- Joined
- Feb 15, 2015
- Messages
- 1,369
I have really been enjoying my thin light weight blackjack RBK since I moved to Florida. The thing I hated about it was the edge doesn't go all the way back to the choil. It looks like its a sharpened edge all the way back. I guess they would grind a bevel on it to make you think it does. Its the same thing on the Blackjack brutes and machax. I don't know anything about making knives, but it seems like they should have been smarter then this. Maybe it was the machinery they used to grind them?
As you can see from the primary bevel it goes down and meets the choil making it not thin enough for an edge.
So I decided to grind away the logos and continue the primary bevel. I ground it down to a very thin almost micro bevel edge that flows into a the standard thicker edge. I also blended in the primary bevel, so now its convex/saber hybrid. I wanted it thinner up close for small work and thicker with a nice convex up top for chopping. I've really been liking a micro bevel edge lately. I've re-ground a few of my blade to thin up the edges.
After all the grinding was done it needed a new coating, but its stainless. So out came the $1 can of spray paint. It will do for now until I think of something better.
You can see I lost just a bit of blade height next to the choil. I'm just bad with the grinder. The blade was only used one time with that spray paint coating, as you can see its probably not going to last very long.
Anyway Ive recently acquired a sterile blackjack RBK (top one in the group photo) and it confirmed a suspicion I've had. Ive owned three regular sandblasted/satin finished RBK's with the and they have all been stainless. They were advertised as either 440A or 1095. I figured the sterile ones are exclusively 1095 because they had to coat it to keep the rust off. Now that seems to be confirmed. Ive taken a drop of gun blue to all of them the only one it works on is the sterile. So if you want a carbon steel version don't buy the one with logos.
Ive also noted that on every sterile RBK i've seen a photo of and including the one I own the nub on the end of the choil is ground flat. I don't no why, it just is. I guess it just looks smoother.
As you can see from the primary bevel it goes down and meets the choil making it not thin enough for an edge.
So I decided to grind away the logos and continue the primary bevel. I ground it down to a very thin almost micro bevel edge that flows into a the standard thicker edge. I also blended in the primary bevel, so now its convex/saber hybrid. I wanted it thinner up close for small work and thicker with a nice convex up top for chopping. I've really been liking a micro bevel edge lately. I've re-ground a few of my blade to thin up the edges.
After all the grinding was done it needed a new coating, but its stainless. So out came the $1 can of spray paint. It will do for now until I think of something better.
You can see I lost just a bit of blade height next to the choil. I'm just bad with the grinder. The blade was only used one time with that spray paint coating, as you can see its probably not going to last very long.
Anyway Ive recently acquired a sterile blackjack RBK (top one in the group photo) and it confirmed a suspicion I've had. Ive owned three regular sandblasted/satin finished RBK's with the and they have all been stainless. They were advertised as either 440A or 1095. I figured the sterile ones are exclusively 1095 because they had to coat it to keep the rust off. Now that seems to be confirmed. Ive taken a drop of gun blue to all of them the only one it works on is the sterile. So if you want a carbon steel version don't buy the one with logos.
Ive also noted that on every sterile RBK i've seen a photo of and including the one I own the nub on the end of the choil is ground flat. I don't no why, it just is. I guess it just looks smoother.
I like useing the 21 when I can and is my choice for chopping thick wood the BK&T is a lot easier to swing for clearing a path. The type of wood makes all the difference as to one over the other 
here's a older pic of mine. I also spent a little time getting the edge closer to the choil.
