[at-l] Scout knife.

[stephensadams at hotmail.com (Steve Adams)]

Bryan, Bryan, Bryan (sigh),

Reference your post, dated 01-04-04.

?... Iron is just Fe the world around.?

I can?t think of a better example to demonstrate the danger of a little 
knowledge.  You know the abbreviation for iron used in the Periodic Table of 
the Elements.  I would offer congratulations but, I know it too, and I 
suspect we?re not alone.

Iron is a component of knife blades.  (Even stainless steel, the composition 
of which has not been defined, depends upon iron for edge retention.)  Iron 
with the least impurities is preferred because impurities weaken iron.

Do you know why blades are forged?  Knife blades are forged to remove 
impurities from the iron.  All impurities are not completely removed, of 
course.  When you begin with iron which has the least impurities then forge 
it well you achieve a blade with the least impurities, the hardest steel, 
the sharpest edge, and excellent edge retention which can readily be 
re-sharpened.

Now, do you know where you find pure iron?  Well, you don?t; at least not on 
this planet.  Sweden, and what is now known as Norway, have iron deposits 
with the least impurities.

Improvements in knife blade steel have been more than offset by replacing a 
knifemaker?s ?art? with the ?science? of mass production.  A properly 
motivated chimpanzee can work a production line but the product isn't going 
to be great.

?Most hikers probably don't want to pay a couple hundred dollars for a hand 
forged knife tho.?

There are so many people who believe (incorrectly) as you do that the market 
for many great knives is simply not there.  I?ve seen Swedish Scout Knives 
sell on eBay at prices lower than the retail cost of an otherwise comparable 
Swiss Army Knife.

?Now there may be some good blades made in Sweden or Germany but Iron is 
just
Fe the world around.?

Eskilstuna, Sweden, Sheffield, England, and Solingen, Germany have been 
renowned knife making centers for centuries.  I advise you of easy access to 
their knives right now, pearls if you will, but you only oink and squeal.

Steve

P.s. #1.    Your ?... tougher than average alloy called AUS-6 ...? is a 
relatively poor steel for knife blades by today?s standard.  There have been 
several generations of improvement since AUS-6 was introduced.  It is now 
used on knives which are trading on an established brand name or are merely 
cheap.

P.s. #2.    If you simply have to own a new stainless knife, and if you?re 
into light weight, A.G. Russell is offering ?The Ultimate Pen Knife? 
(RUS-P3TI) for $19.95.  It has titanium scales, a 1 ½ ? blade of VG-10 
steel, and weighs 0.2 oz.   It is available online at www.agrussell.com

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