My mora clipper chipped!

[Jason B.]

Please use correct descriptions when describing edge damage, it is not a chip but a deformation or roll. They are much different.

You cut through the spine, I wouldn't expect any different than the damaged that happened. Its simply using the knife beyond its limits, its a grind that excells at wood working not cutting through bone or batoning. It seem as though too much is expected from a knife these days and when used in abusive ways the user always questions the knife. It like batoning with a folder that seems to have become the new standard requirement, news flash don't beat on a folding knife.

So in the future you now know a scandi grind is not the best choice for such a task and damage like that is not called a chip

 

[Mobile-eyez]

Yea it seems like you were pushing it just a bit past it's limits...... I have a stainless clipper that I've never really gotten a chance to put to the test outside of some very basic woodwork, but I could definitely see where that thin edge would roll under a harder material like bone. It doesn't seem like it could chip it, so it's probably just a roll like knifenut1013 stated.

 

[SuzukiGS750EZ]

Please use correct descriptions when describing edge damage, it is not a chip but a deformation or roll. They are much different.

You cut through the spine, I wouldn't expect any different than the damaged that happened. Its simply using the knife beyond its limits, its a grind that excells at wood working not cutting through bone or batoning. It seem as though too much is expected from a knife these days and when used in abusive ways the user always questions the knife. It like batoning with a folder that seems to have become the new standard requirement, news flash don't beat on a folding knife.

So in the future you now know a scandi grind is not the best choice for such a task and damage like that is not called a chip

No, it is not a roll. it is a CHIP. As in, the edge is missing, not bent to one side, in that area. I know what a roll looks like. I can feel it with my finger even after sharpening. I've had the knife a few years and it's been sharpened numerous times. This is the first time it's chipped. Those who said they run their steel hard, i agree. I have other knives in this steel and the edge rolls, which is easy to sharpen out. I may end up taking it to a diamond stone later on to get the chips out. There are actually 4 total, but they've gotten much smaller since i've sharpened it about 4 times already. This is the second knife i've ever chipped. Think 01 or 420HC would hold up better?

 

[Smash05]

Nope, I don't think they will hold up better. I think that certain uses are going to cause some edge damage. Its why we have nice abrasives to sharpen them out. Did the chip's comprimise the knife's function in any way?

 

[SuzukiGS750EZ]

Nope, I don't think they will hold up better. I think that certain uses are going to cause some edge damage. Its why we have nice abrasives to sharpen them out. Did the chip's comprimise the knife's function in any way?

Nah, just the fact that mainly cutting skin and a quick cut of the spine chipped the edge in 4 places suprised me. I've cut harder things with it than that and its no worse for wear.

 

[Coldwood]

Hey guys. Went out hunting with a buddy yesterday with air rifles and got a squirrel. I was showing him how to skin them, and somehow through the not so tedious or abusive task my clipper had 3 chips in it. Two towards the tang about 1/4" apart and one an inch or so up from there. Not humungous chips, but when i went to sharpen this morning i noticed it. The clipper is stainless steel. I've chipped knives before, but never a fixed blade. The hardest thing i cut was through the spine, and that was more of a push cut. I'll include some pictures later. Also, maybe my Buck 110 or custom would be better for this job? I'll post up some pictures later on, chime in!

You're skinning a freakin squirrel! Did you bang on his hidden chestnuts with the blade? You are sooo lucky you did not post this on W&C. There's some manly knife users.

Ya gotta laugh! Seriously, I own a bunch of Moras, clippers, allrounds, 2000, never had a problem skinning a squirrel!

 

[SuzukiGS750EZ]

You're skinning a freakin squirrel! Did you bang on his hidden chestnuts with the blade? You are sooo lucky you did not post this on W&C. There's some manly knife users.

Ya gotta laugh! Seriously, I own a bunch of Moras, clippers, allrounds, 2000, never had a problem skinning a squirrel!

I was going to bring my custom in 01, bet i wouldn't have had probs with it! I just figured the thinner blade on the mora would have been a good choice, i didn't realize how brittle it was. I was cutting bunker on composite board and have done other stupid stuff with it and it never chipped lol.

 

[penetrator]

The stainless steel on the moras is much too soft to chip. It's compressed straight back. This is easy to do due to the extremely thin edge.

Why would you need to cut bone anyway, on any type of game? Even when you e.g. have to take the ribs off of a moose, you smash the bones first.

