S30v

[Mike Hull]

Originally posted by Jason Cutter
Looks like the Simonich Raven was heat treated by Paul Bos, who apparently does the Strider knives as well and he has a reputation, even if he has had some mixed reviews in the past.
Cheers.

I don't think I have ever heard anyone say anything bad about Paul Bos, either personally, or professionally.
I would be curious as to where the "mixed reviews" originated from.
His heat treating is top notch, and I doubt that there are many that can duplicate the quality.

[Jason Cutter]

Sorry, Mike. I'm personally not sure where the "mixed reviews" came from, but I can safely say that it was on a discussion forum similar to this one that someone didn't agree with the way or the results from Paul Bos' work. Unfortunately I can't remember who that was.

I'm simply passing that one on and always keeping an open mind, that not everyone will agree 100%. I do try and acknowledge all views, even if there may be nothing to back it up. Perhaps one comment I saw doesn't really make a "mixed review."

I myself, have not sighted / used anything from Paul Bos, nor do I know him personally, but anyone who is someone has only the best to say about Paul and his heat treating work. His stamp is regarded as a mark of quality - a status symbol in itself. I think even Buck's limited run of Strider knives bears the Bos stamp. How often do you stamp your knives with the mark of the folks who did your heat treating ? Thats got to be some awesome work he does.

Again, I apologise if I caused any offense. Put it this way, if I lived in the continental USA, I'd be sending my knives to Paul Bos to heat treat. It would be a privilege.

Cheers.

[C L Wilkins]

I have been perusing the forums for quite some time now (since March 1999) and don't recall ever seeing anything negative or mixed about Mr. Bos. In my not so humble opinion, if you want the best heat treat available for air hardened steels, Paul is the ONE.

One other thing that is baffling...you can get the best heat treat for the least amount of money. Some places will charge upwards of $9-10(US) per blade for heat treat and cryo. Call Paul and ask him what he charges. He does not have an "extra" charge for cryo either, plus the blades do not have any scale.

Craig

[Jason Cutter]

I never intended to cast any doubts on the quality of Paul Bos' work, but it's clear some forumites feel that I have defamed him.

Again, its my fault that I didn't remember who it was who made the comments but I definitely recall the content - quite specific about grain size and temperatures. Once again, I've not seen anything even remotely similar since (until I brought it up myself). Claims are only claims and without evidence they turn merely into rumour, but unfortunately mud sticks.

I feel I should at least put in a message or apologise directly for any misdirected comments made. However, judging from the support he has received from all of you, it would be near impossible to ever put a dent in Paul's reputation.

Most of the internet is still a mystery to me, but I couldn't find a website for Paul. Can someone provide Paul Bos' contact details / email address please ? Would also love to find out a bit more about heat treatment as done by him too.

Thanks in advance.

[C L Wilkins]

Jason,
Check the "Supplier's List" over in the supplies section. It has all of the contact information you may require. Mr. Bos does not have a website, just an email address.

Craig

[Jerry Hossom]

Jason, most eveyone who knows or has had the priviledge of having their steel tempered by Paul feels pretty strongly about the gentleman. I happened to have spoken with him on the phone today (he called just to say hi), and was reminded of why many of us feel the way we do about him.

The only negative I've every heard of was a controversy begun by Ernie Meyer (sp?), who claimed that ATS-34 should be tempered at ~450F, rather than the 950F Paul uses. The argument was grain growth at the higher temp, but those of us who have tried both find no difference, and I know of one high end maker who swears the lower temperature results in more brittleness. It's my belief that by the time you get to tempering, the damage has been done or not. Most all air hardening steels are susceptible to grain growth from poor (slow) quench.

I think the thing that puts it in perspective better than anything else is that there are atleast two dimples, usually more in every blade I get back from Paul. Those are hardness test impacts. One is done on every blade after hardening to ensure the maker correctly identified the steel and that it achieved full hardness. There are then one or more during/after tempering. He's just meticulous, and probably worries as much about every blade as we do.

And just for the record, in independent testing, an ATS-34 blade of mine that Paul tempered performed flawlessly, while two successive A2 blades from Ernie were broken in the same tests. That Bos-tempered ATS-34 blade remains the benchmark blade for all the testing done by the martial artist who does this for many of us.

Sorry if I got short in my previous post. I just happen to know how personally Paul feels about his work and the work of those of us who depend on him for the integrity of our blades.

[Jason Cutter]

Jerry,
I think you just ID-ed the source of the "doubt", that exact issue was the one raised. But I didn't read the comment from that person you mentioned directly. It was from someone else who just have heard it second hand, and I was reporting it third hand, or thereabouts.

Paul sounds like the obsessional sort of person that GETS IT DONE. I'd never heard of anyone straightening out warped blades for their customer before.

And many thanks for the advice.

Cheers.