Let's not get silly here. All steel gets brittle in cold weather. It's just a question of how cold it needs to get to break in normal use versus breaking it with a hammer or similar tool...

I was outside because it had warmed up from a little below -60c (that is -76f) <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Chris - you ARE the ColdOne!!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

-76F? Gods, that's chilly. The sort of temperatures where you spit and it freezes in midair, aye? What sort of outdoor gear do you have to survive that?

Wow you guys- you are talking like REAL cold here <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />. I am with Momaw on this " what kind of gear do you have " ? I thought my layering was perfecto down around 25 ish ? What do you guys wear ?

Many, many layers. Nothing too fancy actually just lots of it!. On top of that, I just avoid going outside for more than 5 minutes or so at a time when it is at the -60 mark.

[quote ColdOne]
I was outside because it had warmed up from a little below -60c (that is -76f) <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> [/quote]

<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif" alt="" /> Okay, now that's just sooo NOT GOOD <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" /> (was going to say "not cool", but that would have been a pun <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> )
It's just not supposed to get that cold... <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

You too, Ordawg.

And thanks for the info everyone!

silly? what part of ColdOne's post didnt you grasp? -40, strong as hell. Perhaps you have a different understanding of "brittle" than I. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/barf.gif" alt="" />

I think the point is that steel does get brittle once it gets cold enough. The question is would that point for SR77 be at a temperature where a human could even survive outside. I recall reading a story regarding a need for a knife to handling chopping frozen meat in the high arctic. I believe the temperatures quoted were in the -70c range. The user had a lot of chipping problems with a variety of knives. The maker went with L6 as the steel for the new knife and it performed admirably and without issue. I think it was in a copy of Blade mag..

I have regularly used a Dog Father at temperatures around -30c to -35c. That includes a recent trip out where I decided to give an old fridge an attitude adjustment. The only damaged steel on my Dog Father was where some of the steel from the fridge had stuck to the blade. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

For most on this forum, the weather is nothing that you need to be concerned about prior to using your Scrap Yard knives*!


*Disclaimer: I still don't recommend chopping down a tree at the top of the highest hill in the area during a thunderstorm.... Same goes for threatening storm clouds from that hill by waving your Dog father at them! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/eek.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Momaw didn't say that SR-77 will fail in cold weather, he's just saying it gets more brittle, by how much? I don't think anyone knows.

I'm no expert, so don't quote me on this, but if extreme heat can change a steel's properties, I don't see why extreme cold won't either. The reason why those telephone/power pole lines have so much slack in them is to accommodate the cold when the lines get tighter because it "shrinks" or tightens up. If the same thing is applied to SR-77 steel (or any steel for that matter), in extreme cold, the steel may get harder (hold a better edge), but it's also a bit more brittle due to the increase in hardness. That doesn't mean the knife will fail, it just wont be as tough as it wood in normal temperatures.


*Didn't see ColdOne's post until after mine, but I think you get the idea now. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

Sounds well reasoned to me! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/chill.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />