How do I put an illusion of a blade edge on my metal?

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knifegloves

Joined
Mar 12, 2008
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Hi there! I am a replicator of the Freddy Gloves in the Nightmare on Elm Street horror series and am wanting to put an artificial edging on my blades to make them appear to be sharp but not really have a blade edge. It's hard to picture what I'm trying to do so I've included a photo of what I'm talking about. Does anyone know what kind of tool or method that may create this appearance?

kruegarbladescopy.jpg
 
Do you know how to go about ACTUALLY sharpening them? If so, I would do exactly that except instead of working up a burr on one side...alternate a little work on each side until they nearly come together in the middle to create real edge. Simply keep a very careful eye on things and stop before the grinds meet to create a true edge.

I honestly don't even know where to start if you're not familiar with sharpening in general. Sorry, probably wouldn't know where to start in person. Let alone online.
 
Just grind them at a low angle, just like you were going to sharpen them. This will give you the wide bevel or grind (like a scandi grind). Then either stop before they get sharp or after they are sharp drag the egde across a sharpening stone a number of times to blunt it out.
 
You could also have the edge have a square profile, and then use a Lansky or Spyderco system to but on a beve. Just don't make the bevels meet.

I got this idea from trying to sharpen a kitchen knife with a square profile :eek:
 
Any recommendations for sharpeners that allow me to adjust the angle at which it sharpens? Maybe I can put the angle to a point where it isn't making the bevel touch. Any thoughts?
 
Come on guys, you forgot to say it, Welcome to Bladeforums:thumbup:.

All I can say is do what the other guys said, and all of those sharpening things can be found at a sporting goods store ie. Academy, Bass Pro shops, even Wal-mart.
 
knifegloves said:
Hi there! I am a replicator of the Freddy Gloves in the Nightmare on Elm Street horror series and am wanting to put an artificial edging on my blades to make them appear to be sharp but not really have a blade edge. It's hard to picture what I'm trying to do so I've included a photo of what I'm talking about. Does anyone know what kind of tool or method that may create this appearance?
Click to expand...

Appear sharp to whom, and at what distance? If it's for a costume at a party, or on stage, shiny may well be enough. The picture you posted has some bevel, so it looks like it might look sharp. Jugglers of knives use dull knives. part of the stage act is to convince the audience they're real. To do that they're shaped enough like a knife that they'll cut up an apple, or they've got a very small sharp bit at the base (like 1/8 inch), which is enough to sharpen a pencil.
 
Were it me, I wouldn't spend the money on a real knife sharpener if semi-production speeds were required. I'd spend a little money (not very much at all) on a small belt sander and use that. These aren't made to be real cutting tools, so you don't have to worry about the temper, and honestly a slightly rough look would go with the piece (IMHO).
 
Judging by your pick, you don't have any sort of knife grind. It looks like you have sanded the fingers to mimick a grind, but you haven't actually ground any steel away. I think what you may actually be looking for is a knife grind. The sharpening systems mentioned,(save perhaps the Edgepro), are going to be close to useless for applying an actual knife grind on a large scale bases, and the Edgepro is going to require a bit of manual labor. A belt sander is best suited for this kind of job, although it will take a little practice to produce a uniform grind along the length of the fingers. Also, you may run the risk of blueing the steel from overheating. If you figure out how to do this proficiently, I think simply having a decent grind will go a long way to making the fingers appear sharp. Once you have a decent grind, you can figure out a way to polish along the very edge, and the glinting on the edge will give it some more affect.

Edit to add: What he said ^. :D
 
I appreciate the tips. First of all, the photos are from someone else who knows how to do it but won't divulge his secret and I'm trying to figure out how he does it. I think I have thought up of a method to get it done. Thanks again!
 
I suggest just sharpen them as you'd a knife, then after you get the edge sharp, blunt it with slicing the stone right on the edge .. how about that?
 
I would think that for liability reasons you would not want anything close to a sharp edge. I would use a belt sander to achieve angled bevels and then round the edge instead of leaving a square edge. I am sure that a bit of experimentation and practice will get you to where you want to be.

Have you looked at other stage and costume type prop edged weapons? It might be worth your while to seek out a costume shop or shop that caters to the local theater scene.

Whatever you do will not stand up to close scrutiny. You need something that will look cool but will not actually cut.
 
You may try using pcb etchant from Radio Shack. It will darken the metal, just use some baking soda paste to stop it once you get the desired effect. Then use sand paper (400 then work your way up to 1000) on the parts you want shinny, should give you the look you want.
 
It looks to me that the bevel is on the wrong edge. You would need to do a back hand swipe to use that. I would think that the bevel would go on the inside curve rather than the outside curve. With it on the inside curve you could do a forehand swipe.

Or is that how Freddie's glove is?
 
You'd think that the blades would be on the other side but if you go watch the Nightmare on Elm Street 1 film, the blades edges are along the top instead of the bottom. The sharp edge was on the bottom on all the other films. It's a very unique glove.
 
I guess if you look at them you can see that since he supposedly hand made them from knives then the curve is going the right way you would expect for the bevel.
 
knifegloves said:
You'd think that the blades would be on the other side but if you go watch the Nightmare on Elm Street 1 film, the blades edges are along the top instead of the bottom. The sharp edge was on the bottom on all the other films. It's a very unique glove.
Click to expand...

It still looks wrong and awkward.

Grind the inside edges with a belt sander, but leave the edge square. Don't let the bevels meet.
 
I understand what you are trying to do. It goes against the way most of the people here think.
Use a Dremel tool with a flap sanding wheel. Mask the part you want left shiny with masking tape. Sand lengthwise to get the effect.
Bill
 
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