Beiträge von kwakster

The owner of this Maxamet PM2 had given his knife a forced patina treatment, and besides coming out a bit uneven the acid had also completely eaten away the factory apex as well as the very tip of the blade.

To say that the knife was completely blunt would have been an understatement.

The request was to give the knife a new toothy edge with a lot of bite while making it as sharp as possible.

Before sharpening:

Flattened the acid damaged "apex" some more on a 3000 grit diamond plate so i could start with fresh steel, then made a new edge on a Rubber Wheel coated with ~ 230 grit diamond powder & wax, then deburred on a Paper Wheel with 1.0 micron diamond paste & oil.

The new edge is ever so slightly convex, the new apex fits almost exactly in the 30 degree inclusive slot of my Tormek WM200 Angle Master, plus it can whittle one of my chest hairs at about 5.5 centimeters from the point of holding.

(i don't own a BESS tester)

The somewhat "fuzzy" shoulders of the new edge show how deep the acid has eaten away into the sides of the blade in some area's.

After sharpening:

The rough finish as it currently is would probably work very well when using the Bowie Machete as a pig sticker for hunters and also for home defense, but i still have to find out how it works for (sustained) chopping purposes.
If need be some sanding linen would make a finer surface in no time.
With a measured blade thickness of 2.75 mm the knife is actually quite rigid, certainly not flimsy or wobbly.

Probiere Ich es mal auf Deutsch, Verzeihung für die Fehler.

Hab diesen Tipp von ein befreundeter Polizist in Texas.
In seine Arbeit hat er gelegentlich zu tun mit Leute die wegen Chemikalienmisbrauch nahezu keine Schmerzen bemerken, und eine normale ASP Dienstschlagstock kann sie einfach nicht zum stoppen bewegen.
Deswegen haben er und mehrere seine Kollegen die vordere Teile ihre ASP batons ganz mit kleine Bleikugeln ausgefüllt, und zwar bis der Haltungsfeder noch gerade einpasst.
Abschliessen wird gemacht mit etwas JB Weld und fertig ist das Ding.
Ein ASP 21" (daystick) geht so von 464 Gramm nach 502 Gramm, weil ein ASP 26"(nightstick) von 555 nach 607 Gramm geht.
Und weil das Gewicht nur im Vorderteil sitzt sind Schläge damit jetzt um ein vielfalt mehr effectiv.

A few days ago i bought a few Cold Steel Bowie Machetes from a Dutch forum member, and today i changed the plastic grip of one of them a bit more to my liking with the use of a coarse wood rasp.
The contouring makes for a much more comfortable grip when compared to the original handle shape, and snap cuts can now be done much easier and without handle shift.
The rough surface structure left by the wood rasp also offers a much more secure grip, but only prolonged use will show if it needs more smoothing.

The factory edges on these South African made versions had some burring left, but that was an easy fix on the Tormek leather wheel.
The edges are slightly convex, and each apex currently fits in the 45 degrees inclusive slot of my Tormek WM200 AngleMaster.
A bit overkill i think, so some thinning will probably follow later.

Es sieht aus als könnte mann das auch selber machen, aber trotzdem eine gute Idee:

https://www.snaggletoothmf.com/

Ein Mitglied von Bladeforums US hat mal gefragt von welches material die Snaggletooth gefertigt sind:

"The SnaggletoothMF is injection molded of Delrin. Delrin is a very strong and resilient plastic. It has a natural lubricity and is impervious to most chemicals. Bleach seems to be it achilles' heel. Plastic springs and other high demand parts are made of Delrin because of it's great properties. We use only true Delrin which is a DuPont material. The SnaggleToothMF is very tough, not like a 3D print. If you order one, and are not satisfied we will gladly refund your money. I don't think you will be disappointed. Thanks for inquiring and I hope to hear from you again."

Another PM2 in S110V.

The new edge was done on a Paper Wheel with 15 micron diamond compound, and then refined with 6.0 micron, 3.0 micron, and 1.0 micron diamond compound, all on dedicated Paper Wheels.

The apex is keen enough to whittle several curls in a row on one of my chest hairs while holding the hair at the root end only.

