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first knife almost finished
- Thread starter Ratking20
- Start date
gonebad395
Ironworker!
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Nothing showing here
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Try changing the file extension from "jpg" to "JPG". This was a must for the old system. The new system seems to work with "jpg", but sometimes those pics don't show up. Also check the code using the BB code editor (the very right button on the edit menu).
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith
ilmarinen - MODERATOR
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Shape looks good. It will be a better first knife than many.
There are some issues that you need to change on the next one,
1) Finish the blade completely except sharpening it before putting on the handle.
2) When fitting the scales, after drilling the pin holes, slip in the pins and tape the scales together off the blade. Shape the front end, sand it down , and buff it before assembling the scales. You can't finish the front once it is on the knife without messing up the blade.
3) It looks like you left the edge too thick post HT. On a full flat grind, the bevels should come down to nearly a sharp edge. About .005" edge is good ( about as thick as a business card). Once sanded or ground down to that thickness at the edge, finish sanding and polishing the blade to the degree you desire. When the blade is done, assemble the handle. If making a sheath, do that next ( befor sharpening).
4) Sharpen the edge after every other thing is done
There are some issues that you need to change on the next one,
1) Finish the blade completely except sharpening it before putting on the handle.
2) When fitting the scales, after drilling the pin holes, slip in the pins and tape the scales together off the blade. Shape the front end, sand it down , and buff it before assembling the scales. You can't finish the front once it is on the knife without messing up the blade.
3) It looks like you left the edge too thick post HT. On a full flat grind, the bevels should come down to nearly a sharp edge. About .005" edge is good ( about as thick as a business card). Once sanded or ground down to that thickness at the edge, finish sanding and polishing the blade to the degree you desire. When the blade is done, assemble the handle. If making a sheath, do that next ( befor sharpening).
4) Sharpen the edge after every other thing is done
- Joined
- May 23, 2017
- Messages
- 1,268
I always use qtips or rifle cleaning patches with acetone to clean the squeeze out.
If I happen to miss any, it's a small enough bit right in the corner that it can carefully be removed without scratching anything using a small scribe or dental pick
If I happen to miss any, it's a small enough bit right in the corner that it can carefully be removed without scratching anything using a small scribe or dental pick
- Joined
- Nov 28, 2014
- Messages
- 1,864
Squeeze out is good as it shows you have enough epoxy. Use a q tip and some acetone to clean the epoxy off the front of the scales. If it's fast setting epoxy you can wait until it gets kinda rubbery and peel it off leaving a clean line at the front. Nice job.
- Joined
- Apr 27, 2017
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Way back in the day, I used to put chapstick on the front of the finished scale before pouting the epoxy on. Right before I clamped it down I would push some of the glob of chapstick onto the blade. It worked pretty good as a release agent to get the epoxy off the scale and blade.
I like that, now where does my wife keep her chapstick...
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith
ilmarinen - MODERATOR
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When you glue up the scales, wipe the excess off immediately with a paper towel.
Wait a few minutes and wipe off again with a paper towel wet with denatured alcohol. (Denatured alcohol is the solvent for uncured epoxy. Acetone is the solvent for cured epoxy.)
Wait until the mix pot is just setting up hard and wipe down again. This should leave your scales front and the blade ricasso clean and squeeze out free.
If after the resin cures you find a little more squeeze out, take a very sharp and thin blade (X-acto #11) and push the blade edge straight down along the scales. The resin will pop right off. Clean up with a paper towel and acetone to remove any residue. IF you did the previous steps, this last step is unlikely to be needed.
I don't like Q-tips because they leave fibers behind. They also don't get all that tight into a 90 degree joint. Use a chop stick with the end ground into a chisel shape to run a small pad of alcohol dampened paper towel ( or a makeup removal pad) along the blade/scale joint.
I do the above series of checks and wipes when gluing up handles. Because I am checking and wiping them off at least three times while the resin sets up, I rarely have to deal with a scale that moves under the clamp epoxy getting all over the blade or front of the scales, or realizing I have made an error like putting the wrong scale on a blade.
Wait a few minutes and wipe off again with a paper towel wet with denatured alcohol. (Denatured alcohol is the solvent for uncured epoxy. Acetone is the solvent for cured epoxy.)
Wait until the mix pot is just setting up hard and wipe down again. This should leave your scales front and the blade ricasso clean and squeeze out free.
If after the resin cures you find a little more squeeze out, take a very sharp and thin blade (X-acto #11) and push the blade edge straight down along the scales. The resin will pop right off. Clean up with a paper towel and acetone to remove any residue. IF you did the previous steps, this last step is unlikely to be needed.
