- Joined
- Jul 27, 2003
- Messages
- 5,667
OK, I truly dont want to get long-winded here, but its important to me to explain a few things!
First, I want to thank Don Hanson for putting up with me for the last few weeks, and for the corned beef sandwich!
Im truly honored to be first J.S. Testee!
Thanks, Don.
Secondly, this knife performed SO WELL, I really need to say a few words about the people who helped me put together my current heat-treating package.
Jerry Rados has a knife philosophy that was quite something for me to run into as a beginning knife maker. Talk about over my head! I jumped right into the deep water at the beginning, now 9 years ago.
I went to Willow Bow a few years ago and got indoctrinated by Ed Fowler and the Willow Bow Gang and I brought back forging, post-forging, and grinding techniques that I use every time I make a knife.
Having been to Ashokan twice now, and an in-frequent bother to Kevin Cashen, Ive utilized his metallurgical expertise to the maximum of my understanding.
(Whens the last time you saw Ed Fowler and Kevin Cashen in the same topic??!!)
I have used Jim Siskas take-down assembly method exclusively for the last two years at his approval.
Anyway, these guys, along with inspiration from everything Bailey Bradshaw does, has helped me get to this point.
My contact with those fine gentlemen helped me put together two knives that were darned near indestructible.
What can I say razor-friggin sharp.
Cut like a champ.
Chopped like another champ with absolutely no damage, chipping, bending, and remained razor sharp.
Then, the part that I liked the most!
On my home-test-knife, I was amazed that it performed so well, but mostly, that when it came time to bend the blade, I couldnt even insult it! I only weigh 170 pounds, but I had my legs wrapped around the work bench, and still could hardly bend the knife.
Then, I put a 3 foot cheater bar on the handle, and bent it waaaaaaaay past 90 degrees. I never heard a crack! I kept waiting for a crack! Nothing. And, it went back to under 20 degrees from straight!
I thought it was a fluke.
Then, with my official test knife at Dons, the same thing happened! I could BARELY get the blade past, maybe 30 degrees by hand.
So, I used the cheater again.
No crack, not even at the fine cutting edge, and this one returned to exactly 20 degrees from straight.
Both knives cut - well -, stayed razor sharp through abuse, and defied destruction.
So many times I have seen test knives that had this sharp kink right at the vise jaws, cracked ½ way through, and then stayed acutely bent!
These bent gradually all along the entire length of the spine without ANY cracking.
This tells me that there were NO weak links in these chains.
The blades were tough from point to butt.
As well, I wanted to show that the Take-down assembly I use was up to the task of backing up a superior blade. No failure what-so-ever.
What else could I ask for?
Thanks again to those mentioned.
First, I want to thank Don Hanson for putting up with me for the last few weeks, and for the corned beef sandwich!
Im truly honored to be first J.S. Testee!
Thanks, Don.
Secondly, this knife performed SO WELL, I really need to say a few words about the people who helped me put together my current heat-treating package.
Jerry Rados has a knife philosophy that was quite something for me to run into as a beginning knife maker. Talk about over my head! I jumped right into the deep water at the beginning, now 9 years ago.
I went to Willow Bow a few years ago and got indoctrinated by Ed Fowler and the Willow Bow Gang and I brought back forging, post-forging, and grinding techniques that I use every time I make a knife.
Having been to Ashokan twice now, and an in-frequent bother to Kevin Cashen, Ive utilized his metallurgical expertise to the maximum of my understanding.
(Whens the last time you saw Ed Fowler and Kevin Cashen in the same topic??!!)
I have used Jim Siskas take-down assembly method exclusively for the last two years at his approval.
Anyway, these guys, along with inspiration from everything Bailey Bradshaw does, has helped me get to this point.
My contact with those fine gentlemen helped me put together two knives that were darned near indestructible.
What can I say razor-friggin sharp.
Cut like a champ.
Chopped like another champ with absolutely no damage, chipping, bending, and remained razor sharp.
Then, the part that I liked the most!
On my home-test-knife, I was amazed that it performed so well, but mostly, that when it came time to bend the blade, I couldnt even insult it! I only weigh 170 pounds, but I had my legs wrapped around the work bench, and still could hardly bend the knife.
Then, I put a 3 foot cheater bar on the handle, and bent it waaaaaaaay past 90 degrees. I never heard a crack! I kept waiting for a crack! Nothing. And, it went back to under 20 degrees from straight!
I thought it was a fluke.
Then, with my official test knife at Dons, the same thing happened! I could BARELY get the blade past, maybe 30 degrees by hand.
So, I used the cheater again.
No crack, not even at the fine cutting edge, and this one returned to exactly 20 degrees from straight.
Both knives cut - well -, stayed razor sharp through abuse, and defied destruction.
So many times I have seen test knives that had this sharp kink right at the vise jaws, cracked ½ way through, and then stayed acutely bent!
These bent gradually all along the entire length of the spine without ANY cracking.
This tells me that there were NO weak links in these chains.
The blades were tough from point to butt.
As well, I wanted to show that the Take-down assembly I use was up to the task of backing up a superior blade. No failure what-so-ever.
What else could I ask for?
Thanks again to those mentioned.
) and to date they served me very well! :thumbup:
