Mad Dog RC Test Results! PICS.........

<a href="http://www.bladeforums.com/images/atak.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://www.bladeforums.com/images/atak-sm.jpg" align="left"></a>OK Here is the Mad Dog ATAK RC test results. We had the tech RC test damn near every inch of the blade as you can see. We also had him write down the RC numbers next to each spot so that it would be obvious for everyone....

Also, as you can see from the pictures, the hard chroming was removed from the knife prior to testing.

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Mike Turber
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[This message has been edited by Mike Turber (edited 01-21-2000).]

[This message has been edited by Mike Turber (edited 01-21-2000).]
 
T

TANGUS

Joined
Oct 6, 1999
Messages
629
Looks like zone hardening to me.

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Lead,follow, or get the hell out of the way!
 
Actually it leaves me confused. On one hand it is probably the best heat treating I have ever seen as the RC numbers are dead on what he claims they should be. What confuses me is he claimed our knife failed heat treat and that was the reason for the mark on the tang. I do not want to open a can of worms but can someone post the pic over there and ask Mad Dog?

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Best Regards,
Mike Turber
BladeForums Site Owner and Administrator
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I defer to far more qualified opinions than my own.

[This message has been edited by Brian_Turner (edited 01-22-2000).]
 
So this knife with the mark on the tang is supposedly a defect, but is dead on with it's heat treat...mmmm....I hope BladeForums has enough bandwidth cause me thinks this thread is gonna get loooong and interesting
wink.gif
-Root
 
I' m trying to get fit for the New Year but I guess I' ll have to get the popcorn again...
smile.gif
 
Could the half point difference (the 61.5) near the edge or the (59 or 54?) near the tip qualify as a defect for that type of a heat treat. That is the only inconsistent area I see. Otherwise it looks like a textbook case of hard edge and soft spine with a dead soft tang. That is how these things are supposed to work right?

-Sam.
 
Perfect heat treat is right! And the tip is slightly softer, which is either a happy accident, or if deliberate, a master stroke. Yea, if this is a defective knife, I'd like to see a good 'un.
 
Don't worry about the popcorn itself, Nakano. Just watch how much butter you add. I'll take mine w/extra salt please.
cool.gif


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Cheers,

--+Brian+--

aka Dagda the Insatiable, Member of the Terrible Ironic HORDE
"I may be goin' to hell in a bucket, Babe, but at least I'm enjoyin' the ride."
 
Thanks Mike!

Besides pictures of the exposed tang this was the second thing I always wanted to see from a Mad Dog knife. Excellent work on both sides (Mike's and Kevin's). The test is done nicely and the blade seems to exactly match the descriptions Kevin gives for his heat treating. I'm delighted!

It finally proofs that the chopping tests you did in the first attempt were valid, no matter if Kevin claims that the knife was rejected.

What I would like to know is how someone can determine that this knife has failed heat treating WITHOUT doing such a detailed RC test.

Waiting for further enlightenment,
Ralf
 
For me the popcorn and butter are insignificant compared to all of the fine beer it is going to take to wash it down! My guess is that both are going to be easier to swallow than the answer to the above question...

[This message has been edited by Snoopy (edited 01-21-2000).]
 
What I would be curious to know is, how does the hardness transition from the edge to the softer back? Is there a straight line, where the hardness abruptly shifts (BAD) or, is there a gradual change (GOOD).
In my mind, this will be the determining factor in how that blade responds when loaded. It looks as if the line shown on the blade is a "demarcation line", showing an abrupt transition.

RJ Martin
 
Hello,

Yep looks like the way we ended up with when i was working there too.

Actually when we Heat treated the ATAK,or any model,,,the blade was heated all the way through and hardened as such, Then the blade was Inverted in a vice and the tang area was Heated with the Torch and the hardness Removed Hence the 48 RC on the tang

Then a clamp was put on the Tang and the blade was positioned in a Soapy water bath with just a portion of the Edge Suspended under the water,,,,,,then the Balance of the SPine was Heated with the torch, Playing the Torch out to the Tip of the blade.

The Edge remained hard, as it was Under water, that Demarcation Line is the water Level Line as it was in conjunction to the Water level during the Spine Draw.

But as you can see ,,,there is no real Science or Proprietary Heat treat,,,,,,Bladesmiths, and others(myself Included) have been Heat treating Blades that way for A LONG LONG time!!

In fact look at the membership of the ABS
and more than Likely 90% of there membership
Heattreats this way.

I agree its a Good Heat treat on that blade nothing Wrong with it at all,maybe except for being to hard on the Edge.(my opinion)

If that is a Reject Heat treated blade then
I am MIKE TURBERS long lost Love Child!!!!!!! LMFAO!!

My.02

Take Care,
Allen

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Allen Blade
Spokane,WA USA

" It is Always Better to learn The RIGHT Way, Than to Continue Doing it WRONG "

My Custom Knives :
http://www.geocities.com/yosemite/meadows/1770/allenblade.html

[This message has been edited by Allen Blade (edited 01-21-2000).]
 
I'm not a metallurgist or a knifemaker, but it seems to me the only thing left is either stress risers at the tang juncture etc. or there's some other kind of problem with the grain structure of the steel.

DaveH
 
You can also see the chips in the blade in the larger version of the image below...

Spark

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Kevin Jon Schlossberg
SysOp and Administrator for BladeForums.com

Insert witty quip here
 
What are we arguing about this time?
I am a self proclaimed Mad Dog fan, and the blade looks alright to me, but I don't see why anyone should be making this a looonngg thread...
The knife did not do as well as other knives in the test...
What does it matter?
I once asked a Marine (as I leave for MCRD soon!) what he used his knife (an ATAK) for and he said he has never cut hanging hemp rope, cut cardboard, or chopped 2X4s...
He has, however, dug foxholes in sand and dirt, made sniper hides (cut small branches, grasses, etc.), popped crates (prybar), and other "hard, rough uses" and his has made it fine...

I use my ATAK like a banshee and it has NEVER failed me...NEVER...

Jess

Besides, I have a Steel Heart Variant now because of you great folks turning me on to Busee Combat knives, and it and the ATAK leave me with nothing to worry about... except MCRD!

 
My ATAK has never failed in anything I have ever asked it to do and it is THE most comfortable knives to hold and handle...

The blade you tested is a prime example of a well heat treated Mad Dog IMO. I am not an expert however...
I am pleased with my ATAK and have used it to chop, dig, and cut and it has always done the job...

HOWEVER,
my ATAK may be taking a back seat to my new Busse Steel Heart Variant. It can dig, cut and chop just as well.
However, were I ever in a "survival" situation, I would want both
smile.gif

I hope to be able to carry both (as well as a Randall Made Special Fighter #1) while with the Marines...
Not all at once...
Unless they let me
smile.gif
...
Jess

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"By the power of Grayskull..."
 
crowinghorse,

Who is arguing? Everyone wanted to see an RC test so here it is. Also I was asked to show the chips on the blade and I did not have the knife at the time so here they are in the big pic.

Let's not start this silly **** again as it is old. Mad Dog claimed the knife failed heat treat. It obviously did not. If Jerry, Rick or Lynn would of said their knife was a fake and failed heat treat or whatever I would of done the same.

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Best Regards,
Mike Turber
BladeForums Site Owner and Administrator
Do it! Do it right! Do it right NOW!

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