Who can scandi my F1?

[Yorkshire Boy]

I'm returning to England in March.
I would like to have a scandi grind put on my F1.
Who could do this for me and what is a fair price to pay?

The knife didn't cost a fortune and I thought it would be an interesting experiment.
YB.

 

[Martyn]

I'm returning to England in March.
I would like to have a scandi grind put on my F1.
Who could do this for me and what is a fair price to pay?

The knife didn't cost a fortune and I thought it would be an interesting experiment.
YB.

I think a few have tried this before, but run into the problem of not really having enough width on the blade to do it properly. You either end up with an incredibly shallow (weak) bevel, or what looks like a very large secondary bevel.

 

[brancho]

YB
As Martyn knows more about this than me, all I will says use the F1 for what it is useful for and buy a Scandi.

Alf

 

[Yorkshire Boy]

Thanks for the advice. The F1 is more than enough knife for me I know...
But I'll have to give some thought as to what knife I'll get next.
I would like a Woodlore clone, but as to how much I'll end up paying for one I've no idea.
Any recommendations and price points?
Merry Christmas,
YB.

 

[Martyn]

Well there is no reason why you shouldn't try it, but let me try and explain the problem. If you cut a scandi knife in cross section, you will see a V shape. Now if you try and grind that V shape into a knife that already has sloping sides, you will either only get it onto the very edge, or have to reduce the angle to make it a very thin V so the bevels go up the sides, making the edge too thin and weak. It can be done, but the results are not very satisfactory IMO.

A better mod for the F1 is to retain the convex grind, but to thin it down. The F1 is a beefy convex and you can improve the knife by slimming it down a little. Some people also find the handle a little uncomfortable (me included) and putting a new handle on it can also make it more user-friendly. By slimming down the grind and giving it a custom handle, you can make an OK knife into a very good knife.

Scandi's are superb wood-working tools, but (slim) convex grinds are very competent too. A convex grind may be a little more versatile than a scandi though. It all depends on your personal preference. They both require very different sharpening techniques and for some people, this can affect the choice of grind.

There are lots of woodlore clones out there and you should get one for somewhere between £80 and £150 depending on quality, maker, finish etc. Look on britishblades and see what you can find. But woodlore clones are not necessarily the holy grail. Many who have had them, have eventually chosen other knives in preference.

 

[Yorkshire Boy]

Thanks for your advice. First things first I should get a proper knife strop and sharpening paste. I guess it makes sense to sharpen and look after your knife properly.
I've just been using my normal everyday belt and the difference it has made is amazing. A proper strop should really make a difference.
My problem is I make impulse buys and then come to regret my decision later and end up buying again! I should take my time and really see what knives are out there before I make a final choice.
Thanks again, YB.

 

[Shinken]

Ive been meaning to have a go at this for some time, i may get a blade and have ago soon. Id be happy to let you try it out when done, but you are in Japan if your profile is correct!

Edit

Martin, i totally agree with what your saying. Its already a convex and thinning it down does make the knife more useful in my opinion. But i just fancy trying it, the angle is going to be my normal scandi angle irrespective of how small the bevel is.

Will post up results!

 

[British Red]

Do it Ash! Someone needs to find a way to fix that knife

I like the idea that "it'll be a good knife with a different grind and handle"

I have an axe that will be a good axe once I change the head and handle!

Red

 

[Shinken]

Trigger said to Del boy "ive had the same broom for 15 years.......... it's had 10 new heads and 10 new handles"

 

[Martyn]

Thanks for your advice. First things first I should get a proper knife strop and sharpening paste. I guess it makes sense to sharpen and look after your knife properly.
I've just been using my normal everyday belt and the difference it has made is amazing. A proper strop should really make a difference.
My problem is I make impulse buys and then come to regret my decision later and end up buying again! I should take my time and really see what knives are out there before I make a final choice.
Thanks again, YB.

Ahhhh, d0ont listen to them YB, the F1 aint that bad. It's a perfectly serviceable cutting tool, but it's slightly too fat convex grind and a handle that tends to "nip and chafe" has earned it more than a few critics. It's like marmite, some love it, some hate it, but it will cut stuff no matter what and in the absence of something better, I'd happily have one.

Regarding a strop - strops are just bits of leather - nothing more. There is no magic with them. Just use the rough side of an old offcut of veg-tan leather, or the inside of a wide belt and that's as good as it gets. Dont throw money at anything else. Regarding paste - you can stump up for propper polishing compound if you like, but a tub of valve grinding paste from your local automotive store will work perfectly - even toothpaste will work at a push - plus your blade will be minty-fresh.

