Perfect grinds?

flatgrinder

flatgrinder

Joined
Dec 20, 2005
Messages
2,045
I purchased an AG Russell Drop point hunter two years ago and was recently looking at the bevels when I noticed that they weren't perfectly even:

grinds.jpg


I know it's a handmade knife and that it won't be perfect -but I was wondering on the handmade hollow ground blades that you've seen or purchased, approx. what percentage are absolutely symmetrically perfect?
 
If it took two years to notice, I'd say it's close enough to perfect. I'd check this thread for opinions on this topic.
-Ben
 
I just didn't look at it for two years -been busy working overseas. Thanks for the link, it was very informative.
 
I've done a lot of knives with a similar grind. That happens to be an area I look at. (That's not to say I've always nailed it perfectly, but nowadays, it doesn't fly if you can see it with your eye).

The thing that annoys me more than anything about this grind (when hollowgrinding) is that in order to get that nice arcing plunge line on either side, you end up with more blade thickness on the edge right in front of the 'nick' (This extra thickness corresponds and tapers away at the same rate as your punge-line arc (if that makes any sense). This always makes for that funky little edge irregularity toward the back. The sharper the arc of your plunge line, the smaller that irregularity is (which many try to hide with a nick).
 
I think a better question is when do you send it back. I recieved a knife from a top knife maker through one of the top dealers that I had to send back. It was a $525 knife and while not expecting perfection, I want clean handle fit. There was a small dip in the bolster that allowed the side of the liner to be seen and created a dip that could be felt with the thumb when running it over the spine. I sent it back with an explanation and got my refund. The owner of the shop wrote back that he didnt see any problem and that no knife maker can be held to perfection regardless of price. I can understand that to him the knife was fine and well within reasonable limits of quality work. While I agree with him it seems to be a difference in what we find acceptable. If the bevels werent "perfect" in there symetry I would have kept the knife but hot spots and dips in handle fit are a pet peeve of mine and I'd rather not feel any when caressing my baby. While no knives have perfect bevels so to speak, many have "damn well good enough" bevels. The real issue is what do you expect for the money you paid.
I like the Hibben statement alot.
 
Sometimes the imperfections are what make the knife so cool. Not having the "perfect" knife may in fact make your knife "perfect," seeing as how your knife would be like one others'.

But hell, isn't that why we are all here? I mean, I haven't been engulfed in the knife world but for a few days and I already find myself on the hunt for the one perfect knife. What a good predicament to be in.
 
psycho78 said:
I swear fellas....if i could grind a blade that looked like that I'd be satisfied....:p
Click to expand...

I agree, in this respect, I would feel no shame in selling that blade to a customer. And as a customer I have accepted much worse than that. But satisfaction implies that you no longer feel a need to improve. I hope I never reach the point where I feel I can't improve, that I have done the best I can.

That is what drives people to hand craft knives in the first place. The need to make something better than they can buy at the store.
 
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