Spyderco Forums

SpyderEdgeForever wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 25, 2018 8:33 pm

This just pierced my mental bubble of considering how excellent H1 steel is. Maybe I was putting too much emphasis on it

I wouldn’t let it ruin it for you. Sounds like some serious wire to me.

SpyderEdgeForever wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 25, 2018 8:33 pm

This just pierced my mental bubble of considering how excellent H1 steel is. Maybe I was putting too much emphasis on it

There's no such thing as a steel that doesn't take damage under the right circumstances. Maybe a better title for this thread would be "surprised in how H1 took damage" since I would expect it to roll rather than chip, but in the end it was just the wrong tool for the job and I overestimated the knife and underestimated the cable.

Evil D wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 26, 2018 7:17 am

SpyderEdgeForever wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 25, 2018 8:33 pm

This just pierced my mental bubble of considering how excellent H1 steel is. Maybe I was putting too much emphasis on it

There's no such thing as a steel that doesn't take damage under the right circumstances.

That is correct.

I cut coax and similar stuff all the time at work and absolutely consider a knife the right tool for the job.
H1 is probably the least damage resistant steel I have for this type of use due to edge rolling.
I would never use a serrated blade of any steel type for this task, unless there were no other choice.

Are you sure it didn't get bits just ripped from the edge by the fine steel wire instead of chipping?

jpm2 wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 26, 2018 5:47 pm

Evil D wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 26, 2018 7:17 am

SpyderEdgeForever wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 25, 2018 8:33 pm

This just pierced my mental bubble of considering how excellent H1 steel is. Maybe I was putting too much emphasis on it

There's no such thing as a steel that doesn't take damage under the right circumstances.

That is correct.

I cut coax and similar stuff all the time at work and absolutely consider a knife the right tool for the job.
H1 is probably the least damage resistant steel I have for this type of use due to edge rolling.
I would never use a serrated blade of any steel type for this task, unless there were no other choice.

Are you sure it didn't get bits just ripped from the edge by the fine steel wire instead of chipping?

Well, how much difference is there between chipped/ripped off/broke off? The damaged teeth were visibly jagged under a loupe, so they didn't simply blunt or wear down.

Evil D wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 26, 2018 5:54 pm

jpm2 wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 26, 2018 5:47 pm

Evil D wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 26, 2018 7:17 am

SpyderEdgeForever wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 25, 2018 8:33 pm

This just pierced my mental bubble of considering how excellent H1 steel is. Maybe I was putting too much emphasis on it

There's no such thing as a steel that doesn't take damage under the right circumstances.

That is correct.

I cut coax and similar stuff all the time at work and absolutely consider a knife the right tool for the job.
H1 is probably the least damage resistant steel I have for this type of use due to edge rolling.
I would never use a serrated blade of any steel type for this task, unless there were no other choice.

Are you sure it didn't get bits just ripped from the edge by the fine steel wire instead of chipping?

Well, how much difference is there between chipped/ripped off/broke off? The damaged teeth were visibly jagged under a loupe, so they didn't simply blunt or wear down.

Well, there's a big difference in a gap that has broken/cracked out, and one that is deformed/dented or ripped out.
If it chipped, the metal is gone and there's usually no plastic deformation/burr around the gap/missing steel; If not, the metal is not missing, it's still there, just moved/displaced. Then there's the possibility the fine steel wire braid of the coax dug into the edge and cut or ripped the metal out.
I've seen it all ways.

I thought the braided sheath in coaxial cable is copper, not steel.

The Meat man wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 26, 2018 8:15 pm

I thought the braided sheath in coaxial cable is copper, not steel.

Depends on the type coax. The copper shields I've seen are not tinned. The picture posted looks to be steel.

Evil D wrote: ↑

Wed Sep 26, 2018 7:17 am

SpyderEdgeForever wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 25, 2018 8:33 pm

This just pierced my mental bubble of considering how excellent H1 steel is. Maybe I was putting too much emphasis on it

There's no such thing as a steel that doesn't take damage under the right circumstances. Maybe a better title for this thread would be "surprised in how H1 took damage" since I would expect it to roll rather than chip, but in the end it was just the wrong tool for the job and I overestimated the knife and underestimated the cable.

Thank you. That does help.

What steel when hardened could cut coax cable best without damage to the edge ?

awa54 wrote: ↑

Tue Sep 25, 2018 10:10 pm

Most RG6 these days is aluminum or tinned copper for the braid, then aluminum or aluminized plastic film for the inner shield (sometimes two layers of braid and/or aluminum foil) then copper plated steel for the center conductor, this allows the cable to be strung farther without an additional support wire. If it had been pure copper I doubt your serration tips would have taken any damage past some slight dulling.

It sure is. I just went out and stripped a piece of coax. The center conductor stuck to a magnet quite well.

SpyderEdgeForever wrote: ↑

Fri Sep 28, 2018 4:47 am

What steel when hardened could cut coax cable best without damage to the edge ?

Wire cutters?

Personally, I don’t judge a knife (or its steel) by its ability to do things it wasn’t designed to do. Can I cut grass with a chainsaw? Probably, but I wouldn’t say it was a bad chainsaw based on my ragged looking lawn afterwards.

SpyderEdgeForever wrote: ↑

Fri Sep 28, 2018 4:47 am

What steel when hardened could cut coax cable best without damage to the edge ?

The correct way to cut electrical/data cables is with an appropriately sized wire cutter... for larger gauge copper or harder conductors a set of well made shear cutters is best (IMO).

That said, I had a Schrade 3OT that I carried at work for years back when I installed car and home audio systems, I would cut up to 12ga. *stranded copper* wire with it often and never had any serious edge damage from that, but any bigger (or solid core) and I'd switch to real wire cutters.

SpyderEdgeForever wrote: ↑

Fri Sep 28, 2018 4:47 am

What steel when hardened could cut coax cable best without damage to the edge ?

S7 would laugh at coax. Assuming appropriate edge geometry, you could hammer the spine with a steel hammer and pound the blade through with no damage I'd imagine.

Brackish wrote: ↑

Fri Sep 28, 2018 2:29 pm

Personally, I don’t judge a knife (or its steel) by its ability to do things it wasn’t designed to do. Can I cut grass with a chainsaw? Probably, but I wouldn’t say it was a bad chainsaw based on my ragged looking lawn afterwards.

Well it's up for debate wether cutting wires is a knife job or not. I do agree that maybe this isn't the knife or steel that's right for the job though, but it isn't like I did it knowing it was overkill. I've cut gobs of CAT5 cable without any issues at all.

Evil D wrote: ↑

Fri Sep 28, 2018 4:09 pm

Brackish wrote: ↑

Fri Sep 28, 2018 2:29 pm

Personally, I don’t judge a knife (or its steel) by its ability to do things it wasn’t designed to do. Can I cut grass with a chainsaw? Probably, but I wouldn’t say it was a bad chainsaw based on my ragged looking lawn afterwards.

Well it's up for debate wether cutting wires is a knife job or not. I do agree that maybe this isn't the knife or steel that's right for the job though, but it isn't like I did it knowing it was overkill. I've cut gobs of CAT5 cable without any issues at all.

I’m not in a job that requires cutting cables on a regular basis, but I’ve had to move coax a few times in my house over the years. I’d never think to use a knife to cut any type of cable. I’d just grab my wire cutters, but that’s why I bought them. Maybe just an OCD thing with me, but I can’t stand anything other than a perfectly clean cut. That’s something I’ve been able to achieve without resorting to a knife, so I’ve never even considered it.