Do i dare convex the bk2 on the belt sander?

[clich]

i got a 1x30 belt sander, and a 150 grit belt. do i try? is that too low? i watched a youtube vid of a guy hand convexing the 2 with 80 grit. I have a coupld way higher belts i used for sharpening and practice on crappier knives but they prob wont get the job done. Do i risk the tigra?

 

[Guyon]

I'd practice with crappier knives a few times.

 

[foxx]

I'd go even cheaper, get some practice making blade shapes, or sharpening mild steel, or junk yard leaf springs, or some other "free" metals.
You can use what ever grit you want, but taking steps of finer and finer grits will get rid of the scratches.

I've done my 12" Ontario machete by hand, yes it took quite a while, and then lots of sandpaper. It was a learning experience for me. The BK-2 already has an edge, my Ontario didn't, so you shouldn't have as much metal to remove. Point is, the belt sander with 150 grit is going to be a quick process, too fast for my comfort. You're really just knocking off the shoulders of the bevel, sandpaper and a mouse pad will get that done without going too fast.
It your call of course, but I'd practice with some cheap metal, even then I'd probably start with a higher grit. Good luck, and lets see some pics when your done!

 

[foxx]

I'd practice with crappier knives a few times.

I agree!

And Guyon, when did you pimp your biscut?

 

[clich]

maybe ill just stick with the sandpaper method since i dont have any junk blades that even slightly compare to the bk2. better safe and sorry when it comes the la tigra

 

[tradewater]

A Camillus BK 2 was the first knife I convexed with a belt grinder. You can do it. Start with 80 grit (or even 50 if you can find one). It will stay cooler removing all that metal with coarser grits. You run into heat problems when you try to remove too much metal with finer grit belts. Take the platen off before you start so you can get a "slack belt" convex on it. Light pressure and when it feels warm, dunk it. Be very careful with the tip. That's where you can burn it in a micro second. Go for it man.

 

[Battle Creek Knives]

here's my take.. if you're asking for encouragement from the brothers then you're uncertain of your ability's with your sander.. if you had much time with the sander and a bunch of trash blades then it'd be a no brainer.. however I'd say go for it, if you've been around knives for a number of years and have sharpened hundreds this will come naturally to you.. otoh a 30" sander will be spinning at over 3400rpms which imo is way to fast... key though, you MUST use good belts that will help keep the steel cooler... you can damage the ht otherwise... (on the blade where it matters)..

you can do it man.... just move the blade fast, like maybe 2 seconds for the whole blade per swipe...

 

[clich]

i am pretty uncertain about my belt sander skills. Ive sharpened on the sander before but never reprofiled, and i dont have anything laying around that i can reprofile that after i would think "o the bk2 is gona be a piece of cake now that i convexed such and such". Id love to get the convex on the bk2 but the more i think about the more i dont wanna risk it, or spend 8 hours with sand paper doing it by hand. The sabre stays

 

[Battle Creek Knives]

if you have an old hatchet head or axe laying around that would make a perfect practice candidate... get that thing paper sharp and then off to your bk2...

to profile for a convex the 150 would do it if its a blaze or high quality belt, I personally wouldn't go below 120 its not necessary for a convex.... if you don't have quality belts however it will heat up faster but is still doable..

if you don't have an axehead, maybe a lawnmower blade or you can always destroy a prybar.. actually needed one yesterday for a job and WM had one for $3.... can't go wrong.......

 

[tradewater]

i am pretty uncertain about my belt sander skills. Ive sharpened on the sander before but never reprofiled, and i dont have anything laying around that i can reprofile that after i would think "o the bk2 is gona be a piece of cake now that i convexed such and such". Id love to get the convex on the bk2 but the more i think about the more i dont wanna risk it, or spend 8 hours with sand paper doing it by hand. The sabre stays

Probably a good call. There's always down the road when you feel more comfy with it. It's not as hard as you think it is however. :thumbup:

 

[KiljoyKutlery]

If you want to FULLY convex the blade, it will take a while (not to bad) but if you just want to convex the edge, I would go by hand. I have a 1x42 vertical, and it works great on machetes and the like, but if I was just tweaking the edge of my BK2, I would do it by hand.
Not that I think the machine wouldnt do it very well, its just that I am taking years of sharpenings off very quickly...which I wouldnt want to do to my favorite survival knife.
By the way, I sharpened up my stripped Kabar BK2 last night, on a stone...man, its SHARP! I have a huge bare spot on one leg..LOL.

EDIT: As far as moving the blade quickly around the grinder..I wouldnt. This is a good way to hurt yourself or loose the tip of the knife.
What I do, when touching up a knife with a heat treat already in place...is:
Take an old 1 gallon milk jug..cut a big hole in the top side, opposite the handle.
Fill the jug half way with ice water. Make some passes on the grinder and dunk the blade...it will stay ICE COLD the entire time you reprofile it.
I use this method all the time, it works. Just don't linger around the TIP of the knife, the tip will heat up faster than the rest..its smaller and thinner.

 

[clich]

So gunknifenut in lamens terms what you are saying in your post is that I should mail it to you for convexing huh? Is that right

 

[Battle Creek Knives]

EDIT: As far as moving the blade quickly around the grinder..I wouldnt. This is a good way to hurt yourself or loose the tip of the knife.

what exactly do you mean.. ?? how would you hurt yourself by passing a blade 5" long across a 1" belt in 2 seconds......?? loose the tip of the knife?? please help me understand this..

So gunknifenut in lamens terms what you are saying in your post is that I should mail it to you for convexing huh? Is that right

no you should contact RichardJ here on the forums and have it done professionally, believe me you will not be disappointed..

 

[boki_zca]

its easy just takes practice...I was reluctant at first to use belt sander but its way faster and gets same edge as doing it manually.All my knives get hair whittling sharp on belt sander.Reprofiling is a piece of cake too just practice on cheap knives first!