First post. First knife. (Pictures are now up. Sorry about that)

M

_Muad'dib_

Joined
Apr 23, 2011
Messages
19
Hey guys, this is my first post with some pictures of my first knife that I'm working on. I was hoping for some feedback, I'm sure there will be plenty. To be honest, I'm not very handy or mechanically inclined so I knew it would be a stretch to make anything halfway decent. I have looked over a few knife making books- Goddards $50 and Blades Guide to Making Knives. I felt a bit lost in both of them though. Most of my ideas of what is correct came from the website absolute cheapskates guide to making a $30 knife. I've looked through a few forums also and that has helped a bit. I did get a bit impatient and hurried to much.

The knife is made of 1095 steel that I ordered from Jantz. It is 1/8x 1 1/2 I think. I don't have the specs in front of me atm but I'm pretty certain that's what it is. As far as tools go, I borrowed an old electric drill, a 10inch Nicholson bastard mill file, 120/220 sqaures of sandpaper, and some c-clamps and a vise.

I drew the pattern on paper and then cut it out and traced it on the steel. It's gone through some revisions :D I wanted a knife with a 3 inch blade that would be easy to flat grind with a file. I also wanted a finger groove on the backside of the blade for more security when holding it in a reverse ice pick grip. This 2nd finger groove on the back turns out to be an unneccesary idea in my mind I think. I wanted a sharp angle on the end of the grip for busting windshields/etc. I decided rather than put grips on it I would cord wrap it. We'll see how that goes since I forgot to check and don't know what kind of grip styles you can cord wrap.

There is a ridge on the top of the knife about where the handle and blade meet that I didn't get filed down enough.

Things I don't know about.
- I don't know exactly how much of an edge to put on it before it gets heat treated.
- I'm not sure if my flat grind is flat enough or if I need to take more in the middle of the blade?
- Should I have drilled the holes in the handle in different areas? Should there be more holes?
- Once it's heat treated it's too late to fix anything grinding wise right?
- When I'm filing, should I always draw across the blade at a 90 degree angle or can I hold the file at a 90 degree angle and pull the it down the blade. This second method seemed to work to pull off the high areas in the middle of the blade that were a result of uneven filing.

I mainly want a strong blade that will be sharp. It doesn't have to be perfect but I want to learn what would have made it better.
Please comment and critique as much as possible.

(I can't figure out how to post a picture so I'll go search that and put the pics in the next post)

842031318_photobucket_50118_.jpg


842031318_photobucket_50119_.jpg
 
Last edited:
(I can't figure out how to post a picture so I'll go search that and put the pics in the next post)

I've looked in the FAQ's for the answer but I can't find the "Manage Attachments" button. Am I just being bat like? Can someone help me?

Edit- I think I figured it out. You have to be a paying member to post attachents.
 
Last edited:
I'll attempt to address your questions:

- I don't know exactly how much of an edge to put on it before it gets heat treated.
Sharpen after H.T. At this point, take the edge of the blade evenly down to thin enough to sharpen, I'd recommend between 0.010 and 0.025.
- I'm not sure if my flat grind is flat enough or if I need to take more in the middle of the blade?
I can't really see what the bevel looks like. If in doubt, put a straightedge on it to check for flat. Mild convexity is OK, as long as it's a smooth curve; that's just a convex grind. It's really up to you.
- Should I have drilled the holes in the handle in different areas? Should there be more holes?
It depends on what fasteners you use, two holes would be fine for Corby rivets or well flared tubing. For just pins, I'd use three or more holes. You want some mechanical strength holding the scales on.
- Once it's heat treated it's too late to fix anything grinding wise right?
With a belt grinder, not necessarily. With files, absolutely. Get it where you want it before H.T.
- When I'm filing, should I always draw across the blade at a 90 degree angle or can I hold the file at a 90 degree angle and pull the it down the blade. This second method seemed to work to pull off the high areas in the middle of the blade that were a result of uneven filing.
Whatever works. There's nothing wrong with using the file like a drawknife. Just be conscious of whether you are using the file in a way which may prematurely dull it.

Welcome to the craft, and to Bladeforums. Good effort, let's see finished pics soon.

Lastly, I love your username. Rock on.
 
Thanks for the help Salem. I'm going to work the grind a bit more. It doesn't sound like I've ground it down to enough of an edge quite yet. Also, you said to be conscious of using the file in a way the may prematurely dull it? Like I said earlier, I'm not very knowledgeable about any of this right now. What sort of things would dull the file prematurely?
 
I just erased a couple paragraphs twice now! Aargh!

