Filet knife grinding

[DrGrip]

I have NEVER made a fillet knife, not even from a blank.

Well, it looks like I have to make one soon... Dad asked if I could do one for him and use some of the wood from his old boat for the handles!

Back in the 60s dad and his brother made a boat and it lasted until a storm put a BIG oak tree on top of it about 10 years ago. He's had a section of the deck laying in storage since then.

The wood is teak and not an issue for me, but the blade could be!

I don't forge, and my thoughts tell me that a blade of this size and thinness will be tough to grind.

I'm thinking grind and cool, grind and cool, grind and cool........ See a pattern here?

I have some KILLER stainless "scrap" from a project done a few years back and will probably use it. 1/8" x 1" strap.

Oh yeah, any suggestions on HT? Working a knife blade from my younger years with a file as we speak, it is stainless as well and will need HT... But that's another story I'll post as a WIP later.

Anyone have a secret or hint to pass along?

Charlie

 

[godogs57]

Better to know what specific type of stainless steel you have as there are only hundreds out there and not all of them harden....you may be setting yourself up for failure if you don't know what you have there!

Thin fillet knives are not all that hard to grind...just take your time.

Only after you know the type of ss you have can you even begin to determine what the proper heat treat would be.

Good luck!

 

[J.D.]

I recently made my first fillet knife, and used 1/16" thick 440C. done a full flat grind, and took the edge down to around .012". I heat treated it with the edge at about .030" and done the finish grind after HT. Done as you say, grind very slow, and cool after each pass on the belt. The next one I will do all my grinding pre heat treat. For my HT, I wraped in foil and heated to 1880, and soaked for 20 minutes, and then plate quenched, and then tempered at 375 for 2, 2 hour cycles, it has good flex, not as good as some blanks I have used, but it does flex. Taking the edge thinner would give it more flex.
Hope this helps, Dale