The thin line between use and abuse?

[Hacked]

Extend my reach if I have nothing else on hand.
Open split rings for crank baits.
Wrap fishing line around to use as a handle to try to free stuck baits.
Pry open small things like solid fuel cans and close with the handle.
Scrape stuck on food off the oven.*
Bore holes when needed.
Bend thin metal with the handle of a folder.
Use the spine as a screwdriver for flat heads on thiner blades if needed.

All I can think of at the moment wouldn't consider any of this abuse might add some character marks though.

 

[goodeyesniper]

My use is abuse. If the knife can't take it, then I've wasted my money.


**EDIT: Come to think of it, I used my CS Finn Wolf (fairly cheap knife) to open a can in an emergency. (The emergency being I was hungry and I left my P-38 in my bag.) I used it to pry the lid off when I'd cut it halfway, which was probably not the best idea, but I didn't see it as misuse of such an inexpensive knife. About 3/4 of an inch of the tip snapped right off. A file, cold water, and a rough stone, and I had a 3/4 of an inch shorter Finn Wolf. Works just fine now, but I know it's limits. It could have been a fault in the steel, though.

Opening a can with a knife aint remotely abuse, it is very hard use, that is guaranteed to dull it almost immediately, but not abuse. PRYING with the tip however is most certainly abuse. Doesn't matter if it's an "expensive knife", in fact, most cheaper knives are less likely to break when prying because they will have a more obtuse grind and softer steel. But the fact is that you are using something that is heat treated way too hard to take lateral stress like that, not too mention it's ground thin to cut well.

 

[zignal_zero]

Opening a can with a knife aint remotely abuse, it is very hard use, that is guaranteed to dull it almost immediately, but not abuse. PRYING with the tip however is most certainly abuse. Doesn't matter if it's an "expensive knife", in fact, most cheaper knives are less likely to break when prying because they will have a more obtuse grind and softer steel. But the fact is that you are using something that is heat treated way too hard to take lateral stress like that, not too mention it's ground thin to cut well.

This is pretty much where I'm at. You can see which way a knife blade was meant to be stressed, going the other way is abuse. Batoning? Why not! Prying? Well, can u do it edge wise? If so and it's a fixed blade, no problem.

I also use this rule of thumb - if it didn't end up with significant damage, I must not have been abusing it :-D

 

[TwinStick]

One mans use (mine) is another mans abuse. I beat the living snot out of mine, but do so in the best way possible. I baton w/mine on a regular basis. I once got my BK9-BK7 both stuck in the same piece of hardwood. I could not move them at all-even with the baton wood. So i used my BK2 & (not wanting to let the blades touch while batoning) batoned it point first by striking the pommel extention of the handle. Once i got it in where i wanted it, i then batoned as carefully as i could on top of the handle (full width, full/extended tangs ROCK !) & then it finally split. My campground neighbor came over & asked WTF was i doing, so i explained it to him. I feel batoning w/large HD knife is far safer than swinging a razor sharp axe, at least with my axe skills. I have seen too many people hit thier foot/leg/hand for whatever reason. The ONE thing that i will not do, is throw my knives, unless someones life depends on it. It can cause micro cracks in even the best blades eventually. I use cheap throwers for that. The only BK2 that i have ever seen pictures of, that broke (1/4" thick 1095 CroVan) was broken by throwing it.

 

[zignal_zero]

One mans use (mine) is another mans abuse. I beat the living snot out of mine, but do so in the best way possible. I baton w/mine on a regular basis. I once got my BK9-BK7 both stuck in the same piece of hardwood. I could not move them at all-even with the baton wood. So i used my BK2 & (not wanting to let the blades touch while batoning) batoned it point first by striking the pommel extention of the handle. Once i got it in where i wanted it, i then batoned as carefully as i could on top of the handle (full width, full/extended tangs ROCK !) & then it finally split. My campground neighbor came over & asked WTF was i doing, so i explained it to him. I feel batoning w/large HD knife is far safer than swinging a razor sharp axe, at least with my axe skills. I have seen too many people hit thier foot/leg/hand for whatever reason. The ONE thing that i will not do, is throw my knives, unless someones life depends on it. It can cause micro cracks in even the best blades eventually. I use cheap throwers for that. The only BK2 that i have ever seen pictures of, that broke (1/4" thick 1095 CroVan) was broken by throwing it.

i am 100% with ya, on that one. i truly believe that if a knife is not specifically designed for throwing you WILL eventually destroy it by throwing it

 

[ubet]

I throw mine into bales of hay sometimes....

