HRLM Problem

Thanks to this thread, I just went out and enlarged the choil on my HRLM.

I actually used a grinding stone (shown below) on the Dremel. Its diameter was a little bigger than the sanding barrel I have, so I could rely on the natural shape of the stone to make a pretty even grind. I just took off a little at a time at 5,000 RPM and kept checking the blade for heat. The Dremel actually got hotter than the knife.

Here's what I wound up with. I'm tempted to enlarge it just a little more, but I'm going to try out this modification for a while first. The choil is functional--a lot more than the original configuration.

HRLM5.jpg


HRLM4.jpg
 
Looks good. I am a detail fanatic, so having a Dremel, I would probably put a little bit of a radius to the choil edges or do like Fehrman and put a nice bevel.

Personal preferance on my part.... I haven't done mine yet, but I think I will grind my choil up and in even more than you did - closer to the micarta. And reshape/slightly round off the point of the lower guard as well.

But, again, personal preference. Do what looks and feels good for you.

But, it still looks balanced, much more functional and well done. Good job!

.
 
Nice job - it looks factory. :thumbup:

Did the inside of the choil polish up pretty good with the stone, or would it need some sandpaper for a good shine?
 
Greg45 said:
Nice job - it looks factory. :thumbup:

Did the inside of the choil polish up pretty good with the stone, or would it need some sandpaper for a good shine?
Click to expand...

Haven't polished yet, though it's pretty smooth already. After I get it just like I want it, I'll just hit it with some Flitz and one of the buffing pads on the Dremel. Should shine right up.
 
DWRW said:
Looks good. I am a detail fanatic, so having a Dremel, I would probably put a little bit of a radius to the choil edges or do like Fehrman and put a nice bevel.
Click to expand...

Don't quite trust my hand with a Dremel for beveling. But I could easily bevel the edges with a little wet/dry sandpaper once I'm done grinding.
 
I thought the LM choil was too small, and planned to grind it back to the micarta... When I got my RatManDu, I noticed the handles are identical, but with a bigger choil - that settled it, I'm changing it.
I may turn the lanyard hole into a bit of a glass breaker...???:confused:
If I'm feeling really brave, I'll add some teeth to the swedge...:eek:
 
ok did some more grinding and now I'm happy with it...:)
even took off a little of that thumb notch...:D
 
Thanks for the encouragement and examples. I might trade mine for a Dumpster Mutt. If that doesn't work out, I'm going to give it a shot with the dremel.
 
1whitefoot said:
ok did some more grinding and now I'm happy with it...:)
even took off a little of that thumb notch...:D
Click to expand...

Pics please...:D

Guyon,
Now that you can choke up on that, how does that thumbnotch feel? I am not talking about the front of it on the blade, but rather the back part of it adjacent to the micarta handle. It looks somewhat pointy, at least in the pics. Do you have any sense of wanting to file it down a little so it is not so high (pointy)?
 
Nope, love the thumbnotch as is. Feels good to me.

I think I'll see if I can find a slightly larger grinding wheel if I enlarge the choil any more.

I liked being able to just run the wheel straight into the choil until it hit the back. Took any of the guess work out of the equation.
 
Guyon said:
Haven't polished yet, though it's pretty smooth already. After I get it just like I want it, I'll just hit it with some Flitz and one of the buffing pads on the Dremel. Should shine right up.
Click to expand...

That grinding stone isn't extremely rough. It is actually finer than the sanding drums and should leave a decent polish. I agree - Flitz and some buffing pads should finish it out nice enough.
 
Guyon said:
Don't quite trust my hand with a Dremel for beveling. But I could easily bevel the edges with a little wet/dry sandpaper once I'm done grinding.
Click to expand...


120 - 220 wrapped around a dowel or a round pencil will usually suffice and give better control for that type of work. A small bevel by hand, sandpaper and a dowel won't take long.
 
1whitefoot said:
ok did some more grinding and now I'm happy with it...:)
even took off a little of that thumb notch...:D
Click to expand...


I actually like the thumb notch, but it needs just a tad more elongation for my thumb. I will probably just slightly tweak mine.
 
XMP said:
Thanks for the encouragement and examples. I might trade mine for a Dumpster Mutt. If that doesn't work out, I'm going to give it a shot with the dremel.
Click to expand...


The HRLM and the Dumpster Mutt are very different knives to me.

The DM is a very thick blade heavy knife. It is more of a stubby, sharpened prybar / spike type of tool. To me the handle is too small. But, even with the handle being too small, I really like my DM.
The DM is a cool knife for different reasons.

But, in my opinion, the HRLM is a much more usable and functional knife than the DM for a great many tasks.

I think it is rather odd how they did the choil. It is like the couldn't decide whether to have a choil or not and ended up somewhere in the middle.

BUT, the great thing is that because of where it is, the choil can be pulled in closer to the handle and micarta - or however you want it.

It is not hard to grind the choil on these knives. This is a simple modification. I don't personally think taking the coating off at the choil is going to change too much asthetically either - even if you want to leave the coating on the rest of the knife. The coating is removed at the edge grind. Having the coating removed at the choil will just look like an extension of the edge grind. Anybody who didn't know the choil was originally coated, wouldn't wonder why it wasn't now.

Modifying the thumb ramp would be a different story, but the thumb ramp is actually very nice as it is. I just have large thumbs and would prefer it elongated. Since I will strip mine anyway..... no problem for me.

If you want a DM, go for it.

But, be careful not to regret selling or trading your HRLM.

With some small and simple modifications, I would probably argue the HRLM is about as good a 4" - 4.5 blade usable knife you will find anywhere. (*Mine is actually about 4.25")
 
XMP said:
I just hesitate to modify it, when someone else might find it perfect the way it is.
Click to expand...


Did you buy this knife to use or sell/trade....

Nothing against you for buying Swamp Rat knives for investment. Obviously, this is common.....

However, if you are a knife enthusiast, you should really take a second look at your HRLM. I won't be selling mine!

However, I would love a G10 LE version!!!

.
 
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