Not crazy about angled plunge lines...

Patrice Lemée

Patrice Lemée

Joined
Aug 13, 2002
Messages
5,703
...am I the only one?
I realize that this is purely a matter of taste so I apologize in advance to those who make them that way. No offense intended. I was just curious if it was just me.
 
I like both angled and sweeping plunge lines. To each his own. Sometimes the plunge line can just add that little something.
 
I like them on some of my knives, less so on others. If it is the only angled line/element on a knife, sometimes it just won't look right. I don't like severely protracted ones that run halfway down the blade at all.
 
I really like angled plunge lines just something about them makes them sexy :D

I have a design I stole very similar to Buck Pro Vantage in a fixed version...
 
It depends on the lines of the knife, I think they look can great and are sometimes a sign of maker proficiency.
 
It depends on the knife. a very sweeping, curvy knife with a very flat grind line just won't work, while a utilitarian design without a lot of embellishment would probably either waste it or it would detract from the design. so, it can depend. i really will only make my decisions on a case by case basis.
 
Not sure about the angled ones except on a knife like a Moran ST23 where everything else is angled to match, but I do like a big, round sweeping plunge a la Robbie Hudson or Charlie Ochs if it is done properly. My limited experience with trying them tells me that you had better invest in a good disc grinder for cleaning up the flats in front of the plunge if you plan to do them on a smaller wheel.
 
It really depends on the overall shape of the knife like thegeek574 says. the wrong mix and the knife will look like crap, the right mix and its a home run.
 
For me it depends on the knife. On some knives an angled plunge looks great, not so much on others.

I generally prefer straight or sweeping plunges.

Some of my knives don't even have a plunge.
 
I'm with most of other fellows, if it blends with the other lines of a knife it looks great, if not it looks stupid. I have also found that a sexy smooth sweeping plunge isn't as easy as it looks.

Another thing to consider for heavy duty knives is that angling or sweeping the plunge line distributes stress over a greater area, theoretically allowing the knife to absorb more punishment in heavy chopping or prying before breaking. Just like curving the shoulders on a narrow tang instead of making a square inside angle, or making a "plungeless" blade reduces the stress-risers, but not as dramatic a difference. In this case, it's probably academic and hard to prove conclusively, but it sounds cool :cool:
 
Thanks for the feedback. I guess I am the odd man out. Well maybe not completely out, i do find it ok on some knives but just ok, never like "wow". I do appreciate the difficulty of making them of course.
 
Pat I am with you. On some knives it looks OK but they just don't blow up my skirt so to speak.:eek::rolleyes: But like it's been said opinions are like _ _ _ holes and everyone's got one, except my wife and she's got three. Mine, hers and me!:eek::D OK it's Saturday night and the race sucks!
 
I love a sweeping plunge. The knives I like are the ones that almost NEVER include a straight line, so a perfectly straight plunge is usually a discordant note to me.
 
Patrice Lemée;9990902 said:
I do appreciate the difficulty of making them of course.
Click to expand...
I can't speak for sweeping plunges, but angled plunges are as easy as tilting your arms and grinding diagonally to the edge of the platen. Getting the same angle on both sides can be a challenge, but is really no harder than doing straight plunges, once you get used to the "angle of the dangle".
Not that I expect you'll be trying them tomorrow, but now that you're thinking about them it's really just a matter of time, isn't it?;)
 
Angled plunges are my thing now. I think they give a blade a sort of dynamism I enjoy. I'm not classically trained in art or knifemaking, but to me they look good. I'm not saying they work on every blade type... but the set on which they do work is certainly greater than zero. :)
 
It depends on the knife. I just finished a convex bevel with an angled and sweeping plunge line that looks good on that particular blade. Some of my blades look better with a 90 degree plunge line. You could just be genetically predisposed to finding straight plunge lines visually pleasing. My wife is of french/canadian descent and she gravitates toward straight plunge lines.
 
I've been doing angled lately but I agree that it depends on the design. Some knives look good with it, others don't. Obviously if you're doing it right you design the knife as a complete piece so it just comes down to which works for your intended design. Just like different blade profiles and handle materials and shapes, it's all a matter of preference and intent.
 
Strictly from the standpoint of a user/buyer of knives, as I have not yet made one with either, I can say that I much prefer a sweeping plunge over an angled plunge. Don't know why, but angled has never really looked too terrific to me. Sweeping or straight are my preference.
 
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