Offtopic: GEC Rattleback?

C

ConBon

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Jan 17, 2012
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This is a weird one, but I have noticed my #53 Northfield acts like a rattleback when sitting on the backsprings. Rattlebacks are the little plastic toys you can buy that look like a canoe sorta. I can spin it clockwise fine, but counter clockwise it wobbles and reverses itself. Has anyone noticed this or know why? I can't figure it out but it's a neat tidbit.

Connor
 
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ConBon said:
This is a weird one, but I have noticed my #53 Northfield acts like a rattleback when sitting on the backsprings. Rattlebacks are the little plastic toys you can buy that look like a canoe sorta. I can spin it clockwise fine, but counter clockwise it wobbles and reverses itself. Has anyone noticed this or know why? I can't figure it out but it's a neat tidbit.

Connor
Click to expand...

:eek: WHAT!?! Dang, not a single 53 on me..... What model is it you've observed this on?

Jsega51 said:
Will it do the opposite if you're in Australia???
Click to expand...

We need a field test down under! :thumbup::thumbup:
 
ConBon said:
This is a weird one, but I have noticed my #53 Northfield acts like a rattleback when sitting on the backsprings. Rattlebacks are the little plastic toys you can buy that look like a canoe sorta. I can spin it clockwise fine, but counter clockwise it wobbles and reverses itself. Has anyone noticed this or know why? I can't figure it out but it's a neat tidbit.

Connor
Click to expand...

We would love a video !!! Now my wife is giving me the stink eye, as I spin my knives…. :cool:
 
In all seriousness, I had to get out the one #53 I own and try this out. It's a genuine stag stockman from 2008. I'll be a monkey's uncle, it does the exact same thing. Spins smooth clockwise but it chatters up a storm when spinning counterclockwise and comes to a stop fairly quick.
 
I took a few random traditional knives that seemed to be spinnable and could not see a noticeable difference. I tried it with an old Ulster small Stockman and a Schrade Kious reverse Congress. I'm not gonna get sucked into trying anymore!

This is one of the weirder threads I've seen here. I think that knife needs to go to Meako, or to someone south of the equator, for testing purposes.
 
Aaaarghh! The knife must be possessed :eek::eek: I'll exorcise it for you:D

An odd phenomena though.....
 
The Fremont Jack is a highly spinable knife, but I don't remember ever trying to spin it CCW. Someone should try that.
 
I have several knives that do that. Some will spin clockwise but not counterclockwise and others the opposite.

Weird

Years ago, I made a wooden toy that functioned this way. I am not sure that I exactly remember how to do it, though I guess I could find the item and maybe how to make it again. The thing was called a "tates".

It was part of a fairly elaborate pun/joke, that involved showing the thing and how it worked one way and not the other to people who would try it and get kind of fascinated by it, wondering why it did what it did. Inevitably, the question would arise, "what does it do, or does it have a purpose. " (This is called "taking the bait."). At this point the jokester would explain that before the days of the magnetic compass, Viking voyagers would use the tates as a navigation device. The obvious question would then come, "how would that work?" (the sucker is hooked!). The answer is, "not very well, which gave rise to the expression "HE WHO HAS A TATES IS LOST!"

Caution needs to be exercised in doing this. Beatings can result.
 
idahoguy said:
Have someone left handed try it!
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Haha. To be fair, I spun it with each hand separate, both hands together, spinning by holding the middle and then by using the ends. The result was the same. My girlfriend is left handed, maybe I'll have her try it but I don't want her to give me the "look" like I'm a moron...I get that look enough!
 
My Buck 703 stockman spins cleanly clockwise, counterclockwise it spins but rattles like all get out.
 
Haha, mine is reversed, it spins fine counter-clockwise.
Fascinating. Now I may carry it more often. :p
 
Jsega51 said:
Will it do the opposite if you're in Australia???
Click to expand...

That be the coreolis effect -it works on fluids such as water and gas circulating in one direction as the Earth spins.
Solid objects probably not.
The difference is northern and southern hemispheres so you would only need to go over the equator to find out.
I've got a 53 round here somewhere . I'll give it a go.
 
I've noticed this with some of my knives (I'd say 5%-10% do this). I always thought it was cool but didn't know it was a "thing". I never heard about a rattleback before. Thanks for posting this!
 
Pretty soon we'll be rating knives on walk and talk, pull scale, gaps, and rattleback direction...
 
This is really interesting to see that it's not just a one off thing. I expect only the straight equal end knives will do it, if at all though.

Mr. Chips that's exactly where I know it from, except as being a novelty the vikings discovered, not for practical jokes.

Sturzi, glad to hear you're carrying what may be my favorite pattern more often! I seem to like the straight cigar more than a serpentine shape now.

Connor
 
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