Technicals:

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Here's where you can post Tech info and questions about Knife/Axe/Sword:

Nomenclature,
Metallurgy,
Blade Styles and Grinds,
Scale Materials,
Design and Concepts,
Any other Related Data.

Here is a very simple breakdown of the names of the Parts of a Fixed Blade Knife:




pocket knives: a brief lesson

 

[enbloc]

Nice Intro to Blade Steels can be found here:
Guide to the Best Knife Steel | Knife Informer

 

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More great Info from Knife Informer can be found here:
Knife Informer - In search of the Best Pocket Knife

 

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Detailed Discussion on Knife Sharpening Angles

Advice and Theory on Sharpening Angles for Knives
We have found that many customers really want to know more about selecting the angle for their knife. In this article we will discuss in more detail why you may want to choose one angle over another.

Before getting into the detail, we’d like to make it clear how we talk about the angles on a knife. Most knives have a bevel on both sides. When we tell someone that they should put a 20 degree angle on a knife, we mean that they should sharpen each side to 20 degrees. This creates a total angle of 40 degrees. So when we’re talking about the angle on your knife, we’re talking about the angle at which you hold the knife to your stone.

There are special cases where the total angle of the knife is not double the angle that you sharpen each side of your knife. Some traditional Asian knives are only beveled on one side. In this example, one side may be sharpened to 20 degrees while the other side is at 0 degrees for a total angle of 20. However, in practice, we have found that the vast majority of Asian knives sold in the United States are not single bevel but rather traditional knives with a bevel on both sides. If you’re not sure, it is generally safe to assume that your knife has a bevel on both sides. Asian knives do typically have a slightly lower angle and both sides are sharpened to roughly 17 degrees.

Choosing an angle to sharpen your knife is essentially a compromise between the sharpness and the durability of an edge. The most important factor when determining the angle comes down to how you will be using your knife. Will you be shaving your face, filleting a fish, cutting vegetables, carving or chopping wood? From these examples, it is easy to see how each case requires a different edge.

 

[enbloc]

How to Care for your Spring Assist Knife
October 2, 2012 James

My blade sticks; it doesn’t open as smoothly or as quick as it use to.

My knife is starting to rust; I thought my knife was made out of stainless steel…what a piece of [fill in blank]!

My blade can’t slice through anything anymore; is it time for a new knife?

I just spent $$$ on my knife and I want to keep it nice: what do i do?

Above are possible scenarios on why you are reading this post: You need to know how to take care of knife and to take care of it well. Proper maintenance and care of your knife will lead to many years of good reliable cutting and slicing. Your [enter amount] investment should last you for as long as you take care of your knife. Keep in mind a cheaply made knife will eventually (whether immediately or soon) fall apart if put under rigorous use.

There are five easy steps for proper care and maintenance. How frequently you need to maintain your knife depends on how often and how hard you use your knife. Follow these steps regularly and you will enjoy using your knife for a long time.

1. Keep your knife dry.

• The blade (especially the edge) and metal parts of the knife can rust if exposed to .

2. Keep the pivot lubricated with a dry lubricant. Tuff Glide is a common dry lubricant used by knife manufacturers, retailers and consumers.

• With the knife closed put a drop of dry lubricant on either sides of the pivot.
• Open the blade, place a thin bead of dry lubricant on both sides of the knife along the pivot.

Work the lubricant into the pivot by opening and closing the knife.

3. Keep your handle lint and dirt free. Use canned air or Remmington’s Rem Oil to blow out the trapped dirt/lint.

4. Keep your blade sharp. A dull knife is a useless knife. A dull knife is also a dangerous knife. There are many different types of blade sharpeners. I recommend the Spyderco Sharpmaker. It’s easy to use; it can accommodate most knife lengths; and it’s a great value. Below are other knife sharpener options:

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5. Tighten the screws on your knife regularly. There are toolkits that specifically for knife screws: The Benchmade Folding Torx & Screwdriver Tool Kit with Knife Sharpener and the Harley Davidson Black Box Knife Service Kit offer the widest range of tool bits for your knives.

• Try Vibra-Tite VC-3 to minimize adjustments to your knife.
• If you don’t want to adjust your knife, you can buy Vibra-Tite Permanent Strength Threadlocker Gel or use a bit of nail polish to permenantly secure the screws in place. (Unscrew the screw, dab some nail polish on the threads near the tip of the screw, screw it back in and let dry.)

 

[drgrant]

Informative thread.... although at first when I saw the title I thought the thread was going to be about, like those trucks they use in Liberia and Somalia...

 

[enbloc]

Some great info from BUCK USA:

https://www.buckknives.com/about-knives/choosing-the-right-knife/

Pocket Knives

Pocket knives are still high on the list of favorites - great to carry in your pocket for all the times you might need a blade. The blades don't lock open, but that's not critical for their utilitarian use. When a non-locking blade is opened, generally a spring holds the blade in the open position. Typically, pocket knives are two-hand open/close and have nail notches to aid opening.

Blade Shapes
Another thing to consider when choosing a knife is the blade shape. What shape will work best for your needs? Below are the most common blade styles.

Drop Point
This blade is full bellied with a strong, thick point for heavier tasks. It can also be used as a general work knife. The top of the blade drops down toward the tip, which minimizes accidental puncturing while skinning. The drop point blade is strong and very versatile.

Modified Tanto
Holding many of same features as the regular tanto blade, the angled point is modified between the front edge and the bottom edge on this particular blade. Holds up to piercing, scraping, and prying with tough materials.

