file knife in the oven

RescueRiley

RescueRiley

Joined
Mar 22, 2006
Messages
5,944
I 'm looking th make my first knife...I read a post a while ago where gents where talking about heat treating in the oven..being th "poor mans knife making method" I'd like to try this any info would be great also any advice on how to prep and heat treat etc. and what the minimum tools needed would be....I'm considering making a nessmuk or something similar...any help would be grand. also I live in an apt so space is limited
 
Do a search in the "Makers" section. You can 'temper' in an oven but you can't 'harden 'in an oven. Hardening requiores temperatures of ~ 1550 F.
 
RR, I am going to assume that you made this blade by stock removal. If you did, did you first anneal or normalize the file? If you haven't softened the file in any way, and you kept the blade cool to the touch while grinding then your blade only needs to be tempered. Tempering helps remove any stress, and also increase ductility by slightly modifying the crystalline grain structure in the hardened steel. Not knowing exactly what alloy your file was make finding tempering info hard to find. To temper the lower the heat the harder your steel will be when you are done. By leaving the metal in your oven to "soak" for 1.5 - 3 hrs it should insure that the metal has had time to temper evenly. I normally have the edge up for this process. I let the metal just air cool after taking it from the oven after tempering. 400-425 should produce a straw cooler on the steel if clean and make an acceptable with a harder Rc hardness. up to 500 may be good if it is a chopper as it will increase ductility. It will be trial and error with an un known alloy. That is how I do it, an expert may know better. good luck, Joe
 
I would do as mete says, go to the maker section and say how you are going to make your knife and those very helpful guys over there will point you in the right direction. Someone may even offer to anneal (make them soft) for you.
 
I generally leave mine in the oven at 450 for about 20 minutes, take it down to 300 for 10-15 minutes, then 200-250-ish for ten minutes. After that leave the oven door shut, turn it off and do not touch for at least a good hour or two. Don't take it out until it is room temperature. one way to visually check hardness is that you want it to turn a kinda golden color, like a good dark beer. If it get's blue it's still barely usable, but perhaps best used for throwing, etc. If it turns purple forget it, toss it out and start over again. (unless you take a crash course on re-tempering) repeat this method three or four times. OH! ALMOST FORGOT!!! wire brush and clean the hell out of that file before putting it in the oven. it leaves much less foul odor and makes it easier to judge color.

Shape it using a belt sander or a disc grinder. This is kind of a matter of preference, but I've personally had better luck with a 1" stationary belt sander. Keep a bucket of water handy, and do not let the edge turn color when grinding it. dip it in the bucket as soon as it feels a little warm to your hands. a hidden tang knife is a little easier to make, since you don't need to further soften the handle for drilling.

One final test I've learned is to take my blade into the hardest piece of wood I can find and baton the p!ss out of it with a rubber mallot or other heavy piece of wood. If the edge chips, or breaks you got it too brittle. If it rolls the edge, it's too soft.

This is a very, very primitive method that was learned by Fiddleback and myself from a man named Sarge in the Cantina. I'm sure Andy can tune you into the method better than myself. For that matter, I'm sure the knifemakers can give much better advice, but this method has been making a few really good scary sharp users that have always done well.

This one is the very first I ever made. Primitive SOB, aint it?:D

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/karieann69/detail?.dir=2681&.dnm=1706scd.jpg

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/karieann69/detail?.dir=2681&.dnm=f411scd.jpg

This is the second one. you would never believe how much cursing and swearing went into the creation of those two pin holes. about seven hours worth. Incidentally the reason I decided to skip drilling the third one. (life got much easier once I learned to soften the handle without screwing up my blade)
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/karieann69/detail?.dir=2681&.dnm=b41e.jpg

This one was made for my sons friends tenth B-day

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/karieann69/detail?.dir=2681&.dnm=984bscd.jpg

This one is the ugliest I've ever made. I'll probably throw it away tonight, now that I think of it...lessons learned I guess....
http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/karieann69/detail?.dir=2681&.dnm=1a5bscd.jpg

This is one of my favorites. five inches of razor sharp versatility...:D

http://pg.photos.yahoo.com/ph/karieann69/detail?.dir=2681&.dnm=2771scd.jpg

I've got a couple more "quickie projects" that I did a Scandi grind one and had my wife cord wrap. they're really fun knives. Showed one to a buddy the other day who couldn't hardly believe it was made by lil ole me from a crappy old file, until I showed him the part that said "Mill Bastard" on the handle.:D

Hope ya' have fun with it!
 
Runs With Scissors, I kinda like the shape of that knife you think is ugly. It's almost like aa tanto point and a drop point together.
 
That's what I was trying for. I really like tanto blades, and I really like Puukko's, so I thought it'd be neat if I integrated them, but....somehow after it all came together, it was just very hard on my eyes.:grumpy:

The knife is hellaciously sharp, and does it's job but...I'm still considering scrapping it and starting over with a clean slate.

thank you very much for the kind words, I'm very pleased that you were able to basically see my intent on that one.

If I don't round file it, I might dump it on someone around here...
 
HEY RR
Looks like a nice project your starting, I haven't tried making a knife from scratch. (YET)So I cant offer any heat treat advice, but I have built a few from kit's. this site has blades and all the pin's and parts you might need for your project. I just ordered a carbon steel Puma Bowie blade,:D I am gonna play with see if I can make a usable hunter/camp knife out of. somthing to practice putting a convex edge on. well good luck on your project and keep us updated:thumbup:
http://www.crazycrow.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=CTGY&Category_Code=841-200-160
 
Do what RWS says.

Be careful not to overheat when grinding. If the blade turns black, start over.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top