Alloy Steel
Steel mixed with other elements for the purpose of creating a product with certain properties. For example steel may have boron added to increase hardness and wear resistance, or it may have chromium added to increase rust resistance. |
Annealing
A heat treatment used on steel to alter its properties, such as strength and hardness. It is accomplished through heating and slow cooling and will result in a softer steel. |
Anodized Aluminum
Aluminum that has had a permanently affixed layer of amorphous aluminum oxide added to its surface for the purpose of corrosion protection, wear resistance and sometimes cosmetic affects. |
Assisted Open
A knife is one which employs a spring, tension bar or some other device to propel the blade fully open after it has been manually opened partway (typically around 30%). |
Automatic Knife
A knife which employs a spring, tension bar or some other device to open the blade from a fully closed position after the user has activated some type of release, such as a button. |
Awl
A sharply pointed implement designed essentially for drilling holes in the material being worked. |
Back Lock
A knife lock system whereby the back spring is constructed with a hook or similarly shaped end near the pivot and which fits into a notch or indentation in the blade. |
Back Spring
The back spring is the steel piece made into the back of the knife which exerts tension on the blade(s) of the knife to keep them both open as well as closed. |
Ballistic Nylon
A tough synthetic nylon material originally developed by DuPont during World War II. Excellent in application such as sheaths, belts/harnesses and many other outdoor or military needs. |
Basket Hilt
The hand guard of some swords forming a woven wrap around design to protect the hand during battle. |
Bayonet
A stabbing/thrusting weapon that can be affixed to the end of a rifle/spear or used by itself as a knife. |
Bead Blasting
In knife applications, bead blasting refers to the process by which a particular finish is achieved on the blade or handle material similar to satin or matte finish. |
Belly
The belly of a knife refers to the width and amount of sweep the blade has. The more belly the better for slicing/slashing/skinning. The more pointed and narrow the blade, the better for piercing and penetration. |
Bevel
The blade bevel is the angle at which the grind forms an edge. |
Black Ti Coating
Black Titanium coating is used for protection of the blade from corrosion as well as elimination of reflection. |
Blade Spine
The top unsharpened edge or "back" of the blade. |
Bolster
A fitting often made of brass at the ends of the knife. |
Boot Knife
A smaller knife and sheath arrangement, usually in the dagger style meant to wear inside a boot or clipped to a boot. |
Butt Cap
A finishing cap usually for decorative purposes, but can serve as an impact weapon. |
Butterfly Knife
A Philipino knife design in which the handle is split in two portions that swing around the blade encasing it in the closed position or coming together to create a handle in the open position. |
Carbon Fiber
Found in some knife handles in which woven carbon fiber filaments are embedded in a plastic resin to form a strong yet lightweight material. |
Ceramic Blade
A blade made from Zirconium Oxide or Zirconium Carbide. |
Ceramic Hone
A synthetic sharpening stone as opposed to natural stone such as Arkansas wet stone. |
Choil
The cut out area just behind the edge between the blade and handle which is unsharpened. |
Clip Point
A knife blade in which the spine angles downward at about the midway point while the edge sweeps up to meet at the point. A general duty blade. |
Cordura
A rugged nylon based material similar to ballistic nylon which is used for sheaths and various tactical gear. |
Crink
A bend made in a knife blade at the base near the pivot used to offset the blade in a folding knife with multiple opposing blades, for the purpose of maintaining clearance between the blades. |
Cryogenic Quench (Cryo)
During blade production, while still hot, the blade is quenched to a very cold temperature which improves the durability and wear resistance of the teel. |
Dagger
A fighting knife usually with a symmetrical double edged blade and sharp point for thrusting. |
Damascus
A cosmetically appealing steel made from the repeated folding of the steel upon itself. |
Detent
A notch point at which tension is exerted and must be overcome by manual pressure. Used on some knives to keep the blade from unfolding when not needed, most notably on liner locks. |
Diamond Hone
A sharpening hone impregnated with industrial grade diamond dust. |
Dirk
A dagger originating in Scotland with a sharply pointed blade. |
Drop Forge
A process of shaping heated steel with the use of high pressure equipment such as a power drop hammer. |
Drop Point
A blade shape in which the spine gently curves in a slight downward arc toward the tip. |
Ductility
This is a measure of the extent to which the steel can be deformed without fracturing. |
EDC
"Every Day Carry" is a term that refers to the knife one carries for daily use. |
Edge Retention
A term of reference to the amount of use a blade may see and yet remain sharp. |
EMT
"Emergency Medical Technician" a first responder for the purpose of onsite medical attention. |
Escutcheon
Originally in reference to the shield displayed in a coat of arms, in knife terminology this refers to a small, decorative metal plate in the form of a shield, acorn or other object which is embedded in the handle of a knife. |
False Edge
Similar to a swedge in which a bevel has been applied to the top of the blade spine near the tip. The false edge however may be sharpened. |
File Work
Decorative removal of material along the backspring or blade spine. |
Finger Groove
A scalloping cut into the handle of a knife to enhance grip. The first finger groove on a handle, cut deep enough, can also serve double duty as a guard. |
Flat Grind
A bevel beginning at the spine and continuing the width of the blade to the edge decreasing in thickness linearly. |
Frame Lock
A knife without liners whose lock utilizes a cut away portion of the frame to form a leaf spring and function in the same way as a liner lock. |
FRN (Fiberglass Reinforced Nylon)
A very rugged and impervious material made from nylon with fiberglass filament reinforcing. Excellent for a knife handle that will see outdoor use. |
Fuller
Sometimes called a blood groove, this is a groove like section cut out of the blade which creates stiffening lines and reduces weight. The notion of its purpose being to break a suction is not supported. |
G-10
