Knife Anatomy



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  Steel Element Information

Carbon (C)

• Increases edge retention and raises tensile strength.
• Increases hardness and improves resistance to wear and abrasion.

Chromium (CR)

• Increases hardness, tensile strength, and toughness.
• Provides resistance to wear and corrosion.

Cobalt (CO)

• Increases strength and hardness, and permits quenching in higher temperatures.
• Intensifies the individual effects of other elements in more complex steels.

Copper (CU)

• Increases corrosion resistance.

Manganese (MN)

• Increases hardenability, wear resistance, and tensile strength.
• Deoxidizes and degasifies to remove oxygen from molten metal.
• In larger quantities, increases hardness and brittleness.

Molybdenum (MO)

• Increases strength, hardness, hardenability, and toughness.
• Improves machinability and resistance to corrosion.

Nickel (NI)

• Adds strength and toughness
.

Nitrogen (N)

• Used in place of carbon for the steel matrix. The Nitrogen atom will function in a similar manner to the carbon atom but offers unusual advantages in corrosion resistance.

Phosphorus (P)

• Improves strength, machinability, and hardness.
• Creates brittleness in high concentrations.

Silicon (SI)

• Increases strength.
• Deoxidizes and degasifies to remove oxygen from molten metal.

Sulfur (S)

• Improves machinability when added in minute quantities.

Tungsten (W)

• Adds strength, toughness, and improves hardenability.

Vanadium (V)

• Increases strength, wear resistance, and increases toughness.

Steel Production And Properties The following provides a very brief overview of steel treatment and properties:

By definition, steel is a combination of iron and no more that 2% carbon. Steel is alloyed with various other elements that combine to produce special properties. Once a particular alloy¹ combination (or steel type) is selected, specific procedures are used to maximize the unique qualities required for that steel to perform. Generally speaking, the process for converting a steel alloy into a premium knife steel is theat reating².

Heat treatment is the most important stage in the evolution of an alloy into a performance knife steel. The first step in the heat treatment process is to reach a critical temperature.³ This temperature is held for a specific amount of time (depending on the steel being hardened) and causes the steel to become austenetized.⁴ Heat treatment is one of the many factors that determines the grain size⁵ of the steel (a fine grain structure is more desireable for knife blades because it improves edge retention and enhances blade finish).

Next, the steel is quenched⁶ to achieve its maximum level of hardness.⁷ At this point, the steel is too hard and brittle for practical use and thus tempering⁸ is of key importance in bringing the steel to its ideal hardness level (different knife steels perform best at different levels of hardness). Tempering also increases wear resistance and toughness⁹ properties. When tempering, it is important to understand the interaction between hardness and toughness. An increase in yield strength¹⁰ and tensile strength¹¹ and a decrease in impact strength¹² and ductility.¹³ An increase in toughness is usually accompanied by the opposite effect (i.e. an increase in toughness and ductility and a decrease in yield strength and tensile strength). Therefore, high-impact knifes such as swords and machetes would benefit from a softer blade (to avoid blade breakage), while low-impact knifes such as pocket knifes may benefit from a harder blade (to improve wear resistance). Once tempering is complete, the final hardness of the steel can be determined using a Rockwell Test.¹⁴

For more detailed information of the above processes and properties, we recommend the following references that were used to compile this information: Metallurgy Fundamentals by D.A. Brandt (published by Goodheart-Wilcox) and Heat Treaters Guide by P.M. Unterweiser (published by ASM).

