Sunday, August 21, 2005
Knife Facts
Knife Steel Facts
Written by Byron Rogers
Knife Steel
By definition, steel is a combination of iron and no more than 2% carbon.
Which Steels For Which Knives?
Heat treatment is as crucial a part as the grade of steel.
Basically, knife steels are high carbon stainless or non-stainless high carbon.
High carbon stainless is rust resistant though harder to sharpen.
Non-stainless high carbon rusts easier but is easier to sharpen.
With proper heat treatment, 440 should hold an edge slightly better and sharpen a bit easier than the lower 400 series stainless.
The lower 400 series stainless are gaining in popularity among the factories because they cause less wear on tooling.
ATS-34 and CPM 440V cost more than the other stainless steels, and the CPM 440V costs the most.
Blades of most stainless steels used in knives are not rustproof but are rust or stain resistance. So therefore stainless steel blades should still be kept clean and wiped dry after use, especially many of the new high carbon stainless steels like ATS-34, and CMP-T440V. But they do not need as much care as carbon steel knives.
Attributes and Best Applications of Stainless Steels In Knife Manufacturing*
Steel Type
Attributes
Best Applications
ATS-34
Superior edge-holding & stronger than 440
Pocket knives - hunting knives
420
Strongest but doesn't cut that well
Rough use knives - throwers
440A
3rd best of 440 types in edge holding
General purpose knives
440B**
2nd best of 440 types in edge holding
General purpose knives
440C
Best of 440 types in edge holding
Most all knife types
CPM 440V
Best edge holding stainless of all
Pocket knives - hunting knives
G2
Similar to 440C; may be stronger
Most all knife types
6A
Similar to 440A; may be stronger
General purpose knives & fighters
12C27
Similar to 6A
General purpose knives
* This assumes the steel is properly heat treated. ** Few factories use 440B steel anymore.
Article by Copyright © Byron Rogers, visit http://knifewebguide.com/ for more original content like this. Reprint permission granted with this footer included.
Knives in ENGLAND
General
The Offensive Weapons Act 1996 means that you can go be sentenced to imprisonment for up to two years and/or be fined if you are carrying a knife in public without a good reason. The police can arrest people on the streets who are committing this offence.
People can go to prison for four years and/or be fined if they are carrying an offensive weapon in public without good reason.
From September 1996 it became a criminal offence to carry a knife or an offensive weapon on school premises, with a maximum penalty of two years imprisonment and/or be fined.
From 1 January 1997 it became a criminal offence to sell a knife to a person aged under 16, with a maximum of six months imprisonment or a fine or both.
Other laws covering the carrying of knives include:
A flick knife is any knife which has a blade which opens automatically by hand pressure applied to a button, spring or other device in or attached to the handle.
A gravity knife is any knife which has a blade which is released from the handle by the force or gravity or the application of centrifugal force.
Knives Act 1997
Sections 1 - 7 and 9 - 10 came into effect on 1 Sept 77 and is aimed at tackling the menace of combat knives and the knife culture and bans the aggressive marketing of knives.
The act now makes it an offence to advertise a knife or offer it for sale in a way which suggests it could be used for combat or to encourage violent behaviour. The maximum penalty for this is new offence will be six months imprisonment and/or a £5000 fine. The controls are aimed at ensuing that knives ,which can cause serious or fatal injuries are not offered for sale or marketed in a way appears to condone violence. .
Other provisions include :-
Powers for courts to issue a warrant for the police to enter premises of
someone suspected of marketing knives for aggressive use.
Powers for the courts to order the forfeiture of knives or publications by a person convicted of the offence.
Section 8 of the act relating to police powers of stop and search will be brought into force at a later date.
Knives: questions and answers
Q. Can I carry a knife with me?
A . Not unless you have a good reason to - for example, to use at work, for religious purposes or as part of a national costume. There are very few good reasons for youngsters to carry knives. If the police prosecute you for carrying a knife in public or at school, you will have to prove that you were carrying if for a good reason.
Q. Why can’t I carry a knife?
A. A knife in the wrong hands can be used to maim or even kill, which means that the law has to be very strict on the carrying of knives.
Q. Can I buy a knife?
A. From January 1, a shopkeeper will be breaking the law if he sells a knife to anyone under 16
Q. How old do I have to be to carry a knife?
A: It does not matter what age you are, the police may charge you with a very serious offence if you haven’t got a good reason.
