my (limited)Talonite experience
- Thread starter dogboye
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Rob: Save the knives!
Seriously, hope you stay cool!
Will:
If the Talon can stand the soda bottle test, it should be a reliable piece.
Anybody know how many strokes it takes to cut through a piece of .5" sisal rope with a Talon? Will the edge go through in one or two strokes?
Will:
If the Talon can stand the soda bottle test, it should be a reliable piece.
Anybody know how many strokes it takes to cut through a piece of .5" sisal rope with a Talon? Will the edge go through in one or two strokes?
dogboye
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Greg, you're a funny guy!
OBTW, I just cut the $hit out of the bottom of a 20 oz soda bottle here at the office. Two of them, actually. Across the bottom, not "around". Well, actually not exactly across. The first one, the closest approach to the very hard plastic center was 1/2 inch (1.27 cm), or 3/8 inch (0.95 cm) from the little thickened round area around the center. The second bottle, I got to within 3/8 inch (0.95 cm) of the very center, 3/16 inch (0.48 cm) from the thickened round area. I might have been able to get it even closer, but I was afraid that the knife would suddenly make it through, and cut through the carpet on the floor (and hit whatever is underneath: steel, concrete, ...?). Anyway.... it still shaves. Actually, I couldn't tell any difference from before either bottle, to after both bottles.
And yes, Greg, now I'm even more hairless. Just since I started this post.
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iktomi
OBTW, I just cut the $hit out of the bottom of a 20 oz soda bottle here at the office. Two of them, actually. Across the bottom, not "around". Well, actually not exactly across. The first one, the closest approach to the very hard plastic center was 1/2 inch (1.27 cm), or 3/8 inch (0.95 cm) from the little thickened round area around the center. The second bottle, I got to within 3/8 inch (0.95 cm) of the very center, 3/16 inch (0.48 cm) from the thickened round area. I might have been able to get it even closer, but I was afraid that the knife would suddenly make it through, and cut through the carpet on the floor (and hit whatever is underneath: steel, concrete, ...?). Anyway.... it still shaves. Actually, I couldn't tell any difference from before either bottle, to after both bottles.
And yes, Greg, now I'm even more hairless. Just since I started this post.
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iktomi
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Steve--
That's a great question. I test all my knives on 1/2" sisal, also. I find that, if the rope is stretched (clamped) and supported on wood, one slice clean to the board is extraordinary, two is superb, and three is still acceptable performance. Does anyone have a Talon out there and also some 1/2" sisal rope?
By the way, IMO if it will still shave after making 100 cuts through supported 1/2" sisal, it's a keeper. The cuts should all be made on the same part of the blade--I try to limit contact to a 2" span of edge right on the belly of the blade. I've done this with Boye BDS steel and Stellite 6K, among others.
--Will
[This message has been edited by WILL YORK (edited 08-09-2000).]
That's a great question. I test all my knives on 1/2" sisal, also. I find that, if the rope is stretched (clamped) and supported on wood, one slice clean to the board is extraordinary, two is superb, and three is still acceptable performance. Does anyone have a Talon out there and also some 1/2" sisal rope?
By the way, IMO if it will still shave after making 100 cuts through supported 1/2" sisal, it's a keeper. The cuts should all be made on the same part of the blade--I try to limit contact to a 2" span of edge right on the belly of the blade. I've done this with Boye BDS steel and Stellite 6K, among others.
--Will
[This message has been edited by WILL YORK (edited 08-09-2000).]
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Rockspyder,
If I remember correctly, my "glass hard" D2 knife is 64Rc! It has been through several of my cutting tests and has yet to be touched up!! The only problem is I could EASILY break the point by pressing it on my bench top!! I used to make cardboard shearing dies for packaging machines at full hardness. They cut for a LONG time!! We also used carbide for certain applications.
I have to try some SODA bottles, I never heard of that before!
ROB,
I will do my best to send you some of our FLORIDA Hurricane generated rain!! My rain gauge has been full almost every day this week! Hope you are OK out there!! Better get that rain dance goin!!
Neil
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Knives IN STOCK!!!!
blackwoodknives.com
If I remember correctly, my "glass hard" D2 knife is 64Rc! It has been through several of my cutting tests and has yet to be touched up!! The only problem is I could EASILY break the point by pressing it on my bench top!! I used to make cardboard shearing dies for packaging machines at full hardness. They cut for a LONG time!! We also used carbide for certain applications.
I have to try some SODA bottles, I never heard of that before!
ROB,
I will do my best to send you some of our FLORIDA Hurricane generated rain!! My rain gauge has been full almost every day this week! Hope you are OK out there!! Better get that rain dance goin!!
Neil
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Knives IN STOCK!!!!
blackwoodknives.com
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RockSpydie,
Once you get started in this knife evaluation business, you gotta' go all the way, man.
Your reading audience is dying to know!
Any knife whose edge will survive a hard thrashing around the bottom of a soda bottle, I mean as close to the center as you can get, not just the thin part, and still cut through .5" sissal in one or two strokes is a pretty solid cutting tool, I would say.
