The Count's Standard Reply to New Knifemakers V35
The answer to a student is different than to a retired machinist
With members worldwide, you may have a local supplier, hammerin or neighbour.
Join our community;fill out your profile with location (Country, State, City), age, education, employment and hobbies so we get a sense of where and who you are.
The basics in the simplest terms
Absolute Cheapskate Way to Start Making Knives-Printable PDF
http://www.2shared.com/document/hk4wQruA/Absolute_Cheapskate_Way_to_Sta.html
Web Tutorials
Detailed instructions
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=694673
Things I Advise New Makers Against-Printable PDF
http://www.mediafire.com/?8og1ix21j9dcz4n
Handle Tutorial - Nick Wheeler-PDF
http://www.mediafire.com/?02ra4do6xyzayeq
http://www4.gvsu.edu/triert/cache/articles/nw1/scales1.htm
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...Wheeler-s-Steel-*-Stuck-in-the-metal-with-you
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/956343-Damascus-integral-tag-along
Bob Egnath how to
http://www.engnath.com/manframe.htm
Books
A list of books and videos http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showpost.php?p=9435307&postcount=43
BladeForums - E-books or Google books http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=603203
Books I like:
David Boye-Step by Step Knifemaking
Tim McCreight-Custom Knifemaking: 10 Projects from a Master Craftsman
Clear, well organized, available and inexpensive.
Forging Books:
Lorelei Sims-The Backyard Blacksmith - A modern book with colour photos - forging - no knifemaking.
Jim Hrisoulas
The Complete Bladesmith: Forging Your Way to Perfection
The Pattern-Welded Blade: Artistry in Iron
The Master Bladesmith: Advanced Studies in Steel
Machine Shop Basics -Books:
Elementary Machine Shop Practice-Printable PDF
Http://www.archive.org/download/elementarymachin00palmrich/elementarymachin00palmrich.pdf
The Complete Practical Machinist-Printable -1885-PDF
http://ia700309.us.archive.org/6/items/completepractic00rosegoog/completepractic00rosegoog.pdf
Right Click and save
The $50 knife Shop-not recommended
Great title, but NOT gospel.
Forging is NOT necessary; file and grind (stock removal)
Forget the "Goop Quench" It's Bullsh*t
Back when they used whale oil, it was still liquid oil
Use a commercial quench oil & match oil speed to steel type;
Grocery store canola oil works for some steels like 1084
Junkyard steel requires skill and experience to identify and heat treat
Forget Lawnmower blades and railroad spikes, start with a new known steel
Good heat treating needs accurate temperature control and full quench
Proper steel like 1084FG from Aldo is inexpensive and quench in Canola
Cable damascus is an advanced project has no place in a beginner’s book
The grinders are the best thing about this book, but 2x72” belt grinders plans are now free on the web
Videos
Don't be this guy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gEOTtslHARQ
Heat Treating Basics Video-downloadable
Right click and save this. Watch it once a day for 10 days
http://www.archive.org/download/gov.ntis.ava08799vnb1/ava08799vnb1_512kb.mp4
Safety-video
Right click and save this. Watch it once a day for 10 days
http://www.howtomakeaknife.net/FreeStuff/SafetyVideo.wmv
Many knifemaking videos are available, some better than others
The best beginner videos I have seen:
“Steve Johnson-Making a Sub-Hilt Fighter”
"Ed Caffrey - Basic Bladesmithing-Full DVD-ISO"
“Custom Knife Sheaths -Chuck Burrows - Wild Rose”
Paul Long has 2 videos, his sheath work & videos are fantastic and recommended, but more advanced-with inlays, tooling and machine stitching
Green Pete's Free Video
Making a Mora bushcraft knife, stock removal, hand tools, neo tribal / unplugged heat treat
Use a piece of known 1084 steel, not a file. This as an example of doing it by hand with few tools
"Green Pete" posted it free
Be sure to look at the other titles I mentioned too - spend some time searching knifemaking torrents
Greenpete Knifemaking Basics-on TPB
http://thepiratebay.org/torrent/499...femaking_Basics_-_Make_a_Mora_Bushcraft_Knife
How to download that video
http://www.utorrent.com/help/guides/beginners-guide
Videos for rent,read the reviews, Some good, some bad, expect to wait months and there have been no new videos in years.
