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Gap question/poll #3

Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2013 12:16 am
by coffeecup
Let's see what Carol Merrill has for us behind door #3 . . . .*

When you look at a new knife, how much gap between the backsprings, or the backspring and liners, will cause you to reject that particular knife? Please base your answers on the knives you buy the most of--if you buy knives primarily as collectibles those would be the ones to consider, if you buy knives for actual working use, those would be the knives to consider.

Thanks,
Jim

*(a classical reference, for those who don't remember the heyday of Let's Make a Deal)

Re: Gap question/poll #3

Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2013 12:44 am
by woseyjales
Seems you have an allergy for gaps.
Now where are the blades aren't centered,
crooked shields, foggy mirror polished surfaces,
lopsided flute, & torn box flap polls? ::shrug::

Re: Gap question/poll #3

Posted: Tue Feb 19, 2013 1:19 am
by coffeecup
woseyjales wrote:Seems you have an allergy for gaps.
Now where are the blades aren't centered,
crooked shields, foggy mirror polished surfaces,
lopsided flute, & torn box flap polls? ::shrug::
Not so much an allergy to gaps, it was just that asking multiple questions was the only way I could set up the polls.

Gaps can be defined in objective terms using relatively objective measurements with which most of us are familiar and can agree on. Determining if blades are not centered or a shield is crooked, and to what extent, would require first determining the centerline of the blade or shield (if symmetrical), then the centerline of the knife, then determining if--and if so, to what extent--they are not parallel. This is further complicated by the compound curvature and often irregular nature of the material used for the cover (a shield can look "crooked" yet be perfectly parallel to the centerline of the knife, due to the cover material) and by many non-symmetrical blade grinds (even if they are meant to be symmetrical, hand work in grinding and finishing often makes them not that way).

Polishing or lack thereof gets into issues with steels (D2 doesn't polish to a mirror sheen, for example), possibly flaws in the metal (Japanese sword aficionados have a whole series of terms to describe flaws and their appearance when polished), the polishing media used, and various subjective factors on the part of the observer. The only way to quantify it would probably be to prepare a series of optically flat surfaces polished with various media that could be used for comparative purposes. I'm not sure any of us care that much!

As for the lopside flutes and torn box flaps . . . . I'm not sure what you mean by a "lopsided flute." I've never given a thought to the effect of torn box flaps on utility or collectability. I can see how it would affect collectability at least, I just never considered it.

Jim