sharping clip swedge

D

Derf

Joined
Jan 29, 2004
Messages
39
I was thinking about sharpening the swedge on my BK9. Not to a razor edge but enough to increase penetration. Am aware this will make the tip weaker but i don't see this as a problem since i will not be prying very hard if at all with it. It seems like the tip will still be fairly strong anyway.
Any opinions?? :cool: Also, would this affect the warrenty? If yes then how.
Thankya vedy much
 
Adding a military "penetrator" style tip to your BK9, which is little more than just sharpening the front portion of the swedge, should improve penetration. Doing this, as opposed to sharpening the entire swedge, retains much of the usability of the knife for other purposes, such as batoning or using two-handed as a drawknive.

As regards tip strength ... BK9's have been known to have the tips break off:


becker_combat_bowie_damaged.jpg



That particular mishap occurred some time ago, and I've wondered if either a) it was not representative of most BK9's or Beckers in general, or b) if Camillus might have since altered its heat treatment to make the knives tougher. I raised these questions (along with others) in the following thread a while back:

http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=293797

but never received any reply. I even emailed Tom Williams (CAMCO) about that thread, but didn't hear back.

So, is the tip of your BK9 prone to breakage? I don't know. I haven't broken mine yet, but I'm not a real hard user. Will it be more prone to breakage if you sharpen the swedge? Yes ... but it's hard to say if it's going to be tough enough for whatever you intend to do with it. I seriously doubt Camillus would warranty your knife against tip breakage if you sharpen the swedge.

Dave
 
Thank Ya Vedy Much for your input Dave. It sounds very logical. However, I was thinking of sharpening the entire clip, say to an angle of 25 degrees per side. Any thoughts or opinions from MR. Fennell or MR. Becker on this subject? Yes it would make the tip weaker. But wouldnt it make the tip beter suited for more delicate work than the knife was intended for without the clip sharpened?
Thank Ya Vedy Much again
 
Hi again, Derf.

Not sure what kind of delicate work you've got in mind ... uh, unless it's delicate stabbing. :)

I keep hoping Will, Ethan, or somebody from Camillus will start joining in these discussions on a more frequent basis. Looking at the Spyderco and Swamp Rat forums here on BFC, I get the impression it generates a lot of goodwill -- and sales -- when the company sponsors/moderators are involved.

Dave
 
Dave,
You are right. I too would like to see more responses by a Camillus rep on this forum. It seem like it takes forever to get a response to your questions.
What do other people think ?

JOCKO (10002)
 
POOF! And here I am!

Let's see if I can help a little. Sharpening the swedge on the BK9 PROBABLY would not void the warranty. I have to quanify that by saying that if the swedge was over heated while sharpening and then the tip broke off, then it may not be covered. A lightly sharpened swedge and/or one done correctly would not void the warranty. Each knife is taken on a case by case basis rather than strict "yes or no" approach. You would be surprised at the condition of some knives that are returned to us.

As far as any of the Becker line having a high rate of returns for broken tips, I have not been aware of any recently but I will check with others and get back about this.

Regarding the company/moderators joining in more, I'll try to help out more often. Sorry. We're here for you. :cool:
 
Thanks, Rick. Of course, seeing that you've only made 24 posts since January '03 ... you sure you're up for the challenge of answering all the questions that are bound to be coming your way now? ;)

Dave
 
Rick (CamillusColClub) -- just wanted to follow up on this, see if you've been able to find out anything re: breakage/brittleness. This is one area of performance where I'm just not sure what I can expect of my Becker.

Thanks!
Dave
 
CD,
I have checked with QC and they reported that they get very few Becker returns overall and that broken tips are not common.
 
Thanks, Rick.

Something I think would be helpful, and probably really appreciated by many here, would be a few photos showing what kind of flex the larger Beckers are able to take before breaking or taking a set. Not that I'd ever expect Camillus to recommend or warranty a knife for use as a wrecking bar, but folks do sometimes use knives for prying, after all.

In a demanding situation, it'd be reassuring to know that you could flex your BK9, say, 30°, without much likelihood of there being a problem.

Think maybe?

Regards,
Dave
 
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