My first knife build
- This topic has 21 replies, 9 voices, and was last updated 11/25/2015 at 11:01 pm by
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Figured Id share and document the progress on my own first attempt at knife making since it seems both Zamfir and myself and just starting out along this path.
I started with a piece of 01 tool steel 3/32″ x 1″ x 18in long and traced a template onto it.
Then I cut it out with a state of the art hack saw…
After that I went to the Fisher Price 1×30 belt sander for the basic shape…
Followed by a state of the art angle jig to set the primary bevel…
Grind results…
Thus concludes phase 1. There are a few reasons why I didnt free hand the grind on this first one. Mostly having to do with the sander itself being under powered and not smooth enough, and I didnt want to mess it up and start all the way over again. Its hopefully gonna be a xmas gift for my dad.
I left the apex of the primary bevel at about 1/32in thick to finish grinding after heat treating which is next! :S
Thanks to many hours of YouTube research, here is what I came up with and it worked! :ohmy:
Bought a $15 hibachi and a piece of flexible aluminum(?) dryer exhaust vent hose. Expanded the air hole in bbq lower tray and stuck the vent hose in. No tape or anything just bent it around the lips to hold in place.
Stuck a blow dryer on the other end and let it rip. Used plain old charcoal briquets. I made a video(dont laugh :)) and you can see it working. I didnt get video of the blade heating up or dunking in the oil because it was only me and it happened so fast!
Seriously happy with how the little mini coal forge worked! It got the tiny blade red hot in just a few minutes. I held it at a red glow(approx 1500F) for about 5 minutes, checked carefully it was non magnetic, and dunked smoothly in the pre heated oil. No flames n little smoke. Kinda anti-climatic but was totally stoked it worked!
Heres an after shot, tested with a file and it skated right across…
Next I cleaned off the scale and tempered the blade twice at 400F for 2hrs each time, air cooling in between each cycle. Heres the results…
The blade turned an awesome deep golden or “straw” color. Hoping its somewhere around 58-60 on hardness scale, honestly it could be higher but doesnt really matter as this one is designed for light duty utility work n garden trimming etc.
Thats it so far…Ive now just started the really labor intensive part of hand sanding and polishing the blade to be followed after by the handle mounting, shaping, sanding, & final finishing. Piece of cake! :S
Removed & replaced the images. Seems to have fixed. Stupid hackers, hope they didn’t mess you up too bad Clay! :S
Just about finished with final machine sanding. I have to say the little 1×30 does the job on smaller projects just fine if you take your time & go slow.
I’m taking it to 1000 grit to get a head start on hand sanding. Edge thickness is about same as a thumbnail. Lol 😉 Gib had a micrometer for me but I forgot to pack it while visiting him.
Realized last night how much I’ve learned from using the Wicked Edge as I was using a higher grit belt and sharpie to angle match. The same principles apply. Going slow & being keenly observant while check the work frequently etc etc.
Contacted a local supplier of exotic tropical woods today for the handles. Koa, llama, pheasant wood, opiuma, mango, and kamani? I’ve only ever heard of a few of these…stay tuned and thanks to everyone for the awesome support. I’m pretty excited!
Hopefully on the home stretch after a good day building… :blink:
Picked up some absolutely beautiful local woods from a guy that knew exactly what I needed, heres a shot of the Koa wood with an awesome curly grain:
Cut 2 blanks out, sanded them flat, and layed out the scale positions:
Rough cut around the template and finish sanded the front ends where you cant get to easily later without marring the satin blade finish:
I’m trying something different that I hope will work…I took small wood screws cut off the tips so they dont poke through the scales and inserted them on the back so they are inside the tang holes. My hope is the epoxy will form around them and help secure the scales to the knife:
Finally I slather it all in 2 ton epoxy(30min work time/24hr cure time), making sure to fill the holes all the way and wiping the excess drip out from the joint by the ricasso:
Hopeful that tomorrow I can complete the handle shaping, sanding, and finish to call this mission accomplished! :woohoo:
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