a look at my own fixed blade.

F

Fonly

Joined
Sep 24, 2006
Messages
5,010
Hey guys,

I wanted to show you the knife im more less finished now. I've been grinding away at it for a little bit here in there.
Its at a point now that I like carrying, and looking at it. Did some finishing touches on it today, so far it has been working great, right now its the only 4" blade I would carry, as most of you know im a medium fixed blade user for the most part, but so far im happy with it.

Here are some shots of it in hand, it has a 4" blade, lace wood handles and is made from an old file, so blade steel is L6 or W2 maybe even O1, im not sure but it holds a wicked edge. Also its 3/16", so its up there but not unusable, but more to love.:D

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I was doing some general work with it. It drills well, shaves like only a scandi can and batons of considering its thickness. Strikes a firesteel no problem, and sends the sparks a flyin'.

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So there you have it guys, what do you think of it?
worth carrying?

Thanks guys.
 
Looks like you did a darn good job:thumbup: It also looks like it would make that fireboard in a snap with that pointy point:thumbup: I only have one question. How did you fasten the slabs to the tang?

Let me know if you want to try some O-1 flat stock for your next go at it.


Looks great:thumbup:

Nick
 
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Great job bro ... quite frankly I'm surprised at your choice of blade length :D

Looks like it's scary sharp :thumbup:
 
Looks good Fonly! I dig the lacewood handles anf the blade shape!

Great job!
 
I like that you left the file hashings in it. You could use your knife to sharpen your axe!:D
 
Looking good! I think a couple of coats of Tung oil would make the handle really look sharp and bring out the 3D aspect of the lacewood.

Other than that I really like it and was wondering recently how it was coming along.
Have you started project 2 yet? Or project 3-150? Or is it just me that has 30+ on the go at any time???
 
thanks guys, I was hoping for some reasurance, I gotta admit it take balls to post that, you could have all made fun.:D

Yeah, there arnt enough rashing left to work with, but it adds a rustic touch to it.

NWA:
Its on by JB weld, it holds extremely well, and in the temps out here im impressed with that stuff, though next one I make I would love to put some brass pins in it, just didn't think about it at the time, I was very anxious to get it done.:D

Are you serious about the O1? I would love to find some at a discount if your willing.
 
CUTS LIKE A KRIS said:
Looking good! I think a couple of coats of Tung oil would make the handle really look sharp and bring out the 3D aspect of the lacewood.

Other than that I really like it and was wondering recently how it was coming along.
Have you started project 2 yet? Or project 3-150? Or is it just me that has 30+ on the go at any time???
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Haha, yeah Im thinking up project two all ready, some lace wood and green liners on this one maybe?:D

Thanks to you Kris I have the wood, it was all you man, thanks.:thumbup:
 
That's a great looking piece of work ya got there. What did you do to make one of those out of a file? Did you have to heat treat again to harden to the steel? Where did you get the file? It looks great! I might have to try to make one of those.
 
Nice knife you made there.

Did you anneal the file then work on it or just go slow so as not to mess with the temper?
 
RoyalM said:
Nice knife you made there.

Did you anneal the file then work on it or just go slow so as not to mess with the temper?
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yup, very slow. I dont have the means for heat treating and annealing, so I went slllllooooowwww.:D

with what? a Dremel, bench mounted hand sander and a load of sand paper.
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File knives are a great project for almost anyone. Please start with a good quality file such as Nicholson or Simmonds. Cheapo imports are usually case-hardened junk that will only dissappoint you in the end.

Fonly, did you temper the file back a bit? If not, the edge will be brittle and likely chip under use. A good starting point to temper a typical file is two cycles of one hour in the kitchen oven at 400F. This will soften it just enough so the edge isn't brittle, but will still keep a good edge. Test it with a brass rod.

On your next project, go ahead and put one or two pins through the scales/tang. JB Weld or epoxy will probably last a lifetime, but pins will add extra strength against the scales shearing off.

You may need a carbide bit to drill the tang, since you're working with hardened steel. They seem pricy, but they work great and last a long time. Set your drill to run slow and use cutting oil or tapping fluid to keep the bit cool.

Don't be afraid to take the bevels higher up the blade for a sharper, smoother-cutting knife. On a 3/16" or even 1/8" piece like that, there's plenty of steel for strength. You could go full-flat without worry, provided you temper the file as mentioned above.

Hope this doesn't sound too nit-picky! Your bevels look pretty darn even, that shows you have patience and skill. You've done a fine job and I hope you keep at it :) These are just tips I've learned. Enjoy! Just don't blame me or Nick if you get hooked on knifemaking :D
 
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