Re-Grinding my F1

[sxmolloy]

I am seriously considering re-grinding my Fallkniven F1 from a convex grind to a more flat grind. I have read the F1 review by Neil Andrews and he has done the same although no details were in that (very good, the reason I went for the F1 in the first place) review.

I have found this thread: http://www.bushcraftuk.com/community/showthread.php?t=9404&highlight=regrind and wondered if there is anymore advise available.

I have a DC3 stone (which may be a little small for the job) or the japanesse waterstones (800 grit being my coursest). Will either of these stones do the job as I don't fancy buying more tools

The reason I want to re-gring the edge is that I personally find the "v" or flat shape easier to sharpen both on the japanesse waterstones and on my DC3 and have managed to get a sharper edge on my SAK's than I have on my F1 (althought it is pretty sharp).

Thanks in advance

Stu

 

[Alchemist]

Hello mate. I also asked the question on British Blades before regrinding mine. I am not sure what the link is and I dont know how to get it up for you. It is worth a search.

My first bit of advice is stop. Think about it all and dont act until you are sure. My points in no specific order.

-Why bother? A lot of people still prefer the convex grind so give it a really good trial before you decide. If you still decide to change it later then at least you have the option.
-Scandi grind? Not to get too stuck in terminology. I am talking about the fine flat single bevel straight to the edge, eg Mora. You will not end up with anything resembling a mora if you keep the same angle along the full length of the edge. I used a Lansky which keeps the angle constant for you. As you get to the tip of the edge where it is thicker, you will end up taking of too much metal if you are not careful. In the thread on BB there are a few pictures.
-Easy to sharpen? The flat bevel on a mora is easier to sharpen because you can hold it flat on a stone due to its width. If you change the f1 the bevel width wont be as much as on the mora and sharpening is actually quite tricky.
-Tools? I used the Lansky to get a constant angle along the whole length of the blade. This is a good idea for the straight section of the edge only. But I never use the lansky to resharpen my f1, I just use a dc3. In which case you might as well use the dc3 in the first place.

-My lessons learnt? I think most people thin out there edge to make it finer. IMHO it is definately worthwhile. However, you cant get anything that resembles a mora scandi bevel. If I had to do it again I would use the DC3 and nothing else.
I would use a marker pen to black out about 4mm from the edge. I would then put a v grind on the edge by eye with the DC3. The bevel would be 2mm thick the full length of the edge. This means it would be thicker towards the tip still.

I dont want to put you off, just present the reality. I was stupid enough to try and have the angle of the mora the full length of the blade. This is a bad idea at the tip of the blade and I have ended up with a thinner convex grind on the blade which is really what you will get.

Hope that helps

 

[leon-1]

I am seriously considering re-grinding my Fallkniven F1 from a convex grind to a more flat grind. I have read the F1 review by Neil Andrews and he has done the same although no details were in that (very good, the reason I went for the F1 in the first place) review.

Stu, Neil Andrews is Neil1 on here drop him a PM he will tell you how he reground his and what he used.

 

[Alchemist]

http://www.britishblades.com/forums/showthread.php?t=15484

I knew I could do it.

More importantly, PM Neil1 as the man says

 

[Andy]

I wouldn't fancy doing any major sharpening with a DC03 stone. If it were me doing it (and I have thought about it) then I'd break out the 220grit wet&dry paper, maybe even 120grit

 

[OldJimbo]

Jean-Marc and I ground ours back. I just went for grinding back the convex which could be done with a big sanding pad and emery. I used a belt grinder, though. I believe we have a thread here where JM discusses his totally convexing the blade.
I can't see a Scandi grind working out - for that choose an H1 or A1. As part of my testing I put a true Scandi grind on an A1 and it works well despite the size and weight. It's still going to end up a full convex, though.