A compressed laminate of resin and fiberglass fabric. |
Guard (Finger Guard)
A guard is an actual extension like a hilt, between the handle and the blade. It may be a double guard meaning on top and bottom or single, meaning only on the blade side. |
Gut Hook
A "C" type shape in a blade with the inner curve sharpened and used for opening game. |
Hardness
Measured on an indentation hardness scale (Rockwell) the hardness is determined by applying pressure to the steel surface and measuring the indentation made. |
Hilt
A cross piece between the handle and blade of a knife which protects the hand from sliding onto the blade. In a sword the hilt will also protect the hand from offensive strikes. |
Hollow Grind
A popular grind for achieving a sharp edge, the blade sides take a slightly concave shape as the material has been removed along the sides. |
Hone
A sharpening stone which may be made of natural or synthetic material. |
Jimping
A method of improving grip and traction by cutting a series of notches at strategic places on the knife, such as the blade spine. |
Kick
The protrusion behind the blade on the edge side of folding knives which rests against the backspring when the blade is closed and prevents the edge from contacting the backspring. |
Kraton
A rubbery material that can be molded to the desired shape and textured for grip. |
Kris Blade
A blade with a serpentine shape made so for improved cutting upon insertion. |
Kukri
A machete type knife with a down curved blade that enhances the chopping stroke and is excellent in combat. Most famously used by the Nepalese Ghurka troops. |
Kydex
A rugged duty plastic often used in sheaths and molded to the shape of the knife to hold the knife by friction. |
Laminated Steel
Combined steels with varying degrees of hardness in a single blade. Typically a very hard core and edge for excellent sharpness and edge retention, wrapped by a softer steel to prevent chipping and breaking. |
Lanyard
Made from a variety of materials, the lanyard is attached to a knife for the purposes of easy access and loss prevention. |
Liner
Made from steel, brass or other materials, the liner constitutes the skeleton or frame of the knife and provides strength and rigidity. |
Liner Lock
A form of blade lock invented by Michael Walker which employs a portion of the knife liner to physically prevent the closure of the blade. |
Marlin Spike
A tool used by seafarers to assist in untying knots that, through water and tension, had become ultra tight and impossible to untie by hand. |
Matte Finish
Similar to satin finish, this is a non-reflective finish with no sheen. |
Micarta
A knife handle material made by laminated layers of paper or linen in a resin base. |
Nail Nick
A cut in the top of a knife blade by which a fingernail may be used to open the blade. |
Neck Knife
A variety of small knife made to be worn around the neck. |
Obsidian
Volcanic glass, obsidian was used at one time in knives due to its ability to fracture and knap off thin, sharp flakes similar to the way flint does. |
Obverse Side
Considered to be the "front" of the knife, it is seen with the blade pointing left and the edge down. |
Palm Swell
A subtle widening in the handle for better fit in the hand. |
Paracord
Originally developed as parachute cord, this nylon rope is strong, lightweight and useful for many applications. |
Phenolic Resin
A synthetic material similar to thermoplastic used in knife handles, most notably by Buck Knives. |
Pivot
The point at which the blade rotates in the knife handle. |
Pommel
A counterweight at the end of a sword handle. |
Powder Steel
Steel manufactured from finely ground bits of selected alloys combined under heat and pressure to make a single steel with a consistent grain and structure. |
Quillion
Similar to a guard, this a protective cross piece between the handle and blade of a knife. |
Recurve
An "S" shape curve in a blade which enhances the power of the draw cut. |
Reverse Side
Opposite of obverse side, this would be the "back" of the knife. It is seen with the blade pointing right and the edge down. |
Ricasso
The flat portion of the blade between the handle and the sharpened edge. |
Rockwell Hardness
A hardness scale which knife blades are measured against. Mid 50's is soft while mid 60's is very hard. |
Satin Finish
A non-reflective blade or handle finish with only a small amount of sheen. |
Scales
The outer slabs of a knife handle which the users hand grasps. |
Scrimshaw
An art form in which depictions are hand cut into the scale of a knife, usually made from bone or similar material. |
Serration
A saw like grind down at the edge of a blade which increases the ripping power of the knife. |
Slip Joint
Found on traditional pocket knives, this is a lockless knife in which the blade is kept open by the tension of the backspring only. |
Spacer
Material used between the scales and liners or scales and tang of a knife to add color and slightly increase handle thickness. |
Stag
A handle material originally referring to the antler of Sambar stag, although due to limited availability has come to have a more flexible meaning inclusive of other animal antler. |
Sub Hilt
A secondary hilt lower on the handle which enhances grip. |
Swedge
Similar to a false edge but never sharpened. This is a unsharpened portion on the top of the blade near the tip in which material has been removed to form a bevel, but no edge has been applied. |
Tang
The portion of the blade which enters into the handle of a fixed blade knife. |
Tanto
A type of blade shape, originating in Japan and now used in a modified format. The blade angles sharply upward as it near the tip. |
Tempering
A heat treatment in the production of steel used to release trapped carbon. |
Tensile Strength
The amount of stress a steel can withstand before it either breaks or permanently deforms. |
Thumb Hole
A one-handed deployment system in which a hole is made in the knife blade whereby the user may open the knife with the thumb. |
Thumb stud
A one-handed deployment system in which a post or peg is attached to the side of a knife blade and may be used to open the blade with the thumb. |
Titanium
A strong, lightweight and corrosion resistant metal. |
V Grind
Essentially a sabre grind, where the bevel begins at approximately halfway through the width of the blade and then simulates a flat grind to the edge. |
Walk and Talk
The feel and sound of a pocket knife as it opens and closes. |
Wetstone
A sharpening stone made from natural materials. |
Zirconia
Zirconium Dioxide: a material from which ceramic knife blades can be made. |
Zytel
A very rugged type of high impact plastic. |
