Hey, new to knife making, advice on my current project? (and pics/build thread)

Unknown steel? Heat to non -magnetic and quench. If that don't do it, it ain't worth it to waste any more time with it. You can temper in stages starting around 180 centigrade for an hour, brass rod test and increasing in temperature until you get to a point where the edge doesn't chip out any more. If it was me, I'd go for 200 centi for an hour and do it twice. Or just back temper the spine with a propane torch until blue.
Leave it at that and just use it. If it works, great if not, it's a wall hanger. It would be nice if you did get a user out of it for the good work you've put into it.
 
yeah, if you check the thread i've already heat treated, hopefully it did the trick! but im thinking the knife will likely end up more decorative than anything, unfortunately. nicest looking knife i have made, but might just be the worst user if the steel is not that great. ill be testing it out on some logs though. the whole blade was heated past magnetic, and then fully qenched, them tempered at around 450-460 F, for two cycles of one hour. so hopefully its decent, i guess that depends on my mystery steel.


here is the current product. still got a bit of handle sanding to go, then varnishing. then i will be putting a 20deg edge on it. the pictures dont really do the finish any justice, just done with a cellphone and a reading lamp

Ju266.jpg

Ey7RN.jpg

Zzcfs.jpg
 
i havent done that much work with wood finishing, what would be the advantages of a tung oil finish, over varnishing?
 
well, i went with tung oil.

sanded up to 400 grit, cleaned off, and applied first coat, thinned a bit with lacquer thinner, rubbed off excess.
0w1el.jpg

FLSNp.jpg
 
Good job, main advantage of tung oil, is that it soaks into the wood, takes multiple coats to build up a finish, but the first couple coats gets into the grain of the wood where most varnishes just sit on the surface. Also it's easy to add more as use and time dictate.
 
"New to knifemaking"...ME TOO! I like the curves and overall design of your knives. The last one in this series is particularly graceful. Well done. Keep up the good work
 
thanks very much! ill be uploading some more photos of the finishing stages, etc and the final product/eventual outdoors testing over the next week.

once its had its beauty shots, and shown to friends and family, its new edge is gonna be tried out :D
 
How do you like the tung oil so far? I find it brings out the wood some and still had a very natural feel. Plus after a few coats you can buff and shine it up. I use a little carnuba wax after 2-3 coats of tung myself
 
so far it looks beautiful! really easy to apply as well. makes it look nice and wet. im thinking of doing 4 coats or so, how many do you generally do? and how does the carnuba wax turn out?
 
I agree with Steve that it is most likely not O-1 or 1075. 9260 would be a good guess, but any guess is not a fact....just a guess. 92XX steels will HT like you did, but the whole process lacks any control.
There is a lot of info in the stickys on HT of steels - Kevin's "Working with three steel types" is a good one.

That said, the knife is an excellent job.
 
Looks really nice. I particularly like that you didn't succumb to blocky handle syndrome. :)
 
bladsmth said:
I agree with Steve that it is most likely not O-1 or 1075. 9260 would be a good guess, but any guess is not a fact....just a guess. 92XX steels will HT like you did, but the whole process lacks any control.
There is a lot of info in the stickys on HT of steels - Kevin's "Working with three steel types" is a good one.

That said, the knife is an excellent job.
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Yeah, i dont know why i thought it was O1 when that is clearly not a high silicon steel. a bunch of "what steel is this chainsaw bar?" posts i found had mentioned o1 i guess, and i hoped they were right :P

im going to have to give Oregon a call, see if i can narrow it down. Thanks very much, glad to hear the time spent on it wasnt wasted :)


tryppyr said:
Looks really nice. I particularly like that you didn't succumb to blocky handle syndrome. :)
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yeeah, well my first knife (pics of which are on the first page) definitely had that syndrome..., this one is much more comfortable, and graceful looking
 
That second one looks really good


On maple, if you use a stain before the oil, it would make that wood pop more.

lookup
vinagroon - it's a mix of vinegar and steel wool that you let bubble into a homemade stain.

maple-001.jpg
 
diablo_man said:
so far it looks beautiful! really easy to apply as well. makes it look nice and wet. im thinking of doing 4 coats or so, how many do you generally do? and how does the carnuba wax turn out?
Click to expand...

I use a 50:50 mix of Beeswax and Carnauba wax, because the Carnauba is really hard on its own and you need to get a lot of heat (friction) into it before it'll spread evenly. The beeswax blend helps it spread a bit easier and smoother. One thing i do notice with the mixture is the wax gives a good gloss without losing grip. Many of the other gloss treatments end up too slippery to be a user.

EDIT: I'm talking pure wax here not those creams or blends.
 
After 3-4 coats and wax I give it a light buff and its glossy. You can do less or more coats and wax or no wax. Just depends on the look you want.
 
wow, i guess i forgot to post updated pictures!

it has a buff mark that i wanna fix up, but here it is with the finished handle :D

and you can see my crappy make do sheathe behind it. need to get learning how to do leather work!
MZSN7.jpg

aYXx6.jpg

vuwT3.jpg

R5cuL.jpg

XXZDe.jpg


and the full album http://imgur.com/a/kK3ce#0

Thanks for all your help everyone!!!!
 
Now i guess i gotta do something about that electrical tape and paper bag "sheathe". never done any leather work before, suggestions?
 
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