NEW -to me- BOWIES

Thanks Jake, I wish there was a way to put a date on the blade but just having a Bura at my point of entry into the HI world is awesome for my collection. Not to mention it is a very cool Bowie, fullers and all.
I guess I was mainly thinking about the flat ends of the newer Bhakta made bowies.. suppose it wouldn't hurt to hammer on my medium sized one, doubt it will hurt the handle.
It might be time to hit your Dad up to bet that original AKB you have,, would love to see that thing!
 
Well I just did a very informal rockwell testing on my 10 AKB on my hip. A knife blade of about 58ish (at a guess) skirted over the butt. It managed to put a scratch in the spine. Granted, the spines of these knives are left pretty soft for toughness and the handle is going to have to get a little work hardened being pounded so flat.

That said, I doubt I would want to pound nails with it simply because the face is pretty much none existent. However, I think anything from coconuts to skulls would lose out being on the receiving end;)
 
Steely_Gunz said:
Well I just did a very informal rockwell testing on my 10 AKB on my hip. A knife blade of about 58ish (at a guess) skirted over the butt. It managed to put a scratch in the spine. Granted, the spines of these knives are left pretty soft for toughness and the handle is going to have to get a little work hardened being pounded so flat.

That said, I doubt I would want to pound nails with it simply because the face is pretty much none existent. However, I think anything from coconuts to skulls would lose out being on the receiving end;)
Click to expand...

I totally agree with you. Dual hardened or multi hardened blades are designed that way for a reason. The soft spine absorbs the brunt of the impact leaving the edge intact. The blacksmiths in Japan perfected this technique and allows for a razors edge with less of a chance for the edge to break or crack due to its extreme hardness level.
Through hardened blades can be super tough, much tougher than dual hardened blades. This really comes in to account when you consider the quality of steel that is used today. I have a through hardened 9260 steel katana that is the toughest thing I own. yet I also own a few dual hardened katana that might not me as tough but they sure are beautiful and sharp! Modern steel negates the need for dual hardening but a true hamon is a work of art.
 
I have a lot to learn from you guys.... Ghurka, your Katana collection is a thing of real beauty and elegance. I can really see your passion there. I wish I had as much knowledge... I am studying on what will be my first Katana and as it will more then likely be a HI Everast model, I would love to acquire a Japanese one as well with a proper handle. From I have researched they are well beyond my price range. I do feel like I should have a sword then it should be a Katana.
 
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