Now that I look back I realize I had no business buying blacked out, fixed blade combat knives or some of the bone handled hunting knives I acquired. I am neither a hunter nor a military man, and they weren't really of use for what I eventually decided was my passion in knives, which you will learn below. As a result I own more than a few knives which I should trade or sell outright. Many of these knives were quality pieces, with nice sheaths, but for me personally, that doesn't do it.
I understand know that I should have been smart enough to take a little time after the first few purchases and carefully consider where I was going with my mounting collection. What I would like to present below are a few thoughts you may wish to consider before buying your next knife.
First of all, no matter what type of hardware you choose to collect, don't buy because of cheap prices. I found this out very early. The knives looked good in the pictures, but when I opened the box I usually got a crudely made knife with ill fitting scales, rough action, and cheap steel that wouldn't take a good edge, let along hold it. In reality I had just purchased a hugely expensive knife because it was useless for cutting or display purposes or anything else.
Second, sit down and consider what you really like in knives. Is it the visual appeal, the mechanism, the blade and handle material, the style, the size, the possibility for customizing, the intended usage, the collector value, the brand name or maker, the historical value, or a combination of several things.  Sometimes you have to buy a knife for a given reason and then carry it or display it for awhile to see if it stands the old test of time. In other words after a few weeks of ownership does it still appeal to you and would you still buy it if you didn't already have it. This can be a little costly, but you should learn quickly what you do and don't like.
 I have read the average purchased knife only lasts two (2) years. That is amazing, but it it's true, they certainly haven't talked to me or seen my collection. True, I have lost a few folders many years ago to various seats and sofas somewhere, but the vast majority of my knives are still around and in good condition. Some I just display, some I use, and some I do both. A fellow collector once told me he pulls one knife per week from his collection to carry, and then goes back and gets another. (I liked that concept when I first heard it, and have roughly adopted the procedure as my own since.)  In other words you should expect to have your knives for a long time, so you should buy something that will please you to carry over and over.
Thirdly, this brings up the question of buying expensive knives. Obviously when something is expensive for a collector, he considers it a little longer than he normally would before buying, but maybe for the wrong reasons. I have a David Yellowhorse 3 blade folder with all kinds of etchings, an inlay, and a dynamite wood and glass display case that came with it. For me it was the most expensive knife I had ever purchased at the time. I used to get it out of the case and actually carry it, but then several years later when I saw what it was now selling for, I quietly cleaned it and put it back in the case. where it has remained. I can no longer bring myself to use it because of its worth. I mention this because I think it should be one of the big considerations on any expensive knife purchase.  Consider carefully what you intend to do with this knife. If it's for appreciation and display, fine, but if you had thoughts of actually using it, you better make sure you can justify it to yourself after the box is opened. Again, know what you are buying a knife for.
Fourth, read a little about the knife you have your eye on before you buy. Are there any reviews? What do different purveyors have to say, and what are their prices and service policies for customers. What is the reputation of the company or maker?. What about the blade steel?
Fifth(and last), if you're like me, you have multiple reasons for buying a knife. If so, try to maximize the number of reasons in a single knife purchase. In my case, I love it when I find a knife that has great blade steel, possibility of customizing( I make custom handles as a hobby), a strange and exotic mechanism, and uncommon handle and liner material! .It doesn't get any better than that for me.
I hope these thoughts at least cause you, the buyer, to pause and take a second breath before taking the plunge on a new piece of steel.

Dr. K

We go to Phoenix on a regular basis to visit our grandchildren, and usually end up on I-40 at least part of the way, which is a stretch from Albuquerque.,New Mexico to Holbrook, Arizona. We are usually traveling at 75mph as we go over the border from Nm to Az, but this time we actually were stopping at some of the indian trading posts. Just as we were cruising over the border into Az., there it was- a big yellow colored sign I hadn't noticed before- "Yellowhorse Trading Post". And under that, a small sign saying "David Yellowhorse knives".. Wow! I yanked the car onto the off ramp and there we were. There were several different trading posts all sharing space underneath a huge monolitic piece of red sandstone, with a huge painted scene on the rock. It was an amazing site, and I knew we had to be on Navajo land, because that would never be allowed otherwise.

I walked into the trading post and couldn't contain myself. I immediately asked if this was where David Yellowhorse worked, and the lady said "yes, would you like me to go get him?" I didn't know what to say for a moment, but recovered and said "sure". A few moments later a man in his late 40s or mid 50s came out from a back door and I knew who it was instantly. I told him I owned one of his knives and made a few myself and then to my utter amazement, in his soft spoken voice, he invited me into his shop. It was surreal for me, but moments later I was in a mobile trailer walking past two indian women working on two grinding/polishing machines that had rubber-like wheels cooled by water. I looked over and saw two trays of identical and spectacular knives, with the middle portions open, and ready to accept the final triangular pieces each of the girls was working on. We both started talking and I showed him a few of my custom knives I had in my pocket and then he asked me if I wanted to see a shipment of completed knives that was ready to go out that day. To see 5 trays of finished custom knifes, each tray different, was an experience I will never forget. I stood staring and then finally came to my senses and told him I would take one of each. He politely told me all his production was spoken for well into the future, that's why there were no knives for sale at the front counter. I laughed and said I had guessed that was the case.

We had been walking past some equipment when I came upon a small work bench which had what I had come to learn about and see---pieces of desert ironwood and pieces of silver and nickel silver. I stopped and finally blurted out, "how do you do this" as I pickd up a finished piiece of inlaid ironwood.. I expected a polite statement about proprietary secrets, but to my utter amazement, he said "Sure, here's what I do." A half hour later I felt like Knig Kong. I could do this! I promised him I would only use his technique for my own use and gifts for my friends, but he really never asked me to make that promise.

