Magnificent MagnaCut

 

Crucible Powdered Metal’s MagnaCut steel is, perhaps the best performance steel on the market.  It is certainly the hottest!

Dr. Larrin Thomas, its inventor, thought there should be a steel that could be optimized to give small grain steel with tiny, supper hard carbides capable of reaching Rockwell 60+ hardness without brittleness and still be rust resistant.

I’ve taken a very short step in to metallurgy and perhaps the first thing you learn is you simply can’t throw elements into a pot and get a great outcome.  Metallurgy is complicated, heat treatment is a specialty, and you just don’t plunge a red-hot knife from the forge into oil and get a great outcome.

MagnaCut was the result of serious study and testing which culminated with a single hit or miss lot of steel.  Larrin got one bite at the apple and he was successful.  The story of its development is here: https://knifesteelnerds.com/2021/03/25/cpm-magnacut

One of Spyderco's MagnaCut folders: 

Let me be honest with you.  The article is written for steel nerds, people who enjoy technical data, like hard science fiction and enjoy reading about science.  I’m one of them.

The upshot is MagnaCut, due to its properties, when processed properly is an amazing steel.  The high-end knife makers jumped on it like white on rice.  This quickly worked its way down to EDC knives.

You can Google MagnaCut and any knife company and get a hit.

Here’s the formulation: Carbon 1.15%, Chromium 10.7%, Vanadium 4.00%, Molybdenum 2.00%, Niobium 2.00%, Nitrogen 0.20%.

Kershaw Launch 4 in MagnaCut

The amazing thing, all the chromium is available for corrosion resistance.  The  carbides are all vanadium and niobium.

We could talk about Charpy C-notch test, Edge Retention (CATRA Testing Relative to 440C), salt spray corrosion test, but you can find that yourself.  The important thing is to realize this steel helps makers use a better blade geometry for improved cutting while ensuring extended performance.  And while performance doesn’t come cheap, this steel is worth it!

Bestech's Swordfish in Magnacut

You’re going to see a lot of MagnaCut in the future.

Zombies

Zombies weren’t always so threatening.

It took a lot of work and juju to turn a person into a Zombie.  They mostly stood around until the Zombie master gave them commands.  Even then, they were primarily insistent; nothing stopped them from carrying out their instructions.  And they weren’t infectious.

In Piers Anthony's 'Castle Roogna', they were pretty nice people, had a lot of friends, fell in love, and did other ordinary things. 

The first record of zombies in literature goes to the English poet Robert Southey in 1819.  Later, Richard Matheson published  'I Am Legend' in 1954.  Sparked by that idea, George Romero directed 'Night of the Living Dead' in 1968, and zombies became insatiable, highly infectious, deadly creatures driven by a killing desire for brains.

Most of the TV shows and movies copied this idea.  It seems there is limited originality in the entertainment media.

We saw a shift in 2005.  Inspired by an old folk legend, Tim Burton produced ‘The Corpse Bride,' suitable for children and adults.  Later in 2019, 'iZombie', a comedy crime drama TV show, ran for several seasons.

MicroTech's ZombiTech

I'm not a Zombie fan, but I fell hard for Microtech's ZombieTech out-the-front auto.

Something about the blood splatter.  I've always been interested in blood splatter, and the almost florescent green handle appeals to me.

The classic way to stop a zombie was to destroy the brain

MicroTech released the ZombieTech in 2012.  I have one from 2019 celebrating Microtech’s 25th anniversary, but I don’t know how much longer they were in production.

I contacted MicroTech, but they remain closed-lipped about everything and have yet to respond.

Real blood doesn't splatter this way, unless it's a high speed splatter

The internet claims that every ZombieTech has a random and different splatter pattern.  I admit that some patterns are a lot nicer than others. 

The 3-inch blade was available as a drop point, tanto, and a double-edge dagger.  I have found images of bright blades and ones with a black finish.  While some websites claim to have a few high-end ZombieTech sets in stock, most say 'Out of  Stock,' which is seller speak for can't get it anymore.

MicroTech uses M390 steel from Böhler Edelstahl GmbH & Co KG factory in Kapfenberg, Austria.  Originally designed in the late 1980s for molds used in the injection molding industry, it has found a home in the knife community.

I like OTFs, or Out the Front, but they have their limitations too.  Blade can slip off the internal carriage.

