I just learned about this guy through this article.  Pretty neat.  Anyone ever try to recreate this?  https://clarksonhistory.wordpress.com/2013/05/06/secrets-of-the-dead-the-richtig-knife/

Edited June 4, 201511 yr by Steve Sells

Have you looked over the testing requirements for the ABS levels?

That's immediately what came to mind, Thomas. I remember looking at those tests when I first started out and thinking that they were impossible/required some sort of dark ritual to pass. 

Then came more experience and a material science degree. So much cooler knowing why things work, in my opinion, and reading about reverse engineering artifacts from history also tickles my fancy.

That's really interesting that he make have used molten lead as a quenchant. Something I never heard of before. Definitely not something I plan on experimenting with for obvious reasons. 

The one that really scares me is using mercury for a quenchant.  Molten lead is fairly polite to work with at the temps for Austempering it doesn't push a lot of vapor till it gets closer to it's boiling temperature. 

I'm not a big fan of taking secrets to the grave and try to teach anything I know to lots of folks.

I've been able to pass a few of the ABS knife function tests, not the bending in half part.  I'll be making another test knife in the next month or so, so we'll see.  I'll wait till I can pass those tests before tackling iron bars.

Very cool article - I love visiting with the older generation.  The level of knowledge this man took to the grave saddens me.

As a general statement with regard to "secrets" - one must always consider the available technology at the time.  In other words, it would be very difficult (practically impossible) for someone to have performed a cryo treatment if they lived in a time where super cooling compounds were not readily available, even in a lab.  On the other hand, the ability to melt lead has been around for thousands of years so it's an instinctive thought for a blacksmith to temper a knife in that manner.

The article talked about how many of his knives had cast aluminum handles.  Wonder if he quenched in molten aluminum?  Depending on the alloy it can melt at just a little higher temp than lead, and it conducts heat way better

really interesting article.

On 6/4/2015 at 3:54 PM, ThomasPowers said:

The one that really scares me is using mercury for a quenchant.  Molten lead is fairly polite to work with at the temps for Austempering it doesn't push a lot of vapor till it gets closer to it's boiling temperature. 

I'm not a big fan of taking secrets to the grave and try to teach anything I know to lots of folks.

not a quote but a bow to you. your views on secrets 29 years ago got me hooked on bladesmithing vs the very view who spout "state secrets" i have always said that no matter how crowded a field is there is always room for one more good one.

This article got me to thinking.

I remembered an old martial arts display stunt that had a practitioner drive a samurai sword, (a.k.a. katana), through a substantial and very hard & thick material. I do not remember what it consisted of but it was impressive. Then the fellow sliced a piece of fabric floating in the air.

There was a trick involved. The end of the sword was very sharp and that part cleaved the fabric. (probably thin silk). But the rest of the sword was not sharp at all. the sword and edge was robust enough to cut the hard material. Which may have been chain link iron.

I wonder if anyone inspected the sword's edge to check its consistency.

I am not suggesting that the fellow was pranking the audience. But there is a remote possibility that that might have been the case. It would go some way to explaining why the smith,  cum knife maker, took his "steel treating secret" to the grave.

SLAG.

SLAG, your story reminds me of something I learned from my old Tai Chi teacher. We were discussing sword forms, and he showed me an antique Chinese sword from his collection. The blade had different cross sections for each third of its length: the first, closest to the hilt, was extremely blunt -- almost rectangular cross-section -- and used primarily for blocking and parrying. The middle section had a very robust edge and was intended for heavy slashing, being the area around the center of percussion.  The outer third was very slender and sharp, for thrusting and slashing at a distance ( as he liked to say, every drop of blood you lose ages you a year). 

Mr. Hammer,

Your Sifu, (a.k.a. Sensai) was a wise man.

Medieval beheading swords are surprisingly blunt. Sharp ones would not work very well.

SLAG.