Seriously, strops are superb, but they are not magic. Dont waste your cash on anything "special". An old bit of leather is perfect, even a bit of cardboard will do at a push.

Yes, look around before buying. Knife choice is very personal. One mans meat is another mans poison, but there are some underlying factors which most agree on. It's worth spending time to look over whats available and read reviews, the tools section here is excellent and (though I would say this because I own the site) britishblades.com is an entertaining and educational resource.

Take your time, dont rush to spend your money, look art whats available and make your choice. There is nothing wrong with a woodlore clone, great design, but there are a lot of others out there that are equally as good if not better.

 

[Yorkshire Boy]

Thanks everyone for the great advice and funny comments!
I'll take the tip about saving the cash and get the cheap belt and polish.
Like I said before the F1 is more than good enough for me but I would like to get something more aesthetically pleasing one day.
I'll let you all know when I've saved enough cash and I'm ready to blow it!
PS.
I'd be very interested to see the results of your experiment Shinken.

YB

 

[rapidboy]

I sent Stuart Mitchell one of my F1's a while ago as i wanted it reprofiled to scandi grind.
My intention was to put it out on a passaround on here with a standard knife but he came to the same conclusion that the edge would be too thin and weak

 

[TheGreenMan]

...I'd be very interested to see the results of your experiment Shinken...

While you’re waiting for the results of Shinken’s experiment, you could read this:
http://www.bushcraftuk.com/reviews/tools/fallkniven-f1-knife.html

Hope this helps, YB

Best regards,
Paul.

 

[michiel]

Making it as scandi isn't possible, but thinning the thick convex edge would be a very good idea imo.

Still don't like the handle, but maybe I'll have a blank thinned down and handled by someone.

Michiel

 

[TheGreenMan]

...thinning the thick convex edge would be a very good idea imo...

This one works quite well, though how well is entirely subjective. Refinements are ongoing:

Best regards,
Paul.

 

[Ahjno]

leon-1 altered the edge of his F1, though don't know if it was either scandi or full flat ... He also did some for others (IIRC even Woody). You can drop him a line to ask what the costs will be, note that postage costs will be pretty steep (I reckon, since you're in Japan) ... No guarantee he will do it, because he's very busy with his own company - and regrinding it (as he does it by hand) will take some time.

HTH

 

[TheGreenMan]

This one works quite well, though how well is entirely subjective...

A word or two about subjectivity. All this photo demonstrates is that I know how to sharpen and hone a convex blade, and that seasoned Lime wood (Tilia vulgaris) can shave well.

Other than that, it may not tell you if the knife is of any use to you for your purposes, but the blade is sharp and it does cut.

Best regards,
Paul.

 

[John Fenna]

Re-shape the blade, rehandle the knife..........why not buy a different knife more in keeping with what you want in the first place?

 

[TheGreenMan]

I might be wrong about this but I think that the F1 may be YB’s first and only fixed blade, John.

In any event, regrinding and re-handling a knife is a useful learning experience, particularly if one does those modifications oneself. You wouldn’t discourage or deny someone an opportunity to learn, would you?

When leon-1 suggested to me that I buy a Lansky to regrind my F1 to a Nordic type of grind (I think sometime last year), I thanked him for his kind suggestion (And I Repped him) but remarked that that if I wanted a knife with flat bevels, I could buy one, and stated pretty much what you have above, but a year down the line, I’m of the opinion that if someone else wants to try and regrind an F1 with flat bevels why question them as to why they might want to try it? After all, we might all get to learn something when we see the results of their efforts.

Best regards,
Paul.

 

[John Fenna]

Good points well made!
I have great fun rehandling knives and have also reground a blade that I realized had been a mistake to buy.
I would never deny anyone a learning experience as I belive that the day I stop learning is the day they can nail my coffin lid down!
If someone is up for remodeling a knife to improve its performance, after having found that it is not as ideal a tool as they thought it would be, then fine.
In my query I asked why not buy a different knife IN THE FIRST PLACE but if it was a case of a first time buy then the experience to realise that it was not going to suit them would not be there and advice from other users is all you can go by!
My post was not intended as critisism of any one merely questioning the purchase of a knife if you were then going to change so much about it when another knife could be bought with the more desirable features in place already.
If you already have a knife that you think you can improve, and are interested in doing the work oneself, it could be the start of a whole new interest - it was for me!
I wish him all good luck with the knife.