How to straighten a bent tip?

J

Jeep274

Joined
Jan 3, 2006
Messages
17
I was working on a ladder in the garage and dropped my Spyderco Delica on the conc. floor. It broke off about 1/32" of the tip which I plan on repointing, but it also put a slight bend in the last 1/8" to 1/4" of the tip.

This Delica has the ATS-55 blade. Can I heat up the blade tip with a heat gun and put it in a vise to correct the bend? It really is a slight bend, nothing like 30* or anything. Thanks for any tips (pun intended)!
 
Don't you even dare put that blade to a heat gun! :eek: I don't know how high yours goes, but my heat gun can light paper on fire- that'll kill the temper. Try gentle pressure, while wearing gloves to protect your hands.
 
Sword and Shield said:
Don't you even dare put that blade to a heat gun! :eek: I don't know how high yours goes, but my heat gun can light paper on fire- that'll kill the temper. Try gentle pressure, while wearing gloves to protect your hands.
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Thanks for the heads up. I was concerned about the temper but have never attempted anything like this before. I will give it a go with gentle pressure and no heat as you suggest. I'm hoping that since the blade bent in the first place, it may not break when attempting to correct the bend.
 
Knife-grade stainless steel does not respond well to straightening. It is really likely to break. When it is bent the material gets more brittle. Bending it back tends to break it or just make it more brittle. Your heat gun treatment may not be as crazy as it sounds. If you heat the blade up to 500 degrees for a couple of minutes you shouldn't soften the blade appreciably, but you may reduce the chance of breaking the blade. The problem is to do it in a very controlled manner and without overheating your handle.

I would whittle a couple pieces of wood to match the curve you want to eliminate. I want something that I could sandwich around my blade and put in a vice or between a C-clamp and a bench. The idea is to heat the end of the blade (not the whole blade) and then slowly clamp it between curved blocks to reverse the current bend. You need the blocks curved rather than flat since you need to push the blade past flat to undo the current bend. I am approximating how far you need to push the blade past flat as about as about much as it is currently bent. When you put the blade between the blocks it should be pushing the blade in the opposite of the direction of the initial bent state.

I would use something like hot corn oil or peanut oil to heat the blade. I would preheat about one inch of oil in a small diameter sauce pan. I would use a candy or deep fat thermometer to check that I got the oil to a bit under 400-degrees F. You don't want the oil to smoke very much. Turn off the heat. Stick the tip of the blade in the oil for about 20 seconds. Immediately put it between the wooden blocks and slowly tighten your vise or clamp (take about 5 or 10 seconds to get the blade fully clamped). Leave the blade there for about 5 minutes to cool. If this doesn't do the trick you may need to whittle your blocks to a slightly greater bend. After you get the bend out stick the tip in hot oil one more time to try and relieve stress.
 
Whack it with a small hammer. If the blade is stressed, and is going to break it will break then. You can re-tip the blade.
If the bend is not too severe, the hammer should cure it.
I can't recommend the heat gun treatment, as a heat gun is not hot enough to just heat the tip. Conduction will heat the entire blade. A propane torch might be a better option. Heat the blade tip until it just starts to change color. Immediately remove it from the flame, place on an anvil of some sort and hit the blade gently on the outsude of the bend a couple of times. Quench the blade as soon as you do this. Don't take the time to turn the torch off before you use the hammer. Wait until after you quench the blade in water. The quench is not necessary for the blade, but will keep the blade heat from melting your handles.
Bill
 
I agree totally with Bill DeShivs. I would try to straighten it w/a hammer w/moderate taps, not like your trying to bash down a cold horse shoe on an anvil. I would follow his guidlines exactly. Otherwise contact a machine shop or welder type person... Calling the factory would be my last resort. Besides all they wanna do is sell you a new knife

Bull
 
I've never seen any knike with a bent tip be put back as per stock. E-bay has a Delica, buy it now, for 44.00. Item no.6613477572. Hope this helps, sorry about your blade.
 
Thanks for all the replies guys. The small hammer did the trick. I just tapped it on an anvil to straighten the tip and it worked fine. Now I just have to restore the tip with the grinder.
 
You may still want to hit the tip with a heat gun for a couple minutes. Your blade may be very brittle in its current state. The end may break off under stress.
 
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