfaces. If the knife is kept clean & oiled, it's generally not enough wear to worry about over the long term. But if the pivot is dry and dirty most of the time, that wear will increase exponentially. So you need to stay ahead of it.
 
Linked below, an old thread with some pics illustrating what I mentioned earlier, re: excessive wear between blade tang and backspring on an electrician pattern's main blade side. You'll also notice the 'sunk' spring on the side with the worn contact surfaces, as it 'sunk' due to the decrease in radius of the blade's tang. The complaint in that thread was about the main blade's tip being exposed, due to the loss of closing pull I'm sure.

https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/adjusting-a-backspring-on-an-old-slip-joint.922369/
 
I think blade wear/loss depends a lot on how, and how often they were sharpened. A grinder file, or one of those 1950's. -1960'is combination electric can opener and electric/powdered knife "sharpener" going to remove a lot more metal than a Arkansas stone.
IMHO, those that have been "sharpened to toothpicks" (and hurt my eyes to view) were probably sharpened improperly, and likely too often.

Stropping or a butcher's/chef's steel will restore the edge at least 8 of 10 times. A stone isn't always needed.
I'd submit photos of 100 plus year old barber's straight razors with little to no blade loss as evidence, if I had any of either. As it is, I have no pictures, and my only straight razor is new.
 
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Well this thread certainly is fitting for my latest flea market find. I have a Case large stockman, that I carry from time to time. But other than patina its practically new,however today I found an older brother to it. My answer is it depends on the person. The knife on the left obviously has been carried allot, and seen some abuse. The mark side bone is a hairs breadth away from falling off. Its so full of crud it wont snap shut on any blade. The sheepfoot is tipped badly, but all three blades are reasonably sharp. Theres surprisingly no blade play, yet, could be all the crud as I haven't cleaned it yet. Anyways here's some pics. This'n been used hard, I had to save it :rolleyes:
nhKmTJk.jpg

RtnJnCu.jpg

oFScPS2.jpg

Yeah my good one has sheetrock mud in the covers:rolleyes:
Other than the mark side being busted I'd say the covers aged nicely :thumbsup:
 
Obviously, no pocket-knife of a Traditional type is going to last as well as a fixed blade. Much depends on the quality of the knife from day one and the materials used: Woods and Stag tend to be more durable than say Bone or Horn- regards dropping them or shrink due to dry conditions. Cell is always a potential time-bomb and Delrin whilst tough can show cracks.

All steel knives tend to fare better than brass lined ones, if old knives are anything to go by and brass will corrode in certain situations, it's also softer. Older carbon knives will be softer so much depends on sharpening techniques- I don't think people in the past were actually better or more careful at sharpening, impatience has always played a role. Modern guided sharpening systems are not only more effective they are kinder to the steel than incompetent free hand methods.... or worse, machine tools Some years ago, people were saying that in the 30s one of the large US makers had calculated that the 'average' life of a pocket-knife was around 2 years. This makes sense if a) it was a cheap, use often tool b) was the only knife in a person's possession. Knives were used more then and used up but most people then as now were not knife enthusiasts/respectors. Recently, I read of a cook before WW2 who was forced to keep her kitchen knives in a locked drawer due to people borrowing them for screwdrivers, putty knives and other horrors....

So with regard to blade play and snap, a lot to do with quality of initial construction and following oiling/cleaning and not letting idiots use them as pry bars or diggers...a multi blade will always have more tendency for play than a single blade.

Knives are a bit like shoes, if you only have one pair they wear out fast, get several and rotate them :cool::thumbsup:
 
Misplaced Hillbilly said:
Well this thread certainly is fitting for my latest flea market find. I have a Case large stockman, that I carry from time to time. But other than patina its practically new,however today I found an older brother to it. My answer is it depends on the person. The knife on the left obviously has been carried allot, and seen some abuse. The mark side bone is a hairs breadth away from falling off. Its so full of crud it wont snap shut on any blade. The sheepfoot is tipped badly, but all three blades are reasonably sharp. Theres surprisingly no blade play, yet, could be all the crud as I haven't cleaned it yet. Anyways here's some pics. This'n been used hard, I had to save it :rolleyes:
nhKmTJk.jpg

RtnJnCu.jpg

oFScPS2.jpg

Yeah my good one has sheetrock mud in the covers:rolleyes:
Other than the mark side being busted I'd say the covers aged nicely :thumbsup:
Click to expand...
After seeing the shield on this 2009 stockman I may have to rethink my stance on glued shields. This one has certainly fared far better than one would expect.
 
I did a search and couldn't find the appropriate thread; however, this is a fairly close. I picked a wonderful queen muskrat that has a real heavy pull, like breaking a finger nail. Will that loosen up in due time or is it likely to be extremely heavy. Other than oil which I tried, is their anything I can do? Thanks!

Best regards,
 
Pollack said:
I did a search and couldn't find the appropriate thread; however, this is a fairly close. I picked a wonderful queen muskrat that has a real heavy pull, like breaking a finger nail. Will that loosen up in due time or is it likely to be extremely heavy. Other than oil which I tried, is their anything I can do? Thanks!

Best regards,
Click to expand...
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/ive-successfully-lightened-a-nailbreaker-backspring.1782247/
I'm just the connector of dots....:D:thumbsup:
 
F/F, wear and tear, I give little attention to in a working knife when in use. Give 'em a little lovin' and they just keep coming back for more. When enjoying some down time and "talking" to the knife, just enjoy the conversation. All knifes have a story to tell, and working knives are a reminder of success, failure, exertion and effort, wear and tear included ... kinda like the fella holding the knife. This electrician looks nowhere near as good in hand as it does in this picture, but man it's got some shared experiences with the fella holding the forgiving camera after cleaning up the knife real good.

v8GqEF4.jpg
 
Misplaced Hillbilly said: ↑
https://www.bladeforums.com/threads/ive-successfully-lightened-a-nailbreaker-backspring.1782247/
I'm just the connector of dots....:D:thumbsup:

Pollack said:
Thanks, I appreciate it.
Click to expand...


I have been trying to loosen up the blade a new queen muskrat. One is quite nice and the other is nail breaker stiff. As opposed to using a belt sander, how about if I start with 120 sandpaper on the spring by hand? Eventually graduating to 1K sandpaper to finish it off. I don't want to remove to much material and one of the springs is about right. Please let me know your thoughts, thanks.

Best regards,
 
Most well made knives will last a lifetime, even those used regularly, if used properly. It's the misuse and poor maintenance that ruin most knives. I have an Old Hickory butcher knife and a slicer that are over 40 years old. They are not stainless or have fancy handles. No you can't put them in the dishwasher, and you have to dry blade to prevent rusting. They will outlast me.
 
If you take care of a knife and oil it periodically and don’t pry with it, try to cut through steel rods, stab a paint can, or otherwise abuse the blade, they last several decades at least. Cover material can wear over the course of years in a pocket. They can also chip or crack if dropped.

#1 source of attrition is simple loss. Slips out of your pocket or you set it somewhere and never see it again.
 
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