Here is a pic of a Busse variant which has always interested me...



Of the many features on the knife the one that I quite like is the sharpened section of the spine...this comes in very handy for ferro rods...cutting through barbed wire...all the sort of things which you would not want to put your finely honed main edge to. Sharpened at a heavy duty obtuse angle it gives the benefit of a clip point without damaging the knife's ability to be batoned.

So my question is....has anyone ever modded a knife to get this effect?

I was thinking that on my FSH and my NMSFNO this type of feature could be quite useful.

Certainly on the coated NMSFNO it is hard to get a strike area for a ferro rod without removing the coating somewhere and this type of feature would resolve that. From a heat treatment point of view if you cool the knife regularly there should be no problem...the only issue is whether a belt sander with some good belts could do this and if so how?

I have put a few clip points on blades now using the sander but the initial grind lines were there to begin with...if you like..."a start had already been made". Doing this sort of task free hand...maybe with the benefit of a marking pen to draw out the grind shape does seem possible...but at the same time it feels a bit "one step beyond" anything I have ever done to-date.

Anyone who has any tips on this...your advice is most welcome...and those who feel it ought not to be done...please feel free to comment as well. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/thumbup.gif" alt="" />

Sounds like a job for Horn Dog!!

I get that "ewww,she's dragging her fingernails on the blackboard"
feeling when I hear people wanting to mod one of their knives.
However,I am very surprised by much of what they accomplish,
fantastic stuff some do.
Me,I have to stay away from attempting anything like that for
now...Maybe when I get more experience convexing an edge first.

It does sound like a good idea,that extra edge for a ferro rod,
but I have found that a sharp 90 degree edge works fine.
Cutting Barbed Wire,dunno,never tried it,I would use
wire cutters,unless it was an emergency.
(in which case I would borrow a friends knife to cut it)

Good luck and let us know what you do.
Lots of pics are required. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smile.gif" alt="" />

Steel Fan, for some reason the picture isn't showing up that good on my monitor so I can't see exactly what you are talking about. Are you wanting to put a sharpened swedge on a knife that does not have one at all? If so, yes, you can do it with your belt grinder. How easy it will be, and how long it will take will depend upon what grinder you have and how high the quality of belts you have available are.

Usually if I am putting a swedge on the spine of a knife that doesn't have one to begin with, I will use the platten on the grinder. Most all of us are using the slack belt method when we are convex sharpening the edges of our knives, but that is not usually what you are looking for when grinding a swedge. Although, there really isn't any reason why you couldn't do a convexed swedge.

When I grind in a swedge I take a scribe and make a mark down the middle of the spine as a referrence point or a "grind to" point, and I also make a mark accross the spine where I want the swedge to begin and end, as well as down on the blade however far down I want the swedge to go(draw a devided box if you will). Also, doing this modification using the "edge in" grinding method will give you a much better view of what you are doing if you are able to do it with your grinder. What I mean by that is to grind with the belt running into the spine of the knife or whatever area you are grinding on rather than the belt running away from it like you would normally do. I just switched over to this method not long ago and it works very well, especially for a mod like this.

You will diffinitely need to keep an eye on things and not let the steel get too hot. Just keep that bucket of water right there by the bench and dunk away. When you are using the coarse grit belts it isn't going to heat up near as fast as it will with the finer grit belts.

I don't know if any of that helped you or not, but if you have some specific questions I'll try to help if I can as I'm sure Vic, Knife Guy and maybe some others have some good ideas to offer as well.

Peter wouldnt a section 2 inches or so long of a scandi grind do what you are asking? You could probably do it with a combination of a file and belt sander. It sounds very intersting. I am attaching a video that shows how one fellow uses mutliple types of edges on a machete.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PVHeKNbRXgc

Here is a picture of a custom FSH...it is the one on the bottom...and you can see they have added the sort of modification to the spine that I mention but for me I would prefer this to be more centralised on the spine and perhaps just a tad wider...which should give a better "balanced look" to the blade.

The alternative of grinding a sharp 90 degrees section on the blade is the other option I was considering....I did this on my NMFBM and for ferro rod use it works very well. The barbed wire aspect is probably OTT...if you carry a Leatherman the wire cutters are there and able to do the job much easier. However if you go for the Leatherman which has secaturs for clipping foilage instead of pliers...then you don't get this feature. I tend to use this version a fair bit more than the pliers one but do have both...it is just helpful to minimise weight as much as you can if possible...

Peter, you can do that mod just as I described in my above post. I have done several of them.

