got my steel in today and started working on my FIRTS KNIFE!!!!!

mrstenoien said:
it may be just how i'm looking at it, but your transition from tang to blade seems kinda sharp, might be a possible stress riser. looks good though!
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I'm gonna agree with this post. If that is a sharp 90 there, you may want to radius that a tad before HT. Lookin' good so far! :thumbup: -Matt-
 
Jacob- Somewhere between patting your ass and calling you Sally, and being a complete dick... there is something called constructive criticism :)

Honestly, I like your blade shape, I think it has a nice flowing look... but the handle is awfully straight (IMHO). It looks much like the end of a broom handle to me. I think it would look worlds apart better if you had a nice drop to the butt of that tang. It would also feel MUCH more natural in the hand as well.

If you have a forge, then all you would have to do is heat it up and smack it a few times with a mallet over an anvil horn to drop it down. Then make sure it's flat.

I also missed why you are hand-sanding it to 600X prior to heat-treat.

It's a really great start though, so I hope you don't think I'm just picking on you.
 
NickWheeler said:
.....I also missed why you are hand-sanding it to 600X prior to heat-treat.
Click to expand...

I tried to tell him, Nick. Too advanced to listen, apparently. After all, he's got almost 800 posts in two months.:rolleyes:

Added: Jacob, I was willing to help you. Really. But if you ignore what people try to teach, there's no reason to help. Sorry.
 
LOL... those damn young'ns :D ;)

And just because I'm a $hit-head... one more question:

What the fuq is a PimpinSquee??? :confused: :)
 
im doing it cause im wanting to also see how it reacts at 600 grit. not to mention i have nothing better to do right now. i made the handle straight just so that i could focus more on the blade and bevels. once i apply the slabs i may change it up a little then. but im also using 1/8" scales. this is my first knife and it will be a big learning experience. what i learn from making this knife will help me in the future with more knives. also after grinding on this with my 1x30 i noticed i need to modify it a little. i can make changes to my knife as need be but for now im only experimenting with it.
 
I'll point out several things you still haven't figured out yet.
1) The handle to blade transition should not be 90 degrees. Put a small radius in it. Looking at the Lloyd Harding drawings will show you how they should look.
2) The rivet holes should be at least 25% larger than the pins. The holes are too small. There needs to be some room for epoxy and fitting of the scales. Drilling several extra holes in the tang is a good idea,too.
3) The handle is too long and straight. Make the ratio of blade to handle no more than 3 to 5 , and curve the handle some (or at least put some shape in it). The spine should not usually be a straight line from tip to butt. It makes the knife look like a ground down bar of steel.
4) You don't sand to a fine finish prior to HT. 120 0r 220 is plenty.
5) Without good grinding equipment, sanding the bevels in after HT is going to be difficult without ruining the temper. You are going to have to dunk it in the water bucket every two seconds. The guys who do it after HT have years of experience and powerful, variable speed equipment.
6) IT IS INSANE TO HEAT A TANK OF OIL ON AN ELECTRIC BURNER AND QUENCH IN IT. A big fire is just waiting to happen. When the flash and fumes hit the hot coils, a flare up is a big likelihood.

Slow down and think things out.

Stacy

BTW, have you shipped those books back yet? I have another person who wants to borrow them.
Stacy
 
i have been told not to make the holes too big. my pins are 2.33mm or .091". i dont mind having the handle on mine too long and i wanted the blade to be that size. yall have always said make sure you keep your first knife simple. and so i have kept it simple. and now yall are telling me how to design the handle when this is the handle i chose to use. im used to a handle like this cause i have been in the construction business for years and have recently gotten out of it. all the tools i used had straight handles and i just got accustomed to them. about the grit size ill take it back down to 220 or 320. i learned the trick about HTing the blade before making your bevels from Johnny Stout. i chose this design cause its what i wanted. it fits my hand perfectly, the blade is just the right size for the intended purpose, and honestly the spine from tip to butt is not straight. the blade angles up. if i need to drill out the holes in the tang bigger i will do so. yall are forgetting that this is my first knife. it doesnt need to be very fancy. this is mostly just going to be a work knife that will get beat up and abused. yall may not think that i have been paying attention but i have. my first knife is just a practice to help me with my grinding and bevels and coordination. if it turns out like crap i dont care. its a work knife and a practice knife. sorry if it seems like im going off on yall. remember im still a newbie, not a seasoned knife maker like yall. i learn from trial and error and from watching other people. i also like to ask questions so i know better about whats going on. right now all im worried about is making a knife. yall have been telling me for awhile to make something even if i have to use files and sand paper. some of yalls criticism is not constructive but demeaning and degrading on my own self. the advice i was looking for was like most of what stacy said and not the name calling or anything like that. by talking to other new people you can end up making them not even want to get started in knife making. this forum is designed to help people. not put them or their ideas down or degrade them in any way to make them feel stupid. just my $.02.

PS - Stacy, i havent had a chance yet. ill ship them out tomorrow. thanks for letting me borrow them.
 
Good whine, Jacob.

