bird and trout file knife honest assesment

leifjl

leifjl

Joined
Nov 27, 2011
Messages
789
finished final temper today, made out of a file stamped england, unknown manufacture. seems like a good quality 1095 to me. any suggestions on areas that can be improved are encouraged. thank you. leif
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Hard to pick that apart, considering what it is. Well done! Only thing I would have to say is I like a thinner blade stock for such knives, but starting with a file you were limited. I assume this was a stock removal knife for the majority? Do some edge testing to check your HT, other than that, it looks great.

:thumbup:

-X
 
yeah, completely stock removal. like i said i just got the final temper on it today so i havent done any cutting tests but i always test the edge using the wayne godard push the edge hard against a piece of brass method. just to check for chipping or softness. thanks.
 
The date settings are off on your camera. ;)
blade to handle proportion looks good to me, good, even twist pattern on the handle, looks like a decent sanding job on the blade, and pretty even filework.
I like it --- nice work.

the only thing that makes me twitch - which isn't likely to cause a problem on a knife this small, is the fact that it looks like you used a triangle file for the filework and the sharp 60 degree corners can cause stress risers and/or microfractures that don't always show up visually right after heat treat, but can cause the blade to break at some point in the future, especially if the blade is exposed to lateral (bending/twisting) stress.
 
i had the same thought initially, also on my mind was the possibility of stress risers from the actual file cuts, but i
like you said its a small, light use knife. and thank you. leif
 
cool - you took it into consideration, that's the important part - a lot of new makers aren't aware of that possibility.
and as I also said - it's a nice looking knife, i like it.
 
1066vik said:
The date settings are off on your camera. ;)
blade to handle proportion looks good to me, good, even twist pattern on the handle, looks like a decent sanding job on the blade, and pretty even filework.
I like it --- nice work.

the only thing that makes me twitch - which isn't likely to cause a problem on a knife this small, is the fact that it looks like you used a triangle file for the filework and the sharp 60 degree corners can cause stress risers and/or microfractures that don't always show up visually right after heat treat, but can cause the blade to break at some point in the future, especially if the blade is exposed to lateral (bending/twisting) stress.
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I like it and I noticed that too.

I would have used a round file instead so the filework has a better visual match to the swists and curves in the handle.

Maybe a bit of curve in the handle would have helped too.
 
thanks. i think you may be right that a round file wouldve been more consistent with the over all shape and form of the knife. ive got plenty of beat up old files laying about, next one ill try round and oval. leif
 
I like it. Good work. How long does something like that take to make? And what kind tools for the grinding and heat treat are needed to do something like that?

I'm not a knife maker, but I have been known to hold an opinion about such things.... :D
 
Very nice, first thing I noticed was how nice and even your handle twists are..As a blacksmith I can tell people thats not always the easiest thing to do..good work.
 
agile_1 said:
I like it. Good work. How long does something like that take to make? And what kind tools for the grinding and heat treat are needed to do something like that?

I'm not a knife maker, but I have been known to hold an opinion about such things.... :D
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start to finish about 3.5 hours minus time spent doing something else while it sat in the oven. i have access to a 2000 and a 1000 degree oven thru my job so thats how i treat and temper. i dont have the most appropriate grinder (it a jet 6x48) but i have good belts and its what im used to. and thank you. leif
 
Wolf Creek Forge said:
Very nice, first thing I noticed was how nice and even your handle twists are..As a blacksmith I can tell people thats not always the easiest thing to do..good work.
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thank you, and yes they are. its taken a few previous file knives to get it to this point. leif
 
I like the "pinkie hook" on the end of the handle. Makes it very convenient to let the knife hang while tying lines or knots.
 
Hi Leif,

Cool, well done! Not sure I agree with you when you say it's "completely stock removal." Seems like that beautiful twisted handle took a little bit of "smithing?"

Have you ever tried, or thought of trying, drawing the handle out thinner via forging rather than grinding? You'd then have enough material stretched out so it could wrap back around and make a frame shaped handle. I love the look of your twist pattern though. How's it feel in hand? I sometimes find a thin stick-like handled knife a little trickier hold and work with?

Sounds like you have some good work skills and resources. What type of shop and work do you do?

Thanks for sharing your work!

Aloha, Phil
 
thanks phil, yeah completely stock removal was incorrect. i meant to imply that i hadnt thinned it out by forging. unfortunately i live in a crap neighborhood and someone came in my backyard and absconded with my anvil. so now i have to do everything with a vice and tooling plate. it actually feels pretty good in hand. it is thin and stick like but thats kinda the style i was going for. as for work, its a small shop making mostly short run specialty parts for satellite communications equipment. we machine, weld, braze and assemble in house. and thank you. leif
 
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