rc ?

gobblergetter

Well-Known Member
Hey Dogs
i have two blades to send to peters for heat treat. first a skinner of 1095, 1/8th " thick, 4" long . second a drop point of o-1, 5/32 nd thick about 3 1/2 " long for skinning , quartering,camp chores a little of everything. what rc hardness should i ask for? any advice KnifeDogs ?
 
For my skinning knives I go for 60 Rockwell C in 1095. I figure that they're easy enough to sharpen at that hardness and shouldn't be abused too much. General purpose Belt and camp knives I try to harden to 58 or 59, as the contact with bone, rocks, all kinds of incidental punishment are likely to chip a super-hard edge.
 
Gobbler,
If you go with a 60 RC, do keep in mind what Frank has already said, a skinner that hard is super sharp with proper edge geometry, and very easy to re-sharpen,
but the drawback/trade off is that it is not to be used for ANYTHING else, JUST SKINNING!! Whacking at a branch will chip the blade up badly, hitting bone, like mentioned above, could destroy the blade. I'm not trying to rain on your parade, I'm merely trying to share my experiences with you. The first custom knife I bought had a 60 RC, the maker told me it was to be used for skinning ONLY! I was climbing a tree and got to a small limb, I couldn't get to my big knife in my pack on the ground with my bow, I had that knife on my belt, grabbed it and went to whacking, once I got home and cleaned all my gear, I noticed all the chipped out places on the blade, man I was sick!!! It's not a bad thing to get this type of hardness, just never forget what it's intended purpose is. Rex
 
Blade use and geometry are the keys to selecting the best hardness level for any blade. A thicker bodied blade made for camp chores can handle a 60 HRC without damage. A thinner blade like your 1/8 inch skinner, with its thinner edge will not hold up to camp chores but works great as a skinner at the same level of hardness. When you get to 62 HRC you are looking at brittle using the steels you have chosen.

Fred
 
Thanks for your help fellow Dogs.Sending blades today 60rc for skinner and 58rc for camp knife.Will post pics when finshed.
 
Gobbler,
A little info about a convex edge, also called an Appleseed edge and once called a Moran edge after the late(GREAT) Bill Moran, this type of sharpening is great for chopper type blade, mainly because it leaves more steel behind the edge, which makes for a tougher more robust cutting edge. Mainly used on blades that are thicker, it doesn't matter what type of grind you use, flat or hollow. Like mentioned before, the only way to get this, that I know of, is with the use of a slack belt configuration on a belt grinder.

There is a lot to this knife making and if you get bored easily, it won't be a problem with learning the skills necessary to make great quality, beautiful knives. For most of us it is all consuming, taking up most of our free time, to actually work of knives and when we aren't, it is constantly on our minds, thinking about what to do next, or what to learn more about, it's almost an illness! ENJOY!!!!! The satisfaction you feel when you've made a quality tool that is both beautiful and functional, that makes people stop to look at it is priceless. Hard to describe really, let us know how they turn out, WITH PICTURES!!!!! Thanks, Rex
 
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