Delica 4 Tip/Spine mod

[Fred Sanford]

I got tired of the hump right before the tip so I got rid of it. I first used 150 grit and then went down to 250, 600 and 1000. Even did the last 20 or so strokes on a mouse pad so I get the slightly rounded corners on the spine so it looks factory. :) Actually it looks better and more polished than factory.

Gotta have the splinter picker tip.

Wanted to share. D4 is still one of my top favorites. :)

[Pneumothorax]

Nice, David! How did you keep the top edge flat? Just held the blade upside down and with sandpaper on a flat surface til you got the hump off?

[Fred Sanford]

Nice, David! How did you keep the top edge flat? Just held the blade upside down and with sandpaper on a flat surface til you got the hump off?

Exactly. Total time was about 20 minutes (not all 20 minutes were sanding). I did stop and check it and then wipe off the blade, etc from time to time.

[ChrisM]

Great job, gotta love a splinter pickin tip.

[gull wing]

I like it! Nice touch on the rounding off of the edges.

[Evil D]

Looks good, sort of gives the illusion that the blade is longer than it is.

[Fred Sanford]

Thanks guys. Here's a pic of the tip "before" for those that don't know.

[Piet.S]

Now that is a fine looking Delica.
Well done.

[Jackson]

Nicely done! Looks a lot better that way imo.

[Jazz]

Great job, Dave! Looks awesome that way, and with the grind it has, it's still pretty strong. Nice pics, as always - thanks for the eye candy. :cool:

- best wishes, Jazz.

[Fred Sanford]

Here's another couple I took tonight inside to give a better idea of the finished tip. The one with the clip is just a freebie extra. FYI, The clip was stripped of paint with a spray on paint stripper and the wire brushed. I don't like the polished look anymore due to it drawing attention. :)

Thanks Jazz and Piet! Always nice to get compliments from some "old forumites", not that I discount the ones from the newbies.

[araneae]

Nice hand work David. Looks great. If you get the itch a belt sander and a buffer make this sort of thing quick work.

[spydutch]

Top notch Dave :cool:

Wish they came that way from the factory.

Now I know what my next project will be :p

Never warmed up to the rounded tip either :mad:

[Creepo]

This thread inspired me to give it a try, I always had disliked the hump so... :cool:


Not quite a straight spine, a very slight leaf shape, I love it. :D


Not perfect but will do. :cool:

[Fred Sanford]

Looks good Creepo. I dig it. Nice work.

[Fred Sanford]

I've had a few requests as to how I did it so I figured I'd post with an answer.

This is what I did.

1) First I put some 150 grit sand paper down on a nice piece of plywood about 12" x 12".

2) I opened the knife and held it with the spine facing down. I then began to run the knife back and forth on the 150 grit. I paid close attention as to not lift it too high and gouge the wood/sandpaper with the tip of the Delica. I continued to do this until it got within about .5mm of where I wanted it to be.

3) I changed the paper to 400 grit and took it down the rest of the way so it was how I wanted it.

4) I then changed the paper to 600 grit and then 1000 grit and did about 40 strokes each on the spine of the blade. After all that was done.....

5) I kept holding the knife spine down but I sort of held it at a 45 degree angle. In addition to this I put a 1/4" thick very spongy mouse-pad under the sandpaper. I did this and had to be extra careful to not gouge the wood as the tip was now way more pointy AND the surface I was sanding was more giving. I moved it back and forth on the 600 grit and then the 1000 grit so that the edges of the spine were no longer sharp and square. More like rounded corners of the spine.

6) Lastly I ran the edge along some white 701 profile stones to bring it to a very nice sharp and crisp point.

That's basically it. Not a big deal. Can be done in about 25 minutes. I have a dremel but it just spins too fast. I don't have a belt sander so I didn't have that option. :)

Kristi, I realize this has become a bit more than a picture thread and I apologize if it is out of line for the picture forum. Please move this thread if you don't mind.

[Creepo]

That's pretty much how I did it too. I just started by sanding down the hump.
When working with the tip I only went one way (pulling motion) so I wouldn't poke into things.

Also if you want it shinier, if you have a strop and stropping compound, you can polish it up on the strop, or you can apply the stropping compound for example on a piece of paper and work on a soft surface. :)

Oh and taping the rest of the blade is a good idea to prevent accidental cuts as well as scratches on the face of the blade.

[swanseajack]

Nice mod gents.