 

[SuzukiGS750EZ]

The stainless steel on the moras is much too soft to chip. It's compressed straight back. This is easy to do due to the extremely thin edge.

Why would you need to cut bone anyway, on any type of game? Even when you e.g. have to take the ribs off of a moose, you smash the bones first.

When skinning a squirrel i cut through the spine, then down the legs a bit, then just step on the tail and pull it out of its skin, to be vague. Either way, i would have had to cut the tail off, even if i made the incision in the middle of the back. And head also. Hope nobody flames me for explaining...

 

[cramsey3006]

I wouldn't consider the 12c27 stainless on a Mora soft. It's RC is 57-58. Definitely not the low end of the RC scale.

The 13c26 stainless used on the Kershaw Skyline is RC 55-56 and I've never heard anyone complain about it being soft.

 

[Stubai]

I am looking at the pics of the 'chipped' edge and for the life of me, are these smallish dents virtually invisible? I am trying to find the gross damage. To me, a chipped blade is a damaged piece of cutlery which reflects pushing the tool beyond normal limits...or improper heat treatment. My Mora knives have put on a good show and then some. Between wiping down cutting boards, I have dropped my MORA 2000 onto a concrete floor with scant damage. The tip was bent slightly but nothing that a few minutes of work could not rectify. I would consider your 'chipped' knife well used and ready for the next chore. Be undeterred and use your knife with a smile. If that does not work for you, then I'd suggest allowing Mr. Carter to sharpen it for a small fee. Better than that, just go ahead and order one of his magical and endlessly utilitarian neck knives.

 

[mmarkh]

It's a cheap knife that chipped. If you can't sharpen them out toss it and buy another one.

 

[GrinderMcgee]

What is that 5x magnification? I can barely see the deformation. That is what is commonly called wear and tear.

 

[penetrator]

cramsey, just for comparison Victorinox are 55-56 HRC, and that is very soft for a blade. So 57-58 is a bit harder than that. But not a hard steel by any means. It will definitely get dull quickly, especially when cutting anything harder than wood. As was demonstrated here. But it's not chipping, just normal dulling.

 

[penetrator]

When skinning a squirrel i cut through the spine, then down the legs a bit, then just step on the tail and pull it out of its skin, to be vague. Either way, i would have had to cut the tail off, even if i made the incision in the middle of the back. And head also. Hope nobody flames me for explaining...

Why not just throw it in a blender?

But seriously, I don't really follow what you're doing there. Here's how it's done normally:

I guess that's what you meant by by "incision in the middle of the back". It's really the quickest way. To get rid of the tail you cut between the tail bones. That way, you only cut cartilage and your knife stays sharp. :thumbup:

 

[StretchNM]

Knifenut is right, I think. I missed that when I posted: the edge on your Mora probably rolled - it did not chip. If you steel it before sharpening, you might get away without leaving chips in the edge, but if you sharpen first, you'll "grind" away the roll and leave a chip.

Mora's are inexpensive, but I don;t think they're "cheap". They are probably the most oft-used utility knives in my collection. I grind mine flat on the scandi grind on a waterstone. When the edge is crisp, I turn to the Sharpmaker's fine white stones, and give just the finest micro-bevel with a few whisper-light passes. Then I strop. They are among the sharpest knives I own, and easiest to get that way, but they have their purpose. Cutting through bone and plastic is not one of them.

 

[cramsey3006]

cramsey, just for comparison Victorinox are 55-56 HRC, and that is very soft for a blade. So 57-58 is a bit harder than that. But not a hard steel by any means. It will definitely get dull quickly, especially when cutting anything harder than wood. As was demonstrated here. But it's not chipping, just normal dulling.

It's my understanding that the Rockwell C rating is similar to the Richter Scales, in that it's a logarithmic scale, not a linear scale. For example, just using generic numbers, something with a rating of 8 would be ten times as hard as something with a rating of 7. I'm not sure if the difference in each RC point equates 10x, but it's not just 1x or 2x.

That means that 1 point +/- on the RC scale will make a considerable difference in hardness. So a blade that is 57RC is considerably harder than a blade that is 55RC.

For those of us who play with the super hard steels, then yes, something that's 57RC will seem soft compared to something that's running in the 60-61 RC range. In reality, it is still a VERY hard steel.

On the Rockwell C Scale, very hard steel starts at 55RC.

Axes and chisels are usually 40-45RC.

What happended to that blade has nothing to do with RC. It has to do with edge angle and it was too acute for cutting bones.