HELP: slightly chipped the blade on my benchmade 960 SLV

S

soliloquy23

Joined
Sep 9, 2004
Messages
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Hello, first post here. Was looking for a nice EDC (every day carry...didnt know what the heck EDC was for a long time) and came here to research. Fell in love with the look of the 960 SLV. I picked one up on ebay for uder $130 and i love it. Its my first knife and i dont really have much to compare it to... but it just feels real nice, smooth opening, nice axis lock. My brother has an emerson and i didnt pay much attention to it until i got my 960.. man what a difference, the 960 is so thin, barely notice it when you have it in your pocket.

So anyway, my question is this... butterfingers me dropped the knife while it was open and ended up very slightly chipping (nicking) the cutting edge close to the tip. not a lot, but if you look close you can see it, and if you run your nail down the edge you can feel it. Would it be best to send this to Benchmade to sharpen or can i do it myself? (i think my friend has a $100 sharpener that puts whatever angle of an edge on your knife you want).

Ive also read that the degree of the edge that benchmade puts on the blade doesnt make it as sharp as could be... cant find where i read that, but wondered if putting a sharper edge would increase the chances of chipping it again.
 
I'm sure Benchmade would correct the chip. If you do it yourself you could reprofile the blade to a thinner angle, say 15 degrees per side, and then finish with a 20 degree per side final edge. You should be able to work out the chip while doing this.

By making the edge thinner it will be more prone to chipping if you drop it again. Just try not to drop it. :)
 
Hello S23 :)
Bummer about the chip.
If your bud has a good sharpener (at that price prob an apex) why not have him double bevel the blade. He's probably experienced enuf to do this.

I recommend reading the Sharpening FAQ's here
OOPS I can't find them in the FAQ..anymore..
Oh well!
If you put a single bevel or edge on the blade you thin the blade becoming more susceptible to chipping. If you put two angles on the tip you have a stronger tip and reduced chance of chipping.

I'm a big fan of Benchmade and I disagree with your observation on the sharpness they come to you with. My experience is that they have a very sharp edge out of the box :)

Do a search on bevel sharpening and you'll come up with better info than I've supplied.
Tom
 
TOB9595 said:
Hello S23 :)
I'm a big fan of Benchmade and I disagree with your observation on the sharpness they come to you with. My experience is that they have a very sharp edge out of the box :)
Tom
Click to expand...

I forgot to comment on this. :) I have several Benchmades and most of the time their edges are less than perfect. Some come not very sharp at all. I find I can always greatly improve the edge.
 
Welcome to the forums, man. From the sound of things, I'd just say sharpen it yourself. I've written here in the past how I sent my Ares back to Benchmade for new Omega springs, and they also decided to ruin my convex edge while it was there. I do heartily recommend thinning out the edge from what they set it at. If you're worried about strength, add a secondary microbevel or convex it so the very edge (maybe 1/4 millimeter) is a bit steeper.

While a thinner edge may theoretically be weaker, I just don't see any sense in making a pocketknife with a stouter edge than my axes. Soliloquy- Can you estimate how thick the edge actually is at the apex of that chip? You make it sound like the chip is very small, so the steel thickness there would be a tiny fraction of a milimeter, right? That's all the thicker it needs to be to survive the drop you mentioned. It does no good to add more material behind that point, until we start talking about a knife made for chopping. Hell, even if you sharpened it at a 90 degree included angle so thick that it was too blunt to cut cold butter, it would still get a tiny chip if you dropped it, and that chip would stop when it reached steel that was that same fraction of a milimeter thick. Any extra material behind that only adds drag.

Get good at sharpening, and you'll never worry about these little chips again. They are easily removed.
 
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