You are using your bowie knife for a particular project when it suddenly drops from your grasp. It lands point first on a rock and when you pick it up, you realize that the tip is bent. Or perhaps you lent your bowie knife to a friend who, for reasons unknown to you, decided that it looked like an ideal replacement for that screwdriver he or she lost a week ago. When the knife comes back, the blade is bent. What do you do about a bent blade on your bowie knife? What are your options?
What should you do, should you realize that the tip or blade of your knife is bent? How do you repair bowie knives with bent blades? The very first thing you need to do is scrutinize where the bend is located. The most common area of damage is to the point of the knife. This might be because you dropped the knife point first onto a hard surface, such as a rock or cement. It might also be because someone attempted to pry with the blade or use it as a screwdriver. Bowie knives should not be used thus.
If just the tip of the knife is bent, you can try to bend it back as well, using a pair of pliers. Usually, this will result in the tip snapping off the blade, though. If this happens, it’s possible to use a whetstone to reshape and sharpen the damaged portion of the blade. Obviously, this is not a great scenario. While you will have a usable knife, it certainly will not look the same ever again.
A professional blacksmith or cutler will be the one best suited to repairing that bent blade. These professionals are able to handle numerous types of damage. Even if you feel that you might be able to repair the damage on your own, you might consider taking your knife to a professional simply because they can do it faster, easier and with more precision.
These professionals will use high heat to make sure that your blade becomes malleable, without losing its vital temper. You’ll also find that cutlers can repair damaged blades if the tip has broken off. Though the knife will be somewhat shorter than it was originally, you’ll have a functional blade tip once more.
Dave is the owner of an online bowie knife and glock grip extension store.
