History of the Swiss Army Knife

The swiss army knife has been a house hold name for a very long time in the knife world. In 1891 a man by the name Karl Elsener started making improvements to a knife known as the “Modell 1890” which were supplied to the Swiss army. These knives at this time were manufactured in Germany. In just 5 years time Elsener was able to create a new knife with a blade on both ends of the handle with a spring that would hold them in place. With two different cutting knives and a corkscrew, he created the first Swiss army knife. The oridgeal name of the knife was “Schweizer Offizier Messer” which was not that easy for the US troops as well as others to say so it became the Swiss army knife.

Various models of Swiss Army knives exist, with different tool combinations for specific tasks. The simplest model sold includes only a single blade. The most common tools featured are, in addition to the main blade, a smaller second blade, tweezers, toothpick, corkscrew, can opener, bottle opener, slotted/flat-head screwdriver(s), phillips-head screwdriver, nail file, scissors, saw, file, hook, magnifying glass, ballpoint pen, fish scaler, hex wrench w/bits, pliers, and key chain. Recent technological features include USB flash drives, digital clock, digital altimeter, LED light, laser pointer, and MP3 player.

The stainless steel alloy used for the cutting blades is optimized for high toughness and corrosion resistance and has a composition of 15% chromium, 0.60% silicon, 0.52% carbon, 0.50% molybdenum, and 0.45% manganese. After a hardening process at 1040 °C and annealing at 160 °C the blades achieve an average blade steel hardness of 56 HRC. This steel hardness is suitable for practical use and easy resharpening, but less than achieved in stainless steel alloys used for blades optimized for high wear resistance. The steel hardness of other tools varies.

Sponsored Links

    www.ezbidshop.com

    Need a new hockey stick?
    Hockey Sticks