I really shouldn’t bang on the entertainment industry too hard.  Originality is hard to come by.  In 2021, MicroTech released a version of their knife called 'Outbreak.'  https://microtechknives.com/the-outbreak-unleashing/  It sports the same blood splatter on bulbous green and a Biohazard symbol.  It, too, is out of stock.

Screw Loose

 My wife’s current favorite pocketknife, a purple SixLeaf, lost the screw holding the clip to the body.  Fortunately, the knife slipped further into her pocket, and somehow, the clip was retained.  The screw, however, vanished.

Of course, I wanted to repair it.  SixLeafs aren’t that expensive and but there are no local distributors I can contact for a replacement screw. 

Fortunately, I had a SixLeaf of my own and was able to confirm it was the same screw.  But what kind of screw?

She wanted the purple one and I opted for green

My friend Derrick speaks fluent machinist.  He was able to identify it as 2.5mm X .45 screw.  In the bonus round, he even produced the proper replacement screw.

We had the knife and the clip and when we got the screw, well, everything worked.

That greatly simplified my job.  I didn’t want to force an incorrect thread into the knife's titanium frame, so having the correct one was excellent. 

Lot of brands available, any one would work

I got out my semi-permanent (blue) threadlock and #9 Torx drivers and went to work.  I used a single drop and let the threadlocker wet the threads and drained off the excess into a paper towel.  This left me with a tiny ribbon of blue winding around the thread root.  I screwed everything back together, finger-tight.

Done!

My wife got her favorite knife back, so it’s a great outcome in my book.

Thanks, Derrick!

What's In Your Stocking?

Stocking stuffers?  We don’t need no stinkin’ stocking stuffers…

That's not true, is it?  During the Christmas Holidays, there is always a need for little gifts.  This is especially true if you're a knife fancier.  We all need oils, waxes, polishes, sharpening doodads, and whatnots, but we sometimes hesitate to buy for ourselves.

Let me give you two ideas any knife fancier will want.

There are various products like these two, I just happen to have these on hand.

Every pocket knife I’ve owned has screws, nuts, and bolts that all what to back out and get lost.  Every clip has at least one screw that wants to be somewhere else.

The solution: Threadlock.  People have used nail polish, airplane glue, paint, and other solutions to keep screws from backing out.  McBride writes during the Great War, WWI, he and other shooters rusted their screws in place with iodine.  There are better solutions for a pocket knife.

I'd get the blue semi-permanent.  It will keep the gremlins from backing out screws.

The trend today is to use torx screws.  Those are the screws that need a star-shaped driver.  They are the hot fasteners today, and most of your knives will be assembled with these specialty screws.  If you want to replace a clip, disassemble, and clean your knife, you’ll need the correct torx driver.  Husky makes a nice set of four double-ended drives housed in a nice plastic body.  The end cap rotates so you can put finger pressure on it and still turn the driver.  The drives range from the tiny T4 to the smallish T15.

Two easy stocking stuffers for your favorite knife owner, even if you buy these for yourself.

Secrets of the Sorting Hat

 

I've moved, which forced me to confront my knife collection with the certainty that all good things end.  My previous dwelling had plentiful storage, but the new digs, well, not so much.  I’ll add cabinets, shelves, and drawers for storage, but I need to deal with limited storage and the need to put things away.

The move has also prompted a confrontation with my mortality.  Do I want to continue to curate knives I have for no apparent reason?  As much as I wish it, I do not have a Harry Potter sorting hat to make determinations for me.

I realized that all my possessions could be categorized into two distinct classes and a third, more nebulous one.  The first two are obviously "Keep" and "Discard.”  The third is “Maybe.”

Don't let this fool you.  There are only two options.  Maybe is actually a Discard.  If a knife doesn't create enough passion to become a Keep instantly, it's a Discard you're trying to be polite to.  Ditch it.

The original Tigersharp

Here’s a couple of examples.  I picked up a Tigersharp at the SHOT Show.  The company later sold the design to Camillus.  The novelty is the replacement blade eliminating the need to resharpen the knife; just use a new blade.  It's going.

Boot dagger from S&W

Years ago, at the Knob Creek Machine Gun Shoot, I bought a S&W H.R.T. dagger boot knife.  I am still trying to understand why.  The handle is too small, the blade is sharp on one side but not the other, and I don't typically wear the proper boots.  Bye-bye boot knife.

