What is Rc?

[Kendall Campbell]

I'm looking at a knife that say it has at Rc factor of 58-60. Without getting to techical, please, what does that mean. It is AST-34 which seems one of the best steels, but it would help me to know the rest of the story, so to speak. If anyone has links to detailed info, I would be happy to learn more

 

[george tichbourne]

The R stands for Rockwell the inventors of the hardness scale. There are a couple of scales in use with different numbering systems so the c is the scale designation in use. There for Rc stands for the Rockwell hardness scale "c".

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george
www.tichbourneknives.com
sales@tichbourneknives.com

 

[Raptor]

Here is another brief explanation for Rc.

--The Raptor--

[This message has been edited by Raptor (edited 04-26-2001).]

 

[Ron Andersen]

Hey Raptor,

For the lazy, I'll help out a bit more. Here is A.G. Russell's Knife Encyclopidia's definition:

<font face="Verdana, Arial" size="2">Rockwell Hardness
The C scale which is used for measuring the hardness of tool steels is measured by pressing a diamond a precisely measured
distance into the steel. These measurements can be understood throughout the World.</font>

I'd suggest, though, that those looking for knife definitions, go to A.G.'s site. Lot's of great info there!

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Ron Andersen
Consumer Services Manager
SOG Specialty Knives, Inc.

Website: www.sogknives.com
Email: ron@sogknives.com

 

[Walt Welch]

Here is how it works: Rc

Walt

[This message has been edited by Walt Welch (edited 04-26-2001).]

 

[Paracelsus]

This thread from a few months ago is informative: Higher RC = Better edge holding?

Paracelsus