The "Ask Nathan a Question" Thread

ronnie hood said:
Which one do you prefer?
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The HDFK is somewhat thinner stock which creates a larger flat above the primary which lends itself to a fuller which allows more aggressive weight removal in the tang which makes for a nice light well balanced tool. It also has a well thought out finger choil. It's finely tuned and refined, which I like. Refined is a good word for it. An excellent example of synergy in the collaboration between Lorien and myself, it's a fantastic piece. That said, I really like the SDFK because it begs me to smash shit with it which is fun. Obviously the HDFK is the better choice for a camping trip but I'm not on a camping trip and if I were I'd take an FK2 and my Behemoth because I don't need a one-knife-solution. But that's just me.

The HDFK is possibly the best one-size-fits-all knife solution that we have ever produced. It's truly fantastic. The SDFK is merely cool.

20 ga bird gun vs 12 ga. They blow the shit out of stuff but the 20 is more gentlemanly?

IDK. I'm enjoying the SDFK quite a lot honestly.
 
ronnie hood said:
Do I recall the handles being interchangeable?
But if you did that would you block off the lanyard hole on the HDFK and just technically end up with the recess on the sdfk?
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They're not the same but they are interchangeable. The HDFK is more for extended use as a tool where the SDFK lays a little flatter.

Why? A number of reasons including weight distribution the SDFK needs a solid butt and could probably be improved with a pommel. But mostly, this started life as a basic series for Amazon. The cutout in the scale for the hidden lanyard wasn't used by most users and removing it cut out a setup and an operation to machine that undercut on the scale (which most folks didn't use). This was a basic knife.
 
unwisefool said:
Maybe this is a stupid question, but how do you decide on the heat treat for a new steel such as magnacut? Do you take the standard protocol and start tweaking it or just come up with your own from scratch? Sorry if this has been answered before.
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You always want to do some standards in the industry standard variations and also look at some commercial examples such as quality work from places like Spyderco for example to use as comparative cut standards. But yes, you will sometimes experiment with non standard variants such as utilizing a low temp tweak on a steel that normally runs with the secondary hardening hump.

It is an iterative process and some elements have interactions between variables. For example, a high vanadium steel that is designed to form a lath martensite can be forced into a plate martensite by austinitizing at a higher range and stealing some carbon from those vanadium carbides and putting it into martensite. This will develop a mix of lath and plate which gives a bit more of a crisp edge but this approach tends to stabilize more retained austinite (which will work against you if you're looking for a crisp edge) which must be addressed with quench speed and depth in ways you would never be able to use in tool and die work but will work in sections seen in knife blades. But you can't do one without the other, and you would not be able to do either very well in a conventional application, but this is a fringe use.

Knives are a special use case because we do not care about part growth from a highly carbon saturated martensite, and we do care about the edge stability of a very narrow section not normally seen in tool and die applications. And, in a tool and die application it is expected a tool will wear out over time but not fail from fractures, whereas edge loss is as much to do with the chipping or rolling of the edge as it is to do with abrasive wear. Meaning the failure mode in a knife edge is not typical in tool and die. Which is why we look at variations for knife work.
 
Nathan the Machinist said:
You always want to do some standards in the industry standard variations and also look at some commercial examples such as quality work from places like Spyderco for example to use as comparative cut standards. But yes, you will sometimes experiment with non standard variants such as utilizing a low temp tweak on a steel that normally runs with the secondary hardening hump.

It is an iterative process and some elements have interactions between variables. For example, a high vanadium steel that is designed to form a lath martensite can be forced into a plate martensite by austinitizing at a higher range and stealing some carbon from those vanadium carbides and putting it into martensite. This will develop a mix of lath and plate which gives a bit more of a crisp edge but this approach tends to stabilize more retained austinite (which will work against you if you're looking for a crisp edge) which must be addressed with quench speed and depth in ways you would never be able to use in tool and die work but will work in sections seen in knife blades. But you can't do one without the other, and you would not be able to do either very well in a conventional application, but this is a fringe use.

Knives are a special use case because we do not care about part growth from a highly carbon saturated martensite, and we do care about the edge stability of a very narrow section not normally seen in tool and die applications. And, in a tool and die application it is expected a tool will wear out over time but not fail from fractures, whereas edge loss is as much to do with the chipping or rolling of the edge as it is to do with abrasive wear. Meaning the failure mode in a knife edge is not typical in tool and die. Which is why we look at variations for knife work.
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Makes sense. I kind of do the same thing in the kitchen. Was making some Ghirardelli brownies and was like "let's see what an extra egg and mint chips will do" and, not to disrespect your work, but it was basically the greatest thing ever.
 
tinfoil hat timmy said:
it doesnt matter how many he has....
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Well, I think the aim should be for a sale that lasts at least a minute.

The first plain-Jane SDFK sale saw around 75 takers within the first minute, so that might be a guide (although it could be a big underestimate if the volume was causing the site to run slow). Certainly sales of 10 or 20 a time will only work for folks with super fast internet (unlike those of us working from their apartment in the uplands of East Africa).
 
steelcitysixteen said:
These are illegal to carry in our great state of NC, correct? :(
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Certainly cannot be carried concealed according to the nebulous code...(unless you meet the exemptions).

Unconcealed would be a stronger case for being legal if not being carried to alarm or terrorize the public. So, what you are doing and how you are doing it would enter into the equation.

And you can carry what you want in your own home or on your own property.

§ 14-269 Carrying Concealed Weapons​

Section 14-269 pertains to the general carry of weapons in North Carolina. It is found in Title 14 (Criminal Law) – Article 35 – Offences Against the Public Peace. § 14-269 consists of 4 sub-parts, – (a) through (d).

Subpart (a) of § 14-269 describes the knives and other non-firearm weapons that may not be carried in a concealed manner. It provides:

It shall be unlawful for any person willfully and intentionally to carry concealed about his or her person any bowie knife, dirk, dagger, slung shot, loaded cane, metallic knuckles, razor, shuriken, stun gun, or other deadly weapon of like kind, except when the person is on the person’s own premises.
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Statutory definitions are not provided for the enumerated knives, namely, “bowie knife,” “dirk,” “dagger,” or “razor.” The appellate courts in North Carolina have not construed limits to the meaning of the listed types since the original statute was enacted in 1879, which included the same four enumerated knives. AKTI suggests that “bowie knife” and “dirk” are neither generally understood nor susceptible to a reasonable definition.
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