I don't like Q-tips because they leave fibers behind. They also don't get all that tight into a 90 degree joint. Use a chop stick with the end ground into a chisel shape to run a small pad of alcohol dampened paper towel ( or a makeup removal pad) along the blade/scale joint.
I do the above series of checks and wipes when gluing up handles. Because I am checking and wiping them off at least three times while the resin sets up, I rarely have to deal with a scale that moves under the clamp epoxy getting all over the blade or front of the scales, or realizing I have made an error like putting the wrong scale on a blade.
just to be clear... i am not completely finished with the blade or handle. this was more of a learning blade for me to make. i did not heat treat it. just threw the handle on to get going. only used the flat platen on my homemade grinder. i also have a small wheel attachment that i havent used yet. and am looking for a large contact wheel at the moment. definitely gonna be a fun hobby for me!
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith
ilmarinen - MODERATOR
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"....this was more of a learning blade for me to make. i did not heat treat it. just threw the handle on to get going....."
We hear this a lot. Mostly we hear it from 16 year old kids who just want to "make a knife". You are 37 and not a kid anymore. Take the time to do it right will teach you much more than just slapping it together.
Your basic shape is good, and it would have been a good knife if you had heat treated the blade. I am going to tell you my thoughts on your build as a Dutch Uncle would. I think you have potential and don't want you to waste it. This is to encourage you, not to demean you. Take it as advice not criticism.
What did you learn on this blade that wouldn't have been learned by doing it right? Making a knife shaped object is not the same as making a knife. If you had taken the time to do the sanding on the blade, you would have at least learned that part, but you just stuck the handle on a half ground blade. In you rush to get going you skipped the most important part, which is planning. If you had read the stickys and tutorials on making a first knife, you would have known about the front of the scales and to finish the blade before assembling the handle.
Why heat treat a blade that may end up no good? Sanding and grinding a blade after HT is different than sanding and grinding annealed steel. You also will get the finish and shaping more exact in preparation for HT. The blade should look smooth, well shaped, and at a perfect 400 grit matte finish when it is done before HT. Saying, "I'll get that later after HT", is not a good plan. Doing it right takes very little extra effort and makes for a great improvement .... especially when learning. No one can guarantee a first blade won't end up in the scrap bin, but you should go at it as if it was going to be a perfect knife. You should do it to the best of your abilities. Only by doing that will you be able to see what you need to improve on the next one.
Where to go now? I would suggest you put two nails on the shop wall and set this KSO on them. Then start a new knife with proper steel and a plan to HT it.
I highly recommend reading the sticky, "How to instructions for making a knife." I also recommend you read through as many of the other stickys as you have time to. This will help you prepare to make a good finished knife. If you need proper steel, I will send you a piece.
You have no info in your profile, so no one knows anything about you or where you are. Filling those things out will help us with advice as well as may get you an offer to visit a local maker and get some free materials and other help like HT.
We hear this a lot. Mostly we hear it from 16 year old kids who just want to "make a knife". You are 37 and not a kid anymore. Take the time to do it right will teach you much more than just slapping it together.
Your basic shape is good, and it would have been a good knife if you had heat treated the blade. I am going to tell you my thoughts on your build as a Dutch Uncle would. I think you have potential and don't want you to waste it. This is to encourage you, not to demean you. Take it as advice not criticism.
What did you learn on this blade that wouldn't have been learned by doing it right? Making a knife shaped object is not the same as making a knife. If you had taken the time to do the sanding on the blade, you would have at least learned that part, but you just stuck the handle on a half ground blade. In you rush to get going you skipped the most important part, which is planning. If you had read the stickys and tutorials on making a first knife, you would have known about the front of the scales and to finish the blade before assembling the handle.
Why heat treat a blade that may end up no good? Sanding and grinding a blade after HT is different than sanding and grinding annealed steel. You also will get the finish and shaping more exact in preparation for HT. The blade should look smooth, well shaped, and at a perfect 400 grit matte finish when it is done before HT. Saying, "I'll get that later after HT", is not a good plan. Doing it right takes very little extra effort and makes for a great improvement .... especially when learning. No one can guarantee a first blade won't end up in the scrap bin, but you should go at it as if it was going to be a perfect knife. You should do it to the best of your abilities. Only by doing that will you be able to see what you need to improve on the next one.
Where to go now? I would suggest you put two nails on the shop wall and set this KSO on them. Then start a new knife with proper steel and a plan to HT it.
I highly recommend reading the sticky, "How to instructions for making a knife." I also recommend you read through as many of the other stickys as you have time to. This will help you prepare to make a good finished knife. If you need proper steel, I will send you a piece.
You have no info in your profile, so no one knows anything about you or where you are. Filling those things out will help us with advice as well as may get you an offer to visit a local maker and get some free materials and other help like HT.