Ever RUIN a perfect, finished knife?

Dr.Lathe

Dr.Lathe

Joined
Aug 4, 1999
Messages
2,596
I't happened this morning, I had several knives that I had just finished making Kydex sheaths for.....
After the final Kydex fitting, the last thing to do was sharpen them and begin packing...
One of my Medium Tactical models, D2, tapered tang, blue G10 with blue and white spacers, hand rubbed finish......
For some reason the sharpening process went HORRIBLY WRONG!!!!!! First one side was a little uneven back at the plunge line, so I compensated on the other side, now I made it off a little from the first side, so then I took a little more of the.....AAAAAAAARRRRRRRGGGGHHHHH you get the idea!! Now the knife is JUNK!!!!!! Man you should have heard the language!! My dogs took off and hid
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I havn't had that happen before, I was ALWAYS able to straighten out my edge... After I calmed down the rest of the knives came out fine. I guess I should be glad it was just D2 and not Talonite, I would have REALY been pi$$ed
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I think I'll just leave it hanging in front of my bench to remind me to be carefull when sharpening.
Please, someone tell me that's happened to them before.....
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Talonite, new pics, knives in stock!

blackwoodknives.com
 
Neil, I messed up big time last night. I don't know about the rest of you guys, but if I'm not in the mood, it's a waste of time for me to try doing anything related to knifemaking. I went out last night to do a little clean up work on my first tapered tang drop point that a forums friend ordered. Like you just described, the creep set in. I ruined that blade beyond repair. Unlike you, I didn't stay calm enough to save it as an example. I stuck it tip first into the wheel and kept it there for atleast 5 minutes. The nub that was left went in the trash can. The kicker is I also came real close to ruining a $121 piece of damascus. I did have the sense to stop with just enough left to have one more chance at fixing the problem. If I mess it up again, you'll probably hear me yeling over in Lakeland!! Sure does take the wind out of our sails when we make the same mistakes we made way back!

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Always think of your fellow knife makers as partners in the search for the perfect blade, not as people trying to compete with you and your work!http://www.nebsnow.com/L6steel
Buzzards gotta eat, same as worms!!!
 
L6,
Over the years I have ruined knives in every possible way. What happened this morning was worse that getting the wind taken out of my sails.....it was like getting kicked in the _____!
Neil

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Talonite, new pics, knives in stock!

blackwoodknives.com
 
Hey Neil..
Ouch that sucks..

See if you would have had me doing all of your Kydex work, you wouldn't have been so bloody tired and had all that Kydex dust in your eyes..
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It happens to all of us...
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ttyle Eric...

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Eric E. Noeldechen
On/Scene Tactical
http://www.mnsi.net/~nbtnoel
Custom,Quality, Concealex Sheaths.

Leading The Way In Synthetic Sheathing.
 
Eric,
You have a point there!
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I HAVE considered that idea. I still like the idea of keeping the entire process in house including heat treat! If I ever go at this full time, I will consider it even more!
Neil

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Talonite, new pics, knives in stock!

blackwoodknives.com
 
Tom,
Mr Murphy was in MY shop this morning! FRIGGIN" SOB!! I HOPE he goes back to GA and stays there!!
Neil

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Talonite, new pics, knives in stock!

blackwoodknives.com
 
Neil,
That topic title sent a wave of panic through me. Sorry it happened (but glad it wasn't mine
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Semper Fi

-Bill
 
The first knife I sold: I didn't have my etcher yet, so I sold it to the guy on the premise that I could mark it later.

Well, you aren't supposed to rub the marking pad outside of the stencil!!!
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Luckily I was able to sand it down and remark it, but it took about 5 hours. I used some of those choice words then myself.

Oh well...
Nick
 
Hey Neil...

Why don't you Shoot me one over and I'll show you what I'm capable of!!

Drop me a note we'll talk about it...

Eric...

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Eric E. Noeldechen
On/Scene Tactical
http://www.mnsi.net/~nbtnoel
Custom,Quality, Concealex Sheaths.

Leading The Way In Synthetic Sheathing.
 
as we all know well...mr murphy stands over the shoulder of every human being on this planet working on his next move....I have made every mistake under the sun and am now starting over and doing them again....I learned early on....you have to be super careful on every step at every stage until it is done...then you can look at it and wish you had done a better job....how about putting your stencil on backwards...been there, done that....how about grinding the handle down and getting the guard too hot and watching it fall off into the steel grit on the floor....how about sticking your thumb into the brand new 40 grit belt instead of the sheath back....well i could go on for hours...and although I am sure jerry would love it...it would get boring for the rest of you.....so lets try and make mr murphy our friend..buy him a guiness.. I am sure hes irish....."Too bad we can only rent it" (Lloyd Bridges in Blown Away)

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http://www.mayoknives.com


 
Dr. Lathe,

We (Phillip and I) have a box full of those @#$%^&*! screw-ups.

