Knife repair

Starfish

Starfish

Joined
Jun 14, 2001
Messages
1,256
Another on-topic thread :)

A friend of mine has asked me to "repair" his dive knife - a Wenoka Seaquest - that he bent the tip on. I just took a look at it - the tip is bent about 2mm to the left and at a close to 90 degree angle.

He asked me to just grind the tip off, which I might be able to do. Unfortunately, I don't even know what kind of steel I'm working with here (not that it would help me much, since I am relatively inexperienced in these matters). The marking on the blade says "304 SS".

Any ideas on how I can fix this?
 
AISI 304 stainless is a low carbon, *very* corrosion resistant steel. The blade should be very soft and weak which it probably why it was bent to such a degree. However the toughness and ductility are rather high. If it was me I would try bending it back into shape using a vice or a prying motion in the opposite direction, this could snap the tip off. It should be easy to work, you should be able to shape the tip with a file if you decide to grind it off.

-Cliff
 
Thanks Cliff!

I tried that tonight, and I was able to use a pair of needle-nose pliers to pretty much put it back into shape. A little sharpening and grinding and I think it will look OK.

Appreciate your helpful advice, and I apologize for not acknowledging this message sooner. Life kind of overruns me sometimes :rolleyes:

Matthew
 
Hi Matthew,

I've also seen people do some hammering on the blade to get it "just right" (the last little bit). In the right conditions, it might give you a bit more control than pliers or a vice.
 
::looks down at his piercings::

On a side note, 304 L is what they use for body jewelry.
This stuff never rusts...it would suck if it did.
It is very soft, I can very easily bend the fully annealed 12 guage rings.
 
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