My expensive folders, I dont make them cut metal, and dont use them as prybars.... right tool for the job type thing. And I keep a seriously sharp edge on them, and have them for a defensive purpose or if I get hung up somehow (I train horses, bad thing can happen fast). My fixed blade ESEEs though, I baton the shit out of them when I need to. Have beat my 5 through pelvis of deer and lamb, had to shave 3" off a corner of a gate post that was 6' tall with my 5, through nails and all, it never once hiccuped.

 

[Myal]

if its one I bought .. I treat it a hell of a lot gentler than if its one I made
My folders , very plain , opinel , okapi svord ... I keep razor sharp , and for regular work .. eating , skinning / cleaning , cutting string , usual every day stuff .

My fixed blades I make .. Ill mess around more with them ... flog on them with hammers as batons , cut sheet steel , pry with them , use them as screwdrivers at times ( wrecked a few screws tho ) I used to even loan them to people .. bloke next door borrowed one to cut up some meat ( he had no sharp knives ) .. he returned it most upset at the damage it did to his stainless steel sink he was cutting against ...

I use recycled all hard hss power hacksaw blades tho for blade stock ... or leaf springs for bigger knives . I see no point in settling for a good enough steel when there is steels that are seriously good that can be used just as easily .

 

[zignal_zero]

if its one I bought .. I treat it a hell of a lot gentler than if its one I made
My folders , very plain , opinel , okapi svord ... I keep razor sharp , and for regular work .. eating , skinning / cleaning , cutting string , usual every day stuff .

My fixed blades I make .. Ill mess around more with them ... flog on them with hammers as batons , cut sheet steel , pry with them , use them as screwdrivers at times ( wrecked a few screws tho ) I used to even loan them to people .. bloke next door borrowed one to cut up some meat ( he had no sharp knives ) .. he returned it most upset at the damage it did to his stainless steel sink he was cutting against ...

I use recycled all hard hss power hacksaw blades tho for blade stock ... or leaf springs for bigger knives . I see no point in settling for a good enough steel when there is steels that are seriously good that can be used just as easily .

ok, you have me very interested. if you ever have the time, how bout postin up some pix of these FB's you make. or email 'em to me 2munkeez@rock.com either way, i'd really like to see 'em. it sounds like you do good work

 

[archieblue]

Having a knife should remind you that you have a tool for use. There are a LOT of things you can use that tool for & there are tools you can MAKE or access with that tool. It can remind you that there are likely items around you that can be looked at a different way & used as tools. It helps to understand the weaknesses of your knife and use it appropriately or risk damaging it. A stellar warranty is nice, but it can still leave you knifeless for a month.

 

[kycolonel]

The distance between use and abuse is skill.

n2s

This, with a good dose of common sense. I've seen some really creative uses for a knife on these forums, and some really careless ones too. I'm only surprised when the latter abusive behavior is not met with " I knew that might happen..." but rather "there's something wrong with my knife/knifemaker".

 

[Myal]

ok, you have me very interested. if you ever have the time, how bout postin up some pix of these FB's you make. or email 'em to me 2munkeez@rock.com either way, i'd really like to see 'em. it sounds like you do good work

They are not flash gear , very simple knives .
I made this one for my bro ... he wanted one that would cut seatbelts , I gave him one that cuts cars .. he has used it several times to save lives of people stuck in cars .

Made this for a girl who likes to hike .

this one was just an early effort at a light weight one knife does all type knife , this was more about edge retention than how to make a stove .

There is others I have posted up before as well .