First Knife

peter nap

peter nap

Joined
Nov 27, 1999
Messages
3,745
The other day Bruce got me thinking about my first knife. After 10 years and 2 grip replacements, I still use it at least 2 days a week. This was when I realizied that I would never make art knives so I concentrated on ones that cut.

Excuse the link. Photopoint is restricting me again. Any ideas on a new place to put photos.
http://albums.photopoint.com/j/ViewPhoto?u=914731&a=10504095&p=51329627&f=0

Happy 4th everyone. This is a special day for me. I thumb my nose at the regulations and constant Government intrusions that plague other people while I grind and forge to my hearts content.

Freedom is a state of mind.
 
This one looks great Peter.It took me a year or more before I was even getting close to making one look like that.
Bruce
 
Thanks Bruce but you should see it up close. Yours was forged. That takes skill in itself. Mine was ground using a belt sander clamped in a vice. Even though it was my first knife I think I had made 2 or three swords by then.

I may have my first sword. If I find it I'll post it....man was that ugly.
 
Peter,I wish I could say that my first few were forged but I am sorry to say that they weren't.They were actually cut from a rusty 4 foot circular sawmill blade,Then profiled with a side grinder and the rest was done with files and sandpaper and a hand drill to drill any holes. It was about a year before I thought that I was ready to forge.
I had the forge set up,but I made myself work on grinding and fitting guards and handles untill I felt a little comfortable doing them.Then I decided one weekend that it was time to graduate to the forge.I didn't have a clue as to what I was doing and I wanted to try a piece of cable Damascus.So I asked this old retired Blacksmith that used to come into the scrap yard how to weld in the forge,and he said to heat it up some and sprinkle some Borax on it then heat it again until the metal looked like it was ready to melt then bring it out and hit it and I should get a weld.Nedless to say that was not enough info.but I tried it anyway.I got a blade from that first piece after about 4 hours of forging.The blade was a whole 2 inches long and 1 inch wide.But I thought that I had me something.My step dad wanted it and he does still have it in a display case and I don't think anybody could get it from him.Even though I think it is very ruff he still likes it and I was really proud of it when it was done.
Boy was it luck that I even got it together,but it is a great way to start forging by yourself and not having any real teachers.
Bruce
 
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