First Post to Forum - First knife and Questions

B

B Wall

Joined
Nov 28, 2012
Messages
7
Hello all,

This is a budding interest and I'm trying to gradually learn various techniques in knife making. Thought I would attach some pictures of the first knife I finished and ask a couple of questions. Dan Koster was a professor of mine about 8 years ago in Arkansas, never knew he was so well-known in this circle until I found his knives online.

My Knife, Nussmuk style, scandi grind but with a secondary finish bevel, 1095 blue hardened spring steel, blue canvas handmade Micarta handles

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Hope these pictures work...

Questions:
1. Is there a way to test the hardness of steel with simple instruments or tests? I am heat treating in a fire and tempering in the oven so I'm not sure what I'm reaching at this point.
2. How can Micarta be finished so that it has a more smooth finish? I sanded with 320, 600 and applied some wax and tried to buff out.
3. Next project soon is a knife from an old blacksmithing file, is there a good forum thread or someone with good information on how to heat treat these materials? I've read that there may be annealling necessary prior to stock removal, and then a certain method of heat treating back to hardness. Some clarification would be good (and this will be done in a fire too).
 
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A file test will give you an idea of hardness though not as accurately. If the file bites easily you probably did not get it hard enough. If it skates might be too hard.

Canvas Micarta is difficult at best to get rally smooth. Since it has the large fibers they like to fray out. I like this on a working knife as it gives a good grippy surface.

Read the stickies at the top of the shop talk forum. There is tons of great info there including a rudimentary how to on heat treating. Check out I forge iron forums.

And WELCOME to Blade Forums.
 
Welcome to Shop Talk.

Filling out your profile will help us help you.

The stickies are full of info, including a section on making a knife from a file.

Testing the hardness without a proper machine is guess work. Most folks put a file to the edge after the quench, and it should skate across without biting in at all. After the temper, it should almost get a bite, but still not dig in.

Canvas Micarta, and most homemade Mycarta, will be rough surfaced by nature. This is for getting a good grip. Wax or oil would make a handle shinier, but also slipperier....which is contrary to why one would use Micarta/Mycarta.

That is a nice first knife.
 
You MIGHT be able to get a little bit more shine out of your handle material where the fibers aren't getting in the way with a plastic polish. I've used a polish made by Flitz with success.

- Paul Meske
 
No pins on this one - That's because I didn't think to drill my holes before the HT. Tried to drill them in after the fact and barely scratched the surface before the bit just spun. I think I could have spot annealed the pin holes, but I just JB Welded the scales on. I consider it a lesson learned and I'm glad for it!
 
Good attitude!

Be careful though - when one of those scales comes off, I hope your fingers don't end up on the cutting edge!
 
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