Adventures (and mistakes) in knife making

Texas_toothpick said:
I got the last of my stuff for the jig today. Now just to assemble and get steel.

I have flat bar and sheets of basic steel for welding. I been thinking of just giving bit a go with that to see how straight my lines are and try some different things.
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Nice! If i'd had scrap/mild steel hanging around I'd have done a trial run or 2. The part I messed up the most on with the jig was the plunge line. Spent a number of hours hand sanding to try and fix it but never was able to, so I called it a learning experience and moved on to drilling pin holes. We know where it went from there hehe. It made me feel a bit bad at first to "waste" good blade steel on the many mistakes I know will happen but then I thought, it's not really a waste if you're learning from them. Also, you'll have a completed blade to remind you of where you started and how much each blade taught you.

Later on we can emulate the pro's and throw screw ups point first into a wall :-D
 
VANCE said:
it takes alot of practice or screwups
it depends on how you look at it

keep on trying
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Definitely calling it practice at this point and there's no giving up here. Going to try to get a few more cut and profiled this weekend. Might not have enough life in the one 40 grit Cubitron I have to do grinds on more than 2-3.

Is it worth even trying to grind bevels with a 60 grit Cubitron II belt?
 
Cut out 2 blades from 3/16" 1084 from a drawing I did a number of weeks ago. Small enough to get some good practice without using a ton of material.

1st one is a menagerie of mistakes and corrections. I did it on the flat platen and had a really hard time getting good grind lines. Part of which is because it's not a fresh belt. Not happy with it at all but I'll finish it just the same.

For the 2nd one I used the 10" contact wheel with the same dull belt. Holy cow! Sooo much more forgiving of mistakes on the big wheel. Honestly I think this design is better suited to a hollow grind anyhow. Pretty darn happy with knife #2.

Grinds are at 120 grit and I need to do some edge finishing to smooth things out before I drill pin holes.

Very pleased with how today turned out. Time to order some belts and pause for the day. I hope ya'll enjoy the pics and commentary.

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Awesome job man, if love to learn this someday! I really enjoyed reading your story and look forward to more updates!
 
Congratulations on getting in there and doing........can't make the second one until you make the first. It's definitely addictive madness. With the right attitude and determination you will only get better and better. Learn easier methodology plus get more comfortable with the more challenging aspects so that they will seem easier.

Then, when you get bored with all this jig nonsense and feel the desire to be more artistic. Come visit GA, meet and see the shop these Fiddleback guys work in. All great people and good friends. Then come see me and I'll hand walk you into the "Darkside". Warning! Fewer escape than get reported in the news.

It's all good. I hope you will persevere and enjoy the art.
Just to remember to count digits going in the shop and then count them on the way out. If you start getting a deficit, you might want to consider pursuing a different hobby.
 
Good work and a good thread. A couple of thoughts that may be of help. Might try using a 60grit or even a 90grit belt as you learn. They don't grab as aggressively as the coarser belts, particularly at the plunge. As you gain confidence, go to the coarse grits to speed things up a bit. I've never used a jig, but they sure look like a good idea to start. You can use a file to make a slight "dent" at the plunge line on both sides which will give the belt a place to bite and start your grind. Like Andy, I didn't have anyone close to watch when first starting, so had to make a ton of mistakes while fighting the learning curve. Just keep at it and have fun!
 
bonafide said:
I dont think Andy uses a jig (I could be and have been wrong) but I think he free hands it.
Watching him grinding blades one day on a Friday and he did everything free handed.

If you want to see a very simple method of making a jig and on a flat grind - goto youtube and look up 'Trollskyy' and his 'making bevel' pronounced "Bee-veal". lol
His videos are not just interesting, but I like his style. :)
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I bought a Trollsky after seeing some of his videos - nice knives, more rustic (by design).
 
crex said:
Congratulations on getting in there and doing........can't make the second one until you make the first. It's definitely addictive madness. With the right attitude and determination you will only get better and better. Learn easier methodology plus get more comfortable with the more challenging aspects so that they will seem easier.

Then, when you get bored with all this jig nonsense and feel the desire to be more artistic. Come visit GA, meet and see the shop these Fiddleback guys work in. All great people and good friends. Then come see me and I'll hand walk you into the "Darkside". Warning! Fewer escape than get reported in the news.

