Spine as ferro rod striker damage?

[XtianAus]

I recently got this Nieto Terrano and went to use the spine to strike a ferro rod and noticed more damage than anticipated.

Does this seem normal? This is after scraping 2 or 3 times.
This is definitely a user so I don't mind, I just wonder is the HT is a little soft or is this the expected amount of damage...?

Thanks

 

[Ozmose]

Doesn't really look too bad to me, but it's hard to tell from a photo alone. I'd say if there's still a nice crisp edge there and no chipping or deformation, it's probably just fine. If it's just some discoloration that's pretty normal.

 

[Astrogator]

Why not get a small dedicated steel striker and attach it to the firestriker.
Knives are made for cutting , don't abuse them so , it hurts

 

[eveled]

I agree with both comments above.

I don’t think its real damage just marks.

the broken off end of a hack saw blade is a good striker. Even has a hole for a string.

Good to know your knife will work if you need it too, but no point in planning on using it.

Or use it with reckless abandon and learn to love the scars.

In any case I don’t think it is indicative of a bad heat treat or any flaw. Keep in mind sometimes the spine is softer than the edge.

 

[eveled]

I personally like a rounded edge on my knife spines. Which don’t work well with fire starters. I know in an emergency i can use the edge. Or the sharpening choil

 

[LimpCroissant]

Yea your experience looks normal to me. I remember thinking the same thing the first time I stroked ( ) a firesteel with the spine of a knife. It seems to leave those kind of burn marks, and from my experience anyway, it just doesn't work as well as a little piece of metal with squared edges (or with a nasty burr on one edge works even better!)

 

[XtianAus]

Thanks everyone, super helpful. I dont think i'll use the spine again but I am sure glad the marks are normal and not an indication of poor HT.

 

[Deino]

The sparks are very hot even if it only happens in a fraction of a second, they reach up to 3000 C. It excels 15 to 20 times the heat treatment for steel. There marks will appear regardless of steel and you use. Generally speaking, because they happen so fast and only on a small surface, they shouldn't compromise the knife from occasional use using the spine.
I agree to get something else as dedicated striker. The small "P-51" can opener worth surprisingly well with ferro rod, though in this case, the weaker metal is "eaten" faster.

 

[Steve Danielewicz]

Looks perfectly normal to me. I use a few of mine as strikers and just clean them up when I get home. Just stone the marks out and clean. Usually can’t even tell after.

 

[apkydex]

I recently got this Nieto Terrano and went to use the spine to strike a ferro rod and noticed more damage than anticipated.

Does this seem normal? This is after scraping 2 or 3 times.
This is definitely a user so I don't mind, I just wonder is the HT is a little soft or is this the expected amount of damage...?

Thanks

Like you said, it's a "user" so go ahead and use it, it's gonna get beat up anyway. The reason most people want to use the spine of their knife as a striker instead of a striker tool is to lessen the weight of their survival gear or back pack. Although it might not seem like much weight, when your packing around gear of this sort a LOT of thought goes into keeping your pack as light as possible and every little bit counts. If the marks really bother you just stone them out and clean up the spine when you get home.