How To Fix a misshapen tip?

M

MJTX

Joined
Mar 17, 2020
Messages
5
Hi all,

I'm making my first knife and the tip is curved off to the left. The knife is a chef's knife for my daughter made from 3/32 15N20. I don't have a grinder, just files and sandpaper.

Any suggestions on how I can true up the point without going too thin? It's not heat treated.

Hopefully the photos will also show that the last 1/4 inch or so slopes sharply to the point, which is veering left.

Thanks
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llAmDTy.jpg

MUpB9JT.jpg

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Lever the tip pre HT in a vice and counterbend it slowly. You can also tap with a wooden mallet on a hard surface. In any case wrap it in a softer material like leather or similar to not gouge it or scratch it. When it looks like it is centered, use a drill bit of the same size as your stock thickness on a flat surface to draw a center line on the spine, and file/sand away till you have equal grinds on both sides.
 
You might also need to reshape the tip somewhat to gain some material back. Don't sand over the tip of the blade, stop before it looks like you are there or you will round it too much. Sorry if I am saying obvious stuff, I am a newbie myself.
 
robwil said:
Is this before or after heat treating? How did it appear?
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It's not heat treated. It's not bent. My bevel filing isn't symmetrical. I keep messing with it and I'm concerned that I'll mess with it too much.
 
you overground one side, its very easy to do. since you cant add the material back youll have to over grind the otherside to match it. Then go back to evenly grinding both sides until you get the right shape. Or, you can get it heat treated and correct it by hand with a 140 grit diamond plate. The plus side to doing it the latter way is that you can get out your cutting board and the plate, and cut stuff up, grind on the plate, cut stuff, until you get the performance you want. Focus less on perfect symmetry, that comes with experience.
 
I’ve made the same mistake and will probably do it again in the future. Like timos- said, grind away carefully until both sides match.
 
I find it difficult to get both sides even with a file when the tip starts flexing. I have used a 140 diamond plate on a couple of knives and it helped to even things out, but it is slow going after heat treat. I would fix as much as I can before heat treating if working with hand tools.

The blade profile looks like it is perfectly straight for about half its length before it starts curving to the tip. It looks a bit odd to me, but I just started making knives and do not know too much about knife geometry. Just rocking it back and forth on the workbench will probably tell you if the profile is right or not.
 
Ditto (from what I can see) on the overground on one side. You need to grind more on the left side to even up (blade will be shorter but even). Get some machinists blue dye and scribe the centerline on the spine so you can clearly see where you want to end up as you remove metal.

Nice looking knife! I’m sure your daughter will love it!
 
Are you scoring lines on the blade edge? Use a height gauge...or just a drill bit in similar thickness to the blade stock. Dykem and mark. Blue dykem to be specific ;)
 
Kali4nia said:
Are you scoring lines on the blade edge? Use a height gauge...or just a drill bit in similar thickness to the blade stock. Dykem and mark. Blue dykem to be specific ;)
Click to expand...
Too late to score the edge... which is why I recommended defining the centerline on the spine. Better than nothing...
 
I would still double check if it is also slightly bent. Put the knife on the flatest surface you have, press on the middle part of the knife spine, look where your center line on the back is, notice the material at the tip from the centerline and how the tip raises from the surface. Do it on other side. I just had the same problem the other day and sure the grinds weren't 100 % even either, but the tip bent slightly while grinding without me noticing it.

If you are still sure it is uneven ground, reshape the tip and try again. You could drop the spine and easy the belly a bit, you wouldn't lose more then half cm and it would be easier to see where the problem areas are.
 
I think I would leave it alone, give it to your daughter and let her enjoy using it, then work on making the next one better.
 
I would first tap the tip into proper alignment and then 'dress' the edge with a light polishing. Many of the knives I get from clients also have damaged tips. The overall idea is that if you grind something off it is "permanently gone."

It's like fixing a dinged fender. Tap the big stuff out first with decreasingly lighter tools, like a rubber hammer. I've seen body and fender men do this, and the bondo that they use on the last few step looks like a tiny white smear when they sand the area to match the fender.
 
Cushing H. said:
Too late to score the edge... which is why I recommended defining the centerline on the spine. Better than nothing...
Click to expand...

I defined the centerline on the spine like you suggested. It revealed that the last inch of each bevel were very different. I redesigned the tip and am working on cutting it out (hacksaw).

Thanks for the help. I’ll post an update after I make some progress. Worst case is that my daughter ends up with a paring knife and I gain some experience.
 
MJTX said:
I defined the centerline on the spine like you suggested. It revealed that the last inch of each bevel were very different. I redesigned the tip and am working on cutting it out (hacksaw).

Thanks for the help. I’ll post an update after I make some progress. Worst case is that my daughter ends up with a paring knife and I gain some experience.
Click to expand...
This is what i would do ..................
R7iYeiP.jpg
 
The OP says the blade is not heat treated yet. Bill is correct, just bend it.
 
Natlek said:
This is what i would do ..................
R7iYeiP.jpg
Click to expand...

I've already began the cutting process for a redesigned tip but this is great! What software did you use? I have a feeling I will be in this situation again.
 
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