scary sharp screwup

jdm61

jdm61

itinerant metal pounder
Joined
Aug 12, 2005
Messages
47,357
Anyone ever have this experience. You make a blade that is flawed in the cosmetic department and yet it takes a frightening edge, indicating that the heat treat was near perfect? I have one of those. Ugly as hell, including an off center stamp, but it will cut you if you stand near it. The really funny part is that is was kinda screwed up the whole time. I didn't like the way the first quench went, so I quenched it a second time. It warped, so I had to throw in an extra temper cycle and stuck it in the vice and poured water on it a la Bill Moran. Seems ironic that things that I did to try to rescue a messed up knife may have made it the absolute sharpest blade that I have ever made. And the edge is tough. I did the brass bar test and whacked some 2 x 4's and nary a scratch or chip. The thing has left parts of may forearm bald.....lol. What to do?:confused: The blade material is W2, by the way.
 
I made a tanto with a bamboo handle that is butt ass ugly but it is the sharpest of any knife I have.
 
the blade is a 7 inch long clip Moran wannabe bowie. I am sorely tempted to clean it up, put a 1018 guard and micarta handle on it and give it to some soldier. It is ugly, but it would certainly be one hardcore field knife. Suffice to say that I am going to be expirimenting with the double quench/multiple temper "screwup" method on some more W2 blades.....lol
 
Even if you give away, grind out the stamp. Never put your name on a blade that is not to your standards. Sooner or later, someone will judge your skills, on what they see. The only other recourse, is to date it, and mark in some manner, that it is a second, but I would throw it out, and start over, were it me.
 
I was going to say that a soldier in Iraq could care less if the stamp is off. I'll bet there's someone who'd really appreciate it there.
 
jdm61 said:
and yet it takes a frightening edge, indicating that the heat treat was near perfect? I have one of those. Ugly as hell, including an off center stamp, but it will cut you if you stand near it. The thing has left parts of may forearm bald.....lol. What to do?:confused: The blade material is W2, by the way.
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dang I thought I was the only one, that did a near perfect Heat treat :confused:
Mine are so sharp
I just take and lay one of my EDC's by my bed at night, then I never have to shave in the morning .. the trick is,:confused: I have a beard to shave around :D :D the heat treat I do for these are an ancient secret:D

your on the right end of it to mess up at least..
a good cutting bad looking knife is better than a good looking bad cutting knife any time,,
of course a good looking, good cutting knife sells better :)
 
ugly webcam pic. hrd to tell, but the stamp is well off center and it is too deep to grind out. Finish is 120 right now.
 
rhrocker said:
Hey Joe, that's not looking all that bad to me!
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Maybe I'm just not a good enough blade smith... I don't see the problem!!! If its sharp who cares what it looks like, write it off as a really great utility knife in the shop.
:D
 
Hi Joe I am not a knife maker ( I hope to try some day MAYBE) but I am a knife user and it doesn't look so bad to me, But I really like the soldier idea. Very Classy.
 
Your right that thing is UUUUUGGGLY! Tell you what I know that its killing you to see it everyday so box it up and send it to me so it won't hurt your eyes anymore. ;)
I like the profile. What kind of handle was going on it?

edit- I just read your post about micarta. It would look good.
 
Peldor said:
+1 must see how it looks...:confused:
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When I'll be able to make an "ugly blade" as good as that, it will be Champagne time :D
Anyway, if it works so well, finish it and keep it for yourself as your "badass" knife ;)
 
Alarion said:
When I'll be able to make an "ugly blade" as good as that, it will be Champagne time :D
Anyway, if it works so well, finish it and keep it for yourself as your "badass" knife ;)
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Unfortunately, I already have a few of those "personal" blades in my possesion....lol None as sharp as this one, though.
 
Simple solution! Convex the entire ricasso area on both sides and put your makers mark someplace else. It will be an oddity with a watermelon seed shape profiled ricasso, but theres no reason not to do it. I cant imagine the makers mark is so deep that it would actually require you thinning your whole blade, would it?

Second option? make something like a habaki or blade collar and have it lay over your ricasso....or drill two small holes through the ricasso with a carbide bit and put a nameplate over the botched mark.

Last option? Do what I did and make the knife, walk about 3 miles into the woods in the middle of nowhere, and hammer it into a tree, then turn around and walk away.
 
I like the nameplate trick A LOT!
Don't throw away a blade like that.
Don't let fashion and pride cloud your sight!
What's a knife, in the end? A tool made for CUTTING THINGS.
If yours is an awesome cutter, it's an awesome knife, whatever everyone else may say!
I've seen too many knives finished by detail maniacs that couldn't cut butter in a summer day.
Keep it!
;) :thumbup:
There are knives for collecting and knives for using. I like the latter more.
I'd like to know how many take their 25.000 bucks Johnson out in the woods when camping... :eek: :rolleyes: :foot:
 
I was able to grind off the mark without thinning it down too much. It was VERY thick to start with and I had already thinned it down quite a bit. It still has some flaws, but that was the most glaring. Now the trick will be getting a new stamp on it. The blade is totally hardened.
 
"Scary Sharp Screwup"? Funny, that's what my dad used to call me. My mom was nicer...she used to call me her little inconvenient miracle.
 
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