$0.75 Start to finish bushcraft knife in less time then it takes to get a pizza.

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Edited as to not continue any felt hostility. Thank you for the helpful comments.

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Everybody has to start somewhere, and my first knives were pretty similar I am sure. You came off a bit insulting implying that all of the people in this forum are wasting money on art, when what you made is just as good.
Having ground quite a few blades, I can say with some certainty that you overheated the file and lost whatever hardness it had. You could certainly heat treat it (tempering is merely one part of the equation) and get a usable edge out of it, if you choose. Stick around, and do some reading, these guys are pretty smart.
 
You can close it.

Your "knife" is a joke, sorry.

Batoning has it's place.

You shop for knives at Walmart? That explains a lot.

There are art knives here, and there are cheap functional knives here.

Making a file have a sharp edge is about as awesome as it gets, go start a bush craft class.
 
Why do you assume File = Good Steel?

Some files are case hardened. This means the steel on the outside is hard but the inside is soft.

Call me and I'll give you a free piece of blade steel for you to make a knife from. Have the knife properly heat treated and compare the knife against other knives you have. You may find the comparison interesting.


Chuck
 
I have no issue with your idea, your intent or you posting this.

I only want to make two points:

1. a 4 foot long bar of 1084 steel is less than $20. How many knives can you make out of that? Quite a few. That brings the cost down to compete with old files. Additionally, you then have KNOWN steel with KNOWN heat treating data that will produce consistent, repeatable results. Also, the heat treating regimen is near foolproof which is a plus if you plan to use a torch or a camp fire to heat treat it. You can botch the heat treat and still end up with a decent knife. These facts should totally kill the desire to use mystery steel and yet...........the myth that mystery steel is cheaper or just as good in quality continues.

2. Please don't make the mistake of thinking that the knives in Coop's galleries couldn't be used if desired. You might not use them, and indeed most might not. But many (maybe 90% or more) of them are made to be used if desired. Every maker I know pours his heart and soul into the heat treat and edge geometry of those blades then tests those blades on materials simulating the intended real world use of that blade. Only after passing these tests, is the knife finished and made all 'pretty' and turned into 'art'. There are many threads showing the actual use of high end and expensive knives. They are used for all kinds of cutting tasks, everything from processing wood to processing game and even sometimes get the snot beat out of them. So just because you wouldn't use them, don't dismiss them as art only. They could be used and could even excel at the task.....depending.

Other than that, good luck and carry on and have fun with your project.
 
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Alpha Knife Supply said:
Why do you assume File = Good Steel?

Some files are case hardened. This means the steel on the outside is hard but the inside is soft.

Call me and I'll give you a free piece of blade steel for you to make a knife from. Have the knife properly heat treated and compare the knife against other knives you have. You may find the comparison interesting.


Chuck
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I'll heat treat it if big boy pays shipping both ways.

I like where this is going. I've bought a couple of knives and said man I'm going to use the piss of of this next time I go out but I didn't then I sold them. I see your point big boy. I'm seeing a TEOTWAWKI kind of vibe going here. But it did cost more than 75 cents, the work sharp belts and the angle grinder disc cost someone something at some point.

Let's make another knife man! Chuck gave you a nice offer.
 
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Yeah I got in contact with him via email so we will see what happens I just want options for the common man. I want something I do not have to worry about scratching or losing. Yeah it was a little more then 75 cents but you are starting to get the point thank you.
 
Thank you Chuck at Alpha Knife Supply he is sending out a nice piece of 5160 to play around with so hopefully we can get something decent made to provide some more cheap options.
 
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Hey Bigboy you have great philosophy: get up, get out, make something yourself, keep your mind open, etc. Nothin' wrong with that!
 
