Sharpened swedge?

[FCFER]

I just received my new BK7 yesterday and am thinking about mods. One of the things I would love to do is to sharpen the swedge on the back of the blade.
I’ve done this on cheaper blades with files and it came out rough and not so attractive. On the BK7 I’d like to do it right and keep it looking nice.
Any suggestions?

 

[Arkanian]

A.) I would check the legality where you are as that could possibly classify it as a double edged weapon a.k.a. dagger
B.) Make sure it's something you actually want to do, it's tough to baton if needed, and it's dangerous to do so
C.) Have fun and post pics

 

[Moosez45]

I've sharpened 2 swedges on a BK7 before.

One with Lansky, the other with a belt grinder. The Landsky took some time to setup, and wore out some stones, but it was flawless. The belt grinder came out beautiful, but it was convexed.

I think files would be my last resort, seems like it would be like the Lansky, which was alot of work.

Tape up the edge, hit it on a belt grinder would be my recommendation.

Moose

 

[FCFER]

Arkanian, thanks for the advise. I'll be sure to check take each of your points into consideration. Especially the last!

Moose, thanks for the tips! I think I can get access to a belt sander to get this done. I like the idea of the tape. Any particular grit I should be considering?

I'm not looking to get the swedge razor sharp. More of a false edge or something I can strike a fire rod on and make the knife a little more stabbier. Am I making sence?

 

[Moosez45]

Arkanian, thanks for the advise. I'll be sure to check take each of your points into consideration. Especially the last!

Moose, thanks for the tips! I think I can get access to a belt sander to get this done. I like the idea of the tape. Any particular grit I should be considering?

I'm not looking to get the swedge razor sharp. More of a false edge or something I can strike a fire rod on and make the knife a little more stabbier. Am I making sence?

Yeah, you're making sense. I would go no heavier than a 120gt belt. Its give you time to work, and doesn't take alot off at once. Keep it cool, cool, cool, though. I sharpened mine until it popped hair off your arm. My preferred method of use for the sharpened swedge, was for popping the heads off of fish and squirrel. Worked very well for that.

In most knife fighting styles I've witness, the "back cut" is a valuable tool in the tool box.

One characteristic of Bowie knives is the clip point at the top of the blade, which brings the tip of the blade lower than the spine for better control. As the goal is to produce a sharp, stabbing point, most Bowie knives have a bevel ground along the clip, typically 1/4 of the way, but sometimes much further running the entire top-edge. This is referred to as a false edge as from a distance it looks sharpened, although it may or may not be. Regardless of whether or not the false edge is sharp, it serves to take metal away from the point, streamlining the tip and thus enhancing the penetration capability of the blade during a stab. The version attributed to blacksmith James Black had this false edge fully sharpened in order to allow someone trained in European techniques of saber fencing to execute the maneuver called the "back cut" or "back slash".[6] A brass quillon, usually cast in a mold, was attached to protect the hand.

Moose

 

[Bladite]

more swedge goodness

 

[FCFER]

Awesome! You are a wealth of information Moose! Thanks for the advise!

 

[Wolf_1989]

When I've done this to knives, I used a sanding drum on my dremel, a file to even it up, then various stones to get it where I wanted it.