#83 Mishap: Lemons to Lemonade?

AFAustin

AFAustin

Gold Member
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Jun 8, 2004
Messages
2,494
I hate to confess it, but I recently had a rather bad "sharpening accident" with a nice #83 Tascosa Northfield clip. I use a Work Sharp Ken Onion to set the initial bevel on my knives and have been experimenting a bit with the Blade Grinding Attachment. The wider 1" belts on the BGA didn't play well with this knife and I had problems in the area close to the heel. The more I worked on trying to correct it, the worse it got. I finally decided to just change directions---slim down the profile overall, "satinize" the finish, and make this little knife into a "mini recurve". Even as I got the basic shape worked out, I had problems getting it sharp---to the point where I was afraid I'd overheated the edge and damaged the temper.

I was frustrated but gave it a rest and came back to it today. Turns out I had just not fully apexed the edge and one more run at it did the trick---sharp! I polished up the edge and managed to whittle a hair right off the Work Sharp, so I was happy. I've never been much of a recurve fan as they can be a challenge to sharpen, but I think between the smallest Work Sharp belts (1/2"), the corners of my Sharpmaker rods, and the edge of a denim-on-paint-stick strop, I can manage it. This knife had a nice fine point to begin with, but its new slimmer profile has made it "pointier" yet---it will stick you!

So, yes, it's a bit of an oddball---not many trad recurves out there! But given my initial despair, I'm happy with the result and kind of liking this mini recurve. :)

Andrew

P.S.: Mods, I don't know if this thread belongs in the Trads subforum or in M,T & E, so if I guessed wrong, please move it. Thanks.

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Great way to save an unfortunate situation.

I've only seen recurves on some Rick Menefee's, while not true recurves, there is a slight hook near the end of the edge to the sharpening choil. Personally I find them very attractive in nature.
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I think it looks cool!!!! I also think it's a good thing I didn't get one of those Work Sharps. :eek:
 
Given enough sharpening so over a lifetime, all edges will eventually take that recurve shape. In order to sharpen the edge nearest the tang, the edge just north of it gets overworked. You just got there faster. :)
 
I think that if the blade shape was anything but a clip it would look God aweful. However, it kinda looks nice :D
 
Good save.

I have one of those Work Sharps and did the same thing to a Case knife. Don't really use it for sharpening on any of my good knives anymore.
 
It looks good on a clip. I have a work sharp and find it aggravating. I have better luck with sandpaper on a leather strop. The work sharp is fantastic on axes and hatchets though.
 
looks cool, matches aesthetically with the curves in the handle. I'm not at the samurai/ninja level of sharpenening expertise here, but I share the same frustrations lately with the primary grinds on GEC blades that can so easily lead to distortions in the reprofiling process.
 
I think you did pretty well considering the situation! It looks good, cuts well, and is safe. Thats a win in my book.

I personally stick to the India stone, and Sharpmaker. Stone to reprofile, Sharpmaker to keep sharp. Powered equipment makes it very easy to go way overboard.
 
I think it's beautiful. I've seen a similar blade on A. G. Russell's newer Gunstock folders. There's definitely a place for that sort of design.
 
I have done the same thing before, but mine did not turn out as well as yours! Nice save, the blade actually looks pretty nice. I have seen a few trad knives, intentional or not, with a recurve so it is not completely unheard of:)
 
shiny sharp i like it! i tried to touch up my queen slim single blade that the seller had made crazy sharp. improved it cosmetically but think i dulled it a bit :/
 
I would appreciate any additional feedback people have on the KO Work Sharp. I was thinking of getting one for reprofiling and now I'm having second thoughts.
 
Thanks for all the nice comments, guys. You've made me feel better about my screw-up and subsequent rescue mission. :thumbup:

LastRodeo, I wouldn't let my initial mishap here keep you from trying the WSKO. I've reprofiled and sharpened many a knife on mine and the serious mistakes are few once you get the hang of it. It's a fine and very versatile tool but, as with any powered system, it must be used with care. Using it on small thin bladed knives like I do definitely involves more risk (as my post proves!), but for other uses the benefit vs. risk calculation is much better. For instance, when that family member brings you an armload of used and abused kitchen knives, you can do a great job in a relatively short amount of time, and any small mistakes are easily remedied.

Andrew
 
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Nice recovery! I still ove the WSKO with the blade grinding attachment, the only way I use mine. But mainly on kitchen knives or knives that need a serious bevel reduction and the nice convex edge it provides cuts very well !

A friend of mine wishes that they would release a version with just the motor and blade grinder attachment, hate to spend the money on something that he wouldn't use.

G2
 
I've been using a combination of crock sticks and regular old fashioned honing stones my entire life. However I was considering getting a Worksharp machine myself. I think that I'll pass after reading these comments.
 
That 83 looks great with a recurve! I'm sure it cuts a bit differently but I am a recurve fan, I actually wish more traditionals had them. Nice Save!
 
I actually really like the result. There are way too few traditional folding knives wit recurve blade.
 
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