Boker's Pocket Knife by Mickey Yurco

I bought a knife from Boker, designed by Mickey Yurco, called the Pocket Knife.  Mickey told me he thinks of it as a self-defense tool, but Boker, fearful of public backlash (What!  You mean to tell me you could hurt someone with a knife?) calls it a camping or survival knife.  I wore this on my pack for years.  It's a keeper.

So, there you have it.  When you start thinking about that great collector's meeting in the sky and can't decide what knives need to find a new home, remember, Maybes are just polite Discards.  You really didn't care for them in the first place.

 

Unpack: CRKT's Kith and Razelcliffe

 

Receiving and unpacking knives is one of my favorite activities.

I just got two from Columbia River Knife and Tool and they are both winners.  The first knife is the Razelcliffe, designed by Jon Graham and the other, the Kith, designed by Ken Steigerwalt.

The top is the Razelcliffe and the bottom the Kith.

The Kith is a locking folder with a 3-inch blade ground from 8CR13MoV stainless steel.  It is a good knife steel, especially for a working knife.  Compared to D2 (you'll see why later), D2 tends to have more edge retention and hardness than 8Cr13MoV but is more expensive and less corrosion resistant.

The Kith utilizes a front lock set in the 3.75-inch glass-reinforced nylon handle.  It is relatively lightweight at 2.3 ounces; I get mail heavier than that.  I like the handle, but the contrast in the black handle is not from pigmentation but surface geometry. 

Unfortunately, the gray handle spots are just different reflectivity

It's a good length for many basic jobs at a campsite, fishing, in the office, or preparing the yard for winter.  The Kith has an MSRP of $40.  You can't go wrong at that price for a working knife.

 

Years ago, I had a Razel with a stag handle from CRKT.  I last saw it in the pocket of an Australian heading home to their anti-knife culture.  I hope he made it.  It was a very cool knife.

The Razelcliffe, let me suggest it would make a very icey club knife.

The Razelcliffe is also very cool.  The 2-inch blade is made from D-2 steel (see, I said we'd get back here).  D2 isn't quite stainless, but I never see rust on any D2 knives I own.  A little oil takes care of all my problems.  D2 takes and holds a good edge and can be resharpened with basic stones.  The Razelcliffe utilizes a frame lock and IKBS ball-bearing pivot.  That is very cool!

The G-10 handle is 3.25 inches long, and the knife weighs 3.3 ounces. 

The MSRP is $48, a reasonable price for a step up in cool factors. 

I've always thought CRKT over-engineers their knives.  You get a lot of knife for a reasonable price.  That’s invaluable in a world where you pay for a name.

 

The Future of Knife Making

 This could be the future of knife making.

These beads are the results of 3D printing

Yes, really.

These beads are 3-D printed plastic and can be any color, texture or shape you want by Chroma Scales.  You could customize any sort of knife scales/handle you want.  This is the beginning of the future.

Several years ago I saw a demonstration of 3-D metal printing.  Essentially it was a computer-controlled arc welding system that would deposit a spot of metal and build up a 3-D component.  This has evolved into printing metal engineering components and prototypes using high purity metals and laser beams.  Lincoln Electric is using this technology as is 6K Inc.  Many companies now offer this service.

 Miniaturization is a economical driving factor.  Big things will get smaller and find a way into your home.  Look at computers and microwave ovens 

One video showed a company printing out manifolds out of 316L, a low carbon stainless steel.  Not the best for knife blades, I grant you.  They video demoed a Trumpf TruPrint 3000.

Prices are still high, but you can buy 3-D printers that use plastic on Amazon now at reasonable prices, from under $200 to around $3000.  The polymer used is very affordable.

I was able to find glass fiber reinforced polymer, which gives the finished product high strength.  I believe carbon black reinforced polymer is available.  High strength metal alloys are just a bit farther down the road.

We’ll see the big guys, like Spyderco, Benchmade, Civivi, or Buck use it first to print unique blade shapes and designs.  But what about temper and hardness?  How will they heat treat it and such?  I remember those same questions asked about powdered metal.  Early adopters had problems with porosity, just ask Kimber.  They found answers.

