About to begin number one

M

mholl27

Joined
Aug 1, 2007
Messages
5
I am making preparations to make my first knife and I will be using a lot of hand tools because of space restrictions (apartment) and budget and htree questions to start with.

1. I am thinking of using 440C to start with is this too ambitious of a steel to profile with a hacksaw or is a carbon steel better to begin with?

2. I will be using files to put the bevel on the blade and I was wondering the best way to make sure the angle is even? Is there a way to build a jig for this?

3. I drew a design with an index finger groove can I do this without a belt grinder?

I know this will take some time but I am looking forward to the process. Thanks in advance.
 
you can do whatever you set your mind to! lol....j/k....well yes you can, but you can make a knife with files. It's gonna take you a hundred years to file something by hand but you can do it.

I'm sure a jig can be made, but i'll leave it up to the pros to jump in at anytime on this subject! How are you going to heat treat it as I believe you need to heat treat at over 2000'F ?

In my opinion and i don't know why people still use it, but Stainless steel sucks as a knife blade. Good for sinks, watches, oven housing, etc etc, but as a knife steel like 440C it blows. Carbon steels like 1095, 1080, or tool steels are much better for knives and are alot cheaper cost wise and hold an edge much longer with the correct heat treatment.

440C is what they use on cheap samurai swords and paper will dull the crap out of it very quickly. Try A2 tool steel if you're gonna be using air-hardening steels. Not stain resistant but if you don't leave your fingers prints on the blade and clean after you use it, it won't stain.
 
I dont know if i would start with 440c as my first attempt. Cutting the profile with a hacksaw is not going to be a fun venture. Doing your bevels with a file is prety easy actually. i still use files to do final touch up and hand sand before my HT. since i have a grinder now i set up the bevels with the grinder then smooth it all out with files. When i did my first 3 blade all i had was a 4 inch disc grinder, files and sand paper. i still use the first blade i made as a kitchen knife. would highly recommend some books on knife making. i own about 8 now and i go back and read them for the 3-4 the time and stil pick up tid bits of information I glossed over the first few times. have fun take yor time and learn as u go.
 
Leu, 440A is the cheap one that they use in the cheap wallhangers. 440C is a very respectable blade steel and a lot of people seem to like it for it to be as bad as you say. Maybe you should actually use some other steel before you pronounce them as junk?
 
I'm still pretty new to this whole knifemaking thing myself so take my opinions with a grain of salt

1 my first knife was made out of s30v so it can be done with 440c. i went through 3 hacksaw blades before i got a 1/2" into the bar then I got myself a jewellers saw (like a coping saw) which made much better progress. If you have a drill, you can drill holes around the outline and then use the saw to cut the bits between the holes (even quicker)

2 by eye and feel. You could probably build yourself a jig but I never bothered

3 use a half round file

Like others have said, have fun with it, it's not going to take a hundred years but you won't be done in an afternoon either. If you get frustrated, don't be afraid to put it down for a while. I think there were 5 or 6 months between buying the steel and finishing the sheath on my first knife
 
Not sure where Leu gets his 440C, but from a reliable source it will make a fine blade.

Here are a few tips for working with hand tools.
1) get a high tension hacksaw. They are at a good hardware store for about $25. They cut WAY better than a regular hacksaw.
2) Take a 2X4 and clamp your blade to it. You can now file easier. It is fairly easy to get the bevel right by hand. No need for a jig.
3) Use good files. All files are not the same. Nicholson files are excellent. A half round file will make finger grooves.
4) Send your finished stainless steel blade to Texas Knife Supply (or some other) for HT. They will do a fine job, with cryo, for about $10.
5) In a stainless blade finish the blade as much as possible prior to HT. Don't make it sharp, but have the primary bevel fully formed and all sanding done to at least 400 grit. After Ht it will be near impossible to do more than finish sanding and polishing by hand.
6) hand shaping a blade is slow, but with some elbow grease and patience you can make a show winning blade. Speed is your enemy with hand tools. Take slow careful strokes.Relax and enjoy yourself.

Keep us posted and ask any advise.
Welcome to the Forums.
Stacy
 
Welcome to the forums mholl,

A little trick I used to use while filing metalwork was to glue the file handle firmly into a light aluminium pipe section (epoxy). Then while filing, rest this pipe section over a wide piece of wood behind you at a height giving the desired angle. Its certainly not the be all and end all, but it works.

Lang
 
For starters get yourself a good vise to clamp your knives in to work on. Don't get a crappy little one, 4 inch or better.

Lots of sand paper. Get some course grits 60, 80, mediums 120, 220, and fine stuff for finishing 400, 600, and fine micron paper for finishing.

440C is a good steel, soft enough to work with, and can be drilled and filed easily before HT.

Like others have said, send out the blades for HT. While you are waiting, work on your next knife.

Knifemaking is a rewarding experience, and each knife will be better than your last. It probably won't be long before you will be looking to build a full blown knifeshop like so many here have.
 
Thanks for all the help. That will get me started. As I read all this one more question came to mind: What technique do you use when filing a bevel to make the lines even? Is there a way to scribe a line on the blade?
 
mholl27 said:
Thanks for all the help. That will get me started. As I read all this one more question came to mind: What technique do you use when filing a bevel to make the lines even? Is there a way to scribe a line on the blade?
Click to expand...

I just finished my first and I used a fine-point sharpie to mark my lines. Worked fine, tho it would rub off fairly easily. There is a metalworking dye/coating that machinists use for covering the metal and then scratching the coating. Don't remember what it's called.

I did my first knife in 1095 but only because I got the steel free from another knifemaker. I personally prefer the carbon steels for my own knives, but stainless is a popular consumer choice.

One thing I learned, don't start with too big a knife! :D

(Here's my first try!) http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=495610
 
I have seen some great tips here regarding marking it out. Firstly use 'engineering blue' which is a spray you can get at engineering supplies, or just use a permanent marker and colour in the blade where your bevel is going to be. Then use a vernier set at the distance from the edge that you want the bevel to end. scribe it along the blade so it scratches out the blue and shows a clear line. Next, on a flat table or glass or steel plate, lay the blank flat and then find a steel drill bit with a nice sharp tip, and when the bit is laid flat that tip should scribe just belove the centre line of the blank (about quarter of a mm below). drag the bit along the edge to scribe a line. Turn the blank over and repeat. You should have two parallel lines near the centre with a gap of about half a mm now. Dont file further than those lines before heat treatment. (This drill bit trick assumes your blank is flat and with parallel sides.)

Hope that helps.

Lang
 
I would suggest that you visit some knife makers shop and see the procedure that is required to make a knife. You can do it with hand files, but the time to do the job would be overwhelming and you would get discouraged before you finish the job. Living in a apartment is deathly not the ideal place to make knives. perhaps you have a freind who has a small building you can setup a starter shop to work in. You may want to reconsidered doing it in a apartment. besides the noise may interfere with the other attendants, which would cause you problems with the landlord. Hope this was of help. :D
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top