After sharpening:

Some TLC for a vintage SOG Tomcat that is the treasured EDC knife of a friend of mine.
The pin on which the lockbar pivots had been seriously deformed over the years due to which the backlock function was compromised, and also the glue under the Kraton grip panels was dried out leaving the panels almost loose.
Exchanged the old pin for a new one made from a piece of hardened spring steel rod and reglued the Kraton grip panels, and everything works again as it should.
Also resharpened the edge to what i call a standard toothy finish (Rubber Wheel with 230 grit diamond powder, deburred with 1.0 micron diamond compound on a Paper Wheel)

You can click 2 X on each pic for a bit more detail.

This vintage Al Mar Applegate Fairbairn dagger from a display collection had factory edges which were rather coarse, had a few flat spots, and a flattened point.

Since the "R" from Rex Applegate's signature was already quite close to the ~ 50 degrees inclusive factory edge i chose not to reprofile but instead just polish the existing bevels a bit with successively 15.0 micron, 3.0 micron, and 1.0 micron diamond compound on dedicated Paper Wheels.

Both new edges can shave the hair on the back of my hand on skin level.

After sharpening:

Would a slingbow be legal in Germany ?

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NPBuUQwTbPk

Cheaper version:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTCCSMOz3-o&t=26s

The knife that Chef Patrick used for two months in a commercial kitchen could still slice a firm tomato in good standard slices (not paper thin ones) with very light pressure, and i think that many non-knife people would have still considered it sharp enough.
I chose to resharpen the edge freehand using a few cheap Chinese diamond plates that i got from E-Bay for under 10 Euro's (about 12 US dollars) including shipping costs from China to the Netherlands.

Grit 1200 / 2000 / 3000, each one measuring 17 cm x 7.5 cm x 0.99 mm

I found that using just the 3000 grit diamond plate would have taken too long to get the microchips out, so i exchanged it for the 2000 grit plate for the majority of the work and then refined the edge with the 3000 grit plate.
Total sharpening time was about half an hour to 40 minutes, but i took my time, used light strokes, and washed the plates in between with some detergent & an old soft toothbrush.

So far i haven't noticed that sharpening the blade edge leading using just these 2 fine diamond plates produces any kind of burr (or it's just too small to notice it), like it did when i reground the blade on 240 and 400 grit SiC wet & dry and WD40 as a lubricant.
The new edge can slice-shave the hair on the back of my hand fairly well, and the edge angle has increased from 20 degrees inclusive to between 22.5 and 25 degrees inclusive with a small, but visible bevel.
The knife will now be put away until Patrick drops by again.

NB: the edge of the Diamond Titanium knife produced visible scratches on both the grit 2000 and the grit 3000 diamond plates during sharpening.
These scratches are very superficial, but they are definitely there to stay.

The factory edge on this second Kohetsu HAP40 could just shave a few hairs on skin level, so i "resharpened" it with 3.0 micron diamond compound on a Paper Wheel, then removed the extremely fine burr with 1.0 micron diamond compound on a second Paper Wheel.
On this knife i chose to also use this Wheel to blend the V-bevel into the half-sided convex to lower the cutting resistance just a tiny bit more, while keeping the new edge angle the same as that of the factory edge, namely between 17.5 and 20 degrees inclusive according to my Tormek WM200.
The first picture still shows some of the deeper scratches left over from the factory edge, but these end well above the apex.
You can click 2 X on each pic for a bit more detail.

The knife was sold on September 17 to an avid hobby Chef in the Netherlands, and he just yesterday mailed me that he is, and i quote: "lyrical" about the knife.

A few days ago Chef Patrick brought me the two knives, and this morning he came by to collect his own knife again.
These first two pics show Patrick's own Sakai Takayuki santoku in cladded VG10 steel together with the reground diamond titanium santoku.
Patricks knife has already been resharpened again in the pics since he needed it back asap, as it is his main workhorse (bought new over 5 years ago)
I've sharpened this knife many times already and find the VG10 very well heat treated, imo comparable to Tojiro's.
All pics show the Diamond Titanium knife just as i received it from Patrick, only cleaned with a soft toothbrush and some mild detergent, but not resharpened yet.

The Diamond Titanium knife does indeed still cut better than Patrick's Sakai Takayuki, but that is mostly because of the thinner blade coupled with the thinner edge angle (20 degrees inclusive versus 25 degrees inclusive)
Where the used edge on the Sakai Takayuki was nearly worn smooth, the used edge on the diamond titanium blade has become coarser and it's apex has widened.
The remaining sharpness is such that with a little effort it will still slice a piece of copy paper, but it snags a bit here and there on a few microchips (these are visible in the pics).
Patrick's santoku could not slice the same copy paper, no matter how i tried.
When seen through my Victorinox loupe using daylight the entire apex of the diamond titanium knife looks a bit rough, and this has the effect of micro or even nano serrations.
Thickness behind the current edge (measured about a millimeter behind the actual apex) hovers between 0.25 and 0.3 mm.
Tomorrow i hope to test the knife myself on a few tomato's, just to see if the edge will still cut these or not.
For Patrick anyway the current sharpness is no longer sufficient for his kitchen use.