The big change will occur then you no longer buy a knife, but purchase a program to print your own.  I suspect there will be acceptable options built into the software which will come with a license for one or more printings at which point it erases itself.  Code hackers will find a way to tweek the code to make unique knives or print unlicensed copies.  We see that problem with knockoffs.

There will be laws forbidding this and a new class of criminals. 

Remember the Star Trek episode ‘Tomorrow is Yesterday’?  A plot complication  occurs when the ship beams up an Air Forse security officer from the 1960s.  They keep him in the transporter room as to minimize the historic contamination from the future.  Scotty tries to relax him by offering the fellow Scotsman a dish of haggis from the replicator.  What is a replicator but a fast 3D printer?

You’ve seen the future.

Get Your Knife!

We are coming up on National Knife Day.  Yes, there is a national day commemorating the knife. 

 We sometime forget how important knives are to the story of civilization, perhaps to the evolution of humanity.  I often think early man’s first tool was a stick to extend his reach, followed by a rock to pound things.  Somewhere along the way he got the idea of cutting things and everything took off!

We have been celebrating National Knife Day since 2011.  For some of us, every day is a celebration of knives.  Knives fill our lives both in the physical sense and in our thought process.  Our cars have windshield wiper blades, I buttered my toast with a knife, the mill at work has a doctor blade, we need something to slit the envelope open to announce the winner.  And nobody tried to cut the cake without a knife.

 

We cut to the bottom line, a foolish person is described as “not the sharpest knife in the drawer.”  We like (sometimes) people with a razor wit, we cut the fat out of a job quote, and we want to sharpen the pencil to work a better deal.  

 

Rumor has it the day was selected from a letter written August 24, 1838, by Rezin Bowie, claiming he (and not his brother, Jim) was the actual creator of the Bowie Knife and deserved the fame and credit for it.  Of course, Jim was dead by then…

 

Celebrate August 24 by carrying your favorite knife.  Maybe show it a little respect by sharpening the edge and wiping it down.  A drop of oil isn’t too extravagant, is it?

Remember the proverb:  “A knife-less man (and woman) is a lifeless man.”

SixLeaf Knives

 My friend Derrick introduced me to SixLeaf Knives.  After handling and opening the knife, the question, "Where did you buy that cutie?" was not politeness.  I really wanted one.

Actually, I ended up buying three!

He found it on eBay.  You have to win your auction, and SixLeaf will ship you one from Yangjiang, China.  Yangjiang, I am told, is moderately famous for making knives, scissors, swords — anything that cuts.

I won my auction, and despite the warning of how long it could take (46 business days!), it arrived in a couple weeks.  I liked it so much that I bid and won a second one.  It arrived just as quickly.

Prices can vary because you're bidding against someone who thinks they want it more than you. 

Let’s take a look at it.  The matte blade is 3.25 inches long and 0.125 inches thick at the spine.  The blade is a drop point with, for all practical purposes, a flat grind.  The steel is D2, hardened to Rockwell C 60.

Good looking knives.

I like D2 steel.  It is seeing a resurgence in the knife world.  It’s almost stainless, so it takes a little care to prevent rust formation.

The 4-inch handle is titanium with linen Micarta scales.  This keeps the weight of the knife under 2.9 ounces.  The lock mechanism is a frame lock, and to compensate for titanium's softness, a small steel insert makes contact with the back of the steel blade.

The knife is designed to open with a flipper, and the blade flies open on KVT ceramic ball bearings.  These are used by companies like ZT and others. 

A 3.25 inch blade is, for most parts, a perfect size for EDC.

Is it perfect?

No.  The clip isn't reversible.  The knife arrives set up for right-hand, tip-up carry.  That's my preferred carry mode, but it is not a universal standard. 

Closed, there is a little height difference where the frame lock meets the frame.  Just enough of a difference you can feel it when you rub your thumb over it. 

The frame lock engages very nice, with quite a bit of contact with back of the blade

And if I’m picky enough, I would point out that when open, the frame lock separates slightly from the Micarta scales.

I like the linen Micarta scales.  They look and feel nice.

Frankly, for an under $50 knife (It's an auction.  Your price may differ.) you can't beat a SixLeaf.  I like them so much, I gave my wife one!

Delica in the Key of K390

 Back before it started, the old gods came together for a meal and to brag about what they contributed the newly forming reality.  Loki/the Coyote/the Trickster was especially gleeful.