1. Looks like there's a bump at the spine above the finger groove and in the middle of the blade.
2. Sharp corner on the finger groove is commonly a no-no.
3. The bump on the bottom of the handle looks wrong.
4. If you're going to cord wrap, you will want the holes closer to the ends of the tang, both closer to the butt and about the middle of the finger groove.
5. Don't normally see finger grooves on cord wrapped handles. The groove just doesn't translate well to cords as well as it does to wood.
6. Just a tip from one beginner to another, it's much easier to work prior to the HT. It took me 9 knives to realize that I should finish it 90% before the HT. My first couple I finished 50% and finishing them post-HT ate through the belts MUCH quicker. Hand sanding at 220 is much easier before the HT than after. My current beliefe is that it shouldn't touch the belts after the HT, and it should be hand sanded to about 400 grit.
7. Another tip I didn't learn until late: use ANTI-SCALE when performing your own HT! It will drastically reduce the decarb and scale created during the time in the kiln/forge for the HT.
 
Mainly skating it backward over the teeth, instead of slightly lifting in when returning. Filing scale. Like zaph says, using anti-scale or a thin coat of satanite when H.T.'ing at home will prevent hard scale build-up. That stuff will dull anything you cut it with.

If you send it out for HT, you shouldn't have to worry about scale.
 
Very cool, I like the profile a lot, quite unique.

As far as tang holes... I only did them for my pins. Many people do extra smaller/bigger holes to reduce weight and help with epoxy adhesion (creates epoxy "pins" in a sense). It is really up to you, one thing that was stressed on me to do though was to countersink any holes. This will prevent stress risers and burrs that may arise during heat-treating and will be a pain to deal with once the blade is hardened.

Keep it up, can't wait to see the end result =)
 
_Muad'dib_ said:
I did get a bit impatient and hurried to much.

That's my downfall too. Unfortunately if you want to spend a lot of time making a nice knife, just rush yourself.

The knife is made of 1095 steel that I ordered from Jantz. It is 1/8x 1 1/2 I think. I don't have the specs in front of me atm but I'm pretty certain that's what it is. As far as tools go, I borrowed an old electric drill, a 10inch Nicholson bastard mill file, 120/220 sqaures of sandpaper, and some c-clamps and a vise.

Wow, a complete knife shop! Like they say in photography, it's not the camera, it's the photographer. It's not the number and cost of the tools, it's what you can do with them.

I drew the pattern on paper and then cut it out and traced it on the steel. It's gone through some revisions :D I wanted a knife with a 3 inch blade that would be easy to flat grind with a file.

Next time cut a copy out of cardboard (cereal box works good) to get a better idea of what it will feel like in your hand.

I wanted a sharp angle on the end of the grip for busting windshields/etc. I decided rather than put grips on it I would cord wrap it. We'll see how that goes since I forgot to check and don't know what kind of grip styles you can cord wrap.

It's just my personal taste, but I don't care for parachute cord wrapped handles. I think it will look far cooler with a solid handle.


Things I don't know about.

- I'm not sure if my flat grind is flat enough or if I need to take more in the middle of the blade?
Since patience is not your strong point I would guess that there is still a lot of room for improvement yet.

- Should I have drilled the holes in the handle in different areas? Should there be more holes?
Well, I drill all my holes in Wisconsin. Oh, that's not what you meant, huh? ;-) I don't think they're in horrible places. The back one would be better if your innovative finger notch weren't there. What size holes are those? What were you planning to use to fasten scales on with? I like Salem's idea of flared tubing.

I mainly want a strong blade that will be sharp. It doesn't have to be perfect but I want to learn what would have made it better.
Click to expand...

You WILL learn a LOT from this knife. For some reason I find a "first knife" project really exciting. I look forward to seeing how it progresses.

How about a little more info on yourself in your profile, please.

Keep away from the sand worms!

- Paul Meske, Wisconsin
 
Usul, set your camera to macro(flower) mode. It will focus much better when you are close up. Normal focus won't focus less than 3-4' from the object.
Carl_First_Timer said:
Is that from the "REPLY TO THREAD" Button? If so it has bitten me more than I'd like to admit.:mad:
Click to expand...

Keep clicking it by accident and lose everything I have typed! Mainly because I'm on the laptop and didn't have the touchpad disabled.

wolffbite said:
Very cool, I like the profile a lot, quite unique.

As far as tang holes... I only did them for my pins. Many people do extra smaller/bigger holes to reduce weight and help with epoxy adhesion (creates epoxy "pins" in a sense). It is really up to you, one thing that was stressed on me to do though was to countersink any holes. This will prevent stress risers and burrs that may arise during heat-treating and will be a pain to deal with once the blade is hardened.

Keep it up, can't wait to see the end result =)
Click to expand...

Countersinking your holes is also necessary for a cord wrap. Sharp holes will cut the cord.
 
Last edited:
Thanks so much for all the tips guys. It might be a few days before I can get work on it but I'll keep posting pictures and asking questions. So, what's the consensus on cord wrap/make a handle? I was fully intending on cord wrapping it because it sounded easier but I'm reconsidering after all the comments. If I make a handle what kind of material would you recommend?
 
Salem, very cool of you to take the time to answer all of those questions! Muad'dib, very good start! Listen to the excellent tips in this forum and you'll be on your way very soon!
 
I would be willing to bet that most makers have done a cord wrap at least once, even if they took it right back off afterwards. From the responses I've read to cord wrapped knives, he common response seems to be that while they look neat and easy, they are cheap and easy. While this isn't a bad thing for a $5 knife from a flea market, it's unsuitable for something that you've just spent dozens of hours making.

Consider this example.
Make a nice 1095 blade, like yours, and put a cord wrap handle on it. It's maybe a $25 knife.
Put some simple micarta scales on it, and you've got a $75 knife.
Put some real nice ironwood scales on it and it's maybe a $150 knife.
Put nothing on it and it's maybe a $50 blade.

While the blade is the majority of the work, the handle is what people notice. I'm not knocking cord wraps, sometimes a knife looks better with a wrap. Entry tools come to mind, military knives, Japanese style to a different extent. But, it would be a shame to put 30-40 hours into a knife and then spend only 5 minutes doing the handle.
 
Last edited:
Hey, it's been too long since I've said anything but thanks again for the help. No new pics yet, sorry.

So I've worked the handle a bit more and took the bump out that was a bit unsightly. I also filed the blade a bit flatter. It's not perfect flat by any means but I think I'm going to call if good and be happy with it. I also countersunk the holes so hopefully no sharp edges later. So now I'm probably going to send it off for HT.

Things I've learned so far-

1. Read more first :D

2. Don't sand or file on the tang or it will be uneven and hard to put a handle on it. I could have learned this by following rule #1. I'm going to go ahead and cord wrap it now since it's not so flat anymore. But I'm not concerned about it. I wanted to cord wrap it originally. Zaph had almost convinced me to put scales on it but after realizing it was uneven from my random decision to sand and file the handle a bit I changed my mind. I know it's not worth as much but don't really care since I would never sell it, being my first knife and all.

3. Plan ahead. I had read I could drill holes in the handle and use screws to hold it while I filed it. So I just grabbed the drill and did it. But I'm unhappy where the holes are in the handle now. Next knife I'm planning it out better.

4. Down it the valley, valley so low...... Use a sanding block because just sanding by hand can leave hills and valleys.

5. Don't use the drill at the highest speed possible :)

6. Be more careful with the plunge line. That said, I'm not 100% sure I know what the plunge line is but I think it's where the sharp part of the blade ends and the rest of the knife begins. If I'm correct in that assesment then M\my plunge line is sloppy and has file marks I'm having trouble getting out.

7. Find some chalk and a file cleaner.

8. Don't use the file in both directions. It doesn't work as well after that :(

9. Try, try again! I had more fun that I even thought I would making the first one. And it hasn't been easy. I've spent alot of hours filing and sanding and sweating in the heat. And it's not pretty. But it's mine. I swore when I was finished I wouldn't use a hacksaw and files again. I would get a Sears grinder atleast. Well, now I'm filing the bevel on my second knife :D But seriously, when I'm finished with this second kinfe, I'm not doing it all again with my one file that I didn't treat so swell before I learned that you can't use it in both directions and has seen better days. And my hacksaw blades are are dull and bent to crap also. But I did say all that before I started on the second knife so who knows :D

I'll post some pictures of it sometime soon and also of the second knife i'm working on. Thanks everyone for all the help and advice so far!
 
Quote: "I also countersunk the holes so hopefully no sharp edges later."

The sharp edges can be "stress risers", areas where cracks can begin. Beveling or rounding the edges of the holes gets rid of this also.


Quote: "Plan ahead."

Good idea, I should try that too! ;-)


Quote: "I swore when I was finished I wouldn't use a hacksaw and files again. I would get a Sears grinder at least. Well, now I'm filing the bevel on my second knife..."

Another one bites the dust! It's addicting, that's for sure.


I enjoy the humor that you put into your writing. I look forward to your next update.

- Paul Meske
 
Zaph, sorry if I sounded like I thought you were trying to influence me to do something I didn't want to. I liked all your suggestions alot. I was happy about putting scales on it actually. I just ended up going the cord wrap because of several different factors.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top