I suddenly realized I had taken almost an hour of this busy man's time, so I thanked him profusely and said my goodbyes. Here was a quiet and gentle man who was an expert in his craft, and yet he had taken time to talk to a stranger and provide him with invaluable knowledge, at no charge.

And to top it off, as I was walking out the door he sais. "Come back anytime." That blew me away and I mentally vowed to do something for him for the knidness he had shown me, but that's another story.

Dr. K

But what exactly does it mean to heat treat any steel? First of all when the steel is first created in the molten baths of iron, alloy materials, and processing elements, it must be heated to just the right ”critical” temperature for the right amount of time, and then cooled properly depending on its content. These critical heating temperatures, rate of cooling, and method of cooling vary with the type of steel. Most of this data and methodology was arrived at by much experimentation over the years, and I think it is safe to say that today’s steels are superior to those of years past.

There are many quenching (rapid cooling) techniques to achieve hardness after the melt is complete. Some require slow air cooling, some faster cooling in oil, and some even salt water immersion I have heard.

The sinking of the Titanic is an example of improper steel being used for the intended application. Evidently the collision with an iceberg resulted in the hull plates shattering, causing far more damge than would have been caused by a similar collision today. The hull steel was probably quite hard, but far too brittle, and did not have the properly toughening elements (like Molybdenum or Nickel) which would have caused yielding, but not total failure. This also goes for the rivets used for attachment purposes. I am guessing even those plates might have done the job if they had been heat treated after manufacture.

This brings up the topic of final heat treat and tempering. When steel is first made it is often too hard to be of use. It’s hardness makes working it difficult, and it is usually too brittle. Tempering is the process of reheating below the critical temperature, and then cooling at a slower rate or in a different medium (air, water, oil,etc.).  This is very often  repeated several times with possibly different reheat temperatures and cooling rates. Cryogenic treatment is also now used for some blade steels, with further enhanced properties being claimed using this super cooling technique.

If you look at catalogs of some knife supply companies, you will find they provide specific heat treatment information for the raw blanks of blade steel they sell to makers. They also sell semi finished and polished blades that have already been properly heat treated and just need handles and final finishing and polishing.

The steels we have today are a product of a vast amount of effort and experimentation on the part of mills and users. To me, old knives are great collector items, but for using knives, we have never had a better choice of steels than today.

 One last thought.  You can purchase a knife with top quality blade steel, but you are only half there unless you know it has been properly heat treated. I think that is why many custom makers thrive today. They advertise their own heat treatment, and the users of their products have attested to their superior strength and edge holding because of their custom heat treatments, and come back to buy more.

Dr. K

Today, I would like to take a look at the types of knife collectors. This may seem like a mundane topic, but it has tremendous influence on what you buy for your own use, or for collecting.

It didn't occur to me for years that there were different types of collectors. I always assumed everyone bought them for the same reasons I did, but I got a big surprise when I subscribed to several knife magazines and discovered not everyone had the same interests I did.

First, let me define the basic types as I as perceive them.

(1) The History collector-This person collects because of the historical mystique of a given knife, whether by owning an actual authenicated knife, or by buying replicas.  These knives will never be used, just displayed in most cases. I wish these collectors well, but my interests lie elsewhere.

(2) The Antique collector-This person loves old things and edged hardware, so what could be better than owning one item representing both! I must admit some of the old knives are interesting to me from a material and mechansim standpoint, but my interests are still elsewhere.

(3) The custom knive collector-This guy has the money to indulge his hobby and goes for the best.  Unfortunately, most of these knives will never see the light of day other than thru a display case. Even he can't bring himself to actually use the knife based on the money spent. In some cases these knives are works of art, never intended for anything except display. In other cases they have custom forged steel, exotic handle materials, impeccable workmanship, and a recognized maker stamp on the blade. I own a few of these and I hardly dare touch them.  Shame on me for not at least using what I spent so much money on.

(4)The mechanism and blade steel collector-Here I am. It took me a long time to realize this was my interest, but I should have known since I am a mechanical engineer by trade. Collectors like me can't get enough of strange and exotic deployment configurations, and when you combine that with some of the new alloy steels or maybe a cobalt alloy, I have achieved nirvana.

 (5) The personal use custom maker/collector-I have to include this type even though it is hard to put into words. The reason-that is what I am. Again, it took me years, and lots of knives, to discover that I really enjoy buying a new knife, and then not leaving well enough alone. I first got the idea of custom modifying a knife when I bought a rather expensive(for me) custom knife that had multiple handle materials with silver spacers. I took a look at this and decided I could do this. So... I plunged in, bought some cheap equipment, epoxy, and handle materials, and went for it. I will discuss the results of this, maybe with some pictures, in future articles.

(6) The basic user-This individual is not really a collector but actually USES the knife he buys everyday. How novel!

 As you can guess, all these various types can overlap. I have a little of each type of knife in my own collection, which I am finally photographing for the first time for insurance reasons. Not an easy task.

I don't want to overwork this topic, but it has an importance because, if you can discover what your knife interests are early, it can save a lot of money being spent on a knife that later on you just wish you could sell and make room for the ones that really matter to you. I speak from experience on this. I look at a few of my knives and wonder what ever possessed me to buy them.

Now that I am getting warmed, up look for some in depth thoughts on blade steels, handle materials, and mechanisms. I wish I had paid more attention to the lone materials course I took in college, because I find the topic utterly fascinating now and I hope I can foster a love of that in all those who buy one of man's oldest tools.