Warthog Reprofiling?

[jc862]

Has anyone tried reprofiling the forward spine of a Ka Bar Warthog to give it a bit of a swedge?
If not does anyone have any advice about doing/ not doing this?

Thanks!

 

[BitingSarcasm]

The rule of thumb is go slow and cool often. If it's too hot to touch, then the metal at the edge may already be burning out the temper. That is a long line of spine that you want to grind, if you want to keep it consistent it would help to knock up a jig. Freehand with power tools can go wrong fast, and then you spend time chasing the error and trying to make it all match. You could go low tech and use a file and a vise, but it takes a lot more time and effort than a belt sander. Even my little 1X30 Harbor Freight sander moves metal faster with a 60 grit belt than a fresh, sharp file. The last thing to consider is that the Warthog spine breaks quite close to the base of the blade, sharpening all of it might make it officially a double edge knife. Depending on the laws where you live, double edge knives can get classified as daggers or obligate deadly weapons.

 

[jc862]

Thanks a lot for your detailed reply. I have no experience with it which you obviously do.
I was thinking of taking it to a professional to do & just make a ridge with the first 3 inches of the forward spine.
On reflection it sounds a bit sketchy, so I’ll stick with the original- and beautiful design!
Thanks again.

 

[BitingSarcasm]

Thanks a lot for your detailed reply. I have no experience with it which you obviously do.
I was thinking of taking it to a professional to do & just make a ridge with the first 3 inches of the forward spine.
On reflection it sounds a bit sketchy, so I’ll stick with the original- and beautiful design!
Thanks again.

Don't let me harsh your desire to modify the knife, it wasn't my intent at all. I have ruined some blades in my learning curve, but there is a great deal of satisfaction when it comes out right. Every time you pull out and use that knife, it will remind you of the process you followed to get from the beginning idea to the finished product. Kabars and Beckers in particular are great for learning, the steel in most of them is generously thick and the heat treat hits a nice balance between hardness and toughness. They aren't terribly expensive, are easily replaced, and often have modular handles for easy maintenance and alteration. A 3' sharpened clip ought to be a fun and doable project.

If you want to get something to practice on first, Kabar has the Zomstro on clearance for $45, and it is a big slab of steel ripe for tinkering. It's a pretty decent chopper as is, too, I have one hanging in my garage that I use all the time.

 

[jc862]

Interesting- I’ve got an old Kukri I can play with, but being in the UK it’s harder to buy good knives and they tend to hike the prices up.

I’m still considering the project but I have one concern- in grinding the blade am I likely to remove the heat treated exterior, or are these Ka-Bars heat treated right through?
Not sure I’ve grasped the heat treat concept yet..
Thanks again!

 

[1066vik]

They are heat treated all the way through but you still need to be careful when grinding, because if it gets too how, you will change the HT.

 

[jc862]

Cool!- thanks. That sheds a lot of light on the subject and ties in with what Biting Sarcasm was telling me.