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Old 02-18-2014, 04:38 PM
Ed Tipton Ed Tipton is offline
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Join Date: Apr 2009
Posts: 352
I am an associate member of the ABS. Although I consider myself a member, I have no intention of ever trying to obtain either a JS or MS certification. I belong for the same reason I belong to this forum. I am here because I enjoy the writings of many people and believe that there is much knowledge to be found here.
Although I do occasionally sell a knife, I indulge in this hobby because it is rewarding and I get a sense of satisfaction from being able to do something reasonably well that many others only dream of doing.
In the real world, there is absolutely no need for a knife that will survive a 90 degree bend test. As WBE stated, that test is a means of determining that the maker has achieved control of ... and understands his process. The ABS members do not make every knife to those standards, nor is there a reason to do so. It is enough to know that they can produce such a blade upon demand if need be, but it was never intended to be a standard by which all knives are judged.
I am the final judge of my knives. If I make something that is appreciated by others, then so much the better... but that is not necessary for me to have enjoyed the making of it. My own standards are probably more stringent than some artificial "standard" that some person or group has, it's just that my own standards are not published or recognized by anyone else.
I test my knives periodically to ensure they are meeting my personal standards. I am confident that all of my more recent knives are of good quality, will perform in the intended manner, and will hold up to everyday use.
One more side-note. It is not necessary to make a knife through all stages to do testing on it. Whenever you receive a new batch of steel, take one sacrificial bar or piece of a bar and run it through your heat treatment cycle including both the hardening and tempering phases. If it responds as expected, then you have some assurance that the batch is of similar quality as what you were using previously. If you are trying a new steel for the first time, you should probably test it more often until you gain confidence that the new steel is responding correctly. If you are using "mystery metal", it is advisable to test every piece since you really don't know what you're working with.

Last edited by Ed Tipton; 02-19-2014 at 04:57 AM.
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