1. Alloy
   • A material that is dissolved in another metal in a solid solution; a material that results when two or more elements combine in a solid solution.
2. Austenetized
   • The basic steel structure state in which an alloying is uniformly dissolved into iron.
3. Critical Temperature
   • The temperature at which steel changes its structure to austenite in preparation for hardening.
4. Ductility
   • The tendency of a material to stretch or plastically deform appreciably before fracturing.
5. Grain Size
   • The physical size of the austenite grains during austenizing. The actual size can vary due to thermal, time and forging considerations.
6. Hardness
   • The resistance of a steel to deformation or penetration analogous to strength.
7. Heat Treating
   • Heating and cooling metal to prescribed temperature and the limits for the purpose of changing the properties and behavior of the metal.
8. Impact Strength
   • The ability of a material to resist cracking due to a sudden force.
9. Quenched Rapidly cooled from the critical temperature using water, oil, air or other means.
10. Rockwell Test
    • A measurement of steel hardness based on the depth of penetration of a small diamond cone pressed into the steel under a constant load.
11. Tempering
    • Reheating to a lower temperature after quenching for the purpose of slightly softening the steel, precipitating carbides, stress relieving.
12. Tensile Strength
    • Indicated by the force at which a material breaks due to stretching.
13. Toughness
    • The ability of a material to resist shock or impact.
14. Yield Strength
    • The point at which a steel becomes permanently deformed; the point at which the linear relationship of stress to strain changes on a Stress/Strain curve.

 

Tactical Folding KnivesAdvance your self-defense skills to a new level by learning personal hand-to-hand combat with tactical folding knives. Tactical folding knives are specifically designed and manufactured for self-defense. The blade folds back into the handle and can be opened quickly using one hand with a thumb stud. Folding tactical knives also include blade locks to prevent the blade from accidentally closing and harming the owner.

Modern Features Of Tactical Folding Knives
Tactical folding knives, also known as lock backs, or liner locks have a couple of modern features that have become popular since the late 80's to early 90's. A modern feature that many people enjoy is the thumb stud in the blade that makes it easier to push the knife open with the thumb. Pocket clips also have become quite popular for tactical folding knives due to the quick access they allow if needed in an emergency.

Sharpening Tactical Folding Knives
You can sharpen tactical folding knives by holding them at 22 degrees for a sharp knife or 12-15 degrees for a very sharp knife. The type of sharpening stone used can also affect the sharpness of the blade. Many prefer to use a clamp-style system that has pre-defined angles to ensure accurate sharpening.

Traditional stones can be used to sharpen tactical folding knives and they are known as Arkansas stones, which come in soft (coarse) and hard (fine) varieties. Some prefer to use ceramic stones due to the fact that they do not wear like natural stones and they do not require oil like the Arkansas stone does.

When sharpening tactical folding knives you may require oil to lift the metal dust off of the stone. Ceramic stones do not require oil as they can be cleaned with detergent.

When you are done sharpening a tactical folding knife you may want to use a technique called "stropping." This is performed with a leather strap that has abrasive compounds in it. This can be used on a tactical folding knife that is still sharp, but not as sharp as it once was.

DMT Sharpening SurfacesInterrupted diamond surfaces
These products carry signature polka-dot pattern surfaces. The polka dots are slightly recessed so that during sharpening the metal fines (known as swarf) and small amount of material that is being removed will fall into the polka dots and remain out of the way of the sharpening surface keeping the sharpening surface performing.

Continuous diamond surfaces
Continuous diamond surface sharpeners are preferred when sharpening small-pointed tools and can be used for knife and tool sharpening, honing and deburring as well. On an interrupted surface the point of a small tool may get caught in a recess and damage the surface of the sharpener. It is recommended that you use a continuous diamond or ceramic surface for these types of tools.

Ceramic surface
Ceramic Diamond Shrpeners are the latest innovation and are the perfect compliment to your assortment of sharpening tools. The patented CeraFuse™ process transfoms the surface of aluminum to an extremely hard dense aluminum oxide that has the same properties of solid ceramic materials. With a finer grit than the bonded diamond products, they are unbreakable, wear resistant, light and non-porous. The ceramic sharpeners are the next step to achieving a polished edge.

