Fixing misshapen blades

[Justin Blackford]

I have a problem regarding a cutting blade of mine that got misshapen. It got that way because my father decided for himself that swordsmanship is a waste of time and while I was away he oversharpened it so that the edge would be really screwed up. I tried it out on some milk jugs filled with water and it still cuts very well on one side(although that is the misshapen edge). The other edge has been dulled! It still broke the milk jugs(but only partially; the other edge cut right through them with ease). The dulled edge is not as misshaped, but this was an expensive blade and I don't want to throw it away, especially since it still cuts fine.
So, how does one fix this type of problem? Should I dull out the edge on the one side that is sharp but warped (almost wavy in appearance) until it is straight and then resharpen it? This is a very strange problem for me and I would seriously appreciate some help on this.

Justin

[Brian Hunt]

Without seeing the extent of the damage, it would be hard to give you really good advice. You will probably have to completly reshape both edges. This is a long process to do it right. If you have a copy of David Lingholm's book, there is a really nice article in there on sharpening a sword. This may be your best chance of re-establishing a correct bevel and edge to your sword.

Good luck

Brian Hunt
GFS

[Justin Blackford]

I'm not really good at uploading pictures on computers and website, but if I figure it out, I'll show you what I mean.

I do have the book "Knightly Art of the Longsword", and that shall benefit me greatly on how to sharpen it when I get it back in shape.

But, for right now, the one side isn't terribly distorted, just a little warped, but since it still cuts, that tells me that it can be fixed. It's mostly a little wavy towards the hilt. I'll upload a pic later when I figure out how to do it.

Justin

[robrobertson]

I hate to have to tell you this, but if you have to ask the question, then you most likely don't have the skill to fix the problem yourself. Without having actually seen the blade, it's hard to give advice, but as in all areas of life there ARE principles that apply.

There's an old saying, "You can never change just one thing!" What you have to deal with when ever there's a scratch, dent etc. isn't so much seen as the depth of the flaw as the elevation of the rest of the blade above the lowest point. In other words, you're going to have to reshape the whole blade! Each bevel! It will need to be balanced and match each other.

If you're REALLY intent on this, and haven't done this before, whgich it sounds like, DON'T use power tools. Better yet, make a practice blade with file and hand sanding. It isn't the fastest way to make a blade!!! It IS however the fastest way to gain the necessary skill to not compound the problem.

Good luck !!!

Rob

[Shane Smith]

hate to have to tell you this, but if you have to ask the question, then you most likely don't have the skill to fix the problem yourself. Without having actually seen the blade, it's hard to give advice, but as in all areas of life there ARE principles that apply.

There's an old saying, "You can never change just one thing!" What you have to deal with when ever there's a scratch, dent etc. isn't so much seen as the depth of the flaw as the elevation of the rest of the blade above the lowest point. In other words, you're going to have to reshape the whole blade! Each bevel! It will need to be balanced and match each other.

If you're REALLY intent on this, and haven't done this before, whgich it sounds like, DON'T use power tools. Better yet, make a practice blade with file and hand sanding. It isn't the fastest way to make a blade!!! It IS however the fastest way to gain the necessary skill to not compound the problem.

Good luck !!!

Great post. I am inclined to agree! <img src="/forum/images/icons/grin.gif" alt="" /> I personally have no concerns blending out a minor cosmetic scratch though.I consider that a necessary task for most any Swordsman.