Straight and FLAT is good. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

If using leather with some thickness, a subtle curve won't hurt much though.... still flatter is better.


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...Errr... What?????


<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/ooo.gif" alt="" />

Man needs some TOOOOOOLS! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />


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Keep us posted on the results. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

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LOL Give me a break, I live in a 400 sqft apartment. Plenty of tools at my Dad's, I juts felt like doing it here. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

This leather is easily an eighth of an inch thick.

I don't know what a Rough Rider is. But, if it isn't too high end, go ahead and practice on it. With manual stropping being slower, it is harder to do too much damage quickly.

Although, if your black compound is as coarse as my black compound, laying the blade side down on the strop will scratch the sides comparable to 400-600 grit sandpaper.

Vic posts pics all of the time where he convexes the edges of a flat grind blade that originally had a factory V grind edge (like all Busse and kin blades have from the factory).

I also will do the same. In most cases, I don't take the time to turn a blade with a primary grind and secondary edge grind into a "FULL" Convex grind like my Bark Rivers and Fallknivens. But, I will most often Convex grind the edge where I grind the shoulder down between the edge and primary grind. The end result is like on the pics Vic posts where the edge grind becomes convex with a higher grind and more acute grind that "through" cuts noticably better than a factory V grind.

I do most (pretty much all) of my reprofiling on my belt sander. The Sander is faster, but pretty much the same concept in creating convex edges and most anything I do on my belt sander can be done by hand, just doing it by hand takes a LOT longer.

Here is my HR's convexed edge:







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nice HR, KG. I like the useful choil. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

This is the Rough Rider I am referring to. It has a nice thin stock profile, so it should be less work to convex it.

O.K. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" /> .... Just seemed like I needed to add a Tim Tayler in there. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/tongue.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />


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1/8" leather should be plenty fine. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

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Thanks SP.

I did increase the choil size a bit, but the 2nd gen. HR shown above with the Res-C handles comes with a generally functional deep choil. I just pulled the choil in closer to the handle a bit - which by default increases it's size.
Honestly, I feel the choil is a bit larger than I prefer and it takes away more blade edge than I prefer. But, my modification didn't take ANY of the blades edge that wasn't already gone since I ground into the ricasso. And it just feels nicer in my hand now.

In spite of the amount of usefull blade edge taken up by the choil, I still like the 2nd Gen HR though. I like it's ergos, light-weight and I love SR-101.

However, as many long timers here will attest, I am generally not too big on choils on smaller knives. I prefer smaller knives to have the blades edge come up VERY close to my hand and handle.

I wish I had an AD like this:



The Swamp Rat HRLM with micarta handles is an EXCELLENT knife except for one main flaw - that I am glad I am capable of being able to fix. The HRLM came with a horribly designed choil (IMO). It was way too large to be a sharpening choil and too small for fingers for choking up. But, again, I could fix it by enlarging the choil. Again, I ground the choil back into the ricasso and guard to maintain as much blade edge as possible. In the end, once modified, the HRLM is an AWESOME knife.



HRLM (old pic prior to stripping and modifying - to show original horribly sized choil for comparison <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbdn.gif" alt="" />) with Bravo-1:



After stripping blade and modifying choil:








I also slightly modified the thumb ramp a bit to feel/fit my thumb a bit better:




HRLM with HR 2nd Gen.:



HRLM with SS4:





HRLM with Hairy Carry 3.5" and 4.0":



<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

I used to have a Fehrman Peace Maker, but I sold it. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" /> Unfortunately, the dang grip area in the handle was just TOO small for me. Otherwise a very nice little knife that I wish had a better sized handle. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/frown.gif" alt="" />

[img]http://i80.photobucket.com/albums/j183/DWRW/SwampRat-HRLMFehrmanPeaceMaker-1.jpg[/img]

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Looka like a nice knife. The thinner stock should be easier to practice on. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

Interesting book...

I had to do a case study on ebola last year. Its really not as cool as it is in the movies.

Found a few more older pics of my Howling Rat 2nd gen's edge that I didn't have up on my picture hosts site:









I think I mentioned somewhere up there about putting a convex edge on a flat primary grind. This is how I most often do it. Same as Vic and many others.

That knife cuts like crazy now! <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />



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The HRLM was one of the first full or nearly full convex grinds I ever did. I did it on my old HF 1x30 belt sander.