“I gave them iron and carbon.”

“So?”

“They mix to form an alloy.  Too little carbon and the steel formed will be soft and useless.  Too much and it becomes brittle cast iron.  If they add the just right amount they get properties all over the place.  And it still rust!”

The old gods thought it was a clever joke on the humans.  All but one, Vulcan/Brokkr/the Master Forger.  Without steel, how could they build things, he wondered.  He crept off and threw a hand full of elements, and perhaps more important, undiscovered knowledge into the mix.

Thanks, Vulcan!

Delica in the key of K390

I just got Spyderco’s K390 Delica and it is quickly becoming my favorite pocket knife.  I really like the Delica/Endura line.  Back in day, I used to fly with two Delicas and airlines had no problem with that.  Even back then those sealed packages of peanuts were hard to open!

I found I could always depend on Delicas and the K390 is no exception!

I’m not really a super steel fan.  Almost every steel the national brands use is hardened and tempered to bring you good performance.  But right now, for a working knife, I suggest you look at K390 steel.

K390 is a tool steel with interesting properties.  Right now, Spyderco is one of the few companies making knife blades with it.  Chemical analysis would find:

Carbon: 2.47%  (Wow!),

Chromium: 4.2%,

Molybdenum: 3.8%,

Vanadium: 9%,

Tungsten: 1%,

and

Cobalt: 2%.

The rest is iron.

It isn't a gamble with Spyderco's four position clip 

 Each of these elements affect the basic crystalline structure of the steel and its properties.  The metallurgy is more complicated than you can imagine.  In its simplest form, chromium and vanadium form small hard carbides that contribute to edge properties.  The remaining elements alter the metallurgical properties.

It doesn’t take a lot of study to realize K390 isn’t a stainless steel.  It is a hard-working tool steel.  And no, you just can’t add another 8-9 %of chromium and make it stainless.  Well, at least if you want to retain the other properties, most of which go unnoticed by the user.  Science tells us why, but that’s just an understand of how the universe work.  For the real reason you’ll have to ask the Trickster.

I like the coarse jimping on the FRN handle

K390 was submitted for an Austrian patented by Bohler in 2002.  Bohler wanted a steel to compete with Crucible’s CPM-10V.  It is not a new steel and gradually found a place among knife makers.

Like all steel, the properties have a give and take aspect and are affected by heat treatment.  K390 is one of the top tier steels with excellent toughness and slicing edge retention.  That is the take.  The give is corrosion resistance.  You need to take care of your steel, wipe it dry and use a good oil.  Spyderco incudes a little handout on caring for the steel.  I’d read it if I was you.

Heading out for Deer camp?  Make sure you take a Spyderco Delica in K390.

Which oil?  There are really two options, food safe and non-food safe.  I tend to lean toward food safe, but I’ve used  penetrating oils too.

I like my new Delica with K390 steel.  Currently all of Spyderco’s K390 steel come with a unique blue handle.  Mike Janich tells me he calls it K390 Blue.

The Delica has a flat grind, which contributes to it’s cutting powers.  Not having shoulders, like the saber grind or it’s brother, Scandi, it doesn’t have to push material out of the way to keep cutting. 

I don't always go off the beaten path...  But when I do it's with a Delica  in K390 steel

The grips are FRN or fiber reinforced nylon.  The fibers, to the best of my knowledge are short glass fibers which strengths the nylon.  The grip sports bidirectional texturing which radiates outward from the center of the handle.  The texturing is strikingly attractive and more importantly, provides increase purchase with wet and slippery hands.

The blade has the trademark Spyderco hole.  I don’t know which is more uniquely Spyderco, the fat tick-like spider logo or the functional opening hole.  In either case, the thumb hole was genius!

One of the major improvements in the knife world is movable clips.  Sal Glesser, Spyderco founder, is credited with the pocket clip he called "Clip-it."  Later versions of Delica and Endura had a reversible clip.  Eventually most Spyderco folders have four-position clips.  I simple love that options.  Most of my knives are carried tip up right hand, but I’ve been known to set up a knife for tip up left-hand carry.  While this may seem trivial to you, this allows Spyderco to be essentially an ambidextrous knife.  Its estimated 10% of the world’s population is left-handed.  Being able to operate a pocket knife with either your left or right hand is amazing.  Unfortunately, many companies have not caught on to this pocket knife innovation.

