blade bending

[glowstix]

ok, i'm clueless about this but why do people bend the blade back into shape by sliding it under the shoe??

[davtsung]

Cause it works in getting out awkward bends.... like one up one down etc

[prototoast]

Well, you really don't want to slide the blade through your hand, so under the foot is the next logical thing.

[Alain]

Why under the foot? - because it's the most effective (and safest) way to get a nasty bend or kink out of the blade. If you try to bend the blade in your hand, sometimes you can cut yourself, and also the blade may snap (I've seen it happen). It always helps to warm up the blade first, by rubbing it with an old towel, which helps to make it more pliable whilst also reducing the chance of it snapping.

[The Armourer]

... and the friction on the bottom of the foot whilst sliding the blade beneath it usually warms the blade enough for it to accept the correction of an awkward bend.

[davtsung]

... and the friction on the bottom of the foot whilst sliding the blade beneath it usually warms the blade enough for it to accept the correction of an awkward bend.

You said what I said, just more fancy and with the word whilst

[Torg]

i think i got started bending it because i was using a school blade and every time i hit straight on (hey, i was a n00b) it would bend up. i've been told if it bends up too many times it breaks much more easily, and that it's meant to bend down. if you hit straight on it's got a bigger chance of bending down. it's also something to do after a tough point when you don't want to just stand there

[foilz]

It's mechanics. You can put more pressure, and more friction on the blade, as you draw it back between your foot and the floor than you ever could through your hand. As you draw it back, you are consistently curving the blade, your foot and the floor being solid constant factors. The pace of your pull probably has something to do with it (relative to friction). You also control the amount of correction by the angle you set the blade, relative to the floor -- steep angle, more bend; low angle, less bend. It's just a better way to bend a badly bent blade. The LP people will know for sure, but I only work on the third of the blade near the tip, which for me is the part that actually bends.