(Pics can be clicked 2 X for more detail)

What surprised both myself as well as Patrick the most is that the knife held up so well with it's reground blade and it's low edge angle of just 20 degrees inclusive, the very apex of which had been sharpened on a DMT Red (about 750 grit) with a bit of WD40 as a lubricant.
Patrick said that he estimated the amount of food that he had cut with the knife during those two months would be comparable to what a standard family could eat in more than a year (easily).
He also told me that he didn't use the knife on hard pumpkins because he was afraid that he might damage the thin blade, but for the rest used it on everything, just like his own knife.

During the time that Patrick had the knife i found that the manufacturer recommended diamond sharpening device has a grit rating of 1200, so in the mean time i've bough 3 cheap Chinese diamond plates on E-Bay in grits 1200, 2000, and 3000, and on the second (also reground) Diamond Titanium santoku that i use in our home kitchen the apex is only sharpened with the 3000 grit diamond plate.

To be continued.

On the 15th of November i received this e-mail from Patrick (translated from Dutch):

"I didn't keep track of how much exactly i used the diamond titanium knife during the past two months, but my best guess is that i used both my own santoku (a Sakai Takayuki in cladded VG10 steel) and your knife about equally as much.

I did touch up my own knife from time to time on a ceramic rod, while i did nothing to your knife.

Could i visit you somewhere next week to show you the results ?
Your knife is clearly still much sharper than my santoku, which will now only get temporarily sharp if i touch it up on the ceramic rod again."

Dustar Model 1 Arad 67 Commemorative combat knife from a collector.

The factory "edge" was very rough and also still had a burr so thick that i could lift the entire knife from the table by hooking it with my finger nail.

Edge angle was +/- 45 degrees inclusive which i left intact as the customer did not want wider bevels.

After grinding the apex flat on the Tormek Blackstone the edge was resharpened on a Paper Wheel with 15 micron diamond compound then deburred with a second Paper Wheel with 3 micron diamond compound, an the new edge can just treetop the hairs on the back of my hand.

Probably the most wear resistant D2 steel i have sharpened so far.

I would recommend one of these; https://www.knivesandtools.de/…esser-20-cm-5-2063-20.htm

Well within your budget, very stainless, excellent grip, and the blade steel lends itself very well to prolonged steeling (for which i would recommend an F.Dick ovalized mirror steel)

Found a twin brother of my own knife, also from the first generation (around 1965-1966) but in better overall condition.
The blade has seen less sharpenings over the years, only the apex was a bit blunt & damaged due to the use of a pull through device.
The guard has no play and the wooden grip panels also look good and have no gaps.
Reground the blade by hand to a full convex zero edge using 2 new sheets of 400 grit wet & dry and WD40 as a lubricant, then removed the small burr with 1.0 micron diamond compound on MDF.
No machine was used for this regrind.
The new apex fits in the 25 degrees inclusive slot of my Tormek WM200, just as the other one.
Currently busy cleaning up the swedge a bit with a couple of DMT Diafolds.
The handle & guard on this one will remain unmodified, for the new owner to decide upon.

The two knives together:

My three choppers together: the modified Solingen Scout knife, a modified Western Bowie, and a Tora Blades Camping kukri.
You can click each pic 2 X for more detail.

This knife was bought by a Dutch man in the late '50's or early 60's as a souvenir, and from what i learned from his daughter is that it spent the rest of it's days forgotten in a drawer inside it's sheath.
When i bought it the blade was quite pitted and almost black from all those years inside it's leather sheath, and it still had it's factory "edge" of about 60-65 degrees inclusive.

I chose to regrind the blade by hand to a very shallow full convex zero edge with an apex that fits the 25 degrees inclusive slot on my Tormek WM200 angle guide, using only a new sheet of 400 grit wet & dry and WD40 as a lubricant on a rubber backing.
This removed most of the blackened pitting & solved the edge problem in one go.
Also glued the fiber washers together and sanded them flush again (some had expanded somewhat over the years), and polished the brass guard a bit.