For me the ability to make a fire by shaving fir sticks and scrapping Birch bark in the touch stone to all knives.  Spyderco Delica have never let me down.

Spyderco’s  K390 Delica cuts.  I cut seatbelt material.  No problem.  Opened packages and bags, cut string and rope.  I shaved feather sticks to build a fire, my personal touchstone of knife performance.  Carboard trembles in its presence.  What a knife!

The suggest retail price is $176.  Right now, all I’m finding on Spyderco website is the full serration:

https://www.spyderco.com/catalog/details/C11FK390/1885 

I suspect if you look about, you’ll find the plain edge on line.

Finnish Delight

 Iisakki Järvenpää Puukko

I recently picked up a lovely dual Finnish puukko set made by Iisakki Järvenpää Osakeyhtiö.  The puukko set is a traditional dress knife pair with a painted red handle and brass fittings.  The two blades are engraved with the founder's signature, Iisakki Järvenpää.

I have recently discovered an interest in puukkos.  I admire the refinement and practicality of a knife designed to survive in the brutal arctic environment.

A Puukko by Iisakki Järvenpää Osakeyhtiö

A puukko is a general-purpose belt knife with a single curved cutting edge, solid hidden tang, and usually a flat spine.  Military models of puukkos have been popular in the Russian criminal underworld under the name "Finnish knife" or finka since the 20th century. 

Puukkos don’t have a ricasso (a section of the unsharpened blade nearest the handle) because this is where the most power can be applied.  While finger guards are uncommon (it is a cutting tool, not a stabbing weapon), puukkos intended to be used in wet or slippery environments will have some form of guard or grip enhancement carved into the handle.

The short knife is 5.75 inches long, while the larger one is about 8.5 inches.  They occupy a leather and brass sheath.  The front is partially painted/coated in red to match the knife's grip.

This set appears to be part of traditional ethnic dress, needing only a Helavyö belt.  The Helavyö is a leather belt decorated with several metal plates (or "hela"s).  The belt is an accessory worn by men and women in traditional garb but only by men in non-Karelian attire.

Traditional dress with Helavyö belt and knife set

The Karelian people are from an area in Northern Europe with historical significance for Russia, Finland, and Sweden.  Often, a trinket of some shape hangs from each metal plate.  The pendants are a pretty decoration; they show off the wearer's wealth.  As a bonus, they are reported to keep the devil away.

Non-Traditional dress

The company’s founder was Iisakki Järvenpää.  He was born on January 7, 1859.  From an early age, Iisakki was curious and thirsty to learn everything new.  He practiced his reading and writing skills on his own initiative.  While writing, he practiced not only the writing skill itself but also his penmanship.  His attraction to uncompromising and meticulous visuals is reflected in his knives and writing.  Iisak's signature is the company logo.

The Iisakki Järvenpää Company was founded in 1879 and is the largest manufacturer of knives in Kauhava, Finland, a well-known town with a long and rich history of knife making.  He had to learn everything from forging to metal polishing.

Self-taught, Järvenpää made simple work knives, but in 1888 he made a gift knife for the hereditary prince of Russia and the future emperor Nicholas II.

Because of the gift knives' impact, Iisakki received the title Keisari's knifesmith, which was entered in the church's books in 1889.  Keisari's blades had the lion coat of Finland carved into the handle and the emperor's crown on top of a lion.  The imperial thanks from future emperor Nicholas II received a lot of attention in newspapers nationwide, which led to a widespread increase in the demand for Iisakki’s knives.

Despite this success, his knife business grew slowly.  Wanting more for his family, Iisakki gave up 20 years as an independent craftsman and became a foreman at the newly founded knife factory in Kauhava.  Discovering the company had lied to him about benefits, he resigned from his position and re-established his own knife shop on February 15, 1904.  From this point, Iisakki's company became known as Iisakki Järvenpää Osakeyhtiö (Limited Company).

The larger Puukko with signature in the blade

Iisakki died on March 6, 1929, but his company continues, and the knives are made by hand in Kauhava, Finland, from locally sourced materials.  You can find out more at: https://www.iisakkijarvenpaa.fi/us/story

 

Any errors are from my misunderstanding of the translated Finnish.