Ways to test blade performance.

The brass rod test is used to test the heat treatment of a blade A well HT blade's edge will flex like flowing water. Look at it underneath magnification and watch the edge roll.
If you want to test the geometry of a blade, do the rope cutting or two by four chop.
If you want to test for longevity of the edge, cut jute or sisal rope of about 3/4 inch thickness. Count the number of cuts where the blade will cut cleanly. This will give you a good idea of the longevity of an edge.
All three are useful in different ways, Fred
 
Fred.Rowe said:
The brass rod test is used to test the heat treatment of a blade A well HT blade's edge will flex like flowing water. Look at it underneath magnification and watch the edge roll.
If you want to test the geometry of a blade, do the rope cutting or two by four chop.
If you want to test for longevity of the edge, cut jute or sisal rope of about 3/4 inch thickness. Count the number of cuts where the blade will cut cleanly. This will give you a good idea of the longevity of an edge.
All three are useful in different ways, Fred
Click to expand...
Thanks.

I'm looking to get some rope sometime soon, so I can have that too to test the edge retention. I'm hoping between these 3 it's going to give me some kind of way of controlled testing without spending literal thousands on my own catra tester, and HRC tester.

That's the main concern, I've sharpened other people's blades for money a lot longer than I've made knives, and I've seen the aftermath of what people do to their blades. Reviews, and customers saying how the knife performs does tell you something.

However. I want to be able to have, at least something I can trust. Even if some don't see the value in a chopping test (for a blade not ment to chop), or an edge retention test, or something that doesn't need to have super high edge retention. I do. Like that 10v knife. It showed me I can easily afford to take the blade even thinner than I already am, because this blade isn't expected to see any impacts like that, and it shouldn't see any problems from that.
 
I have been thinking more about this. If one is concerned with testing to make sure heat treat is decent the easiest and most obvious test is Rockwell from a legit tester.
 
I would love to be able to afford a rockwell tester. I can't though. I would love a catra tester, and something for toughness, as well as a way to take micrographs. I just am not able to yet.

I suppose, just heat treat isn't exactly what I'm wanting to test after thinking about it more. I guess it's just testing the blade in general. How long will it hold an edge, will the blade fail under reasonable, and unreasonable use cases, if it fails what is the mode of failure? Which does test the heat treat, but it's also testing geometry, and how those both interact with the chemistry of the chosen alloy of steel the blade is made of.
 
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