Tanto
Very strong for heavy duty use. Holds up to piercing, scraping and prying with tough materials. Many tactical knives utilize this blade shape.

SKINNER
Best suited for skinning game. The tip is narrow, while the wide curved belly gives a nice skinning sweep that aids in getting through thick layers. The downward angled, more blunt point makes it harder to make an accidental slice through the hide.

Pen
This is a smaller version of the larger "spear point" blade. Pen blades are usually on pocket knives as a handy, all-purpose blade.

Coping
A narrow blade with a sharp, angular point, it is designed to be used for cutting in tight spots or curved patterns, much as you would with a coping saw, only without the teeth.

Clip
The crescent tip makes the blade thinner with a sharper point. This shape provides good control for detail work and cutting in tight places. It is also well suited for intentional punctures like new holes in your belt, etc. While the point of the blade is effective for detail work, it's not as strong as the thicker points on drop points and skinners.

Caping
Almost scalpel-like in shape, it has a mild drop point, with nearly a spear tip that is used for the delicate removal of the hide of the face of a trophy animal. The shape makes caping knives perfect choices for birds and small game. Caping knives tend to be slim and very light duty so they are not always a right choice if you only intend to carry a single knife.

Serrations
Serrations give your Buck blade greater cutting power. Especially useful when cutting line and/or cables.

Gut Hook
For great performance when field dressing game, a gut or skinning hook is an ideal tool. We’ve paid careful attention to the angles on the sharpened edge, shape and size of the entry opening and location of the hook on the blade, making a Buck gut hook the best.

 

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CASE XX Knives. Interesting Data and Trivia for you Case Knife fans: SHCC Library

American Made Pocket Knives
Made in Bradford, PA
Owned By Zippo Manufacturing

Some of their pocket knives make great heirloom-quality gifts to pass down
to your kids to keep your memory alive...

Case Knives - Handcrafting pocket knives in the USA since 1889.

 

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[enbloc]

 

[drgrant]

Some great info from BUCK USA:

https://www.buckknives.com/about-knives/choosing-the-right-knife/

Pocket Knives

Pocket knives are still high on the list of favorites - great to carry in your pocket for all the times you might need a blade. The blades don't lock open, but that's not critical for their utilitarian use. When a non-locking blade is opened, generally a spring holds the blade in the open position. Typically, pocket knives are two-hand open/close and have nail notches to aid opening.

Blade Shapes
Another thing to consider when choosing a knife is the blade shape. What shape will work best for your needs? Below are the most common blade styles.

Drop Point
This blade is full bellied with a strong, thick point for heavier tasks. It can also be used as a general work knife. The top of the blade drops down toward the tip, which minimizes accidental puncturing while skinning. The drop point blade is strong and very versatile.

Modified Tanto
Holding many of same features as the regular tanto blade, the angled point is modified between the front edge and the bottom edge on this particular blade. Holds up to piercing, scraping, and prying with tough materials.

Tanto
Very strong for heavy duty use. Holds up to piercing, scraping and prying with tough materials. Many tactical knives utilize this blade shape.

SKINNER
Best suited for skinning game. The tip is narrow, while the wide curved belly gives a nice skinning sweep that aids in getting through thick layers. The downward angled, more blunt point makes it harder to make an accidental slice through the hide.

Pen
This is a smaller version of the larger "spear point" blade. Pen blades are usually on pocket knives as a handy, all-purpose blade.

Coping
A narrow blade with a sharp, angular point, it is designed to be used for cutting in tight spots or curved patterns, much as you would with a coping saw, only without the teeth.

Clip
The crescent tip makes the blade thinner with a sharper point. This shape provides good control for detail work and cutting in tight places. It is also well suited for intentional punctures like new holes in your belt, etc. While the point of the blade is effective for detail work, it's not as strong as the thicker points on drop points and skinners.

Caping
Almost scalpel-like in shape, it has a mild drop point, with nearly a spear tip that is used for the delicate removal of the hide of the face of a trophy animal. The shape makes caping knives perfect choices for birds and small game. Caping knives tend to be slim and very light duty so they are not always a right choice if you only intend to carry a single knife.

Serrations
Serrations give your Buck blade greater cutting power. Especially useful when cutting line and/or cables.

Gut Hook
For great performance when field dressing game, a gut or skinning hook is an ideal tool. We’ve paid careful attention to the angles on the sharpened edge, shape and size of the entry opening and location of the hook on the blade, making a Buck gut hook the best.

Was funny I only saw the bottom of your post at first and I knew this was BUCK because when I saw "Modified Tanto" im like "that's like my Buck CSAR-T, the only buck I own.... lmao".

 

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How do you like it Mike? Does it hold up to heavy work like it states?

 

[drgrant]

How do you like it Mike? Does it hold up to heavy work like it states?

Admittedly I haven't used it much, it was something I bought on a lark when I hit up the gun shows, Dave the knife guy from NH had it on his table and he gave me a decent deal on it at the
time; although the first thing I did with it, and it passed with flying colors, I was like "this point looks blunt but I bet I can still cut a soda can in half with it" and I did exactly that with it and it was still sharp
afterwards, its like D2 or some other hard ass steel. Basically when you pick up that knife it basically says "please cut something stupid with me, thats what I'm for". The grip on that thing is insane, your hands could be
covered with blood/grime/soap whatever you're not going to lose grip on that thing. Comes with a nice sheath. Mine is the fixed version (I think they actually make/made a folder of it at one point). I think the fixed point is blunter than the flipper, but dont let the blunt edge fool you, it can still "stab".

-Mike