Is it Solingen?

[bikerdoc]

I wanted to solve this on my own but I am Stumped! Any thought would be appeciated.

Picked up a lock back folder last week at a swap me in rural carolina.
Pretty little thing, Smooth white bone 4 inch handle 3 inch blade. Heavey and substancial, good fit and finish, locks up tight. $10.00 american

No marking on the knife except the blade is marked Solingen steel.I am intriqued at this point.

I sharpened and polished it and it felt kind of soft. Whittled some and it dulled quickly. Sharenened it again at a higher angle and it performs better but not like any of my other solingen knives,

So I burn up a bunch of search engines and about all I learn is that Solingen is place in Germany that makes steel. Tried to find a similar pattern on Ebay - no luck.

Showed it to a few of the other old timers I hang with and the general
consesus was It is a PRC made knife that was just marked Solingen or poorly heat treated or both.

What do you think?

 

[vicdotcom]

I would say that it is Solingen steel. Stamped "Solingen" steel just means that it was produced in that region. It doesn't denote any type of steel or quality. The name iteself carries some prestige but other than that, its just where the steel is made.

 

[ArfinGreebly]

Pakistan

Look carefully at your blade, near the tip, and see if there isn't some laser-type engravage there.

Look for the word "Pakistan" hidden somewhere on the knife.

The steel may have Solingen ancestry, but the heat treat probably sux. Oh, that, and having steel whose ore hails from the right part of Europe is no guarantee of the final formulation.

My guess?

You have a Pakistani knife made of Greater Subcontinent Mystery Steel with some percentage of metal derived -- at some degreee of removal -- from the stuff used in Solingen.

Ask me how I know.

Speaking of which, is anyone interested in a box of one dozen razor knives? All of which have "Solingen Steel" stamped on the tang?

Make you a good price.

 

[hso]

You may have been had.

You should be able to find a nation of origin and manufacturer's name on the ricasso somewhere. If you don't, it ain't German (especially since the steel doesn't sound properly heat threated).

 

[Loomis]

The days of "solingen" having any meaning are long gone.

Now days there are universal material specs and standards that must be met. once upon a time, steel making was very secretive and there were no testing standards for metal(astm, ansi, etc). This is when "solingen" became known for superior quality above all others anywhere in the world.

Now days, all you need to do to find quality is to look for a reputable company that doesn't cheat or lie or misrepresent itself or it's products. If it says "440 stainless", it is. Provided no one is lying or fudging somehow.

 

[Valkman]

"Heat Treated by Achmed Bos"

 

[ArfinGreebly]

Don . . . !

. . . Achmed Bos

"How do you spell that?"

"A . . . C . . . Phlem . . ."

 

[Valkman]

You can't say it without getting some on you!

 

[Mp7]

...

Sounds like China, Taiwan, Pakistan to me.

The Solingen knifemakers tend to give more info
than only the place......

They are not really big in premium knifes nowadays
unless u are in for kitchen tools.

Herbertz knives for example can be had
for VERY lil bucks compared to 10 years ago.

Aisi420 ....that´s what Herbertz seems to use for 99%
of it´s wares.

 

[HiWayMan]

Silence......................I kill you.

 

[dagger dog]

Solingen blades kept a reputation for excellent steel for centuries, as did Toledo blades for the Spanish or Sheffield from the Brits. Ask any WWII vet that fought in the European campaign, the knives they found from that area were superior to many.

Today marketing ploys used here or abroad have brought shame to former quality products.