I was out clearing some woodland near my house today with my trusty DF and came back with chunks of steel missing from the edge. I can only assume I hit some rocks with it since I've chopped a lot of wood with no real ill effects until now. So my question is, how do I fix this?? I've had the steel curl around a bit before, which I've been able to straighten out. But now it looks like the steel is actually gone, so I'm at a loss.

I hope someone can help me out, I figured if anyone would know about fixing knives it would be you guys <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" /> Thanks!

Left side:



Right side:



Straight on edge shot:

"Some rocks"? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/shocked.gif" alt="" />

There's no way around it, your knife needs serious attention on a belt sander. If you haven't got one, find somebody that comes with a recommendation. (Don't trust commercial sharpening services, I've never had anything but angst and despair with them).

After you're done with that, recite: "I will always be sure of my swing before I commit to it. My knife is difficult to destroy, but easy to damage. It takes 30 seconds to clear the work area and 30 minutes to profile the edge." Repeat as needed.

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

well. for starters.
you must have a nice camera.
<img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Also, I definitely do NOT think you need a belt sander to sharpen that out.
not at all.
start with a coarse stone of some kind and basically just sharpen them out. not all the way though. Just enough to get the edge back on it.
you'll still see them, but after a while they will sharpen out.
my DFLE has had many rolls, but now they're almost all gone.

btw: the edges normally hold up better after a sharpening for some reason...
well, thats what I've gathered from posts.

idk if you know how to sharpen a knife, but it doesn't look like you need to do anything different. Just grind those down, not too sloppily, but you will touch up with a finer stone so you don't have to be too careful.

goodluck.

Wow- can we see a picture of the wood ? I am assuming you either missed the wood or the rocks were in the wood ? <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

You have a lot more patience than I do apparently. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/laugh.gif" alt="" />

Thanks for the quick responses guys! I'm not sure how much steel I should be taking off when I sharpen it again. Do I sharpen it to the point where the chipped off part is sharp (essentially bringing the edge of the blade in about 1mm, this seems extreme), or just sharpen the blade normally and accept that there are some uneven/dull spots on it?

The camera used was a Canon A70, about $10-20 on eBay right now <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

The rocks were probably in the ground, I used it to hack down some saplings at the base in the morning (probably not the best idea in retrospect). So the straight part of the blade cuts through the sapling, and the round part (where the damage is) hits the ground. I also chopped up a 6 inch fallen tree at the end of the day using the DF and a Fiskars hatchet. Dings and all, they made short work of the tree as usual <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/cool.gif" alt="" />

PM Vic (Horndog). He can fix it and it will come back sharper than you thought a knife could get.

I think your choice here is whether you are happy with using the knife for a year or so with chips in the blade which by sharpening with a coarse stone(ideally diamond if you value your time ) have been straightened out where rolled and where chipped the edge would be very rough and worse than a serrated blade....so might tear whatever is cut...which on a chopping knife is not too bad...so long as you don't use the tip area to choke up and skin game which has a pelt that could tear or similar delicate tasks.

The other option is that the chips are ground out to give a clean edge or at least are ground out to the extent needed to avoid tearing when slicing...if doing this I would go with Momaw and use a Belt Sander....they remove metal much quicker....but there is a danger with that if you have not practised with one...you don't want to chase your mistakes on an expensive knife...you will take years of metal/use of it...if you roll the edge when convexing on the sander but have cleaned away the chipped area...come off the sander and finish on a mouse pad and grit paper combination. If I can give some tips...do not drag the tip over the belt when giving the edge a pass...come away from the belt as you reach the tip...otherwise you end up dulling the point or turning the point into a knife edge thinness which can easily snap. As you get to the belly of the blade where it curves to the tip you need to have a steeper angle than the flat...it gives greater strength and is better for the chopping part of the knife.

To do this on the Sander you need to lift the handle of the blade towards your chest as you get to the belly...the best way to get it right is to colour the blade with a magic marker and as you do a pass...and only one pass...check for ink removal...then check the none sharpened side for comparison...that should give you an idea of the progress and shape created by your stroke.

DON'T START on the heavy metal removal belts...go with an old worn out belt or sacrifice a fine belt to ensure that you have the strokes right before taking lots of metal off with a heavy grit.

People say to use cheap knives to begin with but I would'nt buy knives just for the purpose...if you go steady you will be fine...and besides...you have a lot of removal to do with those chips so I cannot see you doing any harm...you may as well practise the skill now because those chips will need a few passes to remove them.

The black ink in the magic marker which will stick in the recess of the chip and will show up until it is removed. Use an eye glass to check this.

Good Luck and buy a cheap machete for some of this "stone" risk work!