cutting bone

J

j_jacobitz

Joined
Jul 11, 2008
Messages
9
Hello, this is my first post but I have been reading here quite a bit.
A few weeks ago I bought a 22 inch bone-cutter.
I used it for the first time last night, my friend got a deer and let me hack on the chest cavity. Four or five swing and I had one side separated from the spine, some gore flew and I was having an awesome time. I looked at the edge of my blade and there are chips and dents now. I was only cutting the ribs but maybe cutting bone was a mistake. Did I do something stupid?

Thanks for any feedback.

-j
 
Photos would help understand where the chips & dents are & exactly what they look like..

Perhaps it just needs sharpening to a convex edge? But without photos its hard to say,

Cheers,
Spiral
 
ok,
I will work on getting some pictures on here.
I only had my cell camera at the time of actual chopping but i do have a nice camera I can use for a more detailed look at the edge.
Most of the stuff I read here is about chopping wood so I was kind of wondering if "bone-cutter" is more of a name than a description.

Also I thought these came with a convex edge.


-j
 
09-23-08_2037.jpg


Ok that works.
I am at work now so a closer look at the edge will come later.

Yummy!!!
 
Thanks, not all areas are hardened & sometimes some do need personal sharpening to get the geometry as well, particularily if theve been heavily buffed.

I am sure either way it will get sorted out. ;)

Spiral
 
Would have to see how bad the chips and dents were to determine if it was unexpected.

I've chopped deer bones with hatchets and chipped the edge.(Granfors Bruks Hunters Axe)

If they are major dents and chips then it was improperly hardened. If they are small could just be normal wear and tear.
 
Jacobitz, first of all welcome to the HI Forums.:D

Perchance did you sharpen your new kukri before using it? I'm betting you didn't.
The reason I ask is because quite often with a brand new kukri the original edge can be soft because of the way their hardened and then subsequently polished, this is pretty common with all charcoal forged blades no matter who makes them or where they're made....

You can check this by running a really good file along the edge and seeing if it cuts freely. If it does then keep filing until the file either starts 'skating' along the edge or quits cutting as freely as it did at the beginning. This tells you the soft over-tempered edge has been removed and you're down to the hard steel whereupon the kukri can be properly sharpened.:D

On the other hand if the file already 'skates' or doesn't cut freely then the original edge may either be too acute or indeed the kukri may be too hard whereas it will need to be sent back to HI for an adjustment, ie, either you getting another kukri of the same model or another of your choice if you so desire but that'll have to be worked out between you and Yangdu.:)

If the edge is indeed 'too acute' then you can fix it and that's what I'd try first.:thumbup:
Also way too often the kukris come with a flat ground edge instead of a proper convex and IMO this is due to the modernization of the HI arun/shop/factory/what have you.;) It seems like people all over the world succumb to a bit of laziness when exposed to machinery that makes their work easier/faster.;)
Anyway use whichever method you're most comfortable with and increase the bevel/radius of the edge until you're satisfied with the degree of sharpness and then try the kukri again.
If you have enough experience with sharpening you'll know when you have the proper bevel/radius on the edge, if not it may take you a couple of tries to get the edge to the proper profile.
If increasing the bevel/radius substantially doesn't improve the kukri's performance then the kukri is probably too hard.

Also if you don't feel capable and don't maybe mind waiting up too ten days and are willing to pay postage both ways send it to me and I'll use my Grizz to put a proper edge on it for you.
But everybody has to start somewhere and if it was me I'd give it a try first anyway.:thumbup:

I don't think it would take me long to get around to sharpening it for you as I've been doing really well the last couple of weeks but I never know if or when the weather may change and shut me down for a few days.:grumpy:
Anyway there's the offer. :D :thumbup:
 
I had little dints in my Bonecutter. But as Yvsa points out they need a little sharpening to get down to hard steel sometimes. I removed my dint with the chakma.
 
Jacobitz,
I hate it for you man. I have a 18" Bonecutter by Sarge. The edge has held up to everything from Beef bones to PVC pipe to splitting a rick of hardwood. The edge didn't need sharpening after the chopping, but I touched it up a little with the Chakma. I do work on the edges a little after I get them, as Yvsa says, but not too much. I have tested all of my 13 HI blades till I was tired, including batoning the hell out of them. Other than some minor scuff marks on the sides, there is no other visible damage. I can't hurt the edges. I guess I'm just lucky.
 
