Aladdin's Shoe

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cjtamu

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Nov 6, 2018
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This is a small Schrade Walden Stockman we got at the flea market this weekend. Look at the tip of the clip blade. If you click on the photo it will go to Flickr and you can enlarge. Is this something I can fix at home? Only thing I can think of would be to heat it with a heat gun and see if I can make it pliable enough to hammer flat. IS there another way, or is this best left to a professional?

20190812_175707 by Chris Thayer, on Flickr
 
If you were able to get the blade that hot with a heat gun you'd also get it hot enough to ruin the temper, so I'd avoid that.

Since the blade was likely bent at normal temperatures, it should be able to bend back at normal temperatures.
Bending metal back to being straight after being bent can be a difficult task, but since the knife is already ruined I'd try it anyway.

try placing it on a hard, flat surface
and hammering it flat. If you go that route try using lots of lighter taps rather than big heavy ones. Gradually bend the blade rather than all at once.

Others may have better advice, as I'm more of a tinkerer than bladesmith or metallurgist :rolleyes:
 
This ^^

At least, that's how I would attack it also. As mentioned, you have nothing to lose, it's already damaged. Gradual taps on the bent tip on a vise flat or solid base. Keep the knife up at a bit of an angle until the tip starts to straighten, then you can slowly lower it back to flat as you hammer it flat.

It's a 50/50 shot, may work great, may break the tip in the process.
 
While I haven't applied this to a knife it is something I have done when having to straighten other metals and that it using a vise and slowly tightening it down till it is flat/straight with the severity of this bend it might end up bending it in or something. I also would pad the vise with something soft so as not to scratch up and ruin anything else on the blade. It is often fast than gentle hammering and if worked slowly in my experience no more damaging or risky than the light hammering others have mentioned.
 
Ta daa! This is the same Walden 808. I was actually able to bend it back most of the way by hand. When it started to unfurl you could see that a tiny bit, probably less than 0.5 mm of the tip was broken off, so had to file that down after straightening. Came out pretty well considering, hoping to finish cleaning it up this weekend. Thanks for the help.
20190822_171719.jpg
 
Another way I've done things like that is to use a small vise, and clamp the tip in the vise to get it most of the way straightened out, then tap it out the rest of the way with a light tapping/peening hammer. "Squeezing" it flat seems to be easier on the metal than starting out by tapping on it....

edit:.... well, THAT will teach me to read the whole thread before responding.... Pirate beat me to it.... :D
 
I used a vise on this one. This blade was fairly soft, so I started it just pressing by hand on the edge of our SS sink. Got it somewhat straight that way, then used a small vise to get it almost right. Finished it with a ball peen hammer.
 
Thank you. It's actually the little 808 that was in the Beverages and Blades thread yesterday. Came out well. I'm about to try and sort and collate all of the flea market stuff we scored in the last 2 weeks. :eek: Glutton for punishment!
 
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