First knife: Micro fixed blade

O

ohaple

Joined
Nov 29, 2014
Messages
47
Hey all. Thought I would share my new project and get some feedback. I have a small collection of folders, but nothing crazy. Thought it might be fun to try my hand at this.

The plan is to make an edc fixed blade. For me, edc means that it fits in a coin pocket. I mostly only use knives for light tasks like opening boxes so it does not need to be large. I liked what I saw here and decided to give it a go. http://www.bladeforums.com/forums/showthread.php/1235707-4-Coin-Pocket-Knives

I will be using mostly only hand tools, and a reciprocating saw blade for the steel. I am putting the cutting edge right where the teeth were so it should hold an edge well enough (I have no illusions that the steel will be the quality of a professionally made knife since I am not planning to heat treat). The main point is to just have some fun and learn some new techniques with tools.

The design:

Starting to rough it out:

[/[URL=http://s183.photobucket.com/user/ohaple/media/Mobile%20Uploads/image_zps6b5b1221.jpg.html]

The sheath idea I have in mind (made from thick leather):

Been having fun imagining it when done. Plan to add thin scales out of whatever hardwood I can dig up and finish it in a dark stain. Probably will use tru-oil for the finish since I like the porous wooden feel. Only thing I am very nervous about is grinding the blade. I have watched some videos on it, but most people use a large grinder, which I don't have access to in my apartment. I have access to some sanders and stuff when I visit my parents, or I have files and a Dremel tool here at my place. Any advice on the grind with either of these tools? Any other hand tools that I could do it with? Any other thoughts or considerations?
 
Looks cool! I like the mini knives, something I never really saw until I got into this.

The only issue I think you're going to have is grinding bevels. That looks to be a sawzall blade and I doubt its thick enough to grind any bevels like you have in your drawing, though you can still put an edge on it. There are many ways to do that with the tools you have, none are as good as a nice belt grinder of course but that to me is the beauty of this craft; you don't have to have all those things to make a knife.

I recommend using your file and making a simple file guide that is listed in the sticky. Aaron Gough has a video on this that I recommend (sorry if I spelled your name wrong Aaron :) ).
 
It is thin since it is a sawzall blade, but I think it is too thick to just throw an edge on. I will look into the Gough video. Thanks!

Edit: also, I just noticed what you were saying about the template where I put the grind line. I was thinking of doing it only on one side like one of my crkt knives (small KISS folder) I think it might be called a chisel grind? Still it wouldn't be as far up the blade as drawn.

Edit again: took a closer look, I think you were right, doesn't need a bevel really, it is about as thick as most of my flat ground knives where their edges start. I suppose that will make for a bit less work then. Planning to make a jig and give it a 20 degree edge.
 
Last edited:
Made some more progress today. Got a rough edge on the blade and the rest of the materials bought. Just need a little time this Friday to finish making the scales. Even without scales, it feels nice in the hand (better than some of my knives with larger grips). Need to get some sanding and polishing materials as well to give it a nice mirror shine.



 
You haven't filled out your profile, so we don't know anything about you or where you live.

In some places, a small fixed blade that is designed to be concealable is considered a concealed weapon....basically a pocket razor. Check your local laws before carrying it.

On future builds, post your drawings before cutting out the steel. Others may be able to help you tweak the shape and features to help you avoid any problems.

Welcome to Shop Talk.
 
I live in Colorado. Checked my municipality. Illegal to carry concealed knives, but knives are defined in the city statutes as having a blade longer than 3.5 inches, so this is fine. Thanks for looking out for me though. :) I will fill out some of my profile as well.

I plan to make two more in a similar style, I will post drawings here when I do them before I cut. One will be drop point or spear tip. One will be essentially a tiny kwaiken.
 
Edit. Here are the new designs I am considering. I think I will make a new thread for these two, just wanted to share here as well. The top one will have a wrapped handle like I temporarily did at top, and the bottom will be walnut scales. Any thoughts for improvement on these?


Edit: didn't mean to post a double post, meant to edit, idk how to merge them on phone.

Edit again: had some time, so made up a rough one just to test out how the steel is when not heat treated. It isn't the same blade, so it may have different steel, but I figured it's only a bit of time. Plan to do a test tomorrow, cutting paper then cutting some cardboard and maybe push-cutting some wood to see how the edge holds up. So far it seems pretty soft. May need to reconsider heat treating.
 
