Between the clamp - Blade protection - Kazak??

Letoff said:
I took the patch material off and just clamped it down since it's just a work knife......... never moved and was solid.
Click to expand...

My preference remains to be - clamps without anything between the clamp and blade (other than perhaps painters tape if I'm really concerned for some reason, like using hardened spring steel clamps or something). As long as it's a properly hardened steel blade and the clamps are softer than the blade (which they typically are) then they can only scratch the blade if there is some metal swarf or stone abrasive particles between the knife and the clamp surface.

Of all the clamp coatings, shims or linings I've tried, the Hypalon/PU fabric (as above) is one of the better methods, but it is still not as good as securing without anything in or on the clamps - in my opinion.
 
Last edited:
I use painter's tape more as a guide for where to clamp than blade protection. I clean the clamps after each sharpening.
 
I bought a large tape dispeser that can handle 3 inch rolls. I have painters tape and packing tape on it right next to where I sharpen. Takes a couple of minutes to tape off an expensive knife..
 
You can also buy 1" painter's tape which makes precise placement a little easier. At the end of the day, as has already been mentioned, aluminum clamps will not scratch hardened blade steel unless there is grit or swarf contamination between them, and I have also experienced bare clamps on a bare knife being the most secure. If I use anything these days it is typically kapton/polyimide tape and it usually feels unnecessary. Keeping the clamps clean is the simplest/easiest solution. Also keep in mind whatever tape/padding you use on your clamps will catch and hold swarf and grit more easily than the clamps themselves.
 
bobrap said:
Did you glue the patch to the clamps?
Click to expand...

No, just fold the fabric in half and cut to the exact size then punch a hole in them for the screws. Remove your clamp screws, install the pieces and you're good to go. You simply align them with your clamps and clamp your knife in place.
 
777 Edge said:
No, just fold the fabric in half and cut to the exact size then punch a hole in them for the screws. Remove your clamp screws, install the pieces and you're good to go. You simply align them with your clamps and clamp your knife in place.
Click to expand...
Thanks. Not really sure if I want to mess with this or just use bare clamps.
 
Hmmm; I don't add something in between to protect the blade or the clamps but to add friction for better blade holding.
I have similar clamps as KME sharpener. My clamps have a very fine machined surface on the inner side so there is low friction
between the clamps and some of my blades.
As I recall the same problem was on KME sharpeners - clamps did not hold the blade enough so sometimes it moved during sharpening.
This was before they started to add those rubber pads on the clamps.
 
TheOne45 said:
Hmmm; I don't add something in between to protect the blade or the clamps but to add friction for better blade holding.
I have similar clamps as KME sharpener. My clamps have a very fine machined surface on the inner side so there is low friction
between the clamps and some of my blades.
As I recall the same problem was on KME sharpeners - clamps did not hold the blade enough so sometimes it moved during sharpening.
This was before they started to add those rubber pads on the clamps.
Click to expand...

The KME and similar type clamps suffer from the major disadvantage of incorrect geometry. KME tries to solve this with rubber inserts to compensate for the gaps between the blade geometry and clamp geometry. Unfortunately this does not properly solve the problem because the blade can still slightly move up and down due to the rubber not being fully compressed where the gaps are too big. When sharpening, this can adversely affect the accuracy of your sharpening angles.

The clamp types we are referring to in this thread can accommodate a much larger variety of knife grinds so the problem is not about grip. If your clamp surface and your knife blade grind matches up properly then you can crank the clamp down and the knife won't budge - without anything between the clamp and blade.

When I see a clamp provided by a company with rubber inserts to compensate for its geometry shortcomings (like KME), I personally would not purchase such a system.
 
Last edited:
Jbrown250 said:
In
Click to expand...

777 Edge said:
The KME and similar type clamps suffer from the major disadvantage of incorrect geometry. KME tries to solve this with rubber inserts to compensate for the gaps between the blade geometry and clamp geometry. Unfortunately this does not properly solve the problem because the blade can still slightly move up and down due to the rubber not being fully compressed where the gaps are too big. When sharpening, this can adversely affect the accuracy of your sharpening angles.

The clamp types we are referring to in this thread can accommodate a much larger variety of knife grinds so the problem is not about grip. If your clamp surface and your knife blade grind matches up properly then you can crank the clamp down and the knife won't budge - without anything between the clamp and blade.

