Is a Fileworked Spring as Strong as a Non-Fileworked Spring ????

I think the file worked spring (about half the material) would have to be weaker than a standard spring of the same size.
It might hold up ok, but, I doubt that those most of those fancy spring knives see much hard use over long periods of time.
Just my own opinion. 😊
 
To answer Modoc ED Modoc ED theoretical question I e-mailed artisan cutler Jérôme Latreille who very kindly responded to me immediately in French. I'll try and paraphrase his answer.

Ed asks if identical springs are picked up during assembly and then one is file worked, will it match the intact spring for strength ? M.Latreille says that if you do that you're on the wrong track...He says it all depends on the quality of the steel and the skill of the artisan or worker. He always works his springs/and or etches them first then quenches them, inspecting them afterwards. This he states gives them reliability and performance that can be trusted. If you quench the springs then start file-work, especially uneven, too deep in other words without real skill you might well create unreliable springs, ones that might break.
 
Will Power said:
To answer Modoc ED Modoc ED theoretical question I e-mailed artisan cutler Jérôme Latreille who very kindly responded to me immediately in French. I'll try and paraphrase his answer.

Ed asks if identical springs are picked up during assembly and then one is file worked, will it match the intact spring for strength ? M.Latreille says that if you do that you're on the wrong track...He says it all depends on the quality of the steel and the skill of the artisan or worker. He always works his springs/and or etches them first then quenches them, inspecting them afterwards. This he states gives them reliability and performance that can be trusted. If you quench the springs then start file-work, especially uneven, too deep in other words without real skill you might well create unreliable springs, ones that might break.
Click to expand...

That's great information Will. Makes perfect sense. Thanks for soliciting that from M.Latreille .
 
I can only answer for how I make a slipjoint and I've made only about 20.

But when I get the spring hardened I leave it thicker and stronger then I how I want it to be in the end.
When puting everything together I remove steel between where the tang hits the spring and the middle pin.
That is how you can finetune how strong the spring will be (only softening the spring you can't add steel)
If you do filework, theoretically you can leave as much extra steel on the bottom of the spring as you remove from the top.

So imho file work doesn't mean a weaker spring if you make all parts yourself.
 
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