How to reshape SAK blade?

[Ballard_st]

I would like to put a normal flat grind sheepsfoot blade on a SAk. My options are (1) grind down the belly of a penblade, or (2) get an electrician, which comes with a chisel ground sheepsfoot, and grind the flat side.

What grit stone/sandpaper would I need for whicher project seems more reasonable? I have no real tools right now other than a 120/350-ish norton india stone, and I plan to get a finer stone as well.

Are knives only heat treated at the edge? I've heard this, so would grinding down a spearpoint penblade into a sheepsfoot grind past the heat treated part?

Is it hard to reshape a blade or put another grind on a chisel grind blade by hand?

 

[Chris_S]

If you don't already have a good belt grinder I would just send it to someone who does knife modifications. The whole blade heat treated after the initial grinding is done. None of it is hard if you have the right tools and the know how.

 

[Bill DeShivs]

You can do it with a simple mill bastard file.

 

[ryxlyx]

If you've sharpened a knife you know the rate at which steel is removed-- here you're simply doing a lot more of the same.

Sharpening the flat half of a chisel grind is just reprofiling one side, turning any knife into a SF is simple as well. For the SF project access to either a bench grinder or a belt sander for the roughing would make the job much easier, too much steel there to abrade by hand.

I use s'paper on a flat surface, but you can use stones.

 

[Obsessed with Edges]

A SAK's steel is soft and very easily ground anyway, so it should be much easier than most. Also sure they're not differentially heat-treated, so it shouldn't matter how close to the edge the grinding will be. I re-shape blunted tips on my knives with tip-trailing passes on diamond hones; diamond isn't necessary for this, but it works very fast. Otherwise, a sheet of wet/dry sandpaper in 220-grit or lower should work well, laid down against a hard backing (a glass tabletop would be ideal for it). A full-size sheet will provide all the abrasive needed, as the heavy grinding loads up the paper with swarf.

I had wondered if the file would work too, though I haven't tried this; Bill's input above should lend some confidence. Would be helpful to clamp the blade in a vise or otherwise brace it, so it wouldn't try to pivot closed as with grinding the spine with the sandpaper on a bench/table. Could also stick or wrap the coarser sandpaper over/around your existing stone, and use that like a file.


David