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- Feb 24, 2000
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- 1,920
Several months ago my Wife was in Washington Arkansas at an estate sale. She bought an old trunk to decorate our living room. One day I was looking inside the trunk and noticed there was a bulge in the lining. I carefully pulled the lining away and discovered a letter from James Black to Rezin Bowie. The letter revealed James Black's heat treating formula for the famous Bowie Knife.
Now I am not going to reveal the formula, but will say it works amazingly well if followed to the letter.
I keep 2" hemp rope on the floor of my shop where it picks up steel dust, etc. I use this rope to test my knives. With a blade heat treated to Blacks formula, in a secret test, 5000 cuts were made in the rope and the blade was still shaving sharp. In another secret test, I cut through two 4" square oak posts and the blade still shaved. I put the tip in a vice, bent it over 90 degrees, and the blade sprang back perfectly straight. The blade got so sharp I could cut a silk scarf tossed in the air completely in two.
The secret formula calls for seven quenches in different quench materials. Also, each quench must follow a certain pattern of which compass direction the blade is facing when quenched. For example, the last quench must face South and the quench material must be a fresh cow pattie. The blade is edge quenched. This adds carbon to the steel, and also makes any tempering unnecessary.
Now I know the experts are going to laugh at this, but remember experts built the Titanic. If you have read this far, April fools.
Now I am not going to reveal the formula, but will say it works amazingly well if followed to the letter.
I keep 2" hemp rope on the floor of my shop where it picks up steel dust, etc. I use this rope to test my knives. With a blade heat treated to Blacks formula, in a secret test, 5000 cuts were made in the rope and the blade was still shaving sharp. In another secret test, I cut through two 4" square oak posts and the blade still shaved. I put the tip in a vice, bent it over 90 degrees, and the blade sprang back perfectly straight. The blade got so sharp I could cut a silk scarf tossed in the air completely in two.
The secret formula calls for seven quenches in different quench materials. Also, each quench must follow a certain pattern of which compass direction the blade is facing when quenched. For example, the last quench must face South and the quench material must be a fresh cow pattie. The blade is edge quenched. This adds carbon to the steel, and also makes any tempering unnecessary.
Now I know the experts are going to laugh at this, but remember experts built the Titanic. If you have read this far, April fools.
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