http://smartflix.com/store/category/9/Knifemaking
Knife Design:
Think thin, simple and fixed
Forget swords, saw-teeth, guthooks, crazy grinds and folders for your first knife
Look at hundreds of photos
Lloyd Harding drawings, Loveless book & Bob Engnath Patterns
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=603203
Bob Engnath Patterns PDF
http://www.mediafire.com/?qgx7yebn77n77qx
Start with a drawing and post it, we love photos
French curves, graph paper and erasers are vital tools
http://3.bp.blogspot.com/_bHFtVNs9tWA/TEj5Quiq1ZI/AAAAAAAAAI0/rn2EoHoXpVc/s1600/The+French+Curve.jpg
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1147466-How?p=13120810#post13120810
Then a cardboard cutout template & with handles, pins and such
Use playdough to shape a comfortable handle, good handles are not flat
How to post a photo
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...AL-Displaying-your-photographs-on-BladeForums
Draw Filing Demonstration
YouTube video -Draw Filing-for a flat finish
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Dec78RQsokw
Nick Wheeler- Hand sanding 101
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4I4x4QLpfnk
Steel
The “welding steel” at Home Depot / Lowes is useless for knives
Forget about lawnmower blades ,files, railroad spikes and other unknown junkyard steels
For the work involved, it is very cheap to buy and use a known good steel
You will spend more money on sandpaper or soda pop than you will for steel
If you send out for heat treating, you can use
Oil quenched O1, 1095, 1084
Or air quenched A2, CM154, ATS34, CPM154, 440C, Elmax plus many others.
For heat treating yourself with minimal equipment, find Eutectoid steel and quench in Canola oil.
1084FG sold by Aldo Bruno is formulated for Knifemaking, Cheap & made for DIY heat-treat.
http://njsteelbaron.com/
Phone # 862-203-8160
His telephone service is better than his website.
Suppliers List
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=699736
Heat Treating
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showpost.php?p=9143684&postcount=7
You can send blades out for heat treating at $10 or $15 per blade for perfect results
Air Hardening Stainless Steel Only
Buck Pau Bos -Be sure to check the Shipping and Price tabs
http://www.buckknives.com/index.cfm?event=bio.paulBos#
http://www.texasknife.com/vcom/privacy.php#services
Oil Hardening Carbon Steels and Air Hardening Stainless Steel
http://www.petersheattreat.com/cutlery.html
http://www.knifemaker.ca/ (Canadian)
FAQ's
http://www.hypefreeblades.com/faq.html
1095 is a bad choice for a beginner with limited equipment to HT themselves
1095 is "Hypereutectioid" and needs precise temperature control and proper fast quench oil Like Parks 50 or Houghton K
Kevin Cashen - 1095 - hypereutectoid steel
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/673173-Working-the-three-steel-types
If you are sending one or 2 knives out for heat treatment, use 154-CM or CPM-154 CPM-s35vn Elmax, and ship it out to TKS -Texas Knifemaker Supply
It's the cheapest way to do 1 or 2 due to minimum charges
Quenchants for Oil hardening steel
Forget the Goop Quench and Motor oil, especially used oil
Use commercial quench oil & match oil speed to the steel type
Explanation and classification oil speeds
http://knifedogs.com/showthread.php?28197-Hardening-II-Quenching
Grocery store canola oil works well enough for your first knife-if you use the right steel like 1084
Brine and water are cheap for "water hardening" steels W1 and 1095, but use fast oils Parks 50 & Houghton Houghto Quench K
If you use water or brine, expect a broken blade
Hot steel beats plastic, Don't quench in a plastic pail
Glue – Epoxy
Use new slow setting 30 min high strength epoxy to attach handles and seal out moisture
Slow epoxy is stronger and gives you time to work
prep, measure, mix are key in glueing.
Surface Prep is vital, drill tang holes/ grind a hollow, roughen the surfaces with abrasive or blasting is best
Ensure the surface is clean including fingerprints, wear vinyl or nitrile gloves
Use Acetone or Blasting
Don't over-clamp a “glue starved joint” is weak - adhesive is squeezed out
West Systems G Flex
http://www.westsystem.com/ss/g-flex-epoxy/
Find it locally
http://www.westsystem.com/ss/where-to-buy/
Brownell's Acraglas
JB Weld-leaves a grey line
Grinder / Tools
Hand Tools
You can do it by hand with files and abrasive like the Green Pete video.
Use 1084 instead of a file, spheroid annealed steel is butter soft
Stacy - 10 Tools
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1049666-Ten-Tools?p=11983527#post11983527
Filing jigs
http://www.flemingknives.com/imagesPrime/FileStation/KPicB007.jpg
Http://farm9.staticflickr.com/8486/8152684286_312b9fc8da_b.jpg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r9iNDRwwBQQ#t=330
Grinders
A professional three or four wheel 2x72 is worth it
In my opinion, variable speed and a small wheel attachment are essential on a good grinder.
