Grinding a ready blade. Safe or not?

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Apr 7, 2012
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Hi, metal experts. I have a quick question. I'm thinking of grinding or cutting some metal off a D2 blade to make a shorter knife. Is the process going to heat it up to the point where it loses some properties or is it safe to do? Thank you.
 
Depends on how you do it my friend. Light reprofiling can be done on a stone. In this case, you don't have to worry about overheating. If you are using a grinder, be wary of making it too hot. You should use some form of wet grinder in order to not EFF up your heat treat. The guys over in the maker forum would probably be a better place to seek answers.
 
If you want to grind it i recommend having a bucket of icy water next to the grinder,every few seconds dip it in there if you dont want your temper to be gone,if the blade isnt coated observe the color,the safest bet would be to make sure that it doesnt change at all.Take your time and dunk it in the bucket often and i think you should be fine.
 
Thank you, guys. I'll keep that in mind. The knife I got is a Benchmade Bone Collector fixed blade with guthook. I picked it up at Scheels on sale for $60(it retails at amazon for $100). The knife is pretty cool and I might keep it that way, but legally, in Nebraska, a blade over 3.5" (this knife is a 4.1") makes it a knife (somehow under 3.5 is not considered a knife), and not legal to carry concealed. I'm not sure exactly sure how knife laws are working in U.S. and in Nebraska in particular, but I try to be as careful as possible as I have no intentions to freak sheeple out.

Me and my mother are in the process of moving, so I'll get the pics when we are at the new place, which is in 2-3 days. Then, I'll make a review of it, but so far, the knife is great. It features D2 steel, G-10 scales. The handle is for rather small hands, because it's smaller than my Buck Omni Hunter 10 pt. handle, and many people complain about it being too small. I have small hands, so it works good for me.

The sheath that it came with is rather crappy, so I had to modify it some (cut a few pieces here and there and remade it). If I end up cutting it down, I'll make a different, more practical sheath, but for now, this will do. So, it might be transformed from a hunting knife into a fixed blade EDC. We'll see.
 
These threads always amuse me. You folks realize that virtually every factory-made knife available is ground after HT, right? :) It's just not that big a deal.

D2 is a good candidate for re-grinding, as the high alloy content helps it retain its hardness at elevated temperatures. Just use moderate to light grinding pressure and keep it cool by dunking in water every couple passes and you'll be fine. Be extra careful at the thinnest areas.

The real question is, do you have the tools to do it well, and what's your time worth? Might it be worthwhile to just spend another $60 on a slightly different/smaller knife? If an hour or afternoon working on a knife you really like is something you enjoy, by all means, go for it. Be careful... it's addictive.
 
I ground down a Bone Collector. Went slow, made sure there was no color change, and the temper is fine. Added cocobolo handles as well. I cut them larger than the original handles which I felt were too small.

BMfixedBC.jpg
 
I ground down a Bone Collector. Went slow, made sure there was no color change, and the temper is fine. Added cocobolo handles as well. I cut them larger than the original handles which I felt were too small.

BMfixedBC.jpg


Nice, that's what I had in mind. Only maybe shorter. I'll go for 3 1/4" or so.
 
Nice avatar. I saw that tour and other Crimson Tours about 10-15 times. Fripp solo ect. I'm going to dig out and listen to that album now. Nice job on the knife also.
Clay
 
Mine is about 3 1/2" now. I was trying to take as little away from the cutting edge as possible. Obviously your needs are a little different.

Just saw your new thread with the results. Looks great. Reminds me of the Ritter fixed Grip shape.

Clay, always good to see a KC fan. And thanks.
 
Bruleront...I guess your knife was about 4.1" blade to start and you took off the guthook also. Very nice work. You turned it into a special knife that works for you. Nice job.
Sonny
 
Mine is about 3 1/2" now. I was trying to take as little away from the cutting edge as possible. Obviously your needs are a little different.

Just saw your new thread with the results. Looks great. Reminds me of the Ritter fixed Grip shape.

Clay, always good to see a KC fan. And thanks.


Yeah, it kinda does. I shortened the sheath for it and remodeled it, but I'm thinking of getting a kydex or some other plastic sheath that I can put different attachments on.
 
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