GLOSSARY

Alloy: A metal formed by mixing two or more elements, at least one of which is metallic

Annealing: A form of heat treatment used to soften steel to make it more workable

Austenite: The phase of steel that occurs when it is heated at temperature above roughly 1,350°F (732°C)

Blade profile: The overall shape of the blade when viewed from the side

Bolster: The band between the handle and the cutting edge, which creates a transition from the handle to the blade and helps to prevent your hand from being cut on the knife edge

Burr: The rough, raised metal curl along the edge of a blade that results from grinding

Choil: The small cutout on the base of the edge of the blade closest to the handle

Critical temperature: The temperature at which the crystal structure in steel undergoes a phase change

Curie point: The temperature at which steel loses its magnetic properties

G10: A composite handle material made from fiberglass cloth and resin

Guard: The part of the knife between the handle and the cutting edge designed to prevent the fingers from slipping forward into the blade’s edge

Hardening: A form of heat treatment used to harden the steel

Hardy: Tool with a square shank that fits into the hardy hole on top of the anvil

Hardy cut: A kind of hardy used for cutting through heated metal

Heat treatment: A broad term for a process used in the controlled heating or cooling of steel to cause specific changes in its properties, though often used in reference to hardening and tempering

Heel: The part of the blade that is closest to the bolster

Honing: A process used to maintain a knife by recentering the knife’s edge

Jimping: The series of notches on the spine of the knife used to add texture for grip

Kydex: A synthetic sheath material

Martensite: The phase that steel is in when after going through the hardening process

Micarta: A synthetic handle material that is a composite of fabric in thermosetting plastic

Normalizing: Form of heat treatment used to create a uniform structure in steel

Pearlite: The phase of steel that results when it is slowly cooled

Platen: The plate behind the belt on a belt sander

Plunge line: The transition between the ricasso and the cutting edge where the bevel grind begins

Pommel: The cap on the end of the handle of some knives

Quench: The container for holding liquid to cool down your metal

Quenching: The process used to cool metal rapidly to cause it to harden, usually through submersion in oil or water

Quillion: Another term for the guard on a knife, often specifically in reference to the pieces projecting from the handle that stop the user’s fingers from sliding onto the blade

Ricasso: The unsharpened length of blade between the handle and the start of the cutting edge

Scales: The two pieces of material that attach to the blade’s tang to form the blade’s handle

Scratch compass: A leatherworking tool used to mark a line around the edge of leather

Spacers: Thin pieces of material that are sandwiched between the tang and the handle of some knives

Spacer set: A leatherworking tool used to mark out consistently spaced stitch holes

Spine: The thick part of the blade that runs along its back and provides support for the knife

Stropping: The process of removing the last of the burr and aligning the micro-serrations on a blade’s edge, used to finish a knife during sharpening

Swarf: The small chips of steel or stone created during the sharpening process

Tang: The unsharpened extension of the blade to which the handle is attached

Temper: A form of heat treatment used to take away the brittleness caused by hardening

Welt: The strip of leather sewn between the two sides of the sheath to create a boundary between the knife’s edge and the stitching