Help Dave, I dropped my marking knife...

[Jason Simon]

I am the proud owner of one of your beautiful marking knives.

Hoever, given the shape of the blade, I knew immediately that I was in trouble when I dulled the blade.

Unfortunately, the requirement came earlier than later when, while using the knife, it slipped from my hands and met my shop floor square in the tip. :(

I possess a few waterstones up to 4000 grit, and a diamond sharpener with a ~320 and ~1200 side.

Any tips on fixing the blade? It is not too bent out of shape, but it no longer marks nice and pretty like before...

[Dave Anderson NH]

Before I can offer any assistance I'll need a bit more info. Was the blade tip broken off, or did you just bend the blade (and if so, where)? The blade is only hardened to Rc62-63 for about 3/4" and progressively gets softer as it approaches the brass ferrule. If the bend is near the ferrule, you Might (emphasize might) be able to cold bend it back to its normal position. If the tip is broken off, you have a bit of a hand repointing and sharpening to do with coarse stones and then touchup with finer stuff. You can also reshape the blade tip with a stationary belt sander, but this is risky business because it can draw the temper and there is also a risk of removing too much metal and making a hask of the shape of the blade. It is very hard to get a consistent shape and set of angles on both bevels. If you have a digital camera, the best help would be to either post a picture here or email it to me at dave@chestertoolworks.com. I'll help you any way I can.