What Is A Diamond Sharpening Stone?Diamond sharpening stones are sharpening stones coated in micro-diamonds. What's inside the "stone" isn't necessarily a chunk of rock. It could be metal or a composite stone manufactured mechanically. Diamond is one of the hardest substances on Earth. By coating a stone in diamond powder, it ensures you'll be able to sharpen even the strongest blade, and the porous surface provides an escape route for filings that come off your blade. This keeps gunk from building up on the stone and hampering its effectiveness. DMT Sharpening Stones are some of the most popular of diamond sharpening stones.

How to choose your sharpening stone
There are several choices, but few as universally relied upon as the low-tech sharpening stone. Diamond stones which have a very fine grit, are used on knives that only need touched up. For duller blades, approach it much like you're using sandpaper on a block of wood: coarse-grit stones first (grits of 400 or less); then progressively finer ones (600 and above). For a serrated blade, you're going to need a cone-shaped taper sharpener which will be made of the same material as a regular stone. For big tools: sharpening pads. Some enthusiasts swear by using oil to sharpen their blades, others go with water, or – in a pinch – saliva.

Cold Steel Viking SwordThe typical Viking sword of the 9th and 10th centuries featured a long wide blade with a broad central fuller and two keen edges. The preferred stroke was a hard slash or chopping blow, so the point was fairly rounded but was just acute enough to be useful for thrusting. A simple guard with forward curving quillions was often utilized and combined with an equally utilitarian wooden handle that was covered with leather, bone, or even cast in brass.

The Viking Sword is so distinctively recognizable from its contemporaries was its heavy 5 lobed pommel used to balance the long blade.

Cold Steel's sword has features in common with its historical counterpart. It has a double edged blade, hand forged out of high carbon steel and then polished to a brilliant lustre. The wooden handle is covered in leather and is supported by a simple, elegant guard at one end and an equally handsome 5 lobed pommel at the other. Both guard and pommel feature traditional Celtic knot embellishments.

To house the keen double edge blade each of our swords is supplied with a wood scabbard covered in black leather and reinforced with a highly polished steel chape and throat.

Weight: 37.1 oz.
Blade Thickness: 15/64"
Blade Length: 30 1/4"
Handle: 6 5/8" long. Leather Wrapped
Steel: 1055 Carbon
Overall Length: 36 7/8"
Sheath: Leather/Wood Scabbard with Steel Fittings

