Bent awl on my soldier SAK

[Mimifred]

Hello,

The awl on my beloved 77 Vic soldier is a bit bent as you can see on the attached picture.

What would be your strategy to repair it ? I afraid of breaking it...

[nmpops]

How did you bend it?

Sent from my BNTV400 using Tapatalk

[styx]

Perhaps gentle tapping with a brass, wooden or plastic hammer on a softer surface would do the trick

[SAK Guy]

I have a wooden picnic table on the porch and on things like this, I will stick the blade in the space between the boards and very very very gently flex it back the other direction. The wood gives a bit so it's forgiving in the force applied. Takes as many as 5-6 flexes to realign. The awl is tempered softer than a knife blade so it should realign but it can also snap without warning using this method.

This method is based on 40+ years of collecting and working with knives and my not be advisable for inexperienced users.

Styx method of tapping with a wooden mallet is probably much much safer with a vintage/beloved knife.

[Syph007]

Yes a rubber or hard plastic mallet would work.  I would just brace it on a scrap of wood and tap with a mallot, it will start to bend.  If you cant get it to bend exactly where you want, clamp it in a padded vice.

[Etherealicer]

If you don't want to do it yourself, send it to Klötzli. I had all four of my tools overhauled (although none of them were bent) for 22CHF.

[Mimifred]

How did you bend it?

It is actually not me, it's been like this for awhile... But it starts to hurt my eyes and wanna do something with it.

Thanks for the advice, I will try with a plastic mallet.

[Mimifred]

If you don't want to do it yourself, send it to Klötzli. I had all four of my tools overhauled (although none of them were bent) for 22CHF.

Is that a forum member ? In Switzerland?

[rebel]

Would it help to heat it before reforming or would that affect the heat treat or the rest of the knife?

[styx]

Would it help to heat it before reforming or would that affect the heat treat or the rest of the knife?

Depends on how focused the heat source is and how hot you make the tool. But it could really mess with the temper of the awl

[Etherealicer]

If you don't want to do it yourself, send it to Klötzli. I had all four of my tools overhauled (although none of them were bent) for 22CHF.

Is that a forum member ? In Switzerland?

Nei, Klötzli in Burgdorf/Bern (sin name isch uf the "Battle Series", eine vo de letschde Mässerschmed i de Schwiiz)

[Mimifred]

Thanks I'll have to check that address next time I'm going to Bärn. I'll have to improve my schwizertütch in the interval...

[Etherealicer]

Thanks I'll have to check that address next time I'm going to Bärn. I'll have to improve my schwizertütch in the interval...

Sorry, I just assumed, but you got the important bits

The shop in Burgdorf is the best, and if you have time, they have EVERYTHING. I once was there and asked for the CRTK multitool and the SOG PowerDuo, they had both (they just had to fetch them in their storage...

[Mimifred]

I tried to use the mallet method on wood but did nothing but damaging the wood...

Then I put the awl in a vice and tried to gently bend it the other way... I was quite nervous but managed to make it look something not to far from straight...

[styx]

Good progress. I wonder if a bass hammer would have worked better since it is harder than wood but still should be softer than the awl

[Mimifred]

I used a plastic mallet on a wooden surface... But the wood was too soft...

[styx]

Damn. Well better that the wood got dinged than a broken awl

[Crow]

That would have worked better, if you had made groove on that wood. Metal allways needs to be worked a bit over to make it come out straight.