When I see a clamp provided by a company with rubber inserts to compensate for its geometry shortcomings (like KME), I personally would not purchase such
Click to expand...
With the KME, I was always concerned that the knife would move in the clamp. I would draw lines around the clamp so I could see if it moved. Most of the time, if you twisted the handle, the knife would flex in the clamp. This caused concern that applying pressure to the stone could change the sharpening angle. The TSPROF K03 with standard milled clamps turns my knives into rock solid, immovable objects. The KME will produce a fine edge but with the K03 I can worry about other issues besides the knife moving in the clamp.
 
Letoff said:
Well I didn't like it.
I cut my strips, put them on a set of my clamps and the first knife I went for is one I use when I'm cutting grass, an ol Gerber.

I first tried one clamp but it moved around too much even though I had it cranked down. I put another clamp on the knife and I know it had to do with where I clamped it but I tried several places and knife never felt stable, I could move it if I tugged hard enough and even spit out at one point (pic below) I took the patch material off and just clamped it down since it's just a work knife......... never moved and was solid.

I'm sure it will work if I have a knife that doesn't have such a weird shape. I really just want to protect any knives I get from my coworkers and their friends. Sometimes they'll bring me a $300 knife and I just feel like my clamp is going to mark it up. I'll try again and report back. Didn't have time to get serious with it yesterday so I moved on.


K61N154.jpeg

PxDaCr7.jpeg
Click to expand...
Nice set up!

The whole milled clamps for TS Prof are fantastic but an issue you may be encountering is that the jaw faces are parallel when then are about 1/5 of and inch apart. When clamping down on the flat of a knife blade that is only half that thick or so, the jaws cease to be parallel and put the most pressure down at the tips, which at least in my experience can lead to knives moving around slightly in the jaws which could scratch the finish, or not being the same DPS on both sides.

On a lot of knifes I find it helpful to use some metal shims like in the picture below to even out the pressure and keep the jaws relatively parallel. This seems to distribute the clamping pressure and result in better clamping overall. Doing this does widen up the camp and make it easier to hit them with stones when sharpening, so lower DPS can sometimes be an issue.

Also +1 for kapton tape, it’s super thin and strong. Great for protecting knife blades. Good luck and keep us posted!

https://imgur.com/ouowPG6
 
Letoff said:
Well I didn't like it.
I cut my strips, put them on a set of my clamps and the first knife I went for is one I use when I'm cutting grass, an ol Gerber.

I first tried one clamp but it moved around too much even though I had it cranked down. I put another clamp on the knife and I know it had to do with where I clamped it but I tried several places and knife never felt stable, I could move it if I tugged hard enough and even spit out at one point (pic below) I took the patch material off and just clamped it down since it's just a work knife......... never moved and was solid.

I'm sure it will work if I have a knife that doesn't have such a weird shape. I really just want to protect any knives I get from my coworkers and their friends. Sometimes they'll bring me a $300 knife and I just feel like my clamp is going to mark it up. I'll try again and report back. Didn't have time to get serious with it yesterday so I moved on.


K61N154.jpeg

PxDaCr7.jpeg
Click to expand...
On closer inspection—are those the fillet clamps?
 
Shoguns said:
...the jaw faces are parallel when then are about 1/5 of and inch apart. When clamping down on the flat of a knife blade that is only half that thick or so, the jaws cease to be parallel and put the most pressure down at the tips..
Click to expand...

With a knife like in your example, try to tighten down the clamp screw a bit more than normal and you'll find the clamp flexes a bit - normally it's enough to compensate for the gap, especially if you have the fillet clamps.
 
Edge Pro Apex .
More than a decade in use .
Always unbelievably sharp edges .
No bouncing of the long clampy things up and down like a diving board because the blade is supported just behind the edge .
Does tiny knives I couldn't clamp if I wanted to .
Sure one has to be a little ambidextrous but we are typing with both hands . . . right ?

Simpler solutions are better ; but harder to arrive at .
 
I use a fabric tape similar to what Australian Knife Grinders used. It's like a hockey tape. Works great, doesn't slip and comes off easy and I have never scratched a blade with a jig.... yet.
Al
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top