Advice on my first forge

B

Blastermaster

Joined
Oct 29, 2014
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73
Hey guys, I have been into knives for 6 months or so, and so far this is a hobby I really enjoy. I currently tinker with blades (mostly fixing stuff, liners, removing dings in the blade etc) and I wanted to try a knife from scratch. I'm familiar with the steps but there is only so much I can learn from a book I got at barns and nobles. I am scouting out a trip to Home depot to get some tools of the trade, but I wanted to get a professional opinion to make sure I don't screw up too much.

What are your guys' advice?
 
Get a harbor freight 1x30 belt sander for $40 or build a file jig like the one Aaron Gough has a video on. Then get a bar of 1084 high carbon steel and heat treat it with canola oil and temper it in your kitchen oven ( read the stickies). Get a good used drill press on Craig's list or get a cheapie from harbor freight. Have some fun and show us the results!
 
Blastermaster said:
make sure I don't screw up too much.
Click to expand...

If you send it out for heat treating then there's really not much that can go catastrophically wrong. Ballew's advice to get a cheap 1x30 and some 1084 is a good start. I would start with a smaller knife to begin with. Have fun and report back!
 
Read the Stickys and the one "How to Instructions for Making a Knife". Get some files, a stack of sandpaper, the other things mentioned in that thread, and a piece of 1084 steel. The process is well laid out in the tutorial.
 
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