The knives of Frank J. Richtig as featured in Ripley's Believe It or Not!

Unusual claims, resulting from “secret” heat treatment methods, surround the toughness and sharpness of the knives manufactured during the 20th century by a cutler named Frank J. Richtig. Richtig became famous because of his dramatic demonstrations of the toughness of his blades by hammering them through iron and steel objects and then illustrating their subsequent sharpness. Two of Richtig's blades have been examined and their microstructure and mechanical behavior determined. Comparisons with contemporary steels of similar composition, which are themselves related to ancient Damascus steels, have been made. As a result, proposals regarding Richtig's “secret” heat treatments are given. Some comments are made regarding historical methods of testing blades and thereby provide a context regarding the degree of difficulty in mimicking the remarkable toughness and cutting properties described by Richtig. Finally, some observations are made regarding the contemporary specialty knifemaking industry in the U.S.