Bowie Knives and Bent Blades

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.

Bending a knife back into shape is possible, but dangerous. When metals weren't of a high quality, such as before the invention of good steel, swords and knives could be bent back into shape over and over again. Even cheap Bowie knives are made out of better materials than the best Iron Age swords. Unfortunately, this means that the blade is at risk of snapping as modern metals are very hard and not flexible. If one attempts to simply muscle the Bowie back into proper shape, they may get quite an injury from the snapping blade.

If one is absolutely determined to straighten the knife on one's own, special tools are required. At the very least, one will need a torch, a vice or anvil and a hammer. The knife will have to be heated and then bent back into shape while supple. Bowie knives are made out of tempered steel, however, and heating tempered steel incorrectly ruins the advantages of the temper. It's best to have a professional perform work of this sort as one is likely to destroy their knife altogether.

If a Bowie knife becomes severely bent, it may be better to simply purchase a new one. Very expensive Bowies should never be put to uses that may ruin the blade, such as prying, hammering or hatchet work. These high-end blades tend to be made to take, and hold, and edge. To that end, the steel is more likely to be brittle and breakable than it is to be bendable and soft.