Last edited:
Finished up this project. I am very happy with how it turned out. It has become my EDC for the last few days, and has been fun to use. It is not as nice as my kershaw leek or CRKT p.e.c.k, but there is something satisfying about using something I built. I decided I like this enough that I ordered some 1084 stock from NJSteelBaron for my next knives.

This is barely under 4 inches when sheathed. Blade is 1.5 inch. Overall knife only is 3.5 inches. Very comfortable to use considering the size. Scales are Walnut with Tru-Oil. I decided to change the scales to have a "hidden" lanyard hole, which can be accessed and seen from the bottom, but not the side.

Anyways, thanks again for the advice guys, onto the photos. This isn't as beautiful as many I have seen on BF, but I am proud of it for my first try.


Scales roughed out

Sheath done

Blade somewhat polished, and scales shaped, glued, and finished

Finished with sheath

"Hidden" lanyard hole. I don't use a lanyard, but I wanted to keep to option open. It isn't super fast to feed a lanyard through, but works nicely when it is attached.
 
Unless the photo is deceiving, that sheath is dangerous.....especially if carried in a pocket. There appears to be no welt...which will make the blade cut through the thread easily.
 
There is no welt, but the thread has been treated with flexible CA after assembly. At least in my tests, it takes a lot of force to cut a single strand. I think there are some 30 strands it would have to cut through to come out the side. I suppose over long use this could cut through. I had made one with a welt originally, but considering the scale of the knife and the thick leather I have on hand, it came out very awkward and unwieldy. I ended up throwing it out before even finishing it. The added thickness made it so there was not good friction on the knife, I decided the chances of it "falling out" of the sheath were more likely than it cutting through.

That said, I trust your knowledge/advice on it.
I am curious what sort of failure makes it dangerous? Is the concern that it would cut through and get loose in a pocket? If there is a safety concern, I wont hesitate to re-design and re-make the sheath (I have plenty of time while I wait for my 1084 to come in the mail). I might make another sheath just for something to do.

Thanks again for the input @Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith, the community here on BF has made it much more fun to get into this and have a good time with it.

EDIT: Thinking over it a while, a new sheath with a welt might be better if I took the sheath most of the way over the handle. This would fix the proportion problem I was having, and give more friction against the handle to hold it in place. Hard to say how it will turn out, since the leather wont form nicely like it does on larger knives/sheaths.
 
Last edited:
A welt is definitely a necessity for your sheath. The edge and tip of your knife will wear and cut away at your stitches until it comes right through and cuts your leg.
 
A pouch sheath with a welt would be the way to go. Glue up the welt and then punch and stitch it. The danger of a sheath like the first one would be a force applied to the handle in sitting or falling that pushed the knife through the stitching and into your leg .... and possibly the femoral artery.

My brother used to make small knives when he lived in Sweden that they called "Pocket Knives". These were small simple EDC knives with wrapped handles. They were about 3-4" long. They slid in a wet-formed pouch sheath that only left the last 3/4" sticking out. He said it was a common pocket carry item in some rural areas in Scandinavia. This was a while before 911 and the current problems of the world, so I don't know if they are still popular.
 
Cool. Thanks for the details and all. I will post pictures later today when I get a chance to work it up.
 
Got the new sheath made. Re-finished the scales in shellac for a little more gloss, but the can I bought must have been old stock. It didnt dry for 2 days, so I stripped it back off and re-did the scales in tru-oil again.
The new sheath is much better than my first attempt, and safer than my second. The welt goes down the side with the cutting edge and across the bottom. I am pretty happy with it. So far using it has been great. Need to get a better sharpening system than the files and single medium stone that I have now to get the blade as sharp as I would like. Also my 1084 steel comes this wednesday, so I can start on a few other knives in better quality. The lessons I have learned from this will help a lot.

Anyone know how to remove the lines/dents left by the pressing the sheath into form? I think they will go away naturally over time. I think I will use a different method next time to avoid these dents entirely. I am going to work a little this week on learning to decorate leather so I can make them more attractive as well. I need to get a leather gouge as well to recess the stitching. Lots to do and improve for the future, but I am pretty happy with my first attempt. Thanks again for the help on the sheath @Stacy E. Apelt
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top