Straighten a bent over tip

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WillieD

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Jan 22, 2004
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Just received a Mora Triflex in the mail . Really like the ergos and it's the usual razor sharp Mora is known for. Looks like someone dropped it on the tip though. The very end is slightly kinked over. Probably not a huge deal considering the cost of the knife, but it bugs me and I'm wondering how its going to take to the sandpaper when it comes time to sharpen it. Anyway to fix it? lay it out on a hard, flat surface and tap it over with a hammer?
 
If that's a new knife, I'd send it back ASAP (even if it isn't new, actually, if the seller didn't point that out beforehand). The tip shouldn't be bent like that, when new. Tips can be tricky to fix. If it was dropped, that steel might be weakened. Trying to bend it back might break it anyway. On the other hand, I've seen a knife or two, with tips that were a bit curved to one side or the other, apparently from the factory. Good temper in it (it'll spring right back to 'bent' when attempting to straighten it), but defective nevertheless. I'd also be inclined to send those back, unless you decide you can live with it.
 
It's very minor, b ut you can feel it with your finger and you really have to look at it in the right light to see it. Am I being too critical. Could have came from the factory like that also. I got it from Bens Backwoods. Think its worth the hassle of contacting and mailing it back? This is the 1st time I've dealt with them.
 
you might try sharpening the edge to get rid of it or just use it and sharpen it when the edge gets dull. something else you might try is catching the bent part of the tip on the edge of a piece of steel with a sharp corner and see if that would bring it back straight. you could also try a butchers steel (with the blade laying flat on a raised piece of wood and the steel right on top of the burr) and see if you can push the burr back out straight.
 
Pics would help.

Otherwise, you'll have to live with it, or try to fix it, and live with that decision. Bending it back might help, but it might snap it off, or just be weakened, and snap off in the future.
If it is a factory error, you could send it back, and get it replaced. But, how much will shipping cost you, how much was the knife?
In a few years, will it still bother you if you keep the knife, or will you move on to bigger/better if not more expensive blades?
 
A pic would be a big help. I don't have a feel for how big or small the bend is, so it's a bit hard to recommend what to do.

If there is just a very tiny 'burr' or hook at the tip (does it catch your fingernail?), it might be straightened out or removed by very carefully drawing the tip across a ceramic hone or something similar, like the bottom of a ceramic coffee mug, in an edge-trailing motion (like stropping).
 
It straightened out pretty well using a steel on it. Hope it's not weakened though. It's a $20 knife. I probably shouldn't have even worried about it. Thanks for all the help though.
 
WillieD said:
It straightened out pretty well using a steel on it. Hope it's not weakened though. It's a $20 knife. I probably shouldn't have even worried about it. Thanks for all the help though.
Click to expand...

If the steel straightened it out, I'm guessing it's a bit smaller than what I originally pictured. If the metal is weakened there, that'll eventually be taken care of during routine sharpening. Something that might help, is to 'strop' the tip on some medium or fine grit wet/dry sandpaper (maybe from 400 to 800/1000 grit). Lay the tip flat on the sandpaper (with the 'bent' tip down against the paper), then lift just enough to get the edge flush on the paper, and draw the edge back (edge-trailing), as if you're just wiping some paint off of the edge onto a paper towel laid flat on the counter. Keep the direction of motion perpendicular to the edge, so as to avoid blunting or rounding off the tip.
 
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