Reality testing of a 4.1 knife

[mete]

I've been reading the many tests, YouTube , comments on BF etc. But are the Hammering the blade into a concrete black , batonning real life tests.My norma test on such a knife is to completely do a deer but it's not the season yet.
Anyway I'm conducting a test today. Went to a fine picnic and had things like chicken BBQ - excellent as were the other things . now i'm home cleaning the knife . I'll put RIG on the whole blade including under the handles.. The question then becomes , then what about the handle ? Cotton fiber in Formalin. Well the formalin is no problem but the cotton has absorbed the chicken fat and I'm trying to get it off .
Will it become rancid ? any other problems ? Lets hear some other practical tests for S!K.

 

[forte_defense]

I processed a doe with the 3.5 in 20cv last year, including gutting, skinning, deboning, and separating all major cuts of meat. It did great. I only used a larger knife to cut my perfect steaks, because the 3.5 would not span the width. The 4.1 would handle it just fine... Except for the steaks.

I also just completed a try stick with my 4.1 yesterday.

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[Standard78]

If you don't mind taking the scales off, I'd suggest cleaning them thoroughly with soap and water or boiling them. Canvas, linen and g10 are very well sealed already because of the resins used to make them, plus they can handle high heat without falling apart at all. I usually clean mine every month or two that way and then lather them with Vaseline, then clean them off with a towel till there's no residue. Petroleum jelly makes a great barrier.

 

[Aias]

I processed a doe with the 3.5 in 20cv last year, including gutting, skinning, deboning, and separating all major cuts of meat. It did great. I only used a larger knife to cut my perfect steaks, because the 3.5 would not span the width. The 4.1 would handle it just fine... Except for the steaks.

I also just completed a try stick with my 4.1 yesterday.

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Outstanding try stick! :thumbup:

 

[Silver Needle]

If you don't mind taking the scales off, I'd suggest cleaning them thoroughly with soap and water or boiling them. Canvas, linen and g10 are very well sealed already because of the resins used to make them, plus they can handle high heat without falling apart at all. I usually clean mine every month or two that way and then lather them with Vaseline, then clean them off with a towel till there's no residue. Petroleum jelly makes a great barrier.

Boiling the scales?

I really have my sights set on that nice, light shade of natural canvas, so I'll have to be prepared to keep them clean. That is good advice to know.

mete, I know Guy had fun testing his knives at junkyards and in blocks of ice and as a rappelling anchor just to show how hard they could be pushed, but we know those weren't super practical.

My real world "testing" ends up being how much normal use does it take to dull the knife and how easily can I get the edge back to shaving sharp.

 

[Standard78]

Boiling the scales?

I really have my sights set on that nice, light shade of natural canvas, so I'll have to be prepared to keep them clean. That is good advice to know.

Whenever I Rit dye my scales, it's always boiling so they can definitely withstand the heat. If you're just wanting them to stay clean, a good soap soak and a scrubbing works great. Last time I cleaned mine, I literally watched the oil and dirt come off of the scales when I soaked them.

 

[Fancier]

Formalin? As a component of the resin in the micarta scales?
If you want to degrease the scales I'd say take them off the knife and run them through a dishwasher.

 

[darsk20]

Formalin and phenol are/were used to make phenolic plastic, so I guess formalin could be in a resin. Once the reaction has taken place it should be completely stable and any of the methods above should work. If ick is absorbing into the scales you have bigger issues.

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[mete]

Different terms are used for the material. Anyway the material was developed 100 years ago ,the early use was in radio circuit boards and still used for that. It gives off formaldehyde which is bad for the environment and me ! Hang it out in the hot summer sun and the formaldehyde will be gone in amonth or so ! Did that so I know !
My knife handles were soaked a bit and scrubbed with detergent . No smell or discolorization this morning !
While apart I cleaned the blade and screws and coated with RIG grease.
On to the next test

 

[Fancier]

Fortunately formaldehyde is highly reactive and biodegradable.
It is also ready soluble in water so you don't have to worry about it hanging around after a wash.
I can't resist a quick quote, "Bakelite is a thermosetting phenol formaldehyde resin ... and was developed by the Belgian-American chemist Leo Baekeland in New York in 1907."
I always wondered about that name.
Apparently G10 is bound with epoxy, and micarta does appear to use phenolic thermosetting resin.

 

[Hard Knocks]

I usually wash the knife and scales with hot soapy water after field-dressing game. The scales lighten back up and dry out quick, I don't think there's much if anything absorbing into the scales. I undertand that micarta is non-absorptive because of the impregnation of the resin into the material. One thing nags me about this: How does Standard get that nice dye to stay with the scale if it doesn't absorb somewhat? Is it only on the very exterior of the exposed material that is getting dyed and accepting the color? You'd think the color would wear off quickly if that were the case, but his scales look like they hold the color good.

FWIW, I think I'm a good candidate to have something go wrong IF something could go wrong hygeine-wise with micarta scales, due to the amount of critters we clean out here. You can't clean up in the field like you can at home, so there's a lot of blood and fat in contact with the blade and scales, and you can't get it all removed while still needing to resheath the blade. I don't know of ever having trouble from contact with the scales in less than sanitary conditions, so hopefully that's some consolation for those worried about creepy crawlies in their micarta. Although maybe my immune response is firing on all cylinders from years of doing it the wrong way

 

[McVeyMac]

Brucellosis is really the only dangerous disease that Elk and deer might be carrying on the North American continent. It is irradicated in domestic animals, but can spill over to cattle and bison, especially in the Rockies. The rest is a food safety and hygiene issue. If the meat is cooked well, no problem. If you can was your hands efore you eat, no problem.