2nd knife, showing improvement...

[machinistbutler]

They both look very good. I love the profile on the second knife you completed.

 

[Phil Dwyer]

Quote Originally Posted by gotmike: "here's the blade after heat treating and two tempering cycles at 450."

Wonder why it did not draw back?

Seems like the oven/blade might not have actually reached 450? Or, it needs to be higher?

Looks like your having fun and making good progress!

 

[Nektarios]

very nice work! Well done.

 

[gotmike]

haven't been around for a while... in the middle of changing addresses and prepping for a fusion of two discs in my neck, so i haven't been able to get any further in my knife making education... i did however get to use both my second and third knife regularly... this knife, and a skinner that i made... this knife holds an edge like nobody's business... made de-boning my elk a breeze... and very comfortable... my skinner made short work of my elk and my deer... all in all i'm very pleased and waiting recovery so that i can get back into the game...

 

[HallHandmade]

It looks like you've got what it takes. Challenge yourself on every knife to perfect every nook and cranny at every grit step you sand with, I've found that has caused my quality/fit and finish to skyrocket, and once you get better, it causes your time spent doing rework to plummet. It's fiddly and sometimes annoying, but worth it.

Good job. As you are discovering, each knife will present a new thing to remember on the next one.

Ain't that the truth...

I think I mentioned almost this same thing in another post, but I made it into double digits last week, and every knife has taught me at least 1-2 techniques, even on very similar knives.

 

[bush-haus]

I used a Nicholson file on my first knife. I called Nicholson to ask what kind of steel their files are made from. The best they could to was tell me it was "like" W2. I called a local professional knife maker with a nice oven and asked him do the heat treat. We cooked it at 1575 (if my memory serves) then cooled it with heated peanut oil. We then tempered it twice at 350 degrees.

The edge seemed to come out just right. It is a bushcraft style knife and I have not truly tested it with a meriad of tests... But it will slice most things I have put in front of it like crazy.