Advice for Stock Removal Please

U

UXOguy

Joined
Apr 30, 2014
Messages
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Hey everybody!
I'm pretty new to the whole knife making scene, and I was hoping that I could get some pointers here from you fine gents before I dive in.
Firstly, I intend on making throwing knives, and my current plan involves ordering some .20" stock of 5160 from Admiral Steel. So I suppose my first question would be: How would you rate this steel in terms of workability (ease of grinding/heat treating, etc) and durability in the finished product.
Grinding: I have a Craftsman 2/42 belt sander, and all I can find now are craftsman belts. Does anyone have recommendations on where I can get some better (and courser) belts? The most aggressive belts I have are 60grit, and I wear those down pretty fast already.
Technique: I have made a couple of knives before, albeit they were not the prettiest things. But one thing I have always had difficulty with is getting even/symmetrical grinds. Are there any tips for shortening my learning curve?
At any rate, I would appreciate any advice you guys have for me.
 
5160 would be a great steel for throwing knives. With a spring temper they'd be almost indestructible.

Supergrit has much better quality belts, I use the 36 grit ceramics then clean up with 120 and 220.

Symmetrical grinds: practice, practice, and more practice....:)
(and maybe look into a bubblejig)
 
Go to Tru Grit, and USA Knife maker supply for belts. The ceramic ones are the best. 5160 can make good throwing knives as can a lot of other steels, however I would get some mild steel to develop the balance and size of the knife and to save on the cost of the steel as well as the extra sandpaper needed to grind out the 5160. Have you read the stikies above or are you just blowing by them? Frank
 
I've heard several knife throwers state that a throwing knife does not really have to be made of any steel harder than mild. If it bends, just bend it back.... you're not going to be skinning a deer with it. Personally I'd still prefer spring tempered 1084 or 5160. For some crazy reason I think a knife should be able to cut....:)
 
5160 is an ideal steel for throwing knives, and 0.20" is an ideal thickness. I harden to 48 RC. Other makers go anywhere from 38 to 56 RC. Hitting the tip of your finished knife with a hammer, or throwing into stone, are great ways to test your heat-treat and tip geometry. When pushed to failure, I like to see no more than 1/16" break off the tip. If more breaks off, the knife is too hard or the tip is too thin.

Unless the target is a hay bale, a mild steel knife will bend after only 2 minutes of throwing, literally.

I worked on a Craftsman 2x42 for a few years. For the bevels, I initially used an angle-grinder set-up similar in concept to this http://myhome.mweb.co.za/~20022586/jig.htm. Now I work on a KMG with custom tooling. The bevel you want on a throwing knife is akin to the steep false edge that are often put on bowies. It's difficult to get a nice consistent bevel so some type of work rest is ideal. If you can't get a nice crisp grind, try blending everything in with a slack belt.
 
PM me, I have a 2x42 I converted over to a 2x72 so I have a good bit of new 2x42 high quality belts in various grits that I don't use anymore so I can cut you a deal on them if want to try some grits out. The 2x42 is a good learning tool as it requires you to concentrate 100% of the time b/c of how fast it is. You have to really work on pressure, angle and building muscle memory. If/when you move up to a professional variable speed grinder it will be like a cake walk. You can make really nice knives on the 2x42 if you go slow and dip often (like every pass).
 
for what its worth IMHO, for more symetrical grinds, there are a couple things to make your life easier, like marking your blades and Check your progress more often than you think! in the beginning its way too easy to grind too much off one side and end up chasing your grind on one side to match the other WAAAYYY past where you intended on finishing a plunge line or grind. if you're starting out my advice is to invest in a few basic tools to make your life way easier like:
1. Centerline scribe. this will help you keep your centerline for grinding an even edge.
2. Grinding gig: just type it in a google search and like 30 will come up and this will keep an even angle on both sides of your blade.
3. hardened file/grinding guide: this will keep your plunge lines even.
4. make a good tool rest on your grinder to allow yourself to hold the blade/gig steady through the whole length of your blade... mine is 10" on each side of my belt (took 10 minutes to weld it up).
5. machinist blue or what i use: black permanent markers. this will help mark all your intended grind lines and whatnot.
I still do a fair bit of grinding on my 2 x 42 craftsman to this date, and i bought a BEE metal 2x72 last year, because i did a lot of work on the old one and its set up how i like it.

P.S. Take Hawk45's advice (and buy those grits... a deal is a deal) that's a fast speed and can make mistakes happen pretty fast.
 
Hey everybody!
Thanks for getting back to me with all the helpful advice and encouragement. I have been going through the stickies, but I wanted a bit more feedback before I got too deep (haven't spent this much on a project before.)
 
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