why not convex grind?

Triquetra

Triquetra

Joined
Mar 7, 2002
Messages
759
The experts on the forum seems to tout the convex grind. Even I, with my very limited knowledge, have broken out the sandpaper and sanding block. I think that I have read somewhere on the forum or FAQ'S that the Kami's used to make the knives with the convex grind and changed with the event of more modern equipment. Does anyone know why if this is the best edge to have and if the Kami's are capable of making knives of this type why HI Kami's quit making them like this? If it is a cost saving factor, I think most formites would pay more for a superior product or more effective product.
 
In my experience, only easy and fast way to do a convex grind is with a belt grinder. Kamis don't have these. They have the regular stone bench grinders though I think, or alternately opwered round stone grinders, which are almost as fast, but only for hollow/flattish grinds.

ANd like he said, they're lazy. So am I, but tha tmanifests in me just not finishing any knives. ;)
 
Thanks to Pendentive and his video, I purchased a Delta 1'X42" belt
grinder from --tylertool.com ---and yesterday put a beautiful convex edge on two Martindale machete's in two hours that would have taken me two days by hand.

:eek:
 
Very wise investment. My old Sears is one of the most frequently used tools I have, and grinding khuks on it is only a recent development.
 
Originally posted by cliff355
Very wise investment. My old Sears is one of the most frequently used tools I have, and grinding khuks on it is only a recent development.
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What else do you use it for? (I don't have one, and am way too tempted.)
 
well, you can re-shape screwdriver heads, grind screwdriver points on the end of pliers handles, shorten screws & bolts that are too small to use a hacksaw on, make hinges look like the kind they didn't have at the hardware store, make the length/width of tenons fit where they are supposed to, sharpen& balance lawnmower blades RIGHT NOW, true up the edges of shovels & hoes, sharpen pencils if you can't find your sharpener, and de-horn any tool that came from the manufacturer with a ridge or rough spot in just the wrong place.

In addition, you can make windshield ice scrapers out of 1/2" plexiglass which Tim Allen would approve of, shape the bodies of your own Muskie lures, reshape manufactured lures so they work better, smooth out the end grain of boards so they are too pretty to put edging on, and clean up the wake of burrs left by sawzalls.

I'll probably have another list by the end of next week since I have the thing on every couple days for something. IMHO, if you are at all tempted to get a belt-grinder you won't be at all sorry if you do.
 
Originally posted by Bill Martino
Lazy and paid by the piece.
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I'll bet if the kamis were told, "Either you put the old style edges like you did when Shop 2 first started or you're all going to lose your goddamned jobs!!!! We are loseing to goddamned many kukris for replacement and customer unhappiness for the weak assed edges you've all been putting on the HI kukris!!!! Maybe we should go back to the hand operated grinders so you damned kamis wouldn't be so f***ing lazy and use the powered grinders to make more kukris!!!!" that they would instantly take heed and not be so damned lazy and greedy anymore!:rolleyes: :p :D

And while you're at it tell the damned kamis to make decently hardened kardas and chakmaks like the ones a hundred years old and older are. The kardas and chakmaks are as much a part of the kukri as the scabbard that holds them. Damned kamis anyway!!!!:D

And don't let the damned sarkis off either!!!! Tell them they can make the damned scabbards to fit like they should and without cutting through the leather at any point or they can all find different jobs too.
That should eliminate the need for the ugly so called habaki bolster!!!!:rolleyes:
I think the gal in Nepal is right and that the kamis have it too easy.:D
 
Pappy, providing the best that is (readily ?) available isn't a blank check to let quality go downhill:)

Sometimes the kamis remind of really smart kids that are flunking out of school.:p
 
Originally posted by firkin
Pappy, providing the best that is (readily ?) available isn't a blank check to let quality go downhill:)

Sometimes the kamis remind of really smart kids that are flunking out of school.:p
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I doubt that anything gets done.:( Like I said in another post, "If Bill were 20 years younger and in good health..."

But there's no excuse for the kamis and/or sarkis to get away with the BS they're getting away with!!!!:grumpy:
We used to talk about the Cold Steel kukris and how they weren't worth a shlt because they always stuck in the wood you were trying to chop. With some of the extra long semi-hollow ground edges that many of the current HI kukri's have they're not much better.:(
We shouldn't have to repair, rebuild, re-edge or otherwise jack around with the kukris we get unless they're blems.
All it would take is a simple e-mail, or just send my previous post to the kamis.
I bet the next shipment would be of the same quality we used to get when Shop 2 was first started!!!!
Granted the kukris produced then weren't as "pretty" but who gives a damn about pretty?
If we wanted pretty we could buy from a dozen producers kukri like objects to hang on our wall's!!!!:rolleyes:
The early Shop 2 kukris were out and out workers that you didn't have to jack around with and were usually fairly sharp right out of the box!!!!
Lets return to the quality we used to get. There's no damned excuse not too as it would take hardly any effort!!!!:grumpy: :rolleyes: :(
 
Everyone is lazy. A good businessman better think like that if he wants his business to work. That's the premise behind laissez faire capitalism.

If a convex edge has more value HI should pay the kami's more for them. It certainly takes more work given the equipment they have.

Either reduce the payment to kamis for a flat grind, increase the payment for a convex grind, or do both.
 
and the sabre grind (flat grind with a secondary bevel). The sabre grind can be mae easily into convex grind, flat to convex grind take jsut a bit more time.

Flat grind allows for more penetration, and the convex grind put just a bit more metal behind the blade for edge retention and support.

Keith
 
Flat wouldn't be so bad, especially if the bevel isn't real wide. But most I've tried to tweak up are hollow , some a lot. That's just to much metal to have to remove, IMO.
 
Originally posted by firkin
Flat wouldn't be so bad, especially if the bevel isn't real wide. But most I've tried to tweak up are hollow , some a lot.

That's just to much metal to have to remove, IMO.
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Firkin has it exactly right! If the Foxy Folly hadn't of been as wide as it is there would've been no way I would've jumped on them. There's enough blade there to rework into a convex edge without losing the beauty of that kukri.
But in actuality they should have been done right to begin with. The first one made by Bura wasn't so bad and only about 1/16" had to be sacrificed.
I don't know yet how much width of my two FFs is going to be lost, hopefully not overly much.:(
And that was really necessary because the damned sarki had made the scabbard to close of a fit and if a person wasn't very, very careful it would have cut the scabbard throat either drawing or sheathing the kukri.
When I got through with it it fit the scabbard as it should and Kudus to Bura he didn't put that so called habaki bolster on it!!!!:D
 
Guess I opened up a can of worms. But maybe something good will come of it or maybe I brought up something that someone else wanted to ask. These discussions are educational though. I never knew why the edge on my BAS kept bending over. I just kept knocking it back into shape. When I put a mustard patina on this and my 15" Siru by Bura it became obvious. The Siru had a definite and symetrical color difference and line on the sweet spot. The BAS just had splattering of colors. Does this mean the edge is soft and would a convex edge prevent this from being such a problem.
 
I have a 20" AK that I am reluctant to give a convex edge to. After etching the blade I know that I would lose some hardened cutting area and leave a few spots without alot of hardened steel along the edge. It is a beautiful piece of work and more of less decided that it will be my only wallhanger...well more or less a wallhanger.;)
 
Yvsa,

I agree with you about missing the convex edges.

What's your gripe with the "habaki" bolster?
 
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