My fault. I've never really been any good with kids.

Sorry for bothering you. Won't happen again.
 
Jacob,

As someone who hasn't post a single picture of anything yet, your first knife is looking good. Like you said, its your first. Maybe I'll post one of the last surviving rebar abortions I made 23ish years ago- if I can find it and one of my newer knives that should really be a lot better made considering how much time I spend on them.

It is fun to shine them up, but I have found that you either have to go sooo low on grit size after heat treat to get back to the high grit that itsa waste of belt life- when I tried to use the higher grit belts to knock of the oxide and oil residue, it just loaded up the belts real bad.

Don't take the hurtful words of others to heart. Sometimes the harder you try, the harder it gets. Read between the lines and take the technical advice. The way the new guys get treated in law enforcement is sort of like this, except there's nextel, dispatchers, the rest of the guys on shift, Sgts, Lts, off duty LEO, undercover and LEO family and friends that all get in on the monkey business. After a year or so you get left alone and join the wolf pack in making the next group feel welcome. Or maybe you misunderstand and quit...as we say down here, Walmart pays good and they give you free sunscreen when you have to get them carts in the parking lot. Stick around, get better with each knife.
 
Jacob, I am glad to see this coming along. The handle and curvature comments were mostly design issues that you will learn quickly on your own. Those of us who have been there a while are just trying to shorten the learning curve. I do have one big piece of advise to you and all people making their first knife. Take your time and use all your ability (all that you have at that point in time). It is a HUGE mistake to say, "I don't care if it turns out like crap." Every knife you make should reflect your best efforts. If you care enough to make it and show it to others, it should reflect on you and your outlook on knifemaking and life in general. Otherwise it will say, "This guy doesn't care about what he makes or how it looks." There are makers who spent several years preparing for their first knife and worked on it for six months prior to finishing it- just so it would be perfect. Was it perfect? - NO, But it was as perfect as they were able to make it!

Bill Moran once said to me, "The best way to talk about your knives is to let them speak for you."
Stacy

BTW, Thanks for sending the books back. This new fellow in PA is real excited, too.
 
Don't have much time, but a few things:

Jacob, Kudos for getting started. You have just become a maker.

Design advice is one thing. Design it the way you want, but the radius between the handle and blade is a structural issue. You need to do that to relieve stress.

The bevels after HT is a fine technique if you have the right equipment. I don't think you do. I would recommend putting at least a basic grind on it before it gets hardened. You will eat through belts like no tomorrow, and for someone on a budget, that will be costly.

We're just telling you things we have all had to learn the hard way.

In closing, good job, I like the lines, and for a first knife, you're doing great.
Stay with it, and post up some finished pics.

Call me if you need any help or advice. You have my number.

Dave.
 
Not much to add to what others have said other than to reiterate that if all you have is a 1"x30" grinder, I'd grind the bevels before heat treating.

Other than that, don't forget to normalize the blade before quenching! Proper normalization along with proper quench technique will nearly eliminate the danger from warping.
 
thanks guys. i honestly do care if it turns out like crap. last night i was just a little peeved off. if i can get a chance to work on my knife today once it stops raining ill put bevels on it, drill more holes in the tang to allow epoxy to be able to grab it better, and see what i can do about that 90. would you recommend i let the knife air cool to normalize?

EDIT: any thing else i should do to my blade before HTing it? should i put a coat of anything on it or wrap it in anything? ill be making a few test pieces before i do the HT.
 
Yup, thermal cycling or normalizing in it's simplest form is just taking the steel up to the point where you would normally quench it and then taking it out of the forge to cool to black in still air. Three times is about right. In addition to relieving stresses that can cause warping this also refines the grain size of the steel.
 
Good on you for finally getting on started. Build it any damn way you want - just finish it. I scrapped way too many before I finally just said, "This is my first knife, warts and all."

Dave
 
well i got it HTed. figured out i had the wrong atmosphere big time. reducing atmosphere + HT = uglyness. so ive been working on getting rid of the scale buildup. i really need to talk to industrial abrasives about their 320 belts. i had 3 snap right away on me. i was using it and then 5 seconds later it snapped right at the tape. i hope i have 1 left. actually i have 2 left. those better work for my satin finish i do or ill be pissed and have to goto 400 satin finish. i aint gonna take pics til i fix the bevels the way i want them and get the rest of the scale off. after that ill temper it. i hope im doing it in the correct order. someone correct me if im wrong. just so you know the belts snapped before i put the blade in for the HT. and yes i normalized it 3 times before finally quenching it in oil that somehow got up to 180 degrees without me knowing before the quench. man this is so addicting. i was outside grinding away and didnt realize it started to sprinkle. my sleeves are soaked. HEHEHEHE!!!! i cant wait to get it finished up and show yall.
 
Sounding awesome there. Picked up my O1 today at lunch so I'm going to start hogging out a smaller spear-pont skinner this weekend.

Oh yeah, it's extremely addicting. Gotta love it though.

Congrats on your progress. It's looking real nice.

Charles
 
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