It's all good. I hope you will persevere and enjoy the art.
Just to remember to count digits going in the shop and then count them on the way out. If you start getting a deficit, you might want to consider pursuing a different hobby.
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Thank you sir! There's too much to learn to get bored yet haha. Sooner rather than later I'd love to visit GA and meet everyone. Besides online I really don't know any knife nuts like all of us here. Perhaps next year something can be arranged. Your offer is very generous, totally awesome, and would be great fun!

So far I've only lost a few skin cells and I'll do my best to keep it that way :-)

Texas_toothpick said:
Nice bud. Keep it up.
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Thanks!

TxSportsman said:
I am very jealous
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I could say don't be but I won't, as I was too before I broke my wallet. Still am when I see so many of my favorite makers make this stuff look so easy. You'll get where you wanna be bro.

Rick Lowe said:
Good work and a good thread. A couple of thoughts that may be of help. Might try using a 60grit or even a 90grit belt as you learn. They don't grab as aggressively as the coarser belts, particularly at the plunge. As you gain confidence, go to the coarse grits to speed things up a bit. I've never used a jig, but they sure look like a good idea to start. You can use a file to make a slight "dent" at the plunge line on both sides which will give the belt a place to bite and start your grind. Like Andy, I didn't have anyone close to watch when first starting, so had to make a ton of mistakes while fighting the learning curve. Just keep at it and have fun!
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Thank you Rick. Thats some great advice that I will take advantage of. I've definitely cut back on belt speed to go a little slower since I started. Not too keen on using a jig but depending upon how much steel gets used in learning I may consider it. As masochistic as learning by freehand grinding seems to be, I really like the potential benefits it offers over using a jig. After all, both you and Andy are great examples that it works to learn that way.

I plan to do a few more of this mini cleaver pattern with hollow grinds on the 60 grit after I get further along in finishing the 3 I've started. It's got a good feel to it in hand and I like it's potential as a small EDC.

I'm in the same boat you and Andy were without anyone around to watch. I can easily imagine just being able to see 2-3 knives being ground up close and personal from multiple angles would definitely help speed along the learning curve. Perhaps I'll write Todd Begg and, as it were, beg a shop visit since he's only about 90 minutes drive away. :-) He's one of only 2 makers I really know of in the area.
 
>>I'm in the same boat you and Andy were without anyone around to watch. I can easily imagine just being able to see 2-3 knives being ground up close and personal from multiple angles would definitely help speed along the learning curve. Perhaps I'll write Todd Begg and, as it were, beg a shop visit since he's only about 90 minutes drive away. :-) He's one of only 2 makers I really know of in the area. <<<<

Most of us "old poots" learned the hard way. Mostly too stupid or stubborn to ask. Makes for some very fine scars for the grandkids to ask about.

If you have a knife collector's club, guild or such, go meet some folks and consider membership. Lot of excellent knifemakers in the Bay area and in CA as a whole. You will meet and/or be directed to other makers in your area. Believe me, we are everywhere (just not standing at the end of our driveway with a sign). You will probably find a maker within a few minutes of you if you do a bit of digging. I'm not a real "joiner" but have found my membership in the GA Guild invaluable to learning things and networking with other makers with exceptional talents/skills resource. Very much worth the effort to do some digging.
 
It's taken awhile for various reasons but here's the first knife essentially done. Overall I'm very pleased with the geometry, handle, and ergos, if not the slight warp I THOUGHT I escaped from during HT. It's subtle and shows up well on a flat plate if not so much looking at it in hand. I think I know why it warped... grind was a bit too thin and on one side the grind was a bit higher than the other. It's more of a twist so I couldn't bend it out. Lessons to learn from for sure. Improve my grinds and things will go better during HT and the rest of the process. The handle could use a bit more smoothing out with maybe a scotchbrite pad (don't have any atm) and the blade could use a little sandpaper smoothing. I may do that later but for now, I want to call this done and start cutting out a few more blanks to grind on. Thanks for reading and looking in this thread and on IG (@necrolicioius). I really appreciate the support, advice, and inspiration.

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Warmest regards and Merry Christmas to you all,

Anthony
 
Looks great! I think you should call it the revolver. Have you got a chance to test it out much?
 
hasco said:
Looks great! I think you should call it the revolver. Have you got a chance to test it out much?
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Thanks bro! It's funny you say that because because I've been thinking Derringer every time I look at it. I've hacked a bit at a 2x4 before the handle was on and it seemed to hold the edge ok. No chipping or rolling. I'd love to be able to know the actual hardness. 1084 tempered at 400 for an hour so it should be about 58-60. I hope. I'll try to get more testing done after refining the edge a bit.
 
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