Reprofiling to a Scandi - WIP - Pic Heavy

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HoosierQ

Joined
Feb 9, 2010
Messages
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I bought a Lapin Puukko Hunter from their professional series back in April and I gotta say I was not happy as soon as I got it out of the sheath. Love the handle, hated the blade. I was expecting a scandi grind and it turned out to be what must have been a scandi to start with a bad secondary bevel. I will admit the thing was sharp but the bevel was so haphazard I don't know how I'd have ever kept it going without a reprofile.

So reprofile it is and I am going all the way to full scandi. I am doing it by hand and it is tough. I am going to show before and after pics. I have DMT 8" Duosharp Extra Course and that's what I have used so far. I have not decided how I will progress with the grits as of yet. I have pretty much finished the starboard side if the blade and have yet to give the port side a go. This is about 3 hours of hard work on a new DMT Extra Course.

Before (where you'll see the secondary bevel slapped on as an afterthought)

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And now my Exrta Course DMT reprofiling so far.

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It ain't perfect but if I pull it off, I am going to like this knife a lot better. This is a blade made by Lauri of Finland and are hardened to about 59 according to the literature I have read.

Wish me luck.
 
that's pretty darn impressive looking. Man it's gunna be a pain in the butt to go through the rest of the grits if that is what you decide to do. Good luck man!
 
Maybe its just me but I fail at using my DMT stones for scandi blades. The XXC and XC are ok but finer than that and I can't keep it consistent. Water stones or sandpaper on a flat backing seem to do the best job of keeping a uniform bevel YMMV.

Remember to use light pressure or the deep diamond scratches will come back to haunt you.
 
PS. keep pressure on the very edge either by using your fingers or by using a twisting force when the bevel is in contact with the stone. When there is a large secondary bevel on a scandi you can't just grind on the back bevel with even pressure because it will reprofile the whole blade to a different angle and increase bevel height. Basically you want more pressure at the edge than shoulder.
 
Nice job! I end up taking all my scandis to a zero edge eventually. Though sometimes depending on the cutting, I may put on a microbevel by a few very light passes. A flat scandi grind sharpened on a flat stone is the easiest way for me to get a edge that will always pop off at least a few of my thin arm hairs when swiped a quarter inch off my skin. If your edge is flat, and your stone is very flat, it's a guaranteed way to get the best angle control you'll ever have with any other sharpening. The polished ones cut most things easier, but the one I have with a DMT 320 bevel/edge finish cuts well too.
 
Knifenut

I think what I have done is what you warned agains, held 'er flat. What I'll do is keep more pressure on the front edge on the finer grits. I may even intervene with some sand paper. This is all a learning experience. I really wanted to like this knife but could not (actually, the side in the photos is the better bevel...I attached the really bad one first).

I was going to give it to my stepson who is not a knife guy but he does appreciate nice things and he has kept all the knives, axes, and multi-tools in fine order.

At any rate, I will take all you comments as lessons learned and proceed. I will post more photos if anybody cares. I think the thing I have learned is that I can do it.

QB
 
Reprofiling a Scandi grind to get rid of the secondary bevel is one of the few times I’ll use a XXC Dia-Sharp. I normally try to avoid it because of the deep scratches it leaves behind, but you have to break out the big guns for a chore like that. It’s still pretty labor intensive though; there’s a lot of metal to remove.

It looks like you’re doing a great job. :thumbup: I’m sure the knife will cut much better when it’s finished. You’ll probably notice a huge difference.
 
This thread is the reason I haven't seen any zero bevel (scandi) ground blades in S30V, D2, M2 (other than mine), M4, S90V, etc.
 
I am pretty happy. The grinds are not as even as a pro and I did not bother to polish. There is only just as much micro-bevel as would be created by two or three passes on a fine ceramic stick and about 1000 easy, acute, passes on a bench strop with green compound and then about another 1000 passes on a plain leather bench strop.

I am pleased but I wouldn't want to do this for a living (without power tools).

It is definitely much sharper than before and the edge will now be maintainable in traditional scandi fashion.

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FYI, traditional scandi fashion includes the use of secondary bevels if the knife is used for rough work, though they wouldn't be as wide as those found when you bought the knife.
 
Me2

I agree. I like a microbevel on my scandis...usually a stropped on one.

There were may lessons learned. I put too much pressure on the shoulder during this process and my bevel is too wide. So in future, I will start creating a very wide secondary bevel so that my scandi bevel will "catch up" someday...if that makes sense. In other words, future passes on a stone will be much more heavily weighted toward the edge and, all things considered, I see no need to for that should to ever come in contact again.

Likewise with other scandis, I'll be keeping my pressure at the edge and less at the shoulder. I have aspirations to own more scandis...Koster, Campos, etc. May be a while for some but I'll get there.
 
I've been "into" Scandis for years. A true flat to the edge grind won't hold up with use; it will tend to roll and even get micro chips. A slight secondary "micro-bevel" is best. Also it is a lot easier to keep it sharp than to have to "resharpen" with a series of stones or whatever. Don't know where the idea that a "scandi" grind is flat to the edge comes from. I've not seen a factory or good custom done that way; they always have a micro secondary bevel. (that's for both vintage and modern Scandi; whether from Finland, Norway or Sweden.) A flat to the edge honing will shave the hair off a gnat's arse, but isn't a good working blade (unless you plan on shaving gnat's arses :-)

Rich S
-------------------------------------------------------
Richard Stein, PhD
Old Puukkophile
NKCA Life Member

Nordic Knife Links & Knives:
http://home.earthlink.net/~rsblade/puukko.htm
 
Rich

Thanks for the tips. I am newish to scandis, having started with Mora. But I am learning a lot. I too was under the impression that flat was the thing. This is proving ing practice, not quite so good. Still love the scandis. I have made a favorite of your site and will research that. I have seen a couple of those sites.

Thanks for the comments.

Quentin
 
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