You can click each picture 2 X for more detail.

Together with a similar Scout knife made by Gebr.Lützenkirchen under their Seal brand from the same time frame, and which shares the exact same aluminium lion head pommel.
Also notice the difference in stag handle manufacture: the Anton Wingen knife is still done the old way with 2 pieces of stag halves joined with brass pins, while the one made by Gebr.Lützenkirchen uses the newer one piece method.

Specs:

Post-war model, probably made in the late 1940's or during the 1950's
Overall length: 8.54 inch (21.7 cm)
Blade length: 4.57 inch (11.6 cm)
Max. blade thickness (ricasso): 4.8 mm
Steel: hot drop-forged carbon steel
Handle material: stag, fiber washers, brass guard & aluminium pommel.
Sheath: leather

After disassembling the knife i discovered a tang stamp of an anvil with (possibly) a hand holding a hammer.
Now as you know these blades were hot drop forged, and Anton WIngen Jr. seems to have had it's own forge up until the 1980's, but maybe this one was done by drop-forging specialist Felix, also in Solingen.
Would have to contact them to find out, as they are still in business.

Some old Anton Wingen Jr. Solingen advertising material:

Today sous-Chef Patrick sent me his impressions on the factory fresh Diamond Titanium santoku knife that i lent him to use, the still new & unused Santoku model:

Below is what he wrote me (translated from Dutch):

"You asked me to write down my experiences with the new Diamond Titanium Santoku knife.
Well, i used the knife exclusively for 15-20 hours mostly on vegetables, and here is a list:

5 kilogram of tomatoes
1.5 kilogram of string beans
5 kilogram of white onions
1.5 kilogram of legumes (very thin)
8 large cabbages
15 kilogram of paprika's
5 kilogram of Bouquet garni (carrot, onion, leek, celeriac)
plus about 2 kilograms of other vegetables

Further for

portioning meat
cleaning fish
removing ends of various vegetables
etc.

Plus:

The knife is thin, so there is less resistance to cut through something.
After cutting all of the above i notice little to no loss of sharpness.
Lightweight, which is quite pleasant if you have to use the knife multiple hours straight during the day.
Completely rust proof.

Minus:

The knife is not sharp enough for some jobs, like cutting up chive.
The knife is absolutely unsuitable for pushcuts (i found out that unconciously i do a lot of pushcutting)
On harder vegetables i need to exert more pressure due to which i get the impression that the knife starts to wander".

Patrick already returned the knife to me, and in exchange i lent him the other santoku that i reground to a shallow convex with an edge angle of 20 degrees inclusive and an apex finished with a DMT Diafold Fine/Red coated with some WD40.

His first impressions with the reground version:

" I've already used the reground knife intensively for 2 days straight, and for about the same jobs as i described earlier, which will make good comparison later.
I notice that this knife cuts a lot better, it's also possible to pushcut with, it wanders much less, and it seems sharper (or really is sharper)"

More to follow later,

In the 1920's the Gebr.(brothers) Lützenkirchen from Solingen, Germany were known as manufacturers of straight razors, but starting around the 1930's they also made & distributed general cutlery & scissors.
Just like many other Solingen manufacturers during the 3rd Reich period they also made Hitlerjugend knives and SA dress daggers, these last ones being quite rare nowadays.
In 1935 their factory was situated on the Klingenstrasse (blade street) 36 in Solingen, and this is a list of the various brand names they used: 'Botafogo' (1920), 'Ciwis Solingen' (late 1920s?), 'Conte Aiollo' (1921), 'Kirche' (1923), 'La Foca' (1920), 'Lützenkirchen' (1920), 'Lutz Solin' (1922), 'Phoca' (1920), 'Schwertschlag' (1923), 'Seehund' (1919).

The pictures show one of their Fahrtenmesser (scout knife) with lion head figurine pommel, which was made under the Seehund (seal) brand in the late '40's and/or during the '50's.
It was in quite a bad state when i received it, but some TLC and a bit of elbow grease brought it back to life.
The steel also takes a screaming sharp toothy edge.

Specs:

Overall length: 8.54 inch (21.7 cm)
Blade length: 4.57 inch (11.6 cm)
Max. blade thickness (ricasso): 4.84 mm
Steel: hot drop-forged carbon steel
Handle material: stag, leather & fiber washers, brass guard & aluminium pommel.
Sheath: leather