having a hard time with first O-1 bar stock!

J

jcrim007

Joined
Sep 4, 2003
Messages
64
just started my first knife blade of O-1 bar stock. i ordered the bar stock from www.texasknife.com. it looks good, and was said to be precision ground.

problem is, i have a hard time grinding it. i am new at this, so i'm probably doing something wrong. i am trying to grind this thing with a dremel. am i wasting my time?

is this bar stock in it's sofened state already? or do i have to heat it up?

should i go buy a real beach mount grinder? i found a 6" grinder at lowe's for $39.99. will this be enough?

please help! newbie at work here :)

thanks,
 
O1 should come in the spheroidized annealed condition and therefore should be easy to grind. If it is not in that condition it will be considerably harder to grind.....If you make the knife with a dremel you'll be at it for years !! Dremels have their uses but grinding knives is not one of them .
 
I'd take a step back and gather some knife making books. There are some good instructionals out there that go all the way from hand filing blades to grinding blades (using belt sanders), forging blades and making folders. The dremel may be a tad small for the job (an understatement).

If you are still looking to see if this is for you and want to minimize the equipment a small belt sander would do fine. The belts are not available in the finer grits, but a little elbow grease with some auto body sandpaper will work well.

The bench grinder has always scared me. I'm afraid of these cheap stones letting loose (breaking up). I've hear tell that grinding with these stones tends to imbed stone in the final grind of the blade?? Maybe a wives tale...

The O-1 as Mete noted should be soft and workable as is. It will need to be heat treated once you have done all you want to with it (including any holes...).

These instructional books really help layout the plan of attack and ideas on what equipment can be used.

Hope this helps some.

Dan
 
Get one of these at the least:

02485.gif


http://www.harborfreight.com/cpi/ctaf/Displayitem.taf?itemnumber=2485

Right now it's on sale for $29.95 and you can get it shipped for free - email me for the coupon code.



This will be much easier to use for knifemaking than a bench grinder. Yes, it's not "high-end" machinery....but if you decide knifemaking is not for you, at the least you still have a good tool for shaping wood, sharpening, etc.

1x30 sanding belts can be purchased here:

Discount Abrasives


Don't fret about it. Just get a tool and attack that bar of steel...show it who's boss. :D
 
That's the one I started with, 1 X 30 from Harbor Freight. It'll get you going at a real bargain. Be careful using it. It is single speed and runs at scream.

Your O1 will grind on that baby.

RL
 
I made alot of knives using a rubber disk mounted to a bench grinder. The disk was intended to be used on a hand held grinder, but the threads matched on my bench grinder. A sanding disc is contact cemented on, and pealed off when dull. An aluminum disc works for getting stuff good and flat, and with just a bit of tinkering you can rig up a wire brush or buffing wheel. Those stone wheels are good for taking off scale if you decide to forge, and for rough fast stock removal when you don't feel like dulling a disc or belt. I'm not suggesting a bench grinder is the way to go, only that they are far from useless to the budding knifemaker.

It's not for everyone, but with a few good files and a sturdy vice you can file annealed steel rather quickly and with great precision. Start with a coarse file, then use a fine file to remove those scratches, then move on to sandpaper. Beats using a dremel.... ;) (been there, done that, I feel your pain)

I like those 1x30 belt sanders for handle work.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top