Tracking problems are usually solved with belt tension. It needs to be way tighter than you first think.
Entry Level Grinders
Sears Craftsman 2x42 belt grinder
Low Speed Modification Craftsman 2x42 belt grinder
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2qfYT_m2Tw0
Commercial Production 2 x 72” Belt Grinder Reviews
http://www.prometheanknives.com/shop-techniques-3/grinders
DIY 2 x 72” Belt Grinders
KMG Clone Free Plans
http://www.metalwebnews.com/manuals/knife-grinder.pdf
NWG No Weld Grinder $25 plans
http://usaknifemaker.com/plans-for-the-no-weld-grinder-sander-nearly-50-pages.html
EERF Grinder (EERF =“Free” backwards)
http://www.wilmontgrinders.com/Pages/EERFGrinder.aspx
http://blindhogg.com/blueprints.html
http://polarbearforge.com/grinder_kit.html
What Belts to buy?
Every maker has a different preference, new belts come out all the time, search for recent threads.
Ceramic, trizact and structured belts are expensive and have long life. Aluminium oxide are cheap and wear quickly
Some belts have rigid backing, J-flex have soft backing and can blend curves.
Blaze and Cubitron are popular
VFD Variable Speed made simple
Step pulleys are not as cheap as you may think
Maska steel pulleys are good, plus shaft, bearings, belt
It all adds up to 1/2 the price of a sealed class NEMA 4 VFD like a KB Electronics KBAC-27D
I like direct drive with no belts, a VFD and 3 phase motor for about $200 over the price of the step pulleys with fine instant control.
NEMA 1 VFD’s will keep your fingers out, but the metallic dust intrusion will smoke it.
Motor
3 phase 220v 1.5 HP motor, TEFC, frame 56 or 56C,
RPM is up to you some use 1700 RPM at double speed.
Make sure it has a footed base for the KMG and NWG, or a C flange face mount for Bader, Bee, Wilton and GIB styles.
I get them on ebay, even with paying $100 for shipping to Canada I save $ on used motors
The 1.5 HP combination is the most common
It allows you to plug into any 110vac, 15 amp outlet.
A 2 HP motor requires a 220vac input.
VFD
KBAC-27D
http://www.kbelectronics.com/Variable_Speed_AC_Drives_Inverters/AC_Drives_NEMA_4X.html
http://www.kbelectronics.com/manuals/kbda_manual.pdf
Use the Distributor Locator to find a local source, online sources may be cheaper.
There are cheaper units, but the only VFD I have found that runs a 1.5 HP motor on a 110v 15 amp input is the KBAC-27D
It is NEMA 4, sealed from metal dust
Good community and company support, manuals, hook-up diagrams, photos and settings.
If you buy a bargain vfd, you're stuck with a chinglish manual and ridiculous programming.
Travis W reports running a 2 HP on a 110v circuit, but I haven’t tried it.
Hookup is simple
http://www.beaumontmetalworks.com/VS-setup.html
Safety Equipment
Protect your -Eyes, Ears, Fingers, and Lungs – remove jewellery and use safety gear.
Respirators
Chronic lung disease and cancer really suck the joy out of life.
If you can't breathe, nothing else matters.
Wearing a mask and glasses on the top of your head doesn't Count.
The minimum I would consider are silicone half masks with a P100 Filter
The silicone masks are softer and fit better
3M 7500
http://multimedia.3m.com/mws/mediaw...Ox_Uev7qe17zHvTSevTSeSSSSSS--&fn=CH7500FP.pdf
and North 7700
http://www.amazon.com/North-Safety-770030L-Silicone-Respirator/dp/B002C08YCW
http://www.amazon.com/North-7580P100-P100-Particulate-Cartridge/dp/B000UH6PSE/ref=pd_bxgy_hi_img_b.
Use a VOC & P100 combo cartridge for acetone and glue fumes.
Prefilters can snap over the main filter for longer life.
There are 3 sizes of face piece, get fitted in person
Shave, also test the fit every time.
For beards
3M PAPR
Resp-O-Rator
3m Breathe Easy
Trend Airshield Pro
Air Cap II
Search
This searches BF well.
http://www.google.com/cse/home?cx=011197018607028182644:qfobr3dlcra
Get rich making knives ?
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/s...knife-making-worth-it?p=11980504#post11980504
Visit a shop in person
http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1166688-How-to-get-a-shop-invite
V35 July 23, 2014
