I tried the Search Function but I must be getting it wrong.

I was wondering how you guys cut such clean, nice nail nicks on your slipjoint folders. I have tried a couple of different ways, but without success. Can it be done without a milling machine ?

I'm sure there's a tutorial around somewhere that I've overlooked. I'd be very grateful if I could get some direction on this. Thanks. Jason.

Hello Jason,

I was like you and tried several different methods for cutting nail nicks before someone told me about a method which I use now. I now use a 1-3/8" dovetail cutter in a mini-milling machine.

My method is to grind the side of the blade where the nail nick will be. I leave the other side flat and attach the blade through the pivot hole to a piece of steel. The blade will be held upside down with the edge up, and the piece of steel it's attached to will be clamped in a milling vice. Then with the dovetail cutter running pretty slow, I slowly move the blade into the cutter to the depth I want the nick. I do not move the blade side to side, just in and out. Once I get the depth I want, I speed the cutter up and move the blade just slightly in to get the nick clean.

Once I have my nick in the blade I grind the other side of the blade and heat treat. By heat treating the blade after cutting the nick, the nick is left nice and black after the rest of the knife is cleaned up. Some people like a clean nick, but I prefer a dark one.

Hope this has helped. -chris

Ahhh, question answered. Superb. Many thanks. Chris. Jason.

I read about one guy, who bent his blade hot, then filed it in with a half-round file, then straightened the blade.

I have used a cutoff wheel in a fordom and ground it in after heat treat, took a little practice but came out good. Gib