I am completely perplexed

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by Skybird

No, it was this model, 40 years old, in very good shape, zero rust, no visible microfractures:


https://www.kpemig.de/Bundeswehr-Kam...-Koppelschuh_1

Metal fatigue?

[Skybird]

Its not as if I have heavy duty jobs for it, also, I care for the knives I have, oil them, sharpen them, check them at least once per year. I would be very surprise dit were fatigue.

Also, the way in which it broke., It was so - so absurd. I pulled it out, held it before me, tip pointing upolwards at a 30 degree angle or so, weatche dit, did nothing, just had may eyes ging over the blade checking what maybe shouzld get my attention, no poressure put on it, and suddenly - plink. 3 mm of hardened stainless steel - plink.

The event had something very ridiculous, hilarious, laughable, absurd in it. If it were a movie, people would burst in laughter.

Also, the sheath for this model is of metal and has a spring inside that hold the knif ein place so that it canot fall out even if the leather safety is open. Some strength and mechanical pressure is need to oull it out, which i just had done. But I felt nothing when doing so, there was no suspicious noise, no crankling sound, no feeling of some movement in the blade's structure indicating there was a fracture developing.

I am curious, since it is so mysterious and absurd, I will take the thing to a dealer over here and have him checking it and telling me what he thinks. Some kind of material analysis on the edge of where the thing broke. Some analysis under the microscope, some weired scifi stuff, or whatever.



It just does not make sense to me.

[Jimbuna]

The only plausible answer is metal fatigue, surely.

[Rockstar]

[vienna]

Rockstar ascends the stairs...






<O>

[Skybird]

He better don't because up there in the shadows he can only find me and my new toy of darkness. Its mine since a few hours.



Excellent quality, perfectly balanced, very good grip that snuggles into my hand. Very good value for the money I think, and one of the best knives I ever had in my hands. Hard to put it away. Sharpness is about right, but it was easy to sharpen it even further, just as I expected form this kind of steel. I could now use it to shave myself without soap. Extremely sharp I made it, but I got good practice in sharpenign knives from my Japanese kitchen knives, I have them at surigical scalpels level and could use them to make Sushi if that were what I want (I dont like Sushi)... Wanted to see how far sharpness can be pushed. Well, VERY far, what is typical for iron and also high carbon blades. In practical use, it makes no sense to have the sharp edge of the blade this extreme, since the cutting edge also becomes more vulnerable that way, so: once done for testing, but then never again.

Did a bit of wood cutting and carving in the garden to see how it works. Excellent. It cuts like a laser. The blade geometry and the Scandi shape almost commands this to be used on wood.

For the money range below 100 bucks maybe one of the best knives you can get. And so well-balanced.

So good that the dagger broke.

[Platapus]

I guess some knives can become brittle with age?

[Jimbuna]

Looks perfect for cutting the veg

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

Looks perfect for cutting the veg

I already sparked a small and short-living fire with it and a fire rod on my loggia. Carbon steel, a sharp edge and soft magnesium works miracles and wonders LOL.

Got a telephone call from the trader whom i hgave the broken knife. He is kind of a knife freak and this really caught his attention, and had it handed around to some friends of his. He now asked for permission to send it to a guy he knows who works in some material anaylsis laboratory, with access to some really specific high tech stuff. So far he said everybody he showe dit to and who had a look at it under magnifying lenses, could not make sens eof it, the characteristics of the rim along the breakline simply do not look like one would expect they would if material fatigue, corrosion or widenign microfractions (or bad steel mixture) were the reason for the breaking.

He really starts to play detective now.


Its been many years since I last did a long distance journey to somewhere, and thought i would never do it again. Egypt, ten years and more ago, fifteen years. I feel a growing urge to hike again, but no more to the hot south, but to the colder north. Maybe in Spring. I have started to collect gear again. Thinking of north-eastern Poland, or southern Norway, Sweden. Just no heat and no crowds of people around, please. Or I go on a trail. In the past, in the ME i got along woithut own car nicely. Dont know how that would work in Scandinavia, i know nothing about their traffic networks, and I assume i cannot walk into a village of theirs and lust lease a mule...

[Catfish]

Iron or steel are of chrystalline structure, maybe there has been a blow some time before at a 'decisive' point that weakened some neighbouring elementary cells and lead to a widening microcrack
But i admit i have not heard of such an occurrence before.

OT edit: regarding travelling and seeing your Hanse - link, i can recommend Gotland, starting at Visby. Landscape and country are beautiful, as are the friendly people. When you walk along the coast, under the big cliffs, you can see billions of fossils of all sizes in the layers and on the ground, along with several meter long fossilized crinoids just lying around openly; not allowed to take it with you unfortunately. The whole of Gotland is one (once tropical) big fossilized silurian reef.

[em2nought]

Originally Posted by vienna

Rockstar ascends the stairs...
<O>

Slender Knife Man.