Okay...I need a little sage advice...

I'mGatMan!

I'mGatMan!

Joined
Dec 13, 2007
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The avocado tree in our backyard has been trying to eat our gazebo, so it was time to get out there and beat her back a bit. I decided to use my Outlaw as we haven't REALLY had a chance to get too accustomed to each other yet. Tell ya what...the woman can chop, no questions. I'm sure having that extra thickness up top (sabre-grind) really helps out, but I just love having her in my hand.

Problem is that now there are some dings/rolls/chips? on the blade edge. I don't know what the correct terminology is in terms of blade steel, but to me one of them looks like a chip (because metal has actually been removed from the edge) and the others look like small rolls.

My problem is that I still do NOT know how to sharpen. I tried honing out the the rolls with the steel that came with my Wusthof Classics and I think I dulled the blade more than anything else. It still shaved (albeit toothily) when I came inside. Now, it won't shave at all. D'oh! Not to worry, I have a strop bat coming in and I've been studying all the threads I can find. My concern is this:

I know have two Busse blades with damaged edges, and I don't know how to fix them. Here are some pics. I'm including better pics of the injury to my FBMLE as well. Maybe someone can help me with advice. (please forgive my bad photos)

This is a shot of the edge from where the rolls are up to the "chip":
IMG_3718.jpg


Here's a shot of the place where it's missing metal. I'm going to call this a chip:
IMG_3719.jpg


This here is a look at the "dings" or "rolls".
IMG_3720.jpg


Close-ups of the "chip"
IMG_3728.jpg

IMG_3729.jpg

IMG_3736.jpg


And here are some shots of the FBMLE:
IMG_3747.jpg

IMG_3749.jpg

IMG_3751.jpg

IMG_3756.jpg



I'm a little frustrated here. Of course, these are things that happen with tools, and I do not expect my users to be pristine, but I'd like to know what I can do to fix these things, as these (especially the outlaw) are my favorite knives. Any advice or suggestions will be appreciated.
 
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Get an Edge Pro, but be careful cause its easy to put a wide edge on the belly and near the tip.
 
Send it to me.. ;)

It needs to be steeled, resharpened, steeled, then stroped.

I have had this happen to me when my infi kissed a nail..
Not too big of a deal.

The way I do it though takes a lot of time and TLC w/o the aid of power tools.

If you are afraid of messing it up try sending them to Ban or back to the shop. I'm pretty sure Busse will not charge ya except shipping.
 
I usually get dings rolls any flaws out with a butchers steel/ceramics or if those don't do the trick I go for a fine file JUST TO STRAIGHTEN THE EDGE THOUGH. After that if the edge is really rough I run a few passes on my diamond stone, then on to the fine norton india stone then polish her up on some fine grit paper.

Most of my polished edges maintain easily enough on the strop or 2000 grit, but when damaged, that's what I do. I know everyone had their way though ;)
 
When you use the kitchen steel be sure to use it in the opposite direction so you are pulling the dings back up into place...
 
have you tried sandpaper and mouse pad? the edge of the NO looks like it's been convexed, so sandpaper looks like it would be ideal for that
 
It just happened about an hour ago, so all I've tried was the steel. I don't have any other apparatus for sharpening or anything yet, so I'm kinda stuck until the strop bat gets in. I don't have any real experience with any of this stuff yet, so I'm kinda leary, but I know I need to learn it.

Kinda sucks to put ouches on your favorite knife.
 
Uncle_Jarvis said:
Send it to me.. ;)

It needs to be steeled, resharpened, steeled, then stroped.

I have had this happen to me when my infi kissed a nail..
Not too big of a deal.

The way I do it though takes a lot of time and TLC w/o the aid of power tools.

If you are afraid of messing it up try sending them to Ban or back to the shop. I'm pretty sure Busse will not charge ya except shipping.
Click to expand...

Can you break this down for me? Steeling is when you use a rod, like that which comes with a good set of kitchen knives, correct? Resharpened using what?
 
I'mGatMan! said:
Can you break this down for me? Steeling is when you use a rod, like that which comes with a good set of kitchen knives, correct? Resharpened using what?
Click to expand...


It is important to align edge first .

When I resharpen by hand I put a sharpening stone in a vice on a 30 degree angle . edge away from you with forward passes.

I go over sharpened edge again with rod then strop.


At times I had an edge that was so dented The rod would not work. So I used a hammer and a shim to take out the dent.
One occasion doing this I got too hammer happy and literally chipped out the dent and lost a nice piece of infi. Turned into a serration at least twice the size of your FBMLE dent. Infi still can chip and I proved that to myself.. At that point out came the power tools..
 
kourepai said:
Just a question first: You got this amount of edge damage just by chopping a tree???
Click to expand...

Thats almost certainly a tree with a nail or screw in it.


I'd do it pretty much exactly how uncle jarvis said. I've had pretty good success just using a strop for smaller chips and rolls and following up with green rouge.
 
U_J, I remember the Warden you batoned through the fence-post. I don't remember what you did to it after that chip, though.

kourepai said:
Just a question first: You got this amount of edge damage just by chopping a tree???
Click to expand...

The branches of the avocado tree were encroaching upon my gazebo. In the process of chopping through the branches my edge kissed the metal of the gazebo. But I've seen U_J take an FSH to a cinderblock and have less damage.

Hope you don't mind my using your pic, U_J.

Picture418.jpg
 
I'mGatMan! said:
U_J, I remember the Warden you batoned through the fence-post. I don't remember what you did to it after that chip, though.



The branches of the avocado tree were encroaching upon my gazebo. In the process of chopping through the branches my edge kissed the metal of the gazebo. But I've seen U_J take an FSH to a cinderblock and have less damage.

Hope you don't mind my using your pic, U_J.

Picture418.jpg
Click to expand...


Not a problem man.. you can use any of my pics..

The Warden got pretty dented up only because I batoned through hardened pipe threads (ouch)

I had to use a hammer and align the edge only problem was I got a bit. satisfied I began to steel it after a few passes the entire dent chipped out and a piece of infi fell on my floor.

At that point I did something extreme. Put the knife in a vice edge up and hammered down the entire edge until there was none. Infi just compressed, not one chip. I did this so I can turn it into a Asymmetrical edge.
Scary sharp now.

As for the dent on the spine well Check out what I did. LOL
Looks very unique now :eek:
 
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The truth is that I didn't kiss the gazebo very hard at all. Hell, the branch I was chopping at the time was an inch thick, and I was standing on a chair. I wasn't putting very much force into it at all. The blade didn't even cut into the thin canvas covering the gazebo. The real messed up thing is that the edge has been convexed, so I have a feeling I won't have any warranty on it. I called the shop and asked about it and Kathy said that if the knife had been altered she thought the warranty was voided. She directed me to email Garth, which I promptly did. waiting for an aswer now. Guess I shoulda used it just to cut, but I swear I LOVE the way that knife feels in my hand. I don't really know what to do.
 
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Here are current pictures of the Skelly GW

I put a clip point on one side and gave it a killer asymmetrical edge. Its currently my sharpest Busse..

Picture514.jpg


Picture515.jpg


Picture516.jpg


Picture517.jpg


Picture518.jpg
 
Thanks for the link, Book'em. I'm hoping Jerry will respond here. When the thing with the FBMLE first happened he told me it wasn't a chip, but I guess I just don't understand chipping in steel because these both look like chips based on my (admitedly limited) knowledge. If we were talking about glass, or any other media I believe chipping would be the right word.

Anyway, he didn't really mention anything to me about what to do if I recall. Let me look and see.
 
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