 Instructions for sword care and sword safety.Many of our blades are made of high carbon steel and need care to keep them rust free. First of all, DO NOT LEAVE A STEEL BLADE IN A SHEATH FOR A PROLONGED PERIOD OF TIME OR IT WILL RUST. To keep a blade rust free, applying oil on the blade is the most popular practice today. There are two types of oil one can use: natural or synthetic. Natural oils like mineral oil, camellia and clove oils are very good. Silicone, which normally comes in a spray can is an excellent synthetic oil and we highly recommend it. To oil the blade, first clean it with cloth or a paper towel. Then apply the oil leaving only a thin film. This procedure should be repeated every 1 to 6 months depending on the storage area and humidity. A humid climate will require more frequent cleaning. Minimize touching the blade. Acids from the fingers etch carbon steel. For long term storage, keep or display your blade out of the leather sheath. For swords in wood scabbards, leave them inside to prevent the scabbard from warping. Wooden parts of the sword, such as the handle and the scabbard can be protected by lacquering, varnishing, or waxing. Furniture lemon oil is good for cleaning the wood. We recommend a professional knife sharpener to handle the sharpening of your sword BUT if you should desire to sharpen your sword yourself, you can accomplish that with a couple of files, a stone, and some hard work. First, establish the cutting bevel with the use of a coarse file. Since swords generally have stronger, more chisel-like edges than knives, your sword edge should be draw filed at an angle between 30 and 35 degrees. After the cutting bevel is established, go back over the edge with a fine file to remove the coarse file marks and make the edge much easier to achieve with a sharpening stone. Do NOT bang your sword against another sword in a theatrical-style duel. Do NOT bang your sword against any hard object to test its strength or the 'sound' of the steel as it hits a hard object. In fact, do NOT strike your sword against ANY object - unless you are a trained professional in the art of sword fighting. No matter how tough or strong the steel is in any sword, it will nick or break when struck against something equally hard or an a stronger force object. In stage plays of in movies, theatrical swords with wide, thick edges are used. The edges are flat and often as much as 1/16" wide. Such theatrical swords are designed to take the flashy looking punishment of banging edges together. Your sword is not a theatrical sword. Your sword is a real weapon, designed so that they could fight in the manner of the originals were actually used. Since the cutting edges could easily be sharpened and were often important for slashing, parries were made with the flat of the blade (not the edges) or were simply avoided altogether. Real swords were never used for the theatrical style of sword banging that the movies or stage plays rely on to liven up the action sequences. Do not attempt to cut down a tree with your sword. Such an activity is guaranteed to damage your sword. Axes and machetes are well designed for this with the weight of the steel concentrated over the point of percussion. When you strike a firmly fixed object like a tree or a thick branch with a sword, a great deal of the blade projects past the object being cut, causing the blade to bend or torque. It should be pointed out that the Japanese, who believe in a lot of practice with the sword, used thick bamboo. The bamboo was resistant to a cut, but didn't have the rigidity of a tree, and so wouldn't damage a valuable blade. For a Japanese warrior to cut into a tree would have been unthinkable. Do not swing any edged weapon carelessly. Remember this is a real weapon and must be treated with the same respect you would give to a loaded firearm. When you wish to experience how it felt for warriors to wield these weapons in battle, make sure you are well out of reach of anyone. These weapons are heavy and could slip out of your hands. Be careful not to endanger yourself or others when you manipulate these swords. Even an unsharpened sword can cause serious injury and if precaution is not used and easily break bone. In fighting with sword on sword, the opponents blade should be parried with the side of the blade. Edge to edge sword blows will nick both weapons no matter what the steel or temper. Also slapping with the side of the blade should be avoided as a very hard slap can break the blade. These simple truths go for not just our weapons but for any sword that was ever made and no doubt for any sword that ever will be made The simple care and maintenance of your swords and daggers will pay off for many years to come.

Multi-Tool ReviewWant to carry an entire array of tools with you at all times, without needing a tool box or tool belt to store them in? Multi-tools give you this ability. This tool category features folding needle nose pliers, with an array of extra tools that are stored in its handles. Larger than a Swiss Army knife, but with the same benefits, multi-tools give anyone the convenience of carrying an assortment of tools with them, without weighing down their pockets.

Leatherman Wave
When someone mentions a Leatherman tool, the image of a Swiss Army knife that has morphed into a toolbox comes to my mind. Tim Leatherman originated the tool category that we've come to know today as the multi-purpose tool. One of the top of the line Leatherman tools is the Wave model.

Made of 100% stainless steel, the Wave packs a lot of tools into a small package. Here's what you get:

Needle nose Pliers
Regular Pliers
Wire Cutters
Hard-Wire Cutters
Clip-Point Knife
Serrated Knife
Diamond-Coated File
Wood Saw
Scissors
Extra Small Screwdriver
Small Screwdriver
Medium Screwdriver
Large Screwdriver
Phillips Screwdriver
Can / Bottle Opener
Wire Stripper
Lanyard Attachment
Length: 4 in. / 10 cm closed, 6.25 in. / 16 cm open
Weight: 8 ounces / 224 grams

When closed, the Wave is a compact tool that can fit in a pocket, tool box or glove compartment. The included leather sheath protects the Wave from dirt and scratches. Four tools are accessible when the Wave is closed. The Clip-Point Knife, Serrated Knife, Diamond-Coated File, and Wood Saw can each open into a locked position which allows you to use the tools safely. The lock is located at the base of the blade and can be easily disengaged with the press of a finger.



