How can you make a knife without forging?

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Look up 'one brick forge' or 'two brick forge' or 'coffee can forge'. People have hardened blades on a electric stove top burner using a propane torch to augment the heat, an old barbecue with charcoal briquettes and a hair dryer for forced air.
 
If you're doing stock removal you need something to HT or send it out. The
something for HT may well not be a forge. In my case, and that of a lot of other
folks here, it's a digitally controlled electric oven. Pretty useless as a forge but
much more controllable and precise than most forges for HT. Also very
usable for most air hardening and stainless steels.
 
Okay not wanting to hijack a thread here but since we're talking stock removal let me ask this question.

I'm planning on doing my first knife as a stock removal most likely. I'm also considering using either 1084 or O1. I have a good idea how to build a 2 brick forge as well (likely easiest way for me as I have a propane grill to begin with) and would rather not send the blade out to be treated.

Would I need to build a forge of some sort to be able to get both metals up to temp to harden them correctly?
 
If you're going to be using a forge or a simple torch, pick 1084. Look at the stickies for details but basically: it's deceptively easy to get O1 sort of hard, but you can't get to its real potential without controlled soaking at 1475-1500 F.
 
Dan Pierson said:
If you're going to be using a forge or a simple torch, pick 1084. Look at the stickies for details but basically: it's deceptively easy to get O1 sort of hard, but you can't get to its real potential without controlled soaking at 1475-1500 F.
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Argh!

I was originally going to go 1084 and forget making a 2 brick forge and just using a torch. Then someone mentioned in another thread that I may get inconsistencies using just a torch on 1084 since it's hard to keep the entire blade the same temp with a torch.

So my plan became get some bricks and make a 2 brick forge and make it out of O1. Because someone mentioned I should give O1 a shot on my first knife if I'm going to do it as a stock removal, which is how I'm planning on doing my knife regardless of the material.

No idea which way to go here :o
 
First, you'll have the same problem keeping consistent temps with a torch no matter what steel you use. The folks who do this say that it's a learned skill (which probably has to be partially re-learned for every different steel).

Second, if you're going stock removal your best choice is probably to start with precision ground A2 and send it out for heat treating. That's what I did, except it was D2. D2 is an abrasion resistant tool steel (you'll really learn what that means when you're hand finishing it after heat treat). Note that most heat treating services only do air hardening steels, which I why I suggest A2 instead of O1.

If you really want to do your own heat treat, 1084.
 
Patrice Lemée;7329984 said:
Nope! You just can't do it. Impossible. Never been done.

Wait maybe I am wrong. I should read some of the stickies at the top to find out. ;)

Patrice
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Best post in the thread.....
 
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FWIW, being a noob at this I have looked at some of the stickies and the one that says "Newbies good info here" has quite a few dead links in it. I haven't checked all of them but the handful that I did look at that were geared towards what I was looking for at the time were dead links.
 
I've been wondering the same thing
I wanted to turn a file into a knife but I don't know wether I need to heat the file or not
 
johnnyKnives said:
Is it possible to make a knife without forging or heating the metal? Can you take a file, for example, and use a grinder to make the knife? Thank you.
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Well..yes and no.

No if you start from scrap metal (like a file). The hardness, or lack of it, will not keep a edge. A knife-like-object can be made from a file...or even cardboard ;)

Yes, if you start with a knife (hardened steel) and make something custom out of it. Has been done many times on the forum and by me. For example: I turned a Cold Steel GI Tanto info a more compact clip-point. Although this follows the definition of ''customisation'' instead of ''making''.
 
pietje said:
Well..yes and no.

No if you start from scrap metal (like a file). The hardness, or lack of it, will not keep a edge. A knife-like-object can be made from a file...or even cardboard ;)

Yes, if you start with a knife (hardened steel) and make something custom out of it. Has been done many times on the forum and by me. For example: I turned a Cold Steel GI Tanto info a more compact clip-point. Although this follows the definition of ''customisation'' instead of ''making''.
Click to expand...

Files are not hardened?:eek:
 
As a relatively new maker I think what you may be asking is: "I want to make a knife but don't have a forge or HT oven, how do I do it?". I have now made quite a few knives and send all out for heat treat. Buy a piece of known steel (relatively cheap from many suppliers in short lengths for 1-2 knives). You may be able to get a local maker to heat treat for you in exchange for cash or maybe sweeping his shop? I'd also encourage you to attend a meeting of the Georgia Custom Knifemakers Guild (quarterly meetings). I'm new to this site to I will not post a link to make sure I'm staying wihin the rules here. Google will find it for you or someone may want to post it. The short answer would be to send it out for heat treat.

That said, a friend of a friend uses blades from a concrete finisher and he says they are already hard enough (and thin enough) that they hold a good edge and he doesn't have to do a ton of stock removal. He sent a couple to me but I haven't done anything with them yet. I need to see about checking the hardness just out of curiosity. I made my first from a file that I did not anneal. I wouldn't recommend it to be honest, that took a ton of time, you will have difficulty drilling for handles and you will need good belts assuming you are using a 1x30 type sander. I had trouble removing stock but I didn't know better and was using 120 grit cheapo belts if I recall.
 
Come on folks....this is a six year old thread. Please look before you start posting.

Post a new thread after reading the stickys.

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