How To What If There's A Lie On Steel?

ScooterG said:
Lick it and you can learn to tell by the taste. I think there’s a guide on YouTube.

If it’s a Bark River, just pray.
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This is how I test all of mine. Just don't do it with the tasty super steels if you are hungry, I tried it once and ended up chipping one of my edges when I tried to take a bite out of it.
 
What's the knife in question your having an issue believing?

Talk to Niagara Specialty Metals Inc and see if you can send it to them for analysis. They will tell you what you need to know.
 
Blues Bender said:
Years ago when Kizer was just starting out, I contacted a distributer and asked if S35VN was in fact being exported to China, and more specifically to Kizer. I was told yes to both questions. I was also told that many other US made steels were being exported to China as well.

Edit: I think it actually may have been Crucible themselves that told me this. It was a long time ago.
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I remember the thread, remember posting how surprised/impressed I was that Crucible replied quickly and directly to such a question and have not since doubted the steel-claims of the better reputed Chinese companies. :thumbsup:

Regarding avoiding screw-ups with steel type in the same model, most fixed-blade manufacturers indelibly mark each blade tang during or after cutting to indicate steel type, e.g. a drilled hole or divot or a change in the tang cut-out pattern, something that cannot be ground away or missed during subsequent processes until it is engraved. It would need to be there prior to HT because the optimum HT protocol will NOT always be the same from one steel type to the next. For those doing laser-engraving with steel type, this is usually done before attaching a handle so that the blank can lay flat on the engraving table, thus any mark in the tang indicating steel-type is visible.
Regarding BRKT, they buy the stock material, send it to the contractor for blank-cutting, send it to a contractor for bevel cutting, send it to the HT contractor, then it comes to the shop where they attach handle scales and then "convex grind" post-HT, and finally they engrave it with brand and steel-type. If they DO mark the tang at all, it should be visible to the HT contractor but is hidden long before they engrave it. Whether or not a 'trained' grinder can tell the difference between 3V and A2 and CPM20CV on a big belt as he is finishing the knife, they definitely mis-labelled a number of knives and it was a sufficiently large number that multiple occurrences wound up being reported on the internet (compared to however many go unreported or completely undiscovered, given how many non-posting customers they probably have). Hopefully they have adjusted their protocols to avoid this in the future...
 
Interesting thread. I do ask myself the same question as soon as I purchase something from low profile maker/brand.
 
bearfacedkiller said:
I just hope that in those Bark River incidents that the mixup was made after heat treatment and not before. That would turn a whoops into a WHOOPS. Heat treat protocols are not usually interchangeable.
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It definitely happened AFTER heat treat sonce they left the shop like that. If they knew before heattreat they would have relabled them.
 
Mo2 said:
What's the knife in question your having an issue believing?

Talk to Niagara Specialty Metals Inc and see if you can send it to them for analysis. They will tell you what you need to know.
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Make sure to talk to Niagara Spec. Metals, and not Nigeria Spec. Metals. Unless you want to send me 500$ so I can bail this Nigerian prince out of jail and he can give me $12 million.
 
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skyhorse said:
That sucks, I'd ask for a replacement myself. How do you like the Bravo1 ?
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I really like the Bravo-1. It's my go-to for a knife that size. I like the Woodland Special too. The mystery metal holds an edge well and the mismatched scales are usable. They just look funky. I'll take some new photos and post them later. It looks like the new stuff is CNC machined to a point then finished. This one looks like it was done 100% by hand and by someone with little experience or in a hurry.

Bark river still makes nice stuff. I won't deny that. The Fox River model was on my short list and I still slow down to look at it. My issue is more the answer given by Mike and the fact that their wares now cost what a custom or a small batch can be had for.
 
Blues Bender said:
Years ago when Kizer was just starting out, I contacted a distributer and asked if S35VN was in fact being exported to China, and more specifically to Kizer. I was told yes to both questions. I was also told that many other US made steels were being exported to China as well.

Edit: I think it actually may have been Crucible themselves that told me this. It was a long time ago.
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Thanks. This is what I was asking. Does it also mean Takefu exported the VG10 to China for Kizer too?
 
Rupestris said:
I'll take some new photos and post them later. It looks like the new stuff is CNC machined to a point then finished.
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Last thing I read about their production model was that the only thing done in house were attaching the handles and the final convex edge grind on the already hardened blades. Everything else was done thru outside vendors.
But that was when they still had a presence at 'the other' forum.
I haven't had any desire to follow up on them for a number of years.

As for getting the steel that you think you're getting...
You pays your money and you takes your chances.
 
Rupestris said:
I really like the Bravo-1. It's my go-to for a knife that size. I like the Woodland Special too. The mystery metal holds an edge well and the mismatched scales are usable. They just look funky. I'll take some new photos and post them later. It looks like the new stuff is CNC machined to a point then finished. This one looks like it was done 100% by hand and by someone with little experience or in a hurry.

Bark river still makes nice stuff. I won't deny that. The Fox River model was on my short list and I still slow down to look at it. My issue is more the answer given by Mike and the fact that their wares now cost what a custom or a small batch can be had for.
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The only BRK, I own is a Bravo2 in A2. I get temped to get the Bravo1 or 1.25 but like you mentioned the prices are up into custom territory.
 
My favorite BKR is the Gunny Hunter which I have one in Elmax. I would buy it in 3V, Cru-Wear or Elmax maybe even in mystery metal (LOL) with the right handle scales combo. I also really like the Bravo 1 it was my main hunting blade I carried until I picked up the Gunny Hunter.

It’s funny I really wasn’t interested in the Gunny from pictures and videos online. That said when I put my hands on one it quickly became my favorite fixed blade. I may buy another Gunny or a Lion Steel M4 On Black Friday if I find a good deal.
 
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