Once you get started in this knife evaluation business, you gotta' go all the way, man.
Any knife whose edge will survive a hard thrashing around the bottom of a soda bottle, I mean as close to the center as you can get, not just the thin part, and still cut through .5" sissal in one or two strokes is a pretty solid cutting tool, I would say.
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So, Steve--
Do I understand correctly that the test you're talking about is to cut a hole in the bottom of the bottle, basically cutting the hard center out of the bottom? That would mean the point of the knife would be pointing roughly toward the mouth of the bottle as you are making this cut?
--Will
[This message has been edited by WILL YORK (edited 08-10-2000).]
Do I understand correctly that the test you're talking about is to cut a hole in the bottom of the bottle, basically cutting the hard center out of the bottom? That would mean the point of the knife would be pointing roughly toward the mouth of the bottle as you are making this cut?
--Will
[This message has been edited by WILL YORK (edited 08-10-2000).]
dogboye
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I'd have to say you have a point there. I don't know where I can get any sisal rope around here though. I'll keep my eyes open, though. A new Lowes just went in up the highway... maybe they have some. Most of the rope around here, though, tends to be the polymer kind. I guess that is better for boats? Sailboats and such?
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iktomi
dogboye
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Hmmm.... 1/2 inch sisal (manila) rope, eh? I'll have to take a look at that Lowes, maybe even get to this evening. And what's the test again? How many times can it cut it? OR How many times do you have to saw to cut it once?
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iktomi
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iktomi
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Rockspyder--
The manila would be interesting, although it's not quite as hard as sisal. Manila is made from hemp, sisal from the agave plant. You mention two good tests.
The one I think Steve is suggesting is how many slicing (or sawing, as you say) strokes does it take to cut through the rope one time. He doesn't specify, but I would suggest supporting the rope on a piece of wood and clamping or otherwise securing one end of the rope. Then you can hold the rope taught with one hand and hold the knife in the other hand to make your cut.
The other test would be how many times could you sever the rope, limiting contact to a 2" length of edge, and still shave with that 2" section.
--Will
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db:
mmmm, na, I have a number of blades that will go through in two strokes, one if I'm careful about technique, against a board. You could just put a loop in it though, stick the knife edge up in the loop and pull. A good knife should go through in one pull, no problem. A good efficient edge will do this.
Will:
When I detroyed Walt's Talonite knife, I set out to cut straight through the bottom of the bottle, diametrically. I am usually not successful. The blade usually gets stopped at the center where the plastic gets thick and hard, but the edge failed before I got that far. If a person cut towards the center of the bottom until they just about couldn' cut anymore and veered off to cut around in a circle, that would put a lot of lateral stress on the edge. If it survived, that would be an indicator of good edge strength.
mmmm, na, I have a number of blades that will go through in two strokes, one if I'm careful about technique, against a board. You could just put a loop in it though, stick the knife edge up in the loop and pull. A good knife should go through in one pull, no problem. A good efficient edge will do this.
Will:
When I detroyed Walt's Talonite knife, I set out to cut straight through the bottom of the bottle, diametrically. I am usually not successful. The blade usually gets stopped at the center where the plastic gets thick and hard, but the edge failed before I got that far. If a person cut towards the center of the bottom until they just about couldn' cut anymore and veered off to cut around in a circle, that would put a lot of lateral stress on the edge. If it survived, that would be an indicator of good edge strength.
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I LIKE IT!
BTW, I agree on the one or two strokes to cut through 1/2" sisal. Ed Schott's blades will consistently cut through on one stroke, and David Boye's flat ground blades, and a few others I have, will do it in two strokes, given a fresh edge. Of course, edge geometry is key in that exercise. I don't know that you can grind thin enough edges on these cobalt derivatives to be this efficient on rope--would be fun to find out, though.
--Will
Well looks like Steve and Will are right I just cut completely through 1/2 Manila rope with a 2 blade on my Schrade OT stockman. Please don't pay any attention to any of my posts, I clearly don't know what I am talking about.
db quitely stepping back with foot in mouth....
Yep only 1 slice too. Damb
[This message has been edited by db (edited 08-11-2000).]
db quitely stepping back with foot in mouth....
Yep only 1 slice too. Damb
[This message has been edited by db (edited 08-11-2000).]
Cougar Allen
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Counting strokes to cut through a rope doesn't seem very meaningful (unless you're trying to determine how long the blade is, and there's an easier way to do that....)
How about counting inches? If it takes two strokes with a 3" blade that's the same as taking one stroke with a 6" blade.
-Cougar :{)
How about counting inches? If it takes two strokes with a 3" blade that's the same as taking one stroke with a 6" blade.
-Cougar :{)
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Hence the reason for confining contact with the rope to a stated length of edge, for the purpose of comparison with other blades. I use a 2" span along that portion of the blade that affords the most comfortable cutting position/angle. For me this has proven to be a very good test of how efficiently a blade cuts, as Steve suggests.