Finishing the bevels after heat treating with no power tools?

D

DantheDJ

Joined
Oct 19, 2016
Messages
48
I grind my bevels using only a file, leave it at about 1 mm thick at the edge and then HT it.
After all that Im stuck. I dont know how to get it to final thickness/sharpness...
Can it be done with a file, or with some very limited supply of power tools? (I only have an angle grinder and a really crappy bench grinder with small dia. wheels)
Is it better to go with a micro secondary bevel or to go scandi?
Also, is one mm a good thickness to go to HT or is it too much?
What should I aim for?
Btw, Im using knife blades from some wood working machine that I dont know the name of, 3 mm thick, 30-ish mm wide and 200 mm long. Hope they will turn out ok :S
 
1mm= .039" is plenty thick enough before heat treat. most makers use .025-030. you could restart after heat treat with the same file to remove scale and decarb, then start with hand sanding at 120 grit.
 
DantheDJ said:
I grind my bevels using only a file, leave it at about 1 mm thick at the edge and then HT it.
After all that Im stuck. I dont know how to get it to final thickness/sharpness...
Can it be done with a file, or with some very limited supply of power tools? (I only have an angle grinder and a really crappy bench grinder with small dia. wheels)
Is it better to go with a micro secondary bevel or to go scandi?
Also, is one mm a good thickness to go to HT or is it too much?
What should I aim for?
Btw, Im using knife blades from some wood working machine that I dont know the name of, 3 mm thick, 30-ish mm wide and 200 mm long. Hope they will turn out ok :S
Click to expand...

I think that 1mm is to much . In your situation this tool for file jig is your friend :) Thanks me later ;)

a3o9hh.jpg

152gv80.jpg
 
Last edited:
WOW, thats really nice. My jig is wooden, its a pain really, I will have to make it full metal xD
And that tool is awesome, what grit do you use, and what is your final edge thickness before HT, it would help me a lot since Im a real newbie when it comes to knife making.
If this current knife turns out ok, I will upload some photos to share with you.
Nice work on your jig and the knife, sexxxy :D
 
DantheDJ said:
WOW, thats really nice. My jig is wooden, its a pain really, I will have to make it full metal xD
And that tool is awesome, what grit do you use, and what is your final edge thickness before HT, it would help me a lot since Im a real newbie when it comes to knife making.
If this current knife turns out ok, I will upload some photos to share with you.
Nice work on your jig and the knife, sexxxy :D
Click to expand...

Well , start with coarse grit , You have a lot to sand down from both side :) I'm not an expert but I think that 0.5mm edge before HT is safe .
Here is finished knive

2iizd6e.jpg
 
Well, if it works for you, its totally fine by me :D
Great looking knife btw, keep it up!
Its off to the shop for me :)
 
I would say it depends on your steel, but I take my bevels down quite a bit before heat-treating, and never finish with power tools after. I start at 180grit with a sanding block to remove decarb on carbon steels, and then go up from there. Yes, I've had a couple thin pieces that wiggled a bit, but mostly I get very very close to final thickness and then finish by hand.

I use a piece of G10 as a sanding block. It wears a long time, is much firmer than wood, and is easily re-flattened about once a year.
 
Dan, where are you located? if you're close enough, I've got a metal jig that I don't use anymore that's just taking up space....
 
Im sorry, Im new to this site, I will fill it out now :D
Im from Serbia :)
Thank you guys, for helping me, thanks a lot!
 
Welcome Dan! Unfortunately I'm not sure if that's close enough seeing as how I was just diagnosed with a mild seizure disorder and am restricted from driving for the next 6 months :grumpy:.
 
Dan,
The use of water stones for doing the final shaping and polishing of blades is the oldest method there is. It is still popular in Japan and many other places. In areas where power and tools are not available, it is the best method. A set of three to five stones ( starting at 100-200 grit and going up to 2000-4000 grit) and some stacks of sandpaper will do most any blade.

If working on a budget, you can do with a coarse stone and a medium stone, and switch to sandpaper with a hard backing block from there.

One thing that is important when you will be doing all the work by hand is to do as much as you can before HT. Get everything to a very good 400 grit finish with no scratches. Get the edge as thin as is practical for the steel type ( usually between .20 and .30"). Any major shaping doe after hardening will be a lot harder.
 
Weo, if only you could drive to my place, given its on the other side of the world :D
Stacy, thank you, I will try to get some, somewhere...
Although, I can contact my local masonry worker. They cut me some very fine stones a while ago, ment for tombstones xD, dont know the grit or the material, but I think they can get you a nice mirror polish if you put your back into it, havent tried it though...
The lower grits, I recon I can find some on the flea markets :)
Im in luck concerning the scratches, my file is over fifty years old, its doing the job quite well, only a bit slower. The scratches it leaves are easily removed with only a few passes with some sandpaper over the file. So no worries there.
In any case, Im not chasing a mirror finish, I dont even mind the scratches frankly, I abuse all my knives you could say, so there is no point in making them that pretty in the first place :D
Cheers, and thanks for your help :)
 
Can some of you guys send me a couple of pictures of your file jigs?
Just as an example, to see what works, what doesnt work, that sort of stuff.
My current one broke ofc. Its been broken from the start, but hey, it worked. Once...
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top