The handles of the Wave fold open to reveal strong needle nose pliers and the rest of the tools hidden inside the handles. The handles have rolled edges which make them very comfortable to use while working.

At the base of each handle is a selection of screw driver tips, a pair of scissors and a bottle opener. Like the folding action, accessing the screw driver tips is easy and pretty much effortless. You don't have to worry about breaking a nail Each tool clicks into place when fully opened. The best and most comfortable way to use the individual tools, is to extend the tool, and then fold the Wave back into the closed position.



The Wave can be 'upgraded' with a Tool Adapter kit which is sold separately. This kit comes with a slide on 1/4" Hex Drive that has 3 locking positions. Included are 6 individual bits and a compact plastic storage case that can clip to your belt.



Gerber MP800
Leatherman isn't the only company in the multi-tool genre. Gerber carries a wide range of tools that they call Multi-Pliers. These tools actually have a few features that are missing in the Leatherman tools.

The MP800 has a chunky military look and feel to it. It has more curves than typical Leatherman style tools, and a gold / bronze finish instead of polished steel. The handles also have neoprene padding that is supposed to make them more comfortable during use. The only thing is that the padding isn't on the edges of the handles, but on the front and back surfaces. Surfaces, that your hands don't really come into much contact with...



Unlike the Wave tool reviewed above, the MP800's tools are all accessible while the handles are folded closed. The tools available include:

Knife blade
Scissors
Interchangeable saw blade
Phillips screwdriver
Small, medium, and large screwdrivers
Bottle opener
File
Length open: 6.625 inches, closed: 5.125 inches
Weight : 8.6 oz.


The MP800 opens smoothly to reveal needle nose pliers. In the open position, the outside edges of the handles are rounded and more solid, making them very comfortable to use.. Also, the pliers have a spring that allows them to spring open when you are not applying assure to them. This makes using the pliers very easy.



The jaws of the pliers have replaceable tungsten/cobalt carbide wire cutter inserts. Tungsten/cobalt is much harder than any stainless steel. These inserts can be rotated to a new edge with a Torx head wrench (included), when one edge becomes worn. To protect the tool, a ballistic nylon belt case is also included. The MP800 is well made, and sufficiently rugged.

Victorinox SwissTool X
The folks who invented popular Swiss Army multi-bladed pocket knife, have their own line of multi-tools. The SwissTool X from Victorinox s made of 100% polished stainless steel. It's the longest and heaviest of the tools reviewed here. It also has the most blades and screw driver tips.



The tips included are:

Pliers
Screwdriver (2mm)
Screwdriver (3mm)
Wire cutter (for wire up to a hardness of 40 hrc)
Screwdriver (5mm)
Bottle opener
Screwdriver (7.5 mm)
Large blade
Scissors
Metal file
Metal saw
Wood saw
Reamer/punch
Phillips screwdriver
Chisel/scraper
Strong crate opener
Wire bender
Wire stripper
Wire scraper
Wire crimper
Can opener
Ruler (9 inches)
Ruler (230mm)
Hard wire cutter
Lanyard hole
Length: 4.5 inches closed, 6.75 inches open
Weight: 280 gram, 9.9oz

Every blade opens with a click and also closes with a click. Even when you fold the handles into their closed position, they click into place. It really gives this multi-tool a quality feeling. To close the blades/tips, you have to slide down a spring loaded pad at the base of the handle.



To protect the SwissTool X, a nice ballistic nylon belt case is included. The SwissTool X is a tool that anyone would appreciate. It's built to work and last for a long time.

Summary
These are all great tools. If you want the most expandable and compact tool, go with the Leatherman Wave and the Tool Adapter kit. If you want the most comfortable pliers, go with the Gerber. Lastly, if you want the most built-in blades and screwdrivers, go with the SwissTool X.

 

 

 

 

 

 

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