i recently decided that i didnt want to have any safe queens.my number one safe queen was my DFLE.to get to the point,i took it out with a bunch of other knives and used it for the first time and it chipped out almost instantly.it is almost identical to the problem i had with my crash axe.......yes thats right,i have broke a CA and DFLE now which are both S7 steel.

again i was shocked,amazed,pissed and disappointed all at the same time.
here are the pics.................






i know it isnt clear in the pictures but in person it is clear it is an air bubble.the chip in the DFLE looks identical to the chip i had in my CA.here is a clearer image.picture this but smaller.


my feeling right now is why me <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/banghead.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/banghead.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/banghead.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/banghead.gif" alt="" />

.......and while i would like to rant off right now i cant and here is why.

the edge chipped out chopping at some recently fallen hard wood and like i said it chipped almost immediately.the only reason i checked the edge is because i know it is thinner than my CGDF and that got dinged up bad chopping wood a while ago and i figured this would too.when my CA chipped i left it alone.when this one chipped i gave it hell.i was totally expecting the chip to get bigger.i was scared it might even break in half because who knows how many other air bubbles could be in it or where.

i chopped through a fallen oak tree....[i think it twas oak]....that was at least 10in thick.i chopped through it three times and the chip never got bigger and the rest of the blade is perfect.this knife is truly amazing.is it defected???...yes!!!

all in all,is the DFLE remarkable???..without a doubt.

while the chip says that their is some problem somewhere with the S7 steel the fact that this knife stood up to so much while weakened and passed amazed me.

i never thought i would have to use the busse kin warranty and i never,ever thought i would have too use it twice but since i have,i have faith and i also have faith in what this knife can do when everything is %100,and while this one is no good anymore,the DFLE is now my favorite knife.

maybe dan or someone from the shop can PM about this and let me know what they think

man that just sucks.... i thought sr77 was supposed to be the toughest impact steel out there......

it is!!!!....but somewhere along the line thier has been some problems with air bubbles getting in the steel.i would have to guess it is with the manufacturing of the steel.

Northern1, you just have bad luck I guess, the good thing is the friggin awesome warranties.
Hope everything works out for you brother.

thanks big fn

bummer

dan & patti will get you fixed up though

no worries

This is troubling to me, especially considering the following from the SYKCO tech spec page:

Penetrant Inspection - We Don't "Crack" Under Pressure!
Scrap Yard Knife Co. uses a specialized liquid penetration inspection, which reveals surface breaking flaws by bleedout of fluorescent dye from the flaw.

The technique is based on the ability of a liquid to be drawn into a "clean" surface breaking flaw by what is known as capillary action. (Capillary action is the force that is a resultant of adhesion, cohesion, and surface tension in liquids which are in contact with solids, as in a capillary tube.) After a period of time known as the "dwell", excess surface penetrant is removed and a developer applied. This acts as a "blotter". It draws the penetrant from the flaw to reveal its presence. Ultraviolet "black light" is used in darkened conditions to view the colored penetrants for any cracks, fissures, or other flaws.

What does this mean to you? It means your Scrap Yard knife will be free from microscopic cracks and fissures, invisible to the human eye under normal conditions. Whereas other blades, manufactured by other companies, are sent to customers with "unseen" surface flaws that "crack" under pressure, each Scrap Yard knife is individually inspected to be free from any defects.

So, I guess all that doesn't mean a thing if there's an air bubble? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

i have read this before and i have been pondering it also but i dont know the facts on it.should it be able to find air bubbles???....i dont know.

There is only one way to find air bubbles... Use 'em hard at home in the yard first THEN use them in the field!! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif" alt="" />

fellas... say this with me ONE time OUT-LOUD.....


WARRANTY!!!!!!!



there. all better. I have faith in Dan that he will fix it for you or get you a new knife. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />



WARRANTY!

this is happening too often. that must be the fifth time i've seen it. five's a large number considering the youth of scrap yard knives. busse combat's much older and i've seen nothing like this. that skeleton key doesn't count. it was a thin stock, hollow ground, blatantly abused knife. this is a large, thick stock, barely used knife.

i think we need a word from dumpster dan on this one. i wonder how many knives he's had to replace that we haven't heard of.

Short on time and this only applies if they use the florescent dye inspection method used in automotive/aeronautical applications.

For the system to work, there MUST be at the very least a microscopic crack on the surface itself for the dye to seep in to. If the fault it 100% internal, then it isn't possible for the dye to seep into anything and then be spotted under the black light as a brighter line since there is more dye to floresce along the fault.

This would catch any HT failures quite quickly, however as you have unfortunately found out, it won't detect internal structure problems. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

I don't doubt for a second that the Yard will set things right though. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

If I confused anyone, let me know & I'll post a more detailed explination of the florescent dye system. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />