First Knife

J

JPace

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Feb 11, 2019
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3
I have been wanting to make a knife for years, so I finally bought some 1095 (1/8 x 1-1/2) from Jantz and build a version of Gough’s filing jig. The files I used was a 12” Nicholson Flat Bastard Cut and a chainsaw file. The pattern is a Zombie Joe pattern that Simply Little Life used as a build along a while back. I am getting close to heat treating… I hope. By the way, amazing forum - I have been lurking for a while.

Now for the questions:

The file marks on the bevel: Should I draw file or sand them off? I just purchased 3 Simonds files, but not used them yet – A 14” and 10” Multicut coarse and a 10” Smooth mill file

Do I do all sanding before heat treating?

Is my plunge line in the right spot?

Ill do a separate post later about 2 brick forges.

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Nice work.
I like the plunge bisecting the choil as you did it.

You can do a 1095 HT in a 2BF, but it isn't the optimal choice. 1095 needs at lewast a 5 minute soak before the quench.
Try and have the forge running at the lowest temp that will heat the blade to where it just reaches a tad over non-magnetic. You can experiment with that on a bar of plain mild steel. If you grind/file a basic bevel on the bar, you can also play with various ways to keep the edge and tip from overheating.
 
JPace said:
I have been wanting to make a knife for years, so I finally bought some 1095 (1/8 x 1-1/2) from Jantz and build a version of Gough’s filing jig. The files I used was a 12” Nicholson Flat Bastard Cut and a chainsaw file. The pattern is a Zombie Joe pattern that Simply Little Life used as a build along a while back. I am getting close to heat treating… I hope. By the way, amazing forum - I have been lurking for a while.

Now for the questions:

The file marks on the bevel: Should I draw file or sand them off? I just purchased 3 Simonds files, but not used them yet – A 14” and 10” Multicut coarse and a 10” Smooth mill file

Do I do all sanding before heat treating?

Is my plunge line in the right spot?

Ill do a separate post later about 2 brick forges.

View attachment 1088723

View attachment 1088726
Click to expand...
You did a nice job with it. You might want to send it out for heat treatment to get the most out of it. You will be surprised about how much performance you can get out of it vs most of the 1095 stuff of the shelf. If it were me I would get some 1084 or best of all (15n20) or if you are ordering from AKS 80crv2 and it will do great in a 2 brick. I like the 15n20 because it doesn't rust as bad.
If you send it out @JTknives does heat treatment and you can ask him if you could get some of his 15n20 that he sells at a great price. Just a FYI that I had to learn when using a small forge to heat treat is that the condition that your steel is in before you use it has a huge affect. I had problems with the 80crv2 from NJSB. The steel is fine but it has to be normalized before it will harden well. It's a step that even after I found out I needed felt like it made it much less certain to get a good heat treatment. If you get used steel from someone like JT ask if there is steps you have to take to get a good blade and he can help.
Great work though. I wish I would have started like you. It would have let me start years earlier.
 
Excellent work. Definitely send it out for professional HT.
 
I would bollux it up trying to draw file it. I would try wrapping that file in sandpaper and using it right on the bevel. Change the paper when it stops cutting.

Likely wouldn't take long to get it where you want it to be.
 
Stacy E. Apelt - Bladesmith said:
Nice work.
I like the plunge bisecting the choil as you did it.

You can do a 1095 HT in a 2BF, but it isn't the optimal choice. 1095 needs at lewast a 5 minute soak before the quench.
Try and have the forge running at the lowest temp that will heat the blade to where it just reaches a tad over non-magnetic. You can experiment with that on a bar of plain mild steel. If you grind/file a basic bevel on the bar, you can also play with various ways to keep the edge and tip from overheating.
Click to expand...

I have a couple pieces of 1095 I can test with when I build the forge - I have all the pieces to build it, need a couple 25 hour days :) Now mulling to try and heat treat it or send it out for HT...

Edit: What steel would you recommend for a newbie and a 2 brick?
 
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Storm W said:
If you send it out @JTknives does heat treatment and you can ask him if you could get some of his 15n20 that he sells at a great price. Just a FYI that I had to learn when using a small forge to heat treat is that the condition that your steel is in before you use it has a huge affect. I had problems with the 80crv2 from NJSB. The steel is fine but it has to be normalized before it will harden well. It's a step that even after I found out I needed felt like it made it much less certain to get a good heat treatment. If you get used steel from someone like JT ask if there is steps you have to take to get a good blade and he can help.
Great work though. I wish I would have started like you. It would have let me start years earlier.
Click to expand...

Thank you! I tried DMing @JTknives but his mailbox is full, did not see an email address for him
 
JPace said:
I have a couple pieces of 1095 I can test with when I build the forge - I have all the pieces to build it, need a couple 25 hour days :) Now mulling to try and heat treat it or send it out for HT...

Edit: What steel would you recommend for a newbie and a 2 brick?
Click to expand...

1080, 1084, 15N20, and 80CrV2 are good options for simple heat treat in a 2BF and canola. They have carbon close the the eutectoid point, so you basically only need to heat the steel hot enough to get the carbon in solution and can then quench. With more alloying elements or higher carbon content, then you want to soak (hold at temperature) long enough to get the elements distributed throughout the steel. However it's difficult to hold the blade in a 2BF for a long time without overheating it which leads to grain growth which is undesirable for knives.
 
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