 

[happy camper]

Hi sxmolloy,
if you are struggling to sharpen the convex grind on the f1 i'd recommend you try making a "Hoodoo hone" before re-grinding, it's cheap and works very well, i'd say it makes the convex grind by far the easiest to sharpen and maintain without having to worry about ruining the grind. Here's a good thread explaining..
http://www.britishblades.com/forums/showthread.php?t=5004
but if you do a search you'll find plenty of threads here that mention it.

 

[4040]

This is probably the best tutorial for sharpening a convex edge. Check it out you wont be dissapointed with the edge it will get. Shaving sharp every time!

 

[4040]

damn forgot the link

http://www.knifeforums.com/forums/showtopic.php?tid/751826/

 

[sxmolloy]

thanks for all the info guys ( think my head is gonna blow ) i sat down last night and had a good read of all the tips and hints and suggestions made in this threat and all the threads that were suggested and made a few notes.

then i sat and discussed what to do now with my F1 (who wasn't all that helpful ) and we have come to this agreement.

at the moment my f1 will shave the hairs on my arm (which is close to being as bald as my head ), the problem is that it is harder to carve feather sticks and the like with the f1 as apposed to my clipper or SAK. the edges on all three blades have been acheived/touched up on my DC3.

my next step is to try and sharpen the blade on the f1 further using a mousemat, very fine wet & dry paper (as per hoodoo's and british red's technic) but use grits of upto 2000 then to use micro abbrasive paper (upto 10,000 grit as suggested by british red). once i have / or if i do get the edge im after i will knock up my own sharpening kit using the paper that suits the edge the best, and of course strop on my belt.

now, a further question is it possible that im finding it harder to create feather sticks with my f1 due to the fact that the blade is twice as thick as the above mentioned blades? or could it be (as im sure i have read somewhere) the convex grind is just not as good for carving as scandi or V shaped blades?

ooooh my head hurts

if i still cant get the edge im after (i know im a fussy bugger ) i may just take neil1's advice and have a go at re-grinding the blade to look at little like the one in the review, which i think is a more scandi grind but not very high up the blade, if that makes sense?

as always thanks for your patience, understanding and help! :You_Rock_

Cheers....stu (sxmolloy)

 

[falcon]

now, a further question is it possible that im finding it harder to create feather sticks with my f1 due to the fact that the blade is twice as thick as the above mentioned blades? or could it be (as im sure i have read somewhere) the convex grind is just not as good for carving as scandi or V shaped blades?

It's a curious thing this........at one stage I found it easier with the F1 than scandi blades ....I think it's back to what that great Swede Preben Mortensen advised us..."..you must practice ". So I put some practice in with various blades and, having done so, don't give a thought to which blade I'm using now.....it just happens. Just try experimenting with slightly different blade angles and I'm sure you'll crack it.

 

[British Red]

now, a further question - is it possible that im finding it harder to create feather sticks with my f1 due to the fact that the blade is twice as thick as the above mentioned blades? or could it be (as im sure i have read somewhere) the convex grind is just not as good for carving as scandi or V shaped blades?

Stu,

You have it mate! The grind angle and type make a heck of a difference to how the knife performs at different tasks.

Now I'm no knife maker like Shing or Chris, nor an expert like Hoodoo or Old Jimbo - just a guy who uses knives a lot, but here is my take

The type of grind affects the ability of the blade edge to part or cut the fibres of the wood. The flatter the grind and the smaller the angle between the bevels, the easier a push cut (especially with the grain as in a feather stick) becomes. However, the narrower that angle, the more fragile the blade edge becomes and the easier it is to damage it. The convex grind produces a more "rounded" cutting edge. Whilst perhaps not as efficient as a scandy grind where the bevels are flat, it is stronger and less likely to chip. I reckon you could do great curls with a scalpel (which are chisel or scandi as a rule ....but...

Clearly this is an oversimplification as use, metallurgy etc. play a part, but, all other things being equal, I reckon thats about right. You can have the same debate about steel hardness - hard cuts well but is more fragile, softer is more resilient to snapping - laminates again try to balance these things

Hope that helps a little - all these things are a compromise

Red