I don't understand why this thread would cause anyone to act like an asshole. Keep at it, file guy.
 
bigboysbushcraft said:
Thank you for your suggestions. I was looking through your art gallery you have and very beautiful knives in there and you all do work I have never seen before. You are right this knife does not come close to any of those. On the same note I would never carry any of those knives out to the woods as they are art. You can remove this post at any time. I did not realize there are more people on here that would rather make there knives out of "titanium" and "gold" then actually get out and use the knives. My main area is bushcraft I know about knife sharpening and also repairing blades as I worked in a saw and knife sharpening company for a few years and even welded teeth back into 40 inch hedging blades for orange groves and such. I admire your art form and what you do that being said there are different flavors to knives some people treat them like tools as they are. I do not make sure all my nails are perfect before putting them into wood for example because there job as a tool is to hold the wood. Same thing with a knife its job is to cut nothing more nothing less. You all are artists and the work you do is amazing and well beyond anything the common person is capable of I guess I assumed there would be people on here that would be looking for a cheap blade or an idea on how to make a cheap one for camping. I was wrong sorry.
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My post was a little brash and I apologize for that. My first two were made from files only I didn't want to show people them because they were rough.
Its great that you want to share your knowledge with others. If I may suggest, try buying a known steel like O1 and make a few more.
 
bigboysbushcraft said:
I have seen blade tempering via propane torch or using a camp fire. I do not have an electronic controlled tempering machine and I am not sending it out to get done any suggestions?
Click to expand...

Check out Murray Carter's videos and books. He does it by heating the blade in the forge (a camp fire would work as well) and sprinkling water on it. The way it responds tells you the temperature.
In his book he mentions, if I remember correctly, water pooling and evaporating, sizzling and evaporating, droplets dancing and evaporating and then the drops bouncing off.. each corresponding to a temperature range. I can't off the top of my head remember exactly the reaction you're looking for but I think it's the last one. Try it and test it until you get a temperature that works for you.
 
I knew that there would be posts on both sides of the coin, hence my "popcorn" comment.

Is it possible to make a good knife from a file? You betcha, as long as its made from good steel and you don't get it too hot when grinding it. Bob Loveless made his first knives from files tempered in a galley stove on a ship and we all know how that turned out. I'm afraid that you got the one in the video too hot so I suggest you keep them cool from now on.
Chuck & Shaw made you a really good offer. I suggest that you use one of those files to turn that piece of steel into a blade and send it to Shaw for H/T. I was going to offer to H/T it for you but Shaw beat me to it. If you need a pair of Micarta or G-10 scales let me know the approximate size you need and I'll be glad to cut you a pair and send them to you.
One thing you need to realize about the knives on this site. No matter what the price, materials, or degree of finish, they are ALL first and foremost high quality cutting tools. I don't know of maker that puts fit and finish above performance. I've seen some very expensive knives on the belts of hunters and they weren't wearing them for show. They use them for anything and everything they would use a $20 knife for. There are knives on here that sell for $30 and up and each one has its place but an overheated file is just, well, an overheated file.
I look forward to seeing what you make from the steel Chuck sends you and if I can help you anywhere along the way don't hesitate to contact me.
 
darrin sanders said:
I knew that there would be posts on both sides of the coin, hence my "popcorn" comment.

Is it possible to make a good knife from a file? You betcha, as long as its made from good steel and you don't get it too hot when grinding it. Bob Loveless made his first knives from files tempered in a galley stove on a ship and we all know how that turned out. I'm afraid that you got the one in the video too hot so I suggest you keep them cool from now on.
Chuck & Shaw made you a really good offer. I suggest that you use one of those files to turn that piece of steel into a blade and send it to Shaw for H/T. I was going to offer to H/T it for you but Shaw beat me to it. If you need a pair of Micarta or G-10 scales let me know the approximate size you need and I'll be glad to cut you a pair and send them to you.
One thing you need to realize about the knives on this site. No matter what the price, materials, or degree of finish, they are ALL first and foremost high quality cutting tools. I don't know of maker that puts fit and finish above performance. I've seen some very expensive knives on the belts of hunters and they weren't wearing them for show. They use them for anything and everything they would use a $20 knife for. There are knives on here that sell for $30 and up and each one has its place but an overheated file is just, well, an overheated file.
I look forward to seeing what you make from the steel Chuck sends you and if I can help you anywhere along the way don't hesitate to contact me.
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Thank you as well yeah I was looking for handle material as well I was using hardwood but the brass pins/brass rod cut down broke the last piece of hardwood I went to use for a handle when I went to peen it to expand it alittle bit. I was looking on Chucks/Alpha site and they had some discounted G10 but I will need to wait till I get paid to order some hopefully they are still there lol.

I know its not the same but I made these in the woods with a buck knife and some sand paper and a sharpened screw driver.

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