Leaf Spring Bowie that I made

[LRB]

Again it requires a balance, and 22° is more the standard all around edge. Choice of steel, and hardness come into play also. The Green Rivers are 1095 as far as I know, but are tempered softer than most custom makers do. 01 with its alloy carbides will hold longer than 1095, and can be tempered a bit lower than many makers do. 01's perfect balance of toughness, strength, and hardness is about 61 Rc, but seems to do very well a bit softer, and sharpens easier, at maybe around 58/59 Rc. My main skinner/deer working knife is a friction folder of Nicholson file steel. It is fairly easy to sharpen and will do at least three deer. That's as many as I have done at one time, but it would have done another if needed. It was HTed by color. Even tempered by color. Hardness isn't everything, but with simple steels, it can mean a lot as long as the edge isn't too brittle.

 

[crockett]

Thanks

 

[LRB]

What I said probably didn't help you much. Your question really comes down to personal preferences. Some want a knife easy to sharpen, and don't mind taking a few minutes to do it even in field use. Others want one that will hold it's edge well enough until they can re sharpen at a more convenient time. In most cases it is going to be a trade off between hard and lasting, and softer but easy to sharpen. Choosing higher carbide producing alloy steels, but tempering a little softer than usual is one answer, but the user would have to determine for himself the hardness level that gives what he is after. Also much depends on the use one expects to give a knife in the field. Other than to whack a vine, or chop a sapling, mine is seldom used until I get back to my skinning station to work a deer or two, after which, I will touch the blade up back at camp after I care for my gun. I don't like diamond sharpeners, but that is also another answer to a hard edge if needed. Not PC of course, but then neither is a really hard edge in general.

 

[crockett]

When I was young I spent a fair amount of time in the Canadian Bush, in the Artic Watershed. It was before cell phones and GPS and pretty rough country at times. In any event, lots of time in the bush. I had to have a knife I could keep sharp even if I had to re-sharp a lot and that has sort of influenced my thinking in all these years. Today's top knives will stay sharp a long time and if you are out for a week and then back to where you can do a decent job on sharpening, then that it the way to go. As I said, my skills at sharpening might leave something to be desired so on extended trips I've often opted for a "working" blade- that is- a little softer on the temper. The problem as I see it is such knives wear out- something you don't want if you paid a lot of money for the knife.
I've often wondered about the NDN's. A lot of their knives have been sharpened on only one side AND the inventory lists of the fur companies have files listed. What would an NDN use a file for? Ax? Arrowhead? Yes but I wonder if they also used them as a draw file on the knives. That might explain the huge amount of wear seen on such knives. There is some famous story of a white/European greenhorn with a big Bowie and an Apache and the Apache tells him it is the "wrong" knife for hunting/daily use- get a thin blade type.
But I guess I've wandered a bit off topic on all this- sorry.
From a PC standpoint I wonder what the temper was on a typical scalper/butcher knife versus some of the dirks/bowies. I'll best the fighting knives had a harder temper- just a hunch.

 

[omarick1948]

Pardon me for butting in on this conversation, but you guys should start another thread about knives, blades etc., as this has got way off the original topic the poster intended, I'm Sure!

Rick

 

[satx78247]

Personally, I've learned a lot from this thread & wish that another thread would be started on sorts of proper steel, tempering/heat treating & even what to look for when having a quality knife custom-made.

yours, satx

 

[LRB]

You are correct Horner. I'm bailing.

 

[crockett]

Yeah- sorry. Rich- nice Bowie knife if you're still on this.

 

[FPDoc]

Good job on your knife. Hope you had as much fun fun making it, and in making it from "stuff laying around" as many of us have done over the years.