Knife

Lore & Background

Knives can serve various purposes. Hunters use the hunting knife, soldiers use the combat knife, scouts, campers, and hikers carry the pocketknife; there are kitchen knives for preparing foods (the chef's knife, the paring knife, bread knife, cleaver), table knife (butter knives and steak knives), weapons (daggers or switchblades), knives for throwing or juggling, and knives for religious ceremony or display (the kirpan).

Reader's Guide

A modern knife consists of: the blade, the handle, the point, the edge, the grind, the spine, the fuller (optional), the ricasso (optional), the guard (optional), the hilt or butt, the lanyard (optional). The blade edge can be plain or serrated, or a combination of both. Single-edged knives may have a reverse edge or false edge occupying a section of the spine. The handle may include a tang, which can be partial or full. The handle may include a bolster. Knife blades can be manufactured from a variety of materials, each of which has advantages and disadvantages: carbon steel, stainless steel, high carbon stainless steel, laminated blades, Damascus steel, titanium, ceramic, and plastic. Steel blades are commonly shaped by forging or stock removal. Knives are sharpened in various ways: flat ground, hollow ground, or serrated. Many knives have holes in the blade for various uses. A fixed blade knife does not fold or slide. A folding knife connects the blade to the handle through a pivot, allowing the blade to fold into the handle. Popular locking mechanisms include: slip joint, lockback, linerlock, and compression lock.

Did You Know?

• The fuller is a groove added to make the blade lighter.
• The ricasso is the flat section of the blade at the junction of the blade and the knife's bolster or guard.