Fixing Bent Blades on Bowie Knives

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Fixing Bent Blades on Bowie Knives

Even the most well-made Bowie knife can become bent if misused. These knives have thick blades, which accounts for a great deal of their utility. They also have very heavy blades, which makes it tempting for some users to employ their Bowie knife as an impromptu prying tool, hatchet or other device. While the rugged Bowie design is capable of handling such tough jobs, it's inevitable that the blade will be damaged from these tasks.

The Bowie knife design was conceived with the intention that one would be availed of an excellent fighting knife and a durable, all-around survival knife. Many Bowies today, however, are made out of very expensive materials and some of those materials are specialized. The less expensive grades of stainless steel, such as 420, may be able to be bent out of and back into shape, but the more expensive types may well break before regaining their original shape.

A Bowie knife made of lower-grade steel can sometimes be bent back into shape with a simple leverage device. Sometimes, it will have to be heated and bent back into shape in a vice or on an anvil. While this may restore the straightness of the blade, there's a good chance that the blade will be wrecked by this, as well. This is because of the temper of the blade, a feature which gives it a great deal of its utility.

A Bowie knife blade is tempered via a precise process of heating and cooling. Improperly heating the blade can destroy the temper. This will affect the edge-holding properties of the blade, the strength of the blade and its flexibility. In most cases, an individual who tries to straighten their own blade risks a ruined blade or a broken blade, which can cause serious injuries when they snap. Like all fine cutting tools, a Bowie benefits from having repairs done by an individual who understands the subtleties of good steel.

In some cases, Bowie knives can be purchased so cheaply that a bent blade may mean that it's time to buy a new knife. Bowies are versatile tools, but one shouldn't use an expensive knife to perform mundane and punishing tasks. Good Bowies should be used only for tasks that won't ruin the knife and which exploit its advantages as a tool.