And I'm one of those guys, too, btw.
I don't know specifically where to start with blade making. I do realize it's a hobby for me, and always will be, but I just want to dip my toes in the water.
I'll briefly share share how I'm doing that. First off, I'm an old farm boy, so grinders, steel, and welding are nothing new to me, so I suppose I do have a leg up. The first thing I did was to refinish a few axes. Easy enough, and it got me in the groove.
Next up, I swallowed hard, and dropped a few dimes on a Kalamazoo 1x42 belt grinder. It was a little over $300 with some shipping and a few belts, but it's a start.
I followed that with a decent respirator. Grain dust will put me down for at least a couple of days. I can't imagine steel dust or the dust from epoxy resins. I already have welding gloves and safety glasses. I'm wearing my PPE's. I'll take 98.6 for $1000, Alex.
Finally, I picked out a fixed, factory blade that I liked, but thought could be a lot better. I chose the Becker Magnum Camp. That finish is coming off, as are the scales. And I'm not buying new scales, I'm making my own, maybe out of a spare axe handle I have laying around. Maybe I'll change something about the blade profile, maybe the grip. Maybe I won't change a thing. I spent $56 plus change on the knife. I might just end up destroying it, I dunno......
But it's a start. And that's something every single one of us has in common. We all have to start at the beginning.
I don't know specifically where to start with blade making. I do realize it's a hobby for me, and always will be, but I just want to dip my toes in the water.
I'll briefly share share how I'm doing that. First off, I'm an old farm boy, so grinders, steel, and welding are nothing new to me, so I suppose I do have a leg up. The first thing I did was to refinish a few axes. Easy enough, and it got me in the groove.
Next up, I swallowed hard, and dropped a few dimes on a Kalamazoo 1x42 belt grinder. It was a little over $300 with some shipping and a few belts, but it's a start.
I followed that with a decent respirator. Grain dust will put me down for at least a couple of days. I can't imagine steel dust or the dust from epoxy resins. I already have welding gloves and safety glasses. I'm wearing my PPE's. I'll take 98.6 for $1000, Alex.
Finally, I picked out a fixed, factory blade that I liked, but thought could be a lot better. I chose the Becker Magnum Camp. That finish is coming off, as are the scales. And I'm not buying new scales, I'm making my own, maybe out of a spare axe handle I have laying around. Maybe I'll change something about the blade profile, maybe the grip. Maybe I won't change a thing. I spent $56 plus change on the knife. I might just end up destroying it, I dunno......
But it's a start. And that's something every single one of us has in common. We all have to start at the beginning.
