A Thought About Blades

Many have said that dog is man’s best friend. In some cases this may seem true, but there is another contender for a faithful companion to affix to the right leg of man. That contender is none other than a knife. Sure, a knife may not be warm and fuzzy like a dog. It certainly won’t fetch you newspaper, mess on your floor, occupy your kids, or terrorize your cat. But a good knife is the best, most dependable tool anyone can have with them. Throughout human history knives have been there to help us grow and advance. So how can we base so much on such a simple item? Here’s a skinflint look at cutlery.

Let’s begin by considering the details and history surrounding this most simple of tools in a person’s arsenal. Knives are among the most ancient of tools. According to an August, 2015 article in Forbes Magazine knives have evolved alongside of man for over two-million years. This was a natural evolution and there are no one pocket of humanity that can lay claim to the first use of edged tools. Likewise, knives evolved at roughly the same pace in all areas they were utilized, at least they did at first.

The first knives we have examples of were simple stone instruments. The outer edges were flaked away, leaving the stronger core. As time progressed we can see an increased skill being applied to knife making as early man learned to use different materials to make sharper blades. Archaeology has also yielded us different examples of knives with varying handles affixed to them for different uses. We know one of those uses was to fight other people, nut knives have seen far more use in other aspects of human evolution.

While media portrays knives as instruments of war and bloodshed we often see many more circumstances in which a knife would be used to hunt and butcher an animal, cut protein while cooking, fashion materials for clothing and shelter, or fashion still other tools to improve the quality of life. This far reaching spectrum of uses is no doubt why we see as many variations as we do in modern cutlery. So, without farther delay, let’s explore some of these variations. 

Modern knives can be classed in two basic categories. There is the sheath knife and the folding knife. Sheath knives were undoubtable used first, as they would have been the natural predecessor in the evolution. According to Wikipedia the earliest folding knives we are able to identify have been dated as far back as the iron-age. After we identify these two basic configurations I would be able to bore you with literally pages of mind-numbingly boring information about further sub-categories and evolutions. However, I think we can spare the tedious diatribe and you can do further research as you like.

Regarding sheath knives, the sky is the veritable limit. They come in any size and shape you may want. It’s not uncommon to see different knives that are so ornate they couldn’t be effectively used for anything but hanging on the wall. Still other designs are so small and dainty they are only good to carry as a decorative piece. However, it is ultimately up to the user to decide what specific knife fits their unique needs. The hilt, blade, tang, handle and sheath all play a major role in functionality.

A wise man once said to me “It’s easier to do something with a tool that’s too big rather than trying to use a tool that is too small.” After hearing this and taking a moment to pick up the pieces of my self-esteem I realized he was right. So it suffices to say if you want to select a sheath knife it should be something manageable, yet not so small it has limited use. It should be able to handle the work you intend to do without failing at the most inopportune moment. What kind of work could be so hard on a knife? Simply enough, the first time you have to field dress, skin, and butcher a wild hog, with all the mud and grit in their coarse-haired hide, you will see exactly how hard of a life a knife can have.

Your sheath knife should have a sheath that allows it to be drawn smoothly and quickly. The sheath should also be thick enough and well-constructed so as to not allow the point of the knife to penetrate it should you have an accident and fall on your knife. The handle of the knife should be of a design, or made of a material that will stay firmly in your grip for those moments your knife and hand are blood-soaked. The hilt should be broad to keep you hand from sliding past the blade when you’re working in slippery conditions. The tang of your knife isn’t as important for the average person. So long as it is shaped in a way that helps keep your grip stable it’s good enough.

Regarding folding knives, there are a few more limitations. First, they generally aren’t as big, which also makes them lighter and easier to pack. Be sure to get a folding knife that locks so you won’t have a blade come closed on your finger. These are some of the nastiest cuts you’ll ever see. A folding knife with a belt-case is good, but a clip for in your pocket is just as good. One-handed knives are excellent to use so long as the design of the knife works with your hand to allow smooth functioning. Folding knives can be harder to clean so it’s crucial to be very diligent when cleaning your knife after cleaning your kill. Something similar can also be said to the guy who puts a bloody knife back in its sheath.

When you decide on a style of knife you then need to look at what the knife is made of. This is where things get complicated. There’s the old saying that you get what you pay for, which usually holds true. But, there’s another old saying, let the buyer beware. Basically, when it comes to cutlery there is a lot of variables regarding quality and price, and you don’t always get what you paid for. In a perfect world you’d get what you pay for but for our purposes today we are going to assume less is more, or more is less depending on what you get.

Essentially, making steel is a lot like cooking. Different ingredients have different impacts on the profile of the finished product. Add a little of this and you’ll have a super hard blade that may be more difficult to polish. Remove a little of this and add a little of that and you’ll have a blade that can be highly polished, yet won’t perform very well under the harshest of conditions. These subtle additions and subtractions is what knife companies put together to come up with their final products. On one side we have SOG, Ka-Bar, and Ontario as examples of knife makers who use a very durable formula that will create a beast of a knife.

So in a proverbial nutshell, the job of a Metallurgist is to strike a balance of ingredients and procedures in a formula that will have the desired effects on the hardness, toughness, corrosion, weight, strength, and fatigue resistance of a particular alloy. All these aspects of an alloy are relevant when you consider the extreme environments they may be faced with. Some metals corrode in salt water, others become brittle in extreme cold, some change in extreme heat, and still others can suffer fatigue under continued stress. This broad explanation encompasses metal working as a whole but the rules are the same when you scale things down to make a knife or other blade.

