Broken knives - What do you do with them?

[Tony]

I've just been reading this thread I Broke my Mora and it got me thinking about al the knives we break over the years, or the knives that we re use, change etc.





Have any of you had old or broken knives that you've re-tasked? Made smaller knives, arrow heads etc? In the thread above it's mentioned about using the stub that's on the handle still as a scraper or a striker for a ferro rod...

If anyone has ideas or pictures let's she them, I bet there's some really creative results from things like this...

 

[John Fenna]

Although I have not broken a knife in longer than I can remember I did find a broken knife in the sea by Dinas Island one time.
It was a Stag handled Bowie that had snapped about 2" from the handle and all I did was recycle the handle and forged a Flint striker out of the remaining blade.
Both have long since passed into the hands of others and I cannot find any photos....

 

[Mesquite]

I've yet to break a knife simply because I look at the task and don't force the knife into a job it's not up to.

Although I have not broken a knife in longer than I can remember I did find a broken knife in the sea by Dinas Island one time.
It was a Stag handled Bowie that had snapped about 2" from the handle and all I did was recycle the handle and forged a Flint striker out of the remaining blade.
Both have long since passed into the hands of others and I cannot find any photos....

You did break the rather nice scales off a handle on a Dave Budd knife but at least the blade stood up to your abuse

 

[John Fenna]

I've yet to break a knife simply because I look at the task and don't force the knife into a job it's not up to.



You did break the rather nice scales off a handle on a Dave Budd knife but at least the blade stood up to your abuse

True - very true - rehandled, the knife sees almost daily use....

 

[Samon]

Depends how broken it is really ..and how much material is left to play with. I also try to repurpose anything that breaks providing the fisrt two points < are valid.

Something like this.. (not mine) delamination of steel is quite a bugger as you can't really trust the rest of the blade if you were to just cut it down and reshape it.



Something like this.. (again not mine) I'd first get my money back lol, if that failed I'd do my best to make use of the blade section. Simple reshape of the bottom to make a tang and fit into a handle and shove in the tool box or something.



This stacked brass and leather bumble bee knife I was making went crack during handle shaping. (didn't soften the file enough)



I reshaped it so it ahd a tang and gave it life again. (after a properly softening the blade..)




Annnnd.. I made use of the remaining handle. Quickly knocked up an awl for my father in law as I gave him a load of leather scrap to make a hat.




Can't remember the last time I broke an actual knfie though, through using it.. Snapped a few kitchen knvies years ago when throwing them and making them into spears. But they were naff so just threw them away and used the others to much about with.

 

[oldtimer]

I still have the William Rodgers Bushman's Friend I bought when I was about twelve years old (62 years ago). It was the Mora Companion of its day- cheap but dependable. Constant abuse, including over- frequent sharpening and inappropriate modifications and attempts at re-tempering eventually led to the blade width becoming too narrow to provide sufficient strength and it broke off through metal fatigue about half way along the blade. It was relegated to the shed for years as a GP knife until I realised what a good boning knife it would make and it spent many more years as a kitchen knife. It is now enjoying an honourable retirement alongside a few collectors' pieces in a cabinet in atonement for the disgraceful way I treated it when I was too young to know any better.

 

[Stew]

Well I turned this:

into this:

http://www.stewartjlight-knives.com/2015/09/a-broken-global-knife-reborn.html

 

[Muddypaws]

I didn't break a finished knife, but I have suffered the "tink of doom" - namely a crack in a blade during quenching. I managed to make a much smaller knife out of the metal that would have been the handle of the original larger knife.

 

[Tony]

These are cool guys

Samon, I've seen a few of your creations, you seem very productive

I've not seen one of the laminated blades do this before though

 

[Chaard]

I heard a story about this this old guy that broke his blade pretty bad but his army buddy repaired it and gave it to the guys great great grandson!

Before

After

 

[Tony]

I love the correction for accuracy

 

[monkey boy]

I broke my first mora clipper, the blade snapped in half while trying to baton some oak, to big of a task for it. I used the broke of peace as a flint and steel kit for a while

 

[Janne]

I have never broken a knife badly, just the tip or taken out large chips of the edge. Had them reground.
But ai think you guys have done some wonderfull stuff from your broken blades!

 

[HillBill]

Can't say I've ever broken a knife, nor ever seen one broken other than online.

 

[Toddy]

Samon, I've seen a few of your creations, you seem very productive

I've not seen one of the laminated blades do this before though

That was mine.
I was cutting tree ties free that had been allowed to stay so long that they were literally being grown over by the trees.
The edge just slowly curled back.
To say I wasn't pleased is putting it mildly, but I have to give Helle their due; the knife was replaced in very short order indeed, and the replacement has never given me a moment's concern despite a lot of use

I had promised the delaminated knife to Stew to see if he could do something with it. Posted it in due course and it disappeared somewhere into the morass of the post office's ether

If it turns up anywhere, it's incredibly recognisable and I'd appreciate it back so I can keep my promise.

M

 

[Janne]

Do not trust the Norwegians to do a laminated blade properly. Only trust the Swedes and Japanese!
Edit:
And the Finns!

 

[knifeman]

I heard a story about this this old guy that broke his blade pretty bad but his army buddy repaired it and gave it to the guys great great grandson!

Before

After
View attachment 39815

I heard about that. He did a good job!


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[sunndog]

Chaard, awsome!

Mary, never seen anything like that before

Don't think i'v broken a knife since before puberty....so once every 20 years or so i'll just bin it

 

[SoldierPalmer]

I had an old flat grinded knife with a huge chip out of the blade through misuse. This thread inspired me to take it out the draw and do something with it. I cut the metal back to the top of the chip and put a new shape and grind to it. It's now a Scandi grind wood cutter for my wife.

 

[Stew]

That was mine.
I was cutting tree ties free that had been allowed to stay so long that they were literally being grown over by the trees.
The edge just slowly curled back.
To say I wasn't pleased is putting it mildly, but I have to give Helle their due; the knife was replaced in very short order indeed, and the replacement has never given me a moment's concern despite a lot of use

I had promised the delaminated knife to Stew to see if he could do something with it. Posted it in due course and it disappeared somewhere into the morass of the post office's ether

If it turns up anywhere, it's incredibly recognisable and I'd appreciate it back so I can keep my promise.

M

I thought that was your one. That was a long time back!