Q. What if I carry a small pocket knife?
A: If the blade is under 7.6cm (3 inch) you will not be charged with simple possession. But if the police believe that you are carrying it as an offensive weapon they can prosecute you under a different law.
Q. What would happen if I do carry a knife?
A. If you do not have a good reason to be carrying it (see Q1), a court may find that you have committed a serious criminal offence.
Q. Can I go to prison just for carrying a knife?
A. Yes, for up to two years.
Q. Is it only knives, or are there other sharp things I am not allowed to carry?
A. It is an offence to carry an article with a blade or sharp point in public or at school without good reason.
Q. I can use knives in the kitchen, so why can’t I use them outside the house?
A. You can. The offence, under section 139 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988, is that of carrying a knife in public without good reason (see Q1).
Q. What if I have to buy a kitchen knife from a shop for my Mum/Dad?
A. From 1 January, if you are under 16 you will not be able to do this. The best thing is to have a responsible adult with you if you are making such a purchase.
Q. What should I do if I see/know of someone/a friend carrying a knife?
A. The police will take the details from you and pass them to our information unit.
Q. Can I carry a knife to protect myself from people who attack me in the street?
A. No. The law does not allow you to carry a knife or any other weapon for self-defence.
Q. I can hide my knife in my pocket and the police won’t even know I have got it, so how can they stop me?
A. The police have special powers to stop and search people for knives, and the Home Secretary has said that he is going to make these powers even wider. Hiding a knife provides no real protection against being caught.
Q. I have some kitchen knives to dispose of what do I do with them?
A. There are no set instructions but a good method is to wrap the blade in several sheets of newspaper and place it in the dustbin on the day it is due to be emptied, however individual local authorities may have there own set procedures/methods, if you need further advice you should telephone your local council
Disclaimer: Nottinghamshire Police has made every effort to try to ensure that the answers given here are accurate. However, due to the complex nature of the law, these answers will not be applicable in all circumstances. Therefore we recommend that these answers be used as a general information guide and Nottinghamshire Police cannot be held liable for this information being used as a substitute for professional legal advice.
Written by Byron Rogers
Knife Steel
By definition, steel is a combination of iron and no more than 2% carbon.
Which Steels For Which Knives?
Heat treatment is as crucial a part as the grade of steel.
Basically, knife steels are high carbon stainless or non-stainless high carbon.
High carbon stainless is rust resistant though harder to sharpen.
Non-stainless high carbon rusts easier but is easier to sharpen.
With proper heat treatment, 440 should hold an edge slightly better and sharpen a bit easier than the lower 400 series stainless.
The lower 400 series stainless are gaining in popularity among the factories because they cause less wear on tooling.
ATS-34 and CPM 440V cost more than the other stainless steels, and the CPM 440V costs the most.
Blades of most stainless steels used in knives are not rustproof but are rust or stain resistance. So therefore stainless steel blades should still be kept clean and wiped dry after use, especially many of the new high carbon stainless steels like ATS-34, and CMP-T440V. But they do not need as much care as carbon steel knives.
Attributes and Best Applications of Stainless Steels In Knife Manufacturing*
Steel Type
Attributes
Best Applications
ATS-34
Superior edge-holding & stronger than 440
Pocket knives - hunting knives
420
Strongest but doesn't cut that well
Rough use knives - throwers
440A
3rd best of 440 types in edge holding
General purpose knives
440B**
2nd best of 440 types in edge holding
General purpose knives
440C
Best of 440 types in edge holding
Most all knife types
CPM 440V
Best edge holding stainless of all
Pocket knives - hunting knives
G2
Similar to 440C; may be stronger
Most all knife types
6A
Similar to 440A; may be stronger
General purpose knives & fighters
12C27
Similar to 6A
General purpose knives
* This assumes the steel is properly heat treated. ** Few factories use 440B steel anymore.
Article by Copyright © Byron Rogers, visit http://knifewebguide.com/ for more original content like this. Reprint permission granted with this footer included.
Knives in ENGLAND
General
The Offensive Weapons Act 1996 means that you can go be sentenced to imprisonment for up to two years and/or be fined if you are carrying a knife in public without a good reason. The police can arrest people on the streets who are committing this offence.