For the purpose of making a blade the casting and forging methods are the most commonly employed. Once a formula is determined for a particular application, such as a mass produced series of knives, a quantity of the molten alloy is poured into a mold that may produce several pieces at one time. After the molded blades are set they can be removed from the mold and ran through whatever process the manufacturer wants to put them through. Forging is the process by which a red-hot billet is hammered into a particular shape. We see this when a blacksmith turns an old railroad spike into a sheath knife.

Metallurgists also struggle with three processes to put their alloy through. Annealing is the process of making the metal softer through the application of high heat and allowing it to cool very slowly. This will release stress in the metal by producing a larger grain structure. This essentially means the metal will dent easier when struck. Quenching the metal after heating makes it harder as it secures the molecules in a martensite form, which makes it easier to grind and sand. Tempering relieves stress in the metal which was initially caused by the hardening process. Tempering will make the metal less hard, and will improve its ability to sustain hard impacts without breaking. More care and attention to these components of the production determines how good the final product really is.

In the middle you have companies that produce curios, relics, and collectable knives. These are often mass produced pieces that are not designed to be used for anything except display. You will see the occasional person trying to take to the woods with a replica of Rambo’s survival knife, but it will often fail after seeing some action. These knives are formulated to take a highly polished finish, but often can’t keep an edge or withstand the effects of water, blood, or other trials we often see them shrug off in the movies. While great to collect they are not the best choice for using, no matter how sharp they look.

On the other side of that equation you have Spyderco, Schrade, and Gerber who have formulas which allow for a super-sharp edge. Though these examples can be made sharper, they may not be able to hold that edge as long. Still other companies use slightly different formulas for their specific products. When you buy a knife you want to do some homework and find a product that is an exact match to the work you want to do. From a kitchen knife to a hunting knife or a simple pocket knife, you want something that will take and hold the edge you need. This sounds simple, but you have to remember that dull knives have sent more people to the emergency room than sharp knives.

When shopping for a knife you want something that has a full tang. This means the blade and handle are one solid piece. There are no shortage of knives that are not full tang that have broken directly in the middle when faced with a tough job. Needless to say this can be very dangerous. If a razor sharp kitchen knife suddenly snaps in half while trying to cut a large block of chees there’s no telling where the damage will stop. The same goes for any other knife in any other application. Also, the grips that are attached to that tang should be tight. If you pick up the knife and you hear it rattle when shaken or gripped you simply need to put it down and walk away.

There are also some considerations aside from the purchase of the actual knife. First, you need a good sharpener. The hand-held sharpening steels work well if you know how to use them. Then reality sets in and you can go for any in a variety of sharpeners that have the angle just perfect. Be sure to only draw you knife across these sharpeners in one direction, avoid sawing on the sharpener at all costs. The sharpeners with the hand grip tend to be the best as they are better to keep fingers away from the blade as it is being sharpened. Even when you have a good sharpener, it is still a good idea to cultivate a relationship with someone who is an expert at sharpening a knife so you can have it professionally done on occasion. This is very crucial for your best kitchen knives.

Another thing is the cleaning of your new knife. You can use various oils to prevent rust, but in some circumstances hot soapy water works best for the actual cleaning. Naturally, this isn’t something you can get too specific on as there are so many variations. Best practice is to check what the manufacturer has to say about this. As stated earlier, you don’t want the channel of your folding knife to be filled with festering animal matter that can later be spread to the food you are going to consume. Likewise, you don’t want all that bacteria hanging out in the sheath. On a sidebar, some scholars have speculated many ancient warriors died from infection caused by bacteria in a sword’s sheath that was passed via a small wound. The same is possible for a modern hunter making dinner.

We can’t talk about blades if we didn’t spend a little time talking about broadheads. This is a pretty simple thing, not needing a lot of time. Essentially, all the broadheads on the market work the same. Fixed blade or mechanical have all the same components, it’s more a matter of details and quality. Broadheads can be razor sharp, yet many say they make a rougher hole when not razor sharp. This rougher cut can make for a situation allowing the animal to bleed out quicker, thus giving a quicker kill. However, is sharpening your broadhead is something you prefer to do you will also find a number of sharpeners that will work for both broadheads and regular knives. This saves you from having to buy a special sharpener. Now, with broadheads discussed, we can move on.

So, in putting all this together we come back to the issue of price point. You get what you pay for then a more expensive knife should give you better service over a longer period of time. But this isn’t always the case. Some knives in the $200 range are purely show pieces while others are simply overpriced. Cheaper knives shouldn’t hold out as long or perform nearly as well. However, you can look at Schrade’s Uncle Henry line and see knives that perform and last quite well. Moral of the story, let the buyer beware. You only want to spend your money once so you need to make sure you know what you want, what you need, and what you’re going to do with it so you can make the best purchase possible.

If you want to shell out the Franklins to have that custom-made, bone-handled- Damascus-blade bowie knife then that’s what you’ll need to buy. It will last forever and work just fine. If you’re only interested in parting with $40 to $60 you can have a knife that can do the exact thing. The question is up to you to answer. Or, on the other hand, you can make out just as well with a simple pocket knife. Whatever you want is all that matters, despite what anyone else might tell you. Remember, according to Sweeney Todd your knife is an extension of your arm. Whether you are looking to clean an animal you’ve harvested, cut veggies for dinner, or dispatch an unsuspecting barber shop patron, you’ll need to get the best tool you possible can.  

So it seems dogs can still be man’s best friend. But a well selected and cared for knife can be almost an equal. They’re both fun to take for walks and will always be there for you if you take care of them. After all this it seems the only real advantage to a knife is not having to buy food or clean a cage. Just remember to keep both your best friends clean and well taken care of and they will be part of the memories that will last for a lifetime. Enjoy.