I even have a combat knife that has about 1/2" of the tip of the blade missing. I broke it on purpose. I was so mad at the customer for giving me the shaft on the order that I was going to send him a worthless blade as a reminder of what he put me thru. I gained control of myself and kept it as a reminder of how some customers can be.

It happens. You have to learn from your mistakes and strive to avoid them in the future. Keep trying. It may happen again and it may not. At least you will have the memory of that first screw-up in the back of your head to remind yourself to take it easy.

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Barry
Jones Knives
"NEW Knives"
http://albums.photopoint.com/j/AlbumIndex?u=126319&a=5922856
"For DUTY and HUMANITY!"
Curly, Moe, & Larry
 
Mr Murphy actually supervises my shop. He THE MAN!

I have screwed up so many knives in so many ways, I've gotten pretty good at fixing them. Neil, you might be able to grind the edge off that knife and redo it. Since the problem is really at the plunge, if you grind below the problem, everything else may be fixable.

Just a thought.

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Jerry Hossom
www.hossom.com
 
Site looks good, Neil! As a very newbie maker (3 under my belt now, I just gotta heat treat 2 and 3 again...they are 0-1 and don't hold an edge
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, I made a few good boo boo's. First was "Who needs a wussy respirator? I love the smell of Micarta in the morning!" Now I have 3 respirators and full face shield. Second was, "How hot is too hot?? OUCH!!! Now there is a bucket and rags next to the little yellow belt sander that could. Third, "hmmmm...that was cool! The steel turned blue, black and then melted and sparked a little! DOH! Back to grind that part off slowly. Remember knives number 2 and 3? Drop point tanto and vector style blades that were 4"? Now it is drop point and kestrel style and 3.25"! I got a little to over zealous in grinding. My other boo boo was when I was making my first kit knife, a boot knife. File got away from me and flattened the edge completely for about an inch. Second mistake was trying to make it into a serrated edge. Now it is a recurve! As for ruining a blade, I don't think I did that yet, but give me some time! I always grind more away to fix it and you can't easily ruin something that is bad in the first place! The steel I use is 3/16" 0-1, so there is plenty for the OOPS! My first one is now about 1/8 thick thanks to all of the grinding, but it came out pretty well. Now if I can just find some 1x30 ceramic hoggers in 36 or 40 grit...80 takes way too long. Any ideas? Hey Neil, can you check out my post about 0-1 I made a few days ago and let me know what to do? Basic problem is that the 0-1 blades get a very nice edge, but don't hold it long at all. Am I being too picky? Thanks! And if you want to get rid of your mistakes, let me know! Any mistake by you guys has to be much better than my good blades!
 
Guys I think being in the mood is the key word
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While working like a dog last week at my real job. All I could think about was Saturday morning and working on some blades. Saturday came and I was tired and antsy to get started. WHAT A MISTAKE!
Ruined four out of five perfectly good 36 grit hollow grinds trying to take them to 120 for heat treat.
I also learned a trick for new guys anyway.
Just take the blade grind to 36 or 40 and then heat treat. After it is hardened it makes it easier to finish grind without as many mistakes because you HAVE to go slower.

Tried again yesterday evening when I was rested and after dinner no problems
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Go figure!
Being new one thing is holding very true,
When I stop for more than a few days I screw something up. My stack of $%&* is growing also.

I'm just going to keep plugging away! The more mistakes I make the more determined I am to get better.
 
to tell you the truth....we learn way more from our mistakes than from doing it correctly.....except for jerry....dont think he will ever get it right
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http://www.mayoknives.com




[This message has been edited by tom mayo (edited 06-24-2000).]
 
Thanks guys......group hug
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I feel better now!!!!
Jerry, NO WAY this is going to be fixed. It's my new shop knife, box opener, damn fancy too with the blue G10 and white spacers!! I may do some destructive testing on it as it's a much heavier duty than my normal hunters. I just may want to see what 3/16 D2 will actually do befor it breaks!!
Neil


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Talonite, new pics, knives in stock!

blackwoodknives.com
 
I walk by the junk box on the way to the grinders :] this always helps remind me of where I am and where I am going. Had an art knife with pearl handles inlayed. drove a pin from the other side into the pearl. YIKES.
That one sticks in my mind all the time.
took 2 days to get it ready to go again. The bastid.


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Web Site At www.darrelralph.com
 
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