First Blade - Beginner's Help Needed

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yoda4x4

Joined
Mar 24, 2017
Messages
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Hey all,

I've been lurking on this site for some time, signed up, and then finally decided to get my rear in gear to actually build my first knife. I'm making this whole knife using basic tools (files, sandpaper, hacksaw, jig saw, etc...). I've made a brake drum forge to do the heat treating of my knives. All of the knives, 3 planned, will be made using the 1 bar of Aldo's 1084 (1/8" x 1-1/2") that I have already purchased. The first 2 knives are going to be drop point style that are intended to be a father/daughter set that will be for hunting related activities. I'm not sure what style the 3rd one will be yet as it will be a Xmas present for my father who doesn't hunt.

I've already profiled my first knife, which is going to be my knife. The overall length is about 6-1/2", with a cutting edge of about 3". Here's a picture of it:

IMG_20170503_074220_156_zpsgz6n0lsi.jpg


So here are my questions:
  • I'm planning on using three (3) 1/4" or so silver pins. What materials can I use for these? Can I use aluminum rod found at Home Depot or does this pin material need to be purchased at Jantz or some other knife building supply place?
  • Do the pins need to be peened over and can they simply just be inserted and glued?
  • The handle material I'm planning on using is either walnut or walnut burl and finished with linseed oil or tung oil but am open to suggestions. What would be a good finish to use on this handle material but be easy to apply for a beginner?
  • To do the heat treat, I'm planning on heating the blade to non-magnetic and maybe just slightly hotter. Then quench in 130°F canola oil that is held in a 1 gallon metal paint can that I bought from Home Depot. I figure this is ok since my blades are going to be fairly small. Will this be ok to use or do I need something bigger?
  • Last and least... I'm going for a sabre grind instead of a flat grind. My biggest question is how do you mark the centerline of the edge of the blade without a centering scribe? Should I just grind the bevels in and eyeball it? Or someway else? For the limited amount of knives I plan on buying, spending $40 on that tool seems to be a little nuts, but if you guys say that it's a must, I'll get it.
Thanks all for your help with this rookie.
David
 
You can mark the centerline using a drill bit that is the same size as the tickness of steel you are using. I think a metal paint can will be fine for a couple small knives. For pins you can pretty much use whatever metal rod you want which is the thickness you need. Even nails with the ends cut off would work. Peening the pins isn't really necessary if you are using a decent epoxy. Tung oil or linseed oil should be just fine.
 
1. You can find stainless rods at some smaller mom and pop hardware stores or just mild steel will work too.
2. You can peen or just glue, of course preening is going to be more secure, but takes a little more prep. ( tapering the drill holes slightly to accept the peen and not crack the wood).
3. I use danish oil, but bought some tru oil because I've heard of guy's using that on walnut.
4. That quench setup should work ok. Check the edge with a file after quench.
Ideally you want a couple gallons.
5. Drill bits work good for marking the center. For instance if your stock is 1/4", the tip of a 1/4" drill bit will be in the center. I used to clamp the drill bit down and pulled the knife across it, flip it over and do the same.

Post pics of your progress and good luck!
 
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