How Should I Try To Salvage This One?

[ScarFoot]

Well it happened yet again. I was grinding along minding my own business when all of a sudden something caught, sparks flew and when the dust settled my blank had a little too much character. The belt dug in above the choil along the plunge line and cut over half way through the blade so I can’t just grind the bevel to get it all of the way out. Best I can tell the hamon is going to look pretty interesting so I don’t want to toss it. About all I can do is grind it out. I sketched out a couple of possible ideas. In the top one I just took the choil up to the top of the flaw. The bottom one was an attempt to make the lines flow a little better.Certainly not going to look as traditional as I’d like but that’s going to have to be okay. Any thoughts on either sketch?

 

[Richard338]

I'm not a big fan of either sketch.
The important question is how/why did it happen. I assume you had a rest with a gap? I usually don't use a rest at this stage, but if you do you need to minimize the gap and simulate all your motions before you start the motor.

 

[running bird]

Either the bottom option or take the tang all the way back and make a kitchen knife with a Japanese style handle. If you go with the bottom option maybe delete the front finger groove just behind the heel, so the handle flows into the shape of the blade better.

Then again, I suck at making handles so…

 

[Stuart Davenport Knives]

Hidden tang.

 

[Forrest Taylor]

You don't have enough handle thickness to ground the whole thing thinner?

 

[Crag the Brewer]

Next time put the choil in After the bevels.
Better yet don't put a choil in

Also grind After Heat treating.... Then oops's are smaller, take longer to screw up. Seriously.

 

[fishface5]

Not a maker, but I agree with the hidden tang idea - make the choil, grind the tang into a rectangle for a hidden/frame tang, then you can move the handle forward to cover some of the choil and create whatever design including guard from the handle material.

 

[ScarFoot]

It was already heat treated and I was actually hand sanding it when I found a low spot I had to take out. I put my carbide faced file guide on it to protect the plunge lines which is something I do frequently and have never had an issue with and was running a new 120 grit belt so I didn’t have to get crazy with speed or pressure.I was also grinding free hand. When I looked at it more closely the plunge line angled in towards the bevel slightly so I assume that drove the belt into it. I know some people don’t like choils but I don‘t buy or make many knives without one and I was trying to duplicate a knife I made a while back for someone who is interested. I like the hidden tang idea but have never made one so I might set this one aside and try it later. Below is the original:

 

[Crag the Brewer]

It was already heat treated and I was actually hand sanding it when I found a low spot I had to take out. I put my carbide faced file guide on it to protect the plunge lines which is something I do frequently and have never had an issue with and was running a new 120 grit belt so I didn’t have to get crazy with speed or pressure.I was also grinding free hand. When I looked at it more closely the plunge line angled in towards the bevel slightly so I assume that drove the belt into it. I know some people don’t like choils but I don‘t buy or make many knives without one and I was trying to duplicate a knife I made a while back for someone who is interested. I like the hidden tang idea but have never made one so I might set this one aside and try it later. Below is the original:
View attachment 2389067

I Do love many things about your design.....
Good luck with the fix.
I know I stashed away blades to fix later....and when Later comes, it's often surprising how great they turn out

 

[ScarFoot]

I Do love many things about your design.....
Good luck with the fix.
I know I stashed away blades to fix later....and when Later comes, it's often surprising how great they turn out

I dug through my scrap bucket earlier in the week and found 3 blades I’m not sure why I didn’t finish. It’s amazing how you look at things differently as you progress.

 

[Crag the Brewer]

I dug through my scrap bucket earlier in the week and found 3 blades I’m not sure why I didn’t finish. It’s amazing how you look at things differently as you progress.

Same, I redid one this week too.... And had great results.
Sometimes ya just need new eyes

 

[ScarFoot]

Well I came back to this one earlier this week and almost have it finished. Just need to finish sanding the top and bottom of the handle and touch up a few spots. I’m really starting to like it. It started out as a piece of 3/16”. It’s now 0.056” in front of the plunge line and has slight distal taper from there.

 

[Forrest Taylor]

Good job! I'm thinking it looks better than the original.

 

[ScarFoot]

Good job! I'm thinking it looks better than the original.

I agree but the original was more of a camp knife (more hunting camp than bushcraft/spoon carving camp) in my thinking. I was tinkering with the idea of combining a camp knife and a kitchen knife. I even called it the camp-kitchen. I’ll probably make another more refined version of the original because the people that handled it really liked it. Needless to say, the new one is a kitchen knife.