shshII infi vs A2

J

jankwaw

Joined
Sep 22, 2011
Messages
12
Dear Hogs,

I uderstand there is a considerable difficulty to tell the difference just looking at an shshII with smooth or slotted bolts.

But how about the batch with hollow tube fasteners? Was it all infi?

Do A2 and infi blades look different when the (smooth black) coating has been removed? What is this difference, if any?

(I am sorry if the questions have been asked and answered many times; for some reason I could not find a relevant thread...)

Jan
 
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After searching, I've come up with nothing. Hopefully someone else will be along soon :)
 
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I am pretty certain that all tube fastners are INFI..... from reading up and talking to some hold hogs...
 
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Yea, the tube fasteners most often indicate an INFI knife, but, if the handles were removed at the factory on a knife that originally had bolts, sometimes were replaced with tubes. I've seen one, but it was a while back.

Slotted bolts could be either INFI or A2. Solid bolts indicate A2 most often but not all the time, I've seen solid bolt INFI Battle Mistress's.

A2 will cold blue, INFI will resist it. Test an edge with a bluing pen is the most reliable method. INFI dimples are a good give away, but not reliable through that thick coating. A2 Doesn't show as many dimples as INFI does.

I've got an old SHSH2 smooth handles, slotted bolts, dimples show faintly. I haven't broken down and bought a blue pen yet. :o

Hope this helps a little
 
Many thanks for your help, Gentlemen.

@mamun1024: that's a great gallery you've got!
@leatherman: that's great sheaths you make!
 
I swear both my SHSHII and my BBSHSH have INFI dimples but should both be A2.

The reality is: You won't' know the difference ever. Just go use em!
 
jankwaw said:
Many thanks for your help, Gentlemen.

@mamun1024: that's a great gallery you've got!
@leatherman: that's great sheaths you make!
Click to expand...
Thank You! :)
Dennis in MA said:
I swear both my SHSHII and my BBSHSH have INFI dimples but should both be A2.

The reality is: You won't' know the difference ever. Just go use em!
Click to expand...
The cold blue pen or sending them to Busse are the only sure fire ways of telling A2 from INFI. One of my A2 knives does have some dimpling as well, rather confusing huh?

Depending on how unused your two are, most all A2 Busse's came with bluing on the top and bottom of the handle where the coating was ground off to even the metal with the micarta. My Mean Street has most of the bluing intact. I also had a Birds Beak Steel Heart come through the shop with all the blue intact, it is a nifty effect.
 
Thank you jankwaw.

Leatherman makes a great point. The original handles are what we need to look at.

My understanding is when it comes to INFI vs. A2; the way to look at it is with handle slabs. The transition from A2 to INFI happened before tubes came in the picture. Smooth handle means that there is a higher chance that your SHII is A2, and a possibility of INFI. Partially grooved handles is the opposite. These knives are most likely INFI with a very slim chance of A2, fully grooved handles regardless of slots or not is INFI.

Dimpling is not a good way to tell if it is INFI or not as the dimpling has to do with the HT and not with the type of steel. Only Busse can confirm for sure.

All battle mistresses were INFI regardless of handle types.

All SHSH's with tube fasteners (original) are INFI. This version of SHSH was made sometime around 1999 - 2001.

The lineage of the handle slabs and screws on the SH:

1. Smooth handles, solid pins.
2. Smooth handles, screws.
3. Grooved handles, screws.
4. Grooved handles, tubue fasteners.
5. Swirl-pattern texturing, tubular fasteners (maybe)

Summer/Fall 1999 to Spring/Summer/Fall 2000 brought all these listed changes. It also brought the change from screw type fasteners to tube fasteners. First the Badgers, then a combination of Steel Hearts/Battle Mistress's.

The original Steel Heart is ATS-34. Not all original Steel Hearts were ATS-34 as they were mostly made from A-2. The ATS-34 models are very rare as less than 200 were made.

My understanding was that there are no BBSHSHs in INFI. However, I’ve sent one to Busse recently and was confirmed to be INFI. :thumbup:

The timeline is: SH1, BBSHSH, SHSHII, SHE, FSH. The SHSHII is called a "two" because it was the second version of the straight handle Steel Heart, the BBSHSH being the first, so the SHSH and the SHSHII are the same. There are also two versions of the BBSHSH, one with a "Humpback" blade profile and one with the same blade profile as the SHSHII

Above are my notes from contributions of the older hogs such as Cobalt and Papathud.
 
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Fantastic additions mamun!! :D Thank you!

E-seres back is my passion, the more I learn the more fascinated I get. :)
 
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