Reducing Knife Blade Length
- Thread starter foxtrot
- Start date
All terrible advive, don't do it, buya shorter one. Or if you have to you can use a hacksaw and fine file.
I've cut throught blades with a hacksaw. You will need a good blade in your saw mind, molybendium. Some of the 10 pack hacksaw blades go blunt on screws! And filing, yup
So probably easier for him to use the belt sander he has access to already - not that terrible advice after all.
I agree that a longer belt stays cooler. It's not only the belt length, it's also that much of the length of the belt is exposed to air on the back side, too. The machine I have, like the one in the page I linked to, have a short belt whose cloth back is almost always close to or in contact with the machine, so it can get hot more quickly.
Nevertheless, if it's just for occasional use for jobs like this, such a machine is very useful, and I've done an enormous amount of work on mine, using both the belt and the disc. And I don't think that a 72" belt would have heated up any less. For example, reshaping Opinel blades from the traditional shape to a sheepsfoot, I found that the blade was heating up much more than the belt; I don't think that a cloth backed belt does anything to conduct heat away from the workpiece.
So probably easier for him to use the belt sander he has access to already - not that terrible advice after all.
Post tempering I would not touch a blade with a grinder unless it was cooled, but thatt just my personal opinion, I know Alan wood sharpens his own knives via a dry belt sander.
Cutting a SAK knife up to make it shorter and turning it into a non locker seems like a bad idea, what could you possibly want on a 4 inch sack other than the blade and saw that cannot be replicated by a smaller knife. And if it's the saw buy a saw.
I reduced the blade length of 2 original Germany army knives with a dremel (clone) a few years ago, First I placed the blade in a vice having wrapped the blade & GAK body with damp cloth to prevent loss of temper & to prevent sudden closure.
Both are UK legal and are daily carries by my son in law & myself.
I just increased the sharpening notch till the cutting edge was under 3" and replaced the locking side plate with one of the linerlock side plates which dosnt have the cut out
I don't really see the point though, you can have SAKs that you have to have a reason to carry, and those you can carry freely. I have both, the locking version for when I can justify it, and the non locking less than 3 inch version for when I can't. No need to botch up a knife in either case.
I had my own very valid reasons GAK's are non locking for a start. Whilst the cutting edge is all that is usually quoted in articles. I remember when the Criminal justice Act 1988 was originally introduced it said a blade length of less than 3": Therefore blade length is also important ; however is not often quoted I believe that because of e a Stated Case a precedent in law has been set re a 3" cutting edge. As far as I am aware a 3" blade length is still law otherwise theoretically you could have a much longer blade if it only had a 3" cutting edge (S.1 Prevention of crimes act 1953 would then apply). Initially lock knives were safe until 2 other stated cases excluded them from the CJA1988
Below is part of a guidance document for yachtsmen which also applies to us.
"Other KnivesThe current legal position is that by virtue of S.139 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 it is anoffence for a person to have in a public place a knife (other than a folding pocket knife witha blade of less than 3 inches) or other bladed or pointed article; however, it is a defence for that person to show that they had good reason or lawful authority to have the knife etc. withthem;
it is also a defence for a person to show that they had the article with them for use atwork, as part of any national costume or for religious reasons.A public place is anywhere that the public has, or is permitted to have, access to even ifthe public must pay for such access.
A privately owned car or other vehicle is regarded asbeing a public place while the vehicle is on the public highway.It is also established that a folding knife having a pointed blade of less than three inches inlength and capable of being secured in an open position by a locking device is not a foldingpocket knife within the meaning of S.139 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988.
As such, if afolding knife has a locking blade of any length then it will be an offence for a person to haveit in a public place without good
reason or lawful authority. This may apply to many popularbranded multi-tools.The penalty for committing an offence under S.139 of the Criminal Justice Act 1988 iscurrently imprisonment for a term not exceeding six months (12 months in Northern Ireland),or a fine not exceeding the statutory
maximum, or both (in the Magistrates Court) orimprisonment for a term not exceeding four years, or a fine, or both (in the Crown Court.)"
© Royal Yachting AssociationUpdated: 14 February 2017 (This guidance note has been produced with the assistance of the Association of Chief Police Officers of England, Wales and N. Ireland)- ACPO is now the Association of Chief Police officers