Humm - I guess that is why they make meat saws and a wide assortment of tools for processing animals - include sharpening equipment which is often used in midprocess related to the size of the animal.
 
apapercut said:
Humm - I guess that is why they make meat saws and a wide assortment of tools for processing animals - include sharpening equipment which is often used in midprocess related to the size of the animal.
Click to expand...

If you look to the right of my picture you will see my buddies' meat saw.
I said "screw that, I have BONE-CUTTER!!!"
 
DSC00139.jpg


DSC00137.jpg


Thanks for all the feedback so far.
I know it's not terrible, but I was just suprised ever chop I made resulted in visible damage.
Some of the denting did not show up well but I can fix that anyways.
Was I hitting to close to the tip?
I do have a strop and know how to sharpen but I don't have the tools or knowledge to fix chips like this. Thanks for the offer Yvsa, thats really cool.
I dont know... I think a jagged edge might make it look even scarier if thats possible, it's still very usable. When I bought this I had decapitation and dismemberment in mind.
I would really like to hear more about any of you guys experiences choppin' dem bones.
Thanks again

-j
 
Thanks for pics, Ok placment should be hard there for sure, chips mean hard steel, dents means soft, [compared to what you hit & whether any accidental side force is involved or not of course. {Thats what bends many katana & even kukri.}It doesnt look bad to me, Id think after convexing it, it would do better. But either way doesnt look bad... to me anyway...

Hope you get it sorted one way or another.


Spiral
 
Yeah, looking at the way it shipped, I'd say most likely the edge was left too hard. It's possible that it was too thin, or both.

Two options are to sharpen it out, or even send it to one of the guys here that can convex them good, or wait until Yangdu gets back and see what she suggests.

This is the reason it's suggested you try them out when you get them to make sure there are no problems if/when you need it for real. I guess this was a good test. :D
 
You're fine. :)

Work the edge with a fine stone. With each working after use, the edge will define itself and the little bits will disappear.

With one of my first AKs, I slammed into a deer leg, because by-gawd, I had a KHUK !

Guess what? Chips. They worked down and out easily. I don't do that anymore. :)

Not sure the Bonecutter is literal or an evocative name. I guess I presumed it was just an ominous name.


Kis
enjoy every sandwich
 
Those are pretty small chips. Personally I wouldn't be worried about damage on that scale.

You have a blade that is handmade in a third world country by a master of his craft. Not a CNC cut precision ground piece of steel. It is tempered with boiling water from a tea kettle not in an electronically controlled tempering oven.

That being said human error does occur and the heat treat can be botched. HI blades require more of a break in period and debugging than other knives. If you do get a doozy Yangdu will make it right.
 
Please understand my intentions were not to make HI look bad.
I just wanted to explain what I did, get advice from more experienced users, and here about similar situations.
I do not want a replacment.
I do not want a refund.
I have recently bought four HI blades and I love them all.
They are all unique pieces of art and I have the highest respect for those who crafted them.
O-K?
O-K.
 
j_jacobitz said:
Please understand my intentions were not to make HI look bad.
I just wanted to explain what I did, get advice from more experienced users, and here about similar situations.
I do not want a replacment.
I do not want a refund.
I have recently bought four HI blades and I love them all.
They are all unique pieces of art and I have the highest respect for those who crafted them.
O-K?
O-K.
Click to expand...

No harm, no foul.

This is the place to get that advice. I'd listen to that given by Yvsa and Kismet above all others. :thumbup:
 
Just keep an eye on it to make sure no other chips occur. Cutting bone CAN be pretty tough on the edge of a khuk. As others have said, it could be that the initial edge was slightly too hard or left to thin for that kind of chopping. You might take it to a belt sander and give it a very beefy convex edge. Between removing the "first layer" of typically weaker steel and thickening up the working edge, I doubt you would ever have another problem. Just my assessment.

Like Kis said, I think a pretty good chunk of people get their first khuk then take it out and bash it into something expecting it not to receive any damage. I know I did:o:D They do take some break in time being a handmade product.

And Jarvis, while your comments are not over the line by any means, they are ill-mannered and are not conducive to productive discussion. This thread was started by someone asking a legitimate question regarding the use of his khuk. Everyone here has been forthcoming as well as civil and has tried in earnest to answer his concerns. This discussion has been both informative as well as courteous and well mannered. It will continue to be.
 
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