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Ed Caffrey's Workshop Talk to Ed Caffrey ... The Montana Bladesmith! Tips, tricks and more from an ABS Mastersmith. |
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#1
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"JS" performance test knife
Dear Ed., I'm preparing to take my "JS" performance test, and I have a question on the "finish". I have a bad habit of not leaving enough "sacrificial" metal on my knives and forging them too close to the finished thickness. Should I try to grind out the last dark spots on the blade, or will it just fall under "cosmetic" finish and not matter? On the ABS site under "testing" it says that no special handle or finish is required,, I bend the knife in the back ground and it passed great, even with the "low" spots. Both knives are made from the same material and same methods used. What do you think,,, should I clean up the finish any better, or does it matter? Thanks!! -----Jon
Last edited by jonwelder; 07-02-2008 at 10:01 PM. |
#2
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As you mentioned, the finish is unimportant for the performance test. As long as the blemishes won't contribute to a mechanical failure of the knife during the test, I would say its OK. I say that, along with the following:
During the time I'm been administering the JS and MS tests, I've noticed that those individuals who have taken the time and effort to "finish out" their performance test knife, are the ones who have also taken the time/effort to create a blade that easily passes the test. On the other hand those who have shown up for the test with a knife that was "rough" have often experienced difficulty in passing, or have just flat out failed the performance test. Most of the time I have successfully predicted the outcome of a performance test when I first looked at the individual's test blade. If the test knife exhibits good fit and finish, it a safe bet that they took the time and effort to get the heat treating, edge geometry, and the other aspects to pass the test, correct. Its certainly not required (by the rules) to have a nice fit and finish on a performance test knife, but doing so says something about the individual in the eyes of the MS conducting the test. __________________ WWW.CAFFREYKNIVES.NET Caffreyknives@gmail.com "Every CHOICE has a CONSEQUENCE, and all your CONSEQUENCES are a result of your CHOICES." |
#3
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How well did it perform in the shaving-cutting-chopping-shaving portions of the performance Test?
__________________ Blade Show Table 8-Q What do you do when you see your ex in pain, limping and bleeding? Relax. Take a deep breath. Reload and then shoot again. http://www.andersenforge.com/ |
#4
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cutting
Dear KBAKnife,, I've done the rope cut with several different knives I have made, one cut great, first whack, right through! Another knife never did get through. I figured out what I did wrong, and on this knife made the correction. When I chopped the rope, the blade did not even slow down! I thought it was a fluke, so I did it again, same result! Very impressive! I demo my knives by chopping all kinds of wood, so I'm not worried about that part. I've always done every knife's heat treat and temper the same, with differential quench, as Ed teaches. This is the first time I ever bent one to 90!!!
I'll probably go ahead and make another test knife, and this time keep it thicker so I get out all the blemishes. After all, I'll only make and test this knife once! ------Jon |
#5
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Cool.
Sounds like you've got it surrounded. __________________ Blade Show Table 8-Q What do you do when you see your ex in pain, limping and bleeding? Relax. Take a deep breath. Reload and then shoot again. http://www.andersenforge.com/ |
Tags |
blade, forging, knife, knives |
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