Help on grinding down a blade to a certain shape.

C

CAlife

Joined
Aug 29, 2005
Messages
191
Hi. I need help on modding my fixed blade a bit. Its a thin bladed mora fixed blade so i don't think it'll be too hard. I just want to be able to grind down the spine a bit so that the shape of the blade resembles more of a drop point or bowie shaped blade. Any help in doing this would be appreaciated as well as necessary tools. Thanks:cool:
 
All you really need is to clamp the blade in a vice and go at it with a hand file. When you get to your final shape, move to finer grits of sandpaper, polish and you are done.
 
what kind of files should i be using? I don't have any right now so i would have to go out and get some.
 
Any regular mill bastard file will get you started just fine. Available at any department store...cheap enough to get a couple. Grab a multi-pack of wet-or-dry sandpaper while you're there. Once you have the spine very close to the profile you want, start with the coarser grits of sandpaper. Wrap a 1" or 2" around the file to help keep the work nice and straight. When you clog up a strip of sandpaper, move up to higher grit.

This is a great tutorial on hand-rubbing a blade to a nice finish: http://www.homestead.com/beknivessite2/handrubbing.html
 
Ok, im trying to do it with a file but its going real slow. Is there any way to speed it up? How about a benchgrinder? The thing is i got about a 1/2" or so of grinding so its going to take a while. Any precautions i should know about when using a bench grinder?
 
Grind, cool in water. Grind, dip in water. Grind, immerse in water. Grind, dunk in water.
Bill
 
Yup, what Bill said. If you feel the steel getting warm on your fingers, cool it. And don't take it right down to where you want it with the bench grinder, the finish will be pretty coarse. Get it close and finsih with progressively finer files and sanding blocks.
 
I would recommend leaving the tip just a little thick on the grinder, and finish with files/paper as recommended. You build a lot of heat with that big spinning stone, and to go light enough to keep from overheating the tip, you'd probably have the blade chattering on the grinder.
 
Thanks for all your help guys. I'm going to try grinding it down with the grinder then finish it off with the file and sand paper.
 
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