Another one ground. Some questions on heat treat, grinding, and stencils.

JGguns

JGguns

Hobbyist here to learn
Joined
Nov 15, 2009
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Ok knife #5 is ground. This is my second knife from steel and my first high flat grind. My first question is , can heat treat cause holes to contract and expand? Probly a dumb question....

Next from the pics below what do y'all think is the culprit behind the problems with my grind? I try use the same exact method for both sides. I'm guessing uneven pressure?

I ream all the holes before heat treat. These pics were taken before I did it.

Right hand
1967b904.jpg


Left hand
c92ece8b.jpg


A few shots of the finished grind
7a6c91af.jpg


020f3c83.jpg


And lastly, I know I have seen it mentioned here, but where do you guys get your stencils made for etching a logo?

And let me know what you think of #5!

Thanks for any and all help.
 
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I will not comment on the grind becuase I have no experience, but I will say that there is no stencil maker that gets recommended more over here than Ernie at Blue Lightning stencils. Holes, from my limited experience and what I have read on the subject, will not change size. Finally, I would mentions that you may want to knock the burr off that hole before you try fitting anything.
 
Holes do change size with heat treatment. For steel with specification sheets, the amount of size change with heat treatment is listed. For most steels I've used, it's not very much (< 1%), but can be more with some. What steel are you using?

From one beginner to another:

The final grind looks pretty good to me - what is the concern?



JGguns said:
Ok knife #5 is ground. This is my second knife from steel and my first high flat grind. My first question is , can heat treat cause holes to contract and expand? Probly a dumb question....

Next from the pics below what do y'all think is the culprit behind the problems with my grind? I try use the same exact method for both sides. I'm guessing uneven pressure?

Right hand
1967b904.jpg


Left hand
c92ece8b.jpg


A few shots of the finished grind
7a6c91af.jpg


020f3c83.jpg


And lastly, I know I have seen it mentioned here, but where do you guys get your stencils made for etching a logo?

And let me know what you think of #5!

Thanks for any and all help.
Click to expand...
 
Looking good!

Grinds can get a little uneven early on in the grind, that looks really great for your first steel blade. As you get more experienced they will stay more even. The final grind looks really good!

And yes, the holes can change size. I use a slightly oversized bit, a few thousands can help with fit and the epoxy bond without really leaving a gap.

The only thing I would add is to lightly chamfer all of your holes before heat treat. Hard edges can be a great place for fractures to start.

For stencils Ernie Grospitch does great work.

Great job!
 
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thegeek574 said:
I will not comment on the grind becuase I have no experience, but I will say that there is no stencil maker that gets recommended more over here than Ernie at Blue Lightning stencils. Holes, from my limited experience and what I have read on the subject, will not change size. Finally, I would mentions that you may want to knock the burr off that hole before you try fitting anything.
Click to expand...

Yea I ream all the holes before anything else is done. These were just taken before hand. That's exactly who I was thinking of, Thanks!
 
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If I may offer a suggestion. When I drill holes for the handle. I counter sink it. Just a little bit. Before HT I also drill the holes in the tang that act as epoxy wells. If you look around you will see what I mean. Other than that it looks good to me. Just be careful about the final edge thickness and take the grind upwards of at least 120 grit.
Have fun and be ready to spend some money now. LOL :)
 
Daniel Fairly Knives said:
Looking good!

Grinds can get a little uneven early on in the grind, that looks really great for your first steel blade. As you get more experienced they will stay more even. The final grind looks really good!

And yes, the holes can change size. I use a slightly oversized bit, a few thousands can help with fit and the epoxy bond without really leaving a gap.

The only thing I would add is to lightly chamfer all of your holes before heat treat. Hard edges can be a great place for fractures to start.

For stencils Ernie Grospitch does great work.

Great job!
Click to expand...


Thanks for kind words. I am a huge fan of your work so it means a lot!

Where would I track down drill bits slightly larger than 3/16" an 1/4". Cause right now all I have is some cobalt 3/16 an 1/4 bits...
 
The uneven grind early on looks to me like the blade was twisted/bent. It is very common for the pre HT blade to get bends because of its soft state. Be sure to get it straight and true before HT. It will also warp during quench, Rick M.'s method of straightening during temper works well, I use it often.

Nice grinding on the final shape! My personal tastes, I would of extended the edge side belly a bit further back toward the ricasso, make kind of a stubby chefs knife shape. But it looks good how it is, especially if you like it!

Keep it up!


-Xander
 
You can purchase decimal or numbered bits in any size you want from a supplier like McMasters-Carr or even Fastenal. Most good hardware stores carry them,too.

I use a bit 10-25% larger than the rivet or pin going through the tang. For a 3/16 pin, I use a 7/32 or a 1/4" bit.

There is a Woodcraft store in Greenville, and they regularly have a 170 piece set of drill bits on sale at half price. The set has multiple bits, with more in the sizes you use most.
http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/20...Twist-Drill-Bit-Set-With-Drill-Bit-Gauge.aspx

Other good buys for the knifemaker at Woodcraft are:
T-88 epoxy by System Three - one of the best for handle glue-up.
Granite surface plate for around $20-25
Great selection of handle woods.
Shop air cleaners and cyclone tops for vacuum traps.

Do some google searches, as these are often on special. If you aren't on Woodcraft's mailing list put yourself on it now!
 
JGguns said:
Thanks for kind words. I am a huge fan of your work so it means a lot!

Where would I track down drill bits slightly larger than 3/16" an 1/4". Cause right now all I have is some cobalt 3/16 an 1/4 bits...
Click to expand...

For 1/4" I use a F sized bit, I'm not sure about the 3/16" but you can find out by looking up a drill bit chart and get a bit sized a little over. Get them locally if you can, I like the Norseman bits from usaknifemaker.

Thanks! :D
 
Thanks for the heads up! The granite blocks are on sale now actually. What are they used for? Just a good solid flat surface for whatever, or is there a specific use? I do need some glue cause right now all I have is a cheap epoxy from lowes. It works but I'm almost out.

bladsmth said:
You can purchase decimal or numbered bits in any size you want from a supplier like McMasters-Carr or even Fastenal. Most good hardware stores carry them,too.

I use a bit 10-25% larger than the rivet or pin going through the tang. For a 3/16 pin, I use a 7/32 or a 1/4" bit.

There is a Woodcraft store in Greenville, and they regularly have a 170 piece set of drill bits on sale at half price. The set has multiple bits, with more in the sizes you use most.
http://www.woodcraft.com/Product/20...Twist-Drill-Bit-Set-With-Drill-Bit-Gauge.aspx

Other good buys for the knifemaker at Woodcraft are:
T-88 epoxy by System Three - one of the best for handle glue-up.
Granite surface plate for around $20-25
Great selection of handle woods.
Shop air cleaners and cyclone tops for vacuum traps.

Do some google searches, as these are often on special. If you aren't on Woodcraft's mailing list put yourself on it now!
Click to expand...
 
Use-enco.com is also a good source for tons of stuff.

I think they have free shipping with no minimum order right now.
 
I use my granite plate for a lot of things, but primarily just to make sure everything is flat before glue-up. I also use it mor height measurements and sometimes as a base under my poundo board for leatherwork.

Also, as far as epoxies go, I like the T88 that you can buy from Woodcraft a lot. You need a good slow-cure (24 hour) epoxy for handles. The 5 minute stuff usually doesn't handle stress very well, IMO.
 
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