First Knife: Making a knife from an old rusty file.

S

SCGoodOlBoy

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Jun 13, 2012
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Recently became interested in blacksmithing, bladesmithing. My father in law is a knife dealer that hits a lot of the shows on the East coast. Most of my small collection comes from him and he is responsible for turning this city boy into a hunting, fishing, bow shooting, gun and knife lover. I am trying to make a knife from a file purchased for $1 a piece at the jocky lot. Everything I've learned has been from reading online or watching videos.

The first 2 pictures are right after annealing the file and then hand cutting out the profile and then filing and using the grinder to get the profile right.
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These next shots are after hand filing the blade then using sander to clean up all the rust and rough edges.

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I have since started to taper the tang and also took more angle out of the blade. I will get more pics up soon and show the progress. Please feel free to give any advice, criticism, tips or ideas. Again this is my first try and I am taking my time and doing it slow and getting it the way I want. I have a new appreciation for knife makers after doing this. So far it has been a really great hobby to have. I find it very peaceful and relaxing working on it.
 
It is always easier (and cheaper most of the time) to start with a known steel. That said, well done! Very nice first knife, if that file was not just case hardened 1018 then you should have a nice knife. Be sure to drill all the holes pre heat-treat, because if you try to drill them post heat treat... let's just say your children's vocabulary will be greatly expanded.

ETA- I am in no way an expert. All of the knives I have made so far have been old band saw or corrugator blades.
 
looks like a good start for sure ;0)

The first six knives I made were from a box of old files my dad left me, funny getting the teeth off was a real work out for my porta-cable 4x24 belt sander mounted upside down in my vice, but I did it, then I ran across a guy selling file knives on ebay for a 125$ and he was leaving most of the teeth on LOL

Go figure
 
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That's looking pretty darn nice for a first knife! The grind could probably go higher up the side of the blade, but I've made quite a few that look similar to yours. It looks like you have a definite plunge line in the second picture, but then it disappears in the clean shiny pictures. It's just my personal phobia but I worry that it is too easy for someone's index finger to slit forward and up onto the cutting edge.

Somehow you avoided the dreaded "blocky look". What sort of handle material are you planning to put on it? It's a sweet looking knife you're making.

- Paul Meske
 
Looks great for a first knife, I agree with possibly a bit higher on the grind. Some of my
best bench knives are made from old files.
Ken.
 
Thanks guys. Yes that was a week or so ago. I will get new pics this weekend. I took the angle of the blade much higher and then blended it really nice. You don't see any line any more just a nice smooth shape now. I finished tapering the tang tonight and hope to heat treat and put handles on this weekend. I have some Ironwood blanks for the handle that my father in law gave me. They were in his barn where he had a bunch of other knife making tools and stuff that I didn't know were even there till I stopped by to surprise him and show him what I had done. My father in law is a knife dealer and the one who go me into knives, guns, bows, hunting and most everything else I seem to like. Before I was a computer gaming couch potato. He was really happy to see how it was coming. Thanks again for the comments guys.
 
Lonepine I originally did have the plunge line like you said. Due to a slip on the sander though it has been removed now. lol Since this will be my knife, don't plan on lending or giving away to anyone I will just be careful with it. I am planning to keep this on me during hunting season. Hoping it will turn out to be a good skinning knife.
 
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