Fixing a bad grind?

ehhh

ehhh

Joined
Feb 4, 2006
Messages
562
Hi all,
I just received a new Al Mar SERE 2000 after sending my previous one in for a bad false edge grind. They sent this new one to me as "customer good will" and told me the bad grind was well within their tolerances and should be expected of a production knife (how come my Benchmade doesn't have that problem?). It was nice that they sent me a new one, but they weren't the friendliest bunch. Great fit, but poor finish on the blades if you ask me.

Anyways, on to the problem. The new one has a grind problem, but this time in a different spot. This time it's at the little "spine" where the false edge grind meets the front edge grind. One side is perfect and it lines up with the tip like it should. The other side however, isn't ground quite straight and the "spine" ends 1mm+ above the actual tip of the knife. Looks like whoever was finishing the knife just didn't grind it straight all the way. What would be the "easiest" way to fix this with easily accessible hand tools (sandpaper, stones, etc)? How difficult or time consuming might it be to realign the grind and then polish it back to a satin finish? Should I be concerned about screwing up the HT?

Just as a little side topic, is their fit and finish falling or am I just being too picky? I did a lot of research before buying and all I've heard was that they have some of the best fit and finish of any production company. I mean, as far as use goes, this probably has little to no effect on performance and is a rather minor detail. But isn't fit and finish all about the minor details? Hopefully after I give it some "character" I'll forget all about the grind. I do tend to find flaws, focus and dwell though :foot: ...

Thanks in advance!
Jon
 
Jon,

Can't comment on Al Mar Knives' fit and finish, but, if you look into getting some cratex abrasives for a Dremel or similar rotary tool, you should be able to fix most anything without screwing up the heat-treatment/temper.
 
Thanks for the advice, any input is appreciated.

I really do like the knife, it's a work of art that feels like it can take a lot of abuse. Quite sharp out of the box, no blade play whatsoever and perfect centering (this is where my BM loses in F&F), handle fits great, and in general feels real solid. It sorta bothers me to see a knife that obviously has the potential to be so well made and costs ~$140 has a blade with worse grind symmetry than my cheap S&W...

If I don't get over it (hopefully and generally I do cause I'm lazy), I'll give the dremel a shot...

Would the dremel also work to refinish the blade to a satin finish? I assume I just need a much finer grit abrasive to do so?

Jon
 
The other thing you could do is coat the blade with a mold makers dye or coat it with a permanent marker(washes of with paint thiner and doesn't mark the blade),using a scribe and straight edge mark the blade in the dye where you would like the grind to end and slowly take it down by hand with a fine grit (start with 320 and then 400 or 600 grit) sharpening stone or boride stone,after that use wet/dry sand paper on the blade to achive the satin finish (start with 320 and graduate to 400,then 600,and finish with 800).It takes a bit of time but it's worth it,
 
I had an Al Mar Operator with a similar bad grind on it. I must admit I did'nt see it when I bought it but upon closer inspection it did'nt look good at all. My experience with contacting Al Mar knives was frustrating and unproductive. I would be very hesitant to purchase an Al Mar knife in the future.



John
 
Thanks for the tip canbkr, that sounds like a good idea and maybe a little more precise than a dremel (I've never used one :o ).

JTC: I bought this knife online, so I didn't get a chance to inspect it before paying, if I could have looked at it I would have looked for another or kept my money. Fortunately I had no trouble contacting them and they did replace it (unfortunately I can be picky and it has a similar problem), but they made it very clear that it should not be covered by warranty and that they were being "nice guys". The man on the phone even told me "We would not feel bad just sending you back your knife." Now I've never dealt with customer service for any of my knives, but I have dealt with customer service for other products and they have always been very polite and helpful, generally following the "customer is always right" rule. That was just not the case for Al Mar Knives and they even made a point that they were right and I was wrong, but they would do me a favor and replace it. I was a bit disappointed with their attitude.

Don't get me wrong, their knives are beautiful, aside from some grinding issues it seems. I agree with everyone who says they have amazing fit for a production company, because the fit on my SERE is notably better than that of my 710HS. However, I would have to disagree with the finish. The handles are finished superb, but their blade grinding leaves something to be desired (in my experience).

Maybe I should post something in the review forum.

Anyhoo, thanks for the replies guys. Any suggestions and tips are still welcome, and thank you in advance.

Jon
 
just by what i read,i'll neverbuy a knife from said company,as for the advice no problem,always try to help
 
I have thought about buying AlMars in the past and never have... sounds like I will stay away from them too... CS to me is far more valuable than good price, imho
 
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