Gerber Applegate Fairbairn modification

kwakster · **on:** September 13, 2015, 12:31:53 PM

A few weeks ago a knife collector asked me if i could sharpen the false edge on a Gerber Applegate Fairbairn folder.
On this knife the blade is completely shrouded by the handle when closed, so there is no risk of injury while carrying it.
The owner also wanted the new bevels to be a bit shiny.

This older YouTube clip by Nutnfancy showcases this mod:

This was the knife before sharpening:

And the result.
Ground the new bevels with a Rubber Wheel coated with 230 grit diamond powder, then refined all bevels with a Paper Wheel coated with 15 micron diamond compound, and finally removed the tiny burr remnants with the Tormek leather wheel & some 1 micron diamond compound.
The edges measure 35 degrees inclusive and are treetopping sharp.

rebel · **Reply #1 on:** September 13, 2015, 12:45:12 PM

This is a very nice, obvious mod that is mostly never done for legal reasons. If you live in a jurisdiction where self-defense has not yet been outlawed then this knife is just begging for the double edge.

I did get an original non-folding version from BlackJack (long out of business) and it was a true double edge. I also had the folder. Sold both when I got out of Dodge, don't really miss either one but the Black Jack probably would have been good for what it was for.

Looks like you do good work.

zoidberg · **Reply #2 on:** September 13, 2015, 03:32:21 PM

Looks a much nicer job than the one on my Covert.

Cool mod but not legal around here.

kwakster · **Reply #3 on:** October 25, 2016, 11:52:08 AM

Currently busy with the same mod of a (user) Gerber Applegate-Fairbairn folder like the one in my first post.
This is how the knife looked when i received it from the owner, still with a single edge & an edge angle between 40 and 45 degrees inclusive:

And this is how the knife looks after grinding the new edge on the back of the blade & trying to match it with the reprofiled edge on the other side.
The scratch pattern complete with burr remains still present on the apex comes from a Rubber Wheel coated with +/- 170 grit diamond powder & wax (as i haven't made a Paper Wheel with the same diamond powder yet) which i used for this job.

The idea was to make the 2 edges / 4 bevels as visually similar in width & curvature as i could, with a specific edge angle of +/- 35 degrees inclusive, without damaging the names on the blade, and to create a new point that would be centered as much as possible.
Trying to achieve all these things at the same time freehand, together with many checks with a loupe in between passes isn't easy for me, so i took my time.
Tomorrow i plan to continue with 15 micron diamond compound on a Paper Wheel for one of those bling & bite finishes, after which i'm going to take a few more pics.

Grant Lamontagne · **Reply #4 on:** October 25, 2016, 01:26:56 PM

I have the antithesis of that one- I have a factory issue boo boo with neither edge ground!

This is one of my absolute favourite knives of all time, and you have done a beautiful job of sharpening it- it looks like it was meant to be that way!

Def

kwakster · **Reply #5 on:** October 26, 2016, 02:29:27 PM

And the result, after a Paper Wheel with 15 micron diamond compound & deburring with a second Paper Wheel with 0.25 diamond compound.
Both edges are treetopping sharp.