James Terrio
04-12-2009, 04:05 AM
Please allow me to introduce myself. I've been a knife fan since I was a little boy. I eagerly read all the outdoor and adventure magazines throughout the 80's. My arms and ankles haven't had hair on them for about 25 years. :D I loved to whittle and carve, and folks who knew me were stunned at what my good ol' Buck 110 and Ka-Bar could do. My friends/family soon bugged me to sharpen their hunting/kitchen knives. They didn't know how sharp a knife, even a cheap knife, could be, and were amazed at how well a blade works when it's properly taken care of.
But it wasn't until I grew up and got some industrial experience that I began to understand how good a cutting tool can be.
I made my living for many years using rotary dies, sheeters and slitters that cut hundreds of thousands of feet of coated paper and cardboard (heavily impregnated with clay and other nasty, gritty, edge-killing stuff) before they needed resharping. I have very little tolerance for knives/tools that don't cut well or hold an edge, because I've seen and used quality tools that last a long, long time. I KNOW it's not only possible, but should be required.
I humbly submit that I've cut more paper and cardboard than most of you will see in your lifetime. ;)
For the sake of clarity, let me explain that I operated web-fed presses in a label shop for most of my printing/converting career. That means the substrate comes off a big roll, and is fed through the press with various nip rolls to control the tension it's under. In most of my experience, the actual label material was already bonded to a "liner" material, with an adhesive appropriate to the end-user's needs. (permanent, removable, cold-temp-stable, etc.) Basically, the end product is a sticker you peel off and slap onto whatever you want. Ever seen a Domino's sticker on a pizza box? I made millions of those, literally.
Making labels entails printing on the top face, drying/curing the ink, then die-cutting it to shape and stripping off the "gutters". This means that the pressman must understand his machine and tools, and set them up so that the dies cut through one layer, but not the other.
Next comes converting the resulting product into whatever the customer needs. That may be rolls or sheets. Slitting a "four-by" job into single rows requires precision slitting wheels that are properly adjusted. Sheeting or perforating requires similar skill and precision. Regardless, the cutting tools must be properly sharp and stand up to a LOT of use.
Every step in the process involves substrate moving FAST over a very hard, very true "anvil" cylinder, running on well-made and well-lubricated bearings. This requires tooling that is extremely consistent and reliable. It also requires considerable attention and skill from the pressman; too little pressure on any given station will result in poor cutting; too much pressure (by far the most common mistake) will result in shortened tool life and subsequent downtime.
My point in all this is that I believe I understand what it takes to cut stuff... not just once, but thousands of times. I endeavor to achieve that sort of performance with my knives, and I simply won't stop researching and trying to learn how to make them better.
But it wasn't until I grew up and got some industrial experience that I began to understand how good a cutting tool can be.
I made my living for many years using rotary dies, sheeters and slitters that cut hundreds of thousands of feet of coated paper and cardboard (heavily impregnated with clay and other nasty, gritty, edge-killing stuff) before they needed resharping. I have very little tolerance for knives/tools that don't cut well or hold an edge, because I've seen and used quality tools that last a long, long time. I KNOW it's not only possible, but should be required.
I humbly submit that I've cut more paper and cardboard than most of you will see in your lifetime. ;)
For the sake of clarity, let me explain that I operated web-fed presses in a label shop for most of my printing/converting career. That means the substrate comes off a big roll, and is fed through the press with various nip rolls to control the tension it's under. In most of my experience, the actual label material was already bonded to a "liner" material, with an adhesive appropriate to the end-user's needs. (permanent, removable, cold-temp-stable, etc.) Basically, the end product is a sticker you peel off and slap onto whatever you want. Ever seen a Domino's sticker on a pizza box? I made millions of those, literally.
Making labels entails printing on the top face, drying/curing the ink, then die-cutting it to shape and stripping off the "gutters". This means that the pressman must understand his machine and tools, and set them up so that the dies cut through one layer, but not the other.
Next comes converting the resulting product into whatever the customer needs. That may be rolls or sheets. Slitting a "four-by" job into single rows requires precision slitting wheels that are properly adjusted. Sheeting or perforating requires similar skill and precision. Regardless, the cutting tools must be properly sharp and stand up to a LOT of use.
Every step in the process involves substrate moving FAST over a very hard, very true "anvil" cylinder, running on well-made and well-lubricated bearings. This requires tooling that is extremely consistent and reliable. It also requires considerable attention and skill from the pressman; too little pressure on any given station will result in poor cutting; too much pressure (by far the most common mistake) will result in shortened tool life and subsequent downtime.
My point in all this is that I believe I understand what it takes to cut stuff... not just once, but thousands of times. I endeavor to achieve that sort of performance with my knives, and I simply won't stop researching and trying to learn how to make them better.