First knife completed

Bladegunner

Bladegunner

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Jul 28, 2016
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IMG_0161.JPG IMG_0162.JPG IMG_0163.JPG Got my first one completed pretty happy with it but lots of room for improvement. Made out of 1084 with a water quench. Tempered for 3 cycles sure hope she holds a edge. Laminated Kirinite handle. Need to slow down and enjoy the process more as I was advised in a previous thread. I may clean the blade up a bit more. Just wish I could do a better job grinding as I want a knife with a nice plunge cut.
 
Jonathans said:
Nice for a first run at it. Can you share with us your process for grinding and finishing the steel?
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Well once its shaped I start with a small 45 bevel and try to bring it up the blade but my plunges are terrible and my grinding is very uneven. I just went with a FFG on this just to salvage the steel.
 
Congrats! Be careful, this knifemaking thing is way addictive!

1084 will do fine quenched in canola oil that's warmed up to 120-130°F (probably even room temp will work decent but I always warm it). It's less stressful a quench than water and also cools better since warmed canola oil is less likely to form a vapor jacket like water does. The vapor jacket can cause slower and uneven cooling.

You can use Dykem or just a Sharpie maker on your steel to see where you're removing metal, check after every grinding pass to see what you're doing. Many makers use a file guide to keep from screwing up the plunge.
 
Nice first go around ! My first few had next to no plunge lines either. Keep at it and keep a physical list of what to do and what not to do. Give yourself plenty of room in the ricasso area in case you need to walk back your lines to even them up. Did you start with a full size drawing to mimic ?
 
Jonathans said:
What are you grinding with? How do you do your hand sanding?
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I have a 2" x 72" Wilton square wheel and a Kalamazoo 1" x 42" for the grinding and handle work. Just used wet or dry sandpaper for the hand sanding it was a fairly fine grit as that was all I had.
 
3fifty7 said:
Nice first go around ! My first few had next to no plunge lines either. Keep at it and keep a physical list of what to do and what not to do. Give yourself plenty of room in the ricasso area in case you need to walk back your lines to even them up. Did you start with a full size drawing to mimic ?
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No I did not have a full size drawing to mimic.
 
milkbaby said:
1084 will do fine quenched in canola oil that's warmed up to 120-130°F (probably even room temp will work decent but I always warm it). It's less stressful a quench than water and also cools better since warmed canola oil is less likely to form a vapor jacket like water does. The vapor jacket can cause slower and uneven cooling.
Click to expand...

I agree, a higher carbon like 1084 will HT better in warmed canola oil.

1060 is when you want to start using water.

Very nice! Great first knife!
 
That dip in the middle of ur blade looks like bad belt pressure. Try hand sharpening for a more consistent micro bevel. It's slow but will help u learn the feel of the bevel more
 
Your knife making skills show a lot of potential.
Here are some of my suggestions.

Establish your profile lines and study their flow and form.

Take your time grinding your bevels. If you screw up occasionally like we all do and grind too deep etc., take the time to re-establish a pleasing profile and redo your bevels.

Determine whether you want plunge lines or not so you don’t end up with something in between.
If you intend to have plunge lines, I suggest using carbide guides to establish them. They really make the task easier.

Work your way down from course belts to fine. I suggest down to at least 320 prior to hand sanding.
Nick Wheeler has some great examples on Youtube.

Until your knife is as perfect as you want, dont move forward to the next step.

Keep a keen eye out for the symetry of the handle.
Once your handle is on, it is very difficult to improve the finish of your knife.
There should be no deep scratches and your finish should be consistant across the blade.

Good luck and have fun!
 
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