Non-Magnetic Knife???

[DaveRuhlig]

Hey Guys-
I was looking at Jay Fisher's Golden Eagle that he just posted in the Display Case. It looks like a great tactical knife and I even made the comment that I would have loved to have had something like that when I was over in Bosnia. This got me thinking (doesn't happen often). For those of you who don't know Bosnia was/is riddled with mines (.... commies) and you never knew when you might find yourself stuck in a mine field. We all had to carry probes with us in the event we were caught in a mine field and had to find our way out. Many of the mines were magnetically sensitive so most guys just widdled a probe out of wood and strapped to their vest. So........ to the point - Do you guys think it's possible to make a tactically proficient knife that has no magnetic parts? I know a lot of guys in the box that would LOVE to see something like this. You thoughts??

[AcridSaint]

Maybe talonite or stellite or something like that would work, I don't know anything about those materials though. You could also just use a titanium knife. It will be sharp and tough, but won't hold an edge for much. As long as you didn't use it for an all-purpose knife like chopping wood and things, it should be fine. Ti is probably roughly equivilent hardness to work-hardened edges or bronze or iron age weapons, so it's not totally ineffective.

[Drac]

Talonite is a non-ferrous material that I believe is not magnetic, but it is a little softer than the normal knife. It will take and hold a killer edge, dangerously sharp from one guy I talked to.

I hope one of the engineers will jump in but I think that while we say 300 series is a non-magnetic steel I think it is just a very weak magnetism, not worth risking on a mine.

Hope this helps,
Jim

[Josh O Mason]

I've seen some really cool knives and daggers made from G-10, plastic and things like that.

[Doug Lester]

In one of the knife mags I remember reading about a katana made with a composite blade of ceramics and titanium. The mag may be laying around the house somewhere. I'll see if I can remember what section of floor I last saw it on.

Doug Lester

[Frank Niro]

How about a tallonite blade on the thicker side and titanium liners and bolsters.? frank

[DaveRuhlig]

Interesting ideas! I thought about titanium since the the "store bought" mine probes are just titanium rods. Another benefit of titanium of course is it's weight. The only dwn side like Cap Hayes mentioned is it doesn't hold an edge very well. I'm not very familiar with talonite, but it sounds like it's worth looking into. Doug - I'd love to see that article if you come across it - sounds interesting.

[ranger1]

There was a non magnetic knife made for the navy seals.I've seen a couple of them (a little on the pricey side on the civilian market.).Nice pieces if you can find one.Also,some stainless steels are non magnetic.

[DaveRuhlig]

I came across this knife that's listed as a "Mine Clearance Knife" made from VG10. Is VG10 nonmagnetic??

http://www.elinemerchandising.com/FK-MC1.html

[TexasJack]

VG-10 is magnetic.

[DiamondG Knives]

I belive the "Mine Clearance" part of the title refers to the blade design, more than the material.