Just imagine. You’re about to slice up your food and all of a sudden you drop your knife.
You pick up the knife and you find it intact. However, the knife got a bit bent. Thinking that it won’t matter you proceed to your work.
But things start getting fishy after a few cuts. The slices start coming out uneven. You try to fix it by hand, but you notice that it’s bent from the very tip.
Now, you ask, how to fix a bent knife tip?
Well, actually there are several methods of doing this. And trust us, using pliers isn’t one of those.
Don’t fret. We’re here to help you all the way. Here we’ve scribbled up all the ways of fixing a bent knife. Now, let’s cut right into the details-
Method 1: Using a Brass Hammer
Just as the heading says, we will use a brass hammer to fix that bent tip. But for this, you’ll need a flat surface at first. Also, don’t forget to wear eye goggles before going in all Thor on the knife.
Once you’re ready, lay down the knife blade on the flat surface. It’s better if you clamp the knife at that position. Next, strike hard targeting the bent area.
However, the knife won’t become straight in just one stroke. You’ll need to strike a few times to make it usable over again. And while striking make sure that you’re in a rhythm. That is one soft stroke after one regular strike.
Hopefully, your knife will be back in shape in no time.
Method 2: Using Two Hot Plates
Bent tips mean that there’s tension in the blade steel. Now, you need to release this tension before trying to straighten it up.
Because of this reason the knife tips break while using pliers to straighten them up. However, exposing knives to extreme heat can also damage those. So, how to do it?
Well, there’s a debate among experts about what should be the optimum temperature for fixing a bent knife. So, we decided to test it on our own. And we found a temperature range that would work perfectly.
Now, let’s look into the whole process-
- Find out two steel plates that are bigger than the knife blade. Also, make sure that the steel plates are perfectly flat. Use a leveler if you need to. But triple check this part.
- Heat up the plates to 430 degrees Fahrenheit. This temperature worked for us. So, we’ve assumed that the 400 to 450 degrees is the optimum range.
- Now place the knife blade on one of the plates. Put it in a way so that the knife handle stays out the plate.
- Now, place the other plate over the knife blade.
- Clamp those plates together. Tighten those plates as much as possible.
- Keep those together as long as the plates stay heated.
- Pick up the knife and see if it’s straight. Sharpen it up if you need it.
Hopefully, your knife will become straight after this method.
Method 3: Making a New Tip
This method applies to two types of people.
- People who have tried to fix the tip with pliers and have broken the knife.
- And those who had a bent tip even after method 2.
So, this is the most extreme method. And for this, you need to have access to a few specific items. Here’s the list-
- A marker
- Dremel tool
- Dremel Attachments (Specifically a metal cutting blade, sanding bit, grinding bit, Synthetic polishing brush, wire polishing brush, and felt polishing tip, etc. items)
- A sharpening device
- A honing steel
- A clamp
So, let’s look at how to re-tip a knife-
- At first mark up the new tip. Make sure that you’ve avoided the whole bent part. Shade up the section that you want to remove.
- Next, clamp your knife to your workstation.
- Once the knife’s secured, use that metal cutting blade to cut off the shaded part.
- Use the grinding bit to grind the newly cut part.
- Use the other attachments in this order; sanding drum, wire polishing brush, synthetic polishing brush and felt polishing brush
- Finally, sharpen up the new tip by using a double-sided sharpening stone.
- Once you finish up all these steps, your knife will be good as new. However, it’ll be shorter than before. But still, it’ll cut even slices.
However, there are many ways to do the third method. Like you can file down the bent area to make it usable again. You can use chisels to do this. Basically, if you have anything that can cut the knife blade, then you can use it to re-tip that knife.
Extra Tip: Taking Care of the Knife
Although bent knife tips are mostly caused by accidents, still it has connections with the knife blade health. A good blade may withstand several falls without having any scratch.
So, we have gathered up some pro tips that would keep your knife in a good shape. Let’s look at those, one by one-
- Always try to keep a knife clean and warm.
- While washing knives, only use hands and warm soapy water.
- Don’t put the knives into the dishwashers.
- Store the knives on a wooden magnetic strip or in a leather pouch or in a knife roll.
- Lastly, make sure to sharpen up your knives at least once in a year.
There’s no guarantee that these tips will save your knife from any damage. Just follow these for the sake of cleanliness and perfection. Take care of your knives and those will be grateful to you.
Bottom Line
Now you know how to fix a bent knife tip. We hope that your knife gets fixed before reaching method three. Because re-tipping the knife is a skillful job. Lastly, no matter what method you follow, don’t forget to take safety measures. Good luck.
