This is another step for my nephew in adulthood. He has to remain a good human being in order to get gifts like this from me. He was raised in Chicago and both of his parents are Chicago police officers. Good or bad, they are city kids. Sometimes a city perspective is good.
I sent my nephew another email last night before turning in. I am trying to get my nephew and niece interested in subjects outside of their existing knowledge base. They are young and I'd like them to think about how knowing different things could impact their lives and possibly be a choice for a career path. I am trying to let them know with my wording that there are options to a college degree, and options within the realm of obtaining a college degree.
I WROTE THE FOLLOWING TO HIM:
The attached knife steel chart is from Knife Steel Nerds
https://knifesteelnerds.com/ and is a graph of the most popular knife steels. The vertical "Y" axis is labeled TCC, which stands for Total Cards Cut. The horizontal or "X" axis is labeled Hardness or RC. Knife Steel Nerds is an Internet site that discusses knife steels, their metallurgical engineering and manufacture. People interested in collecting or buying knives read the articles prepared by author, metallurgist and engineer Larrin Thomas to seek the best knife steels available for a particular use. There are a couple of other sites, the best being The Science of Sharp:
https://scienceofsharp.com/
Metallurgy requires courses in math, chemistry, physics, but the articles on Knife Steel Nerds are very readable. Often bladesmiths, people who make knives read the articles, and they often do not have degrees. They use the content to understand how to use different steels. They have to understand the articles well enough to design excellent knives.
TCC measures the total cardboard cards cut on a special machine called a CATRA Machine. Hardness is a measurement for metallurgical engineers for tracking differences in steels and where they fall in brittleness and pliability(softness, toughness).
The 3 main areas for knife steel measurement are Toughness, Hardness and Corrosion Resistance. These 3 areas are a gradient for all steels and they are different for all steels.
Something with a high hardness usually cuts better, is harder to sharpen, and is not tough, the high hardness makes it unsuitable for use as a large knife because it may snap if abused. The minimum and maximum hardness for any knife steel determines which steel to use for a particular application or use. The knife that I gave you is designed for soft targets....specifically, animal or human flesh.
A machete is generally soft or we say has a "high toughness," and it absorbs shock when used to chop at tree limbs. Soft or high toughness steels do not have a high edge retention and have to be sharpened frequently. A small 3 to 4 inch folding knife can have a steel with a relatively high hardness because it is not going to be used aggressively.
[I told him earlier in the evening that at one time I had $20,000 in knives but sold half of them off. I concluded...] Although I sold off half of my knives I saved the best engineered and designed knives. You have one of the best knives, so take care of it. A knife is a tool. Don't be stupid.
