- Joined
- Jul 31, 2002
- Messages
- 2,954
No, I'm not a troll. I'm not new to knives. I'm serious. If you will kindly read how I broke my Bowie knife posted on the general discussion forum, you should understand where I'm coming from. You'll also notice I said "survive" after hitting steel. I don't expect zero damage, and I will never intentionally chop steel with it.
Now, having got all the unpleasantness out of the way, what will it take? Here's the requirements: 22-24 inches long overall, Sheffield style clip point Bowie blade. It will be quick and light for its size, convex edged, sharpened false edge over half its length. It will mostly be used for slashing/chopping, but must retain a slender enough point for occasional stabbing. I plan on grinding the blade out myself from bar stock, and finding a highly qualified smith to differentially heat treat it. I will use whatever steel he feels most comfortable working with, as I realize the heat treatment is the most important part. Just so it's at least a decent high carbon steel.
The real areas where I need advice are: Can anyone recommend a heat treater? Can I make the edge thin enough for efficient coon killing, yet be strong enough to survive nasty steel bars and concrete floors? I found out the hard way that stainless steel can't take it. (as several people have said in the past) How hard can I go with the edge? I really don't want to go below 57 Rc if possible, because I've found that below that, edge damage actually gets worse from things like concrete. I do know for a fact that what I'm asking is possible, I'm just not completely sure how to accomplish it.
Now, having got all the unpleasantness out of the way, what will it take? Here's the requirements: 22-24 inches long overall, Sheffield style clip point Bowie blade. It will be quick and light for its size, convex edged, sharpened false edge over half its length. It will mostly be used for slashing/chopping, but must retain a slender enough point for occasional stabbing. I plan on grinding the blade out myself from bar stock, and finding a highly qualified smith to differentially heat treat it. I will use whatever steel he feels most comfortable working with, as I realize the heat treatment is the most important part. Just so it's at least a decent high carbon steel.
The real areas where I need advice are: Can anyone recommend a heat treater? Can I make the edge thin enough for efficient coon killing, yet be strong enough to survive nasty steel bars and concrete floors? I found out the hard way that stainless steel can't take it. (as several people have said in the past) How hard can I go with the edge? I really don't want to go below 57 Rc if possible, because I've found that below that, edge damage actually gets worse from things like concrete. I do know for a fact that what I'm asking is possible, I'm just not completely sure how to accomplish it.