Grinding advice? I'd like to save this one

[soundmind]

My plunges were uneven and I got too thin while working on blending the plunges out. I'd like to save the knife even if it ends up thin - but I don't think I have many chances left so I thought I should seek advice.

I was thinking to one, either grind for a tapered tang which I started half heartedly, Or two, should I try for a full distal from butt to tip. This would shorten the entire knife.

Knife is flat ground about 1.5" at it's widest with 6" cutting edge. The thickest part is the handle at the bottom of the first pic (3/16"). Skinniest part is right in front of the finger guard and forward about 2". The spine there is between 1/8" - 3/32"

thanks, luke

 

[C Craft]

So how thick is it at the edge. Cause so far,

Knife is flat ground about 1.5" at it's widest with 6" cutting edge. The thickest part is the handle at the bottom of the first pic (3/16"). Skinniest part is right in front of the finger guard and forward about 2". The spine there is between 1/8" - 3/32"
thanks, luke

What kind of steel is this knife being made from??

The part I highlighted in red is OK, I would think but how thick is the blade edge?

Anything under a dimes thickness risk cracking and warping. However certain steels you might get away with it. It all depends on the quench/hardening method!!

This is why a lot of folks grind the bevels after hardening or quenching. Less warp factor and a blank hardly ever crack at that thick!!

 

[Von Gruff]

I do a preliminary grind of about 2/3 of where I want it to be and finish after heat treat.
What I had to do a couple of times when I was doing more f the grind pre heat treat was to take a 1/16 to an 1/8 off the blade edge to get it back to a little thicker and try for the HT sometimes it worked and others didnt so I changed to my present method.

 

[soundmind]

sorry folks.... I should have clarified
This blade has already been heat treated and I'm finishing it.

It's 80CRV2. The edge is close to sharpened.

 

[EdCaffreyMS]

That's one of those situations where you just gotta do the best you can.....and hope it's enough. You don't have "enough" there to run a full distal taper.

I don't want to insult your intelligence, but want to ensure you understand what a "full distal taper" actually is..... A full distal taper means.... the thickest portion of the knife is in the center of the ricasso (give or take some either way). From there the blade tapers forward to the tip. And, again from that thickest portion, rearward, to the back end of the handle. When viewed from the spine, the blades has the appearance of an elongated diamond.

OK, that being said, it appears you have enough thickness/material in the handle to taper there. The way I do it is.... starting BEHIND where the front of the handle material will eventually be (you need to have a fairly clear image of what you want in the end product) using a 3" contact wheel (you can use whatever size wheel your comfortable with, as long as it doesn't get too close to the edges of the handle), I grind a hollow down the centerline of the handle...stopping short of the back end of the handle. This makes is much easier to "feel" the flat when tapering. It also makes it easier to keep things flat and true because all you're grinding away is the perimeter. Work side to side, and sight/look down the top and bottom often to ensure you keep the taper smooth and centered with the blade/rest of the knife. The more severe the taper, the easier it is to see/follow when grinding..... with a thin one like this, it's a bit more difficult, but take your time, and look 2x more than you grind, it'll work.

The trick is to end up with the thickness you want at the back end of the handle....while having the front of the taper end just a tad in front of where the front of your handle material will be, to just behind the plunge cuts.

Hope that's helpful! Best of luck with it!!!

 

[soundmind]

Yeah I did think a full distal meant from butt to tip. Thanks for clarifying that for me.

I began to dig out that divot I see people do on distal tapers but quit trying. I was worried about ruining the handle profile, which is also already getting pretty narrow. Thanks for explaining how to do one.

I was thinking about it more last night. If I shoot for 3/32 at the back of the handle, then grind near flat with 80 - 120 grits, I should end up with a very slight distal in the handle. Then I can think about doing the tip and shorten it, if necessary. And make any corrections to keep it straight. My last ditch will be to make the whole thing 3/32.

 

[soundmind]

I appreciate the advice from the perspective of using a 2x72. I don't have one but I can improvise from that perspective. That was what I needed.

I switched from my bench grinder to my angle grinder (6"-4 1/2") and that gave me more control. Then I used good sandpaper to clean all of that up. Keeping things flat as I could.

Instead of doing a distal, though, I blended the shallow spot back into the handle, keeping the back thick.

I hope you enjoy the new avatar and the sunset pic.