Take down knives ??

RayseM

RayseM

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Are knives that are built to come apart likely to fail with regular use? I know that is a pretty broad question so let's say a 6" blade held in to its handle with a bone or bamboo pin (no other mechanical devices) being used as a camping knife - rain and other inclements - food prep and wood gathering - fire staring work and occasionally being dropped or otherwise being neglected.

If you take care of such a knife between use and don't disassemble it every other day - is it likely to serve a long life as any other well made knife? Do the pins need to be replaced or reconditioned periodically?

I guess if this construction was solid enough for a samurai's katana it is rugged enough for a camp knife but I still wonder about such a concept for a contemporary knife.

Thanks for sharing.

Ray
 
The Japanese katana, tachi, wakizashi and tanto have used bamboo pins (mekugi) for centuries to hold their swords together. Seems to work fine for them; of course they don't disassemble them every day or so.
Rich
 
Interesting question, but I don't see any advantage to be honest. A screw or bolt is much more positive and still allows dis-assembly if needed. But if I were to build one for whatever reason, I would surely use a brass or steel pin if at all possible.

Historically the Japanese did use such pins for sword handles, and clearly they must have worked satisfactorily for that purpose. Still, I can't help wonder how many fighters died due to sudden pin failure at the worst moment, you just don't hear about those guys.
 
Interesting question! Bamboo does soften when wet. Maybe they are treated with something to prevent this?
As for me, I am going to stick with full tang fixed blades with my removable handles fastened with steel hardware. Has not failed me yet!
Glued handles with brass, steel, or carbon fiber pins work fine too.
 
Blue Sky said:
Historically the Japanese did use such pins for sword handles, and clearly they must have worked satisfactorily for that purpose. Still, I can't help wonder how many fighters died due to sudden pin failure at the worst moment, you just don't hear about those guys.
Click to expand...
The only pin failure I can think of was the one on "The Walking Dead" where Michonne's katana came flying apart while fighting zombies. :DAt first, I thought the sword broke at the tang but later in the show, I saw that she just replaced the pin. Obviously, any wooden pin will wear down eventually, and from books and dvds on Japanese swordfighting, I remember they recommend examining the sword before every cutting session for damage and pin/handle looseness. After pinning and unpinning a number of times, they do become loose and you would have to replace the pin. None of my swords have a wooden pin, so other than what I've read, I don't have personal experience with wood pins.
 
Why DID they use a bamboo pin instead of a metal one? I mean, they wouldn't do it unless there was a specific reason for it. It's not like the Japanese weren't able to produce metal pins at that time.
 
The Japanese used bamboo mekugi because they were more flexible, thus lessening the vibrations and force transmitted to the tsuka and therefore less likely to brake the blade. More "give" to the blade/tsuka junction if you will. Yes, they replaced them frequently as did I when I was practicing Iaido. You don't want a 3 foot razor blade flying across the room :)

Rich
 
Thank you all. Good reading. I think the idea of keeping a few extra pins in your kit is good one :thumbsup:
Obvious too, now that you mention it :).

Ray
 
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