help with a knife - from chisel to V

[dan.mandiel]

hey guys, this is my first post.
i wanted to ask you experts, how do i reprofile a chisel ground knife into a V ground?
i dont have any access to sharpeners and diamond stones and those things, i do have a belt sander.
that knife has also a serrated part and its really dull and if anyone cant tell me how to sharpen it without a diamond rod that'll be great. Thanks   

[ducttapetech]

Do you have any old sharping stones and files?

Nate

[dks]

In theory you just need to sharpen the flat side of the edge (the one with no grind) until you have two equal grinds on both sides.

I have used a belt sander to produce an edge and is not the most accurate process.This will be easier on a larger blade and you really will need to further improve your edge with some other sharpening system, like stones.

It can be done, slowly, and whilst making sure that the blade does not overheat (guts burned or gets too hot, over e.g. 250C) as this will damage the heat treat.

You need to check the blade for grind and temperature very often, as it will be easy to grind more than you need.

I found that, for the finishing part, having the tip of the edge of the blade against the belt movement, (the tip of the edge fighting the belt in a way) gave me better control and I could see the edge forming better. However this will depend on how your belt sander is set.

Use a less aggressive sandpaper as this will help you grind gently and give you a smoother, nicer, edge. Also, as some sparks may fly make sure you do not have any flammable material close by.

For the serrated part I would use a round file.... but I very rarely sharpen serrated blades.

[ironraven]

How big is it and how much time do you have to kill?

Your best bet is going to be to do it by hand. A file will let you rough in, but too roughly in my experince trying to put real edges on junky throwing knives. Sandpaper, starting 200 and working towards 1000 grit, either tacked down or on a clipboard, is my recommendation if it is a smaller blade. A marker will help you see what you're doing better as you remove the ink. If you want a convex bevel, put a peice of craft foam or a mouse pad between the paper and the clipboard.

Then just start working at it. Outside is good. Audio books will help, or movies if you can be sure you can keep metal filings out of the electronics.

[AimlessWanderer]

You'll need to take quite a bit of material away to reprofile it (see attached sketch). As others have said, you'll need to be careful not to get the blade too hot and affect the hardness. Take a nice steady approach to avoid overheating or chipping the edge


Bah! I hoped that would have shown as an image ... oh well ...

[pfrsantos]

Having a belt sander is a good help. You just need to get a support to keep the blade at an angle. See this video, it might help.

[Cupboard]

this is 50ft-trad's picture:



If you want to do it by hand it is possible and you can get diamond stones pretty cheap. The only problem you might find is something like the Leatherman Squirt's blade is actually fully chisel ground, it's not just the final grind.

[AimlessWanderer]

Thanks Tom 

[Mike 56]

Buy a sharpmaker sharpen the blade normally just a few extra times on the flat side of the blade when you sharpen it will re profile the blade a little at a time. The sharpmaker will also do a good job on the serrated part of the blade.
Mike