DISCLAIMER: I am NOT a knife maker by trade. I do not have the proper equipment to make "professional grade" blades! This was an experiment just to see if I could do it with what I had on hand. I did not buy anything special, just used what I had in the small shop I have out back.
Having minimal supplies (what you see in the pics ) I thought I would try to make a knife out of a piece of scrap metal I plucked out of the trash at work. I asked the guys at work if they knew what kind of steel it was, and all I got was shrugs. So, mystery steel it is. Don't ask, because I don't know! Anyway, not having a belt sander or anyway to cut the steel, I had to use the grinding wheel to roughly shape the blade. The rest was all hand done with files, sandpaper, & a lot of patience.
As I said, this was an experiment and I wanted to do something unusual. Not having any material for handles, I decided not to put any on. Instead, I just formed the handle to fit my hand. I beat the blade with a steel punch to form the "pebbled" design on every part of the knife. Again, I wanted something unusual. It fits very comfortably in the hand & offers excellent control.
Not knowing what type of steel it was, I noticed that it could use some hardening, so I built a fire in the backyard and placed the knife in the coals for about one hour, using a leaf blower (it's the only kind of blower I had) to stoke it hot. After a water quench, it hardened up nicely! I have never attempted anything like this before, and I am sure I did a few things wrong, but it turned out ok.
This was 1/4 inch steel, which was a bit thick, but I had no way to mill it down. OAL is 9 1/2 inches with a weight of 7 ounces. The knife itself may not look pretty, but it holds a great edge and has nice overall balance.
I know this does not hold a candle to what most of you guys here are capable of making, but it was fun & I learned just how hard it really is to make a blade. Next time, I will definitely use thinner steel!! Thanks for looking, and of course your comments are welcome!
Having minimal supplies (what you see in the pics ) I thought I would try to make a knife out of a piece of scrap metal I plucked out of the trash at work. I asked the guys at work if they knew what kind of steel it was, and all I got was shrugs. So, mystery steel it is. Don't ask, because I don't know! Anyway, not having a belt sander or anyway to cut the steel, I had to use the grinding wheel to roughly shape the blade. The rest was all hand done with files, sandpaper, & a lot of patience.
As I said, this was an experiment and I wanted to do something unusual. Not having any material for handles, I decided not to put any on. Instead, I just formed the handle to fit my hand. I beat the blade with a steel punch to form the "pebbled" design on every part of the knife. Again, I wanted something unusual. It fits very comfortably in the hand & offers excellent control.
Not knowing what type of steel it was, I noticed that it could use some hardening, so I built a fire in the backyard and placed the knife in the coals for about one hour, using a leaf blower (it's the only kind of blower I had) to stoke it hot. After a water quench, it hardened up nicely! I have never attempted anything like this before, and I am sure I did a few things wrong, but it turned out ok.
This was 1/4 inch steel, which was a bit thick, but I had no way to mill it down. OAL is 9 1/2 inches with a weight of 7 ounces. The knife itself may not look pretty, but it holds a great edge and has nice overall balance.
I know this does not hold a candle to what most of you guys here are capable of making, but it was fun & I learned just how hard it really is to make a blade. Next time, I will definitely use thinner steel!! Thanks for looking, and of course your comments are welcome!