Thanks Tolly...I might go for it...but in the same thread someone posted a great pic of a SHSH Variant....which for my type of use really ticks all the boxes...the grips would need changing but Jeremy Horton could do me some in Carbon Fibre I am sure....this is the knife ( the top one )



I am tempted to make an enquiry as to whether I might be able to get one...all told I think it better to "know your limitations" and I might regret a FSH going wrong...and on a plus side...I do like the straight lines of the original shape...but modifications like the one above just seem to make their own "beauty"....I could'nt do one as nice as that!

Steel Fan,

Usually, I have found myself agreeing with most of your decisions and likes in knives...... Not this time.

To me, that first Busse on your first post has to be about one of the UGLIEST Busse knives I have ever seen.... Talk about Tacti(NOT)"cool" <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/barf.gif" alt="" />

Not real big on the TOTALLY messing up of a GREAT FSH by serrating the edge and grinding the spine on the bottom knife of your second post either.

And that Custom SHSH would be pretty nice .... if the serrated and funky spine work hadn't messed it up. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/barf.gif" alt="" />

.... But, just my opinions. I like simple and pure function vs. gadgets on my knives.

While I could possibly see some advantages to have a very obtuse edge on the back of some knives, I just wouldn't want it. I would view the compromises to outweigh any possible advantages. I feel it "would" hinder battoning or at very least cause you to need lots more batons. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/smirk.gif" alt="" />

That notch in the choil area of the guard would mostly render the choil dis-functional in my book. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/barf.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/barf.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/barf.gif" alt="" />
I don't care for the thumb notch treatment either. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

I always like the Uncle MOFO, but I am NOT a fan of the blade catches on knives. To me, they are another useless feature (not realistic IMO) and are more detimental in use BY FAR, than beneficial. (IMO) Similarly, I have a Yard Guard and would never have any interest in the Yard Hook. Fit and feel in the hand are WAY more important to me than a non-realistic feature that hinders fit and feel. I can't say I understand those who bought a Hook of ANY variation from Busse. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

I actually modify my knives all the time, but only with intent to improve them. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/wink.gif" alt="" />

I would personally NEVER want a sharpened section on the spine of my knife as you have shown. While it might find some value in some VERY minor nitch (if at all) applications, I would find the modification WAY more detrimental to the knife than good.


Personally, I don't honestly use Ferro rods. Call me lazy. But, I like lighters and matches. I have used Ferro rods a couple of times... for the fun of it - I guess. But, anyway, if using Ferro Rods, I personally would tie or clip a small piece of hacksaw blade or sawsall blade to my Ferro rod and use it instead of my knives.... But, that is me. I don't like using my knives on Ferro rods.

Like Fuga, I would use wire clippers to cut wire. If cutting a BUNCH of wire for some reason, DEFINITELY carry cutters. But, if you are just anticipating a rare and worst case scenario, most barbed wire would only tend to lightly nick INFI and not disable a Busse. The small nick(s) could be fixed reasonably easy on INFI.


However, if your biggest concern is how to get a grind line started on a spine of a blade, try doing some research on "Plunge Line". I would use Google advanced and put in Bladeforums.com or Knifeforums.com as search sites.

It is a little more advanced and does require a bit more practice and deligent blade cooling, but if you have some edge profiling experience with a belt sander, this is just the next little step. The platten can help on plunge lines to help keep them straight, but I like a tapered plunge line... takes more skill though. I have done it and while a few attempts look pretty decent, I wouldn't say my results are exactly perfected yet.

I still need to imrove my grinder quality. But, I have done some improving (I think) in ability to control by flipping my grinder on it's back so the belt is horizontal. I find I have a LOT more control in this position for knives vs. vertical.

But, belt sanders are used to make plunge lines by the pros as a rule rather than exception. The belt sander is most custom knife-makers primary tool.

Volume makers use much more expensive CNC type machinery. But, there are a ton of custom makers who don't have CNC machinery and use the belt sanders/grinders..... although most of them have very nice $2,000+ KMGs, Baders, Burr Kings, etc.

Good luck with your modifications, but I would recommend thinking it through before messing up a good knife. <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/crazy.gif" alt="" /> <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/confused.gif" alt="" />

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It looks like a (beer?) bottle opener. I'd probably use that more than the edge. lol <img src="/ubbthreads/images/graemlins/grin.gif" alt="" />

SF, I had no clue that the NMSFNO was that large! I didn't dream it was as big as the FSH.