People can go to prison for four years and/or be fined if they are carrying an offensive weapon in public without good reason.
From September 1996 it became a criminal offence to carry a knife or an offensive weapon on school premises, with a maximum penalty of two years imprisonment and/or be fined.
From 1 January 1997 it became a criminal offence to sell a knife to a person aged under 16, with a maximum of six months imprisonment or a fine or both.
Other laws covering the carrying of knives include:
A flick knife is any knife which has a blade which opens automatically by hand pressure applied to a button, spring or other device in or attached to the handle.
A gravity knife is any knife which has a blade which is released from the handle by the force or gravity or the application of centrifugal force.
Knives Act 1997
Sections 1 - 7 and 9 - 10 came into effect on 1 Sept 77 and is aimed at tackling the menace of combat knives and the knife culture and bans the aggressive marketing of knives.
The act now makes it an offence to advertise a knife or offer it for sale in a way which suggests it could be used for combat or to encourage violent behaviour. The maximum penalty for this is new offence will be six months imprisonment and/or a £5000 fine. The controls are aimed at ensuing that knives ,which can cause serious or fatal injuries are not offered for sale or marketed in a way appears to condone violence. .
Other provisions include :-
Powers for courts to issue a warrant for the police to enter premises of
someone suspected of marketing knives for aggressive use.
Powers for the courts to order the forfeiture of knives or publications by a person convicted of the offence.
Section 8 of the act relating to police powers of stop and search will be brought into force at a later date.
Knives: questions and answers
Q. Can I carry a knife with me?
A . Not unless you have a good reason to - for example, to use at work, for religious purposes or as part of a national costume. There are very few good reasons for youngsters to carry knives. If the police prosecute you for carrying a knife in public or at school, you will have to prove that you were carrying if for a good reason.
Q. Why can’t I carry a knife?
A. A knife in the wrong hands can be used to maim or even kill, which means that the law has to be very strict on the carrying of knives.
Q. Can I buy a knife?
A. From January 1, a shopkeeper will be breaking the law if he sells a knife to anyone under 16
Q. How old do I have to be to carry a knife?
A: It does not matter what age you are, the police may charge you with a very serious offence if you haven’t got a good reason.
Q. What if I carry a small pocket knife?
A: If the blade is under 7.6cm (3 inch) you will not be charged with simple possession. But if the police believe that you are carrying it as an offensive weapon they can prosecute you under a different law.
Q. What would happen if I do carry a knife?
A. If you do not have a good reason to be carrying it (see Q1), a court may find that you have committed a serious criminal offence.
Q. Can I go to prison just for carrying a knife?
A. Yes, for up to two years.
Q. Is it only knives, or are there other sharp things I am not allowed to carry?
A. It is an offence to carry an article with a blade or sharp point in public or at school without good reason.
Q. I can use knives in the kitchen, so why can’t I use them outside the house?
A. You can. The offence, under section 139 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988, is that of carrying a knife in public without good reason (see Q1).
Q. What if I have to buy a kitchen knife from a shop for my Mum/Dad?
A. From 1 January, if you are under 16 you will not be able to do this. The best thing is to have a responsible adult with you if you are making such a purchase.
Q. What should I do if I see/know of someone/a friend carrying a knife?
A. The police will take the details from you and pass them to our information unit.
Q. Can I carry a knife to protect myself from people who attack me in the street?
A. No. The law does not allow you to carry a knife or any other weapon for self-defence.
Q. I can hide my knife in my pocket and the police won’t even know I have got it, so how can they stop me?
A. The police have special powers to stop and search people for knives, and the Home Secretary has said that he is going to make these powers even wider. Hiding a knife provides no real protection against being caught.
Q. I have some kitchen knives to dispose of what do I do with them?
A. There are no set instructions but a good method is to wrap the blade in several sheets of newspaper and place it in the dustbin on the day it is due to be emptied, however individual local authorities may have there own set procedures/methods, if you need further advice you should telephone your local council
Disclaimer: Nottinghamshire Police has made every effort to try to ensure that the answers given here are accurate. However, due to the complex nature of the law, these answers will not be applicable in all circumstances. Therefore we recommend that these answers be used as a general information guide and Nottinghamshire